'Those stories - even the ones that put my life in danger - had to be told. That was my job. That was what I did. It is what I do. And this, now, is my story.

The year is 1969. The start of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. For Jim McDowell, a rookie reporter, it was the beginning of a life at the heart of one of world's most notorious and bitter conflicts.

McDowell's career spanned 45 years as he rose to fearless editor of Northern Ireland's Sunday World, facing down threats and beatings to expose the stories of the criminal underworld. Always fighting the good fight.

McDowell reveals what life is like when you're up close and personal with infamous drug dealers like Brendan 'Speedy' Fegan and Billy 'King Rat' Wright and what happened in a near-catastrophic incident with a high-ranking royal aide during Queen Elizabeth's trip to Belfast in 1977.

45 years. 21 death threats. Over 2,000 front pages. This is his story.