John Reith

Sir John Reith was the Director of the British Broadcasting Corporation near the end of the 19th century during the Boer Wars. (PROSE: Players)

Behind the scenes
In real life, Reith did not become the Director of the BBC until 1922. He was born in 1889, which would have made him ten years old at the time of the novel in 1899. In fact, the precursor to the BBC (the British Broadcasting Company) was not created until 1922, when Reith became its first director.