Telegraph journalist David Knowles was just 32 when he died suddenly whilst on holiday in Gibraltar on 8 September. But his death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from hundreds of listeners worldwide to his daily Ukraine war podcast. Family and friends have remembered him as a “kind” and “cheerful” man with a “ceaseless curiosity”.
Knowles joined the Telegraph’s social media team in 2020, but made a name for himself with podcast Ukraine: The Latest, which he launched on Twitter Spaces after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Created, produced and hosted by Knowles, it has become the Telegraph’s most popular podcast and is the UK’s only remaining daily audio offering on the conflict, broadcasting nearly 700 episodes so far to a global audience, including on Youtube.
In a brief but emotional broadcast on 9 September, Knowles’ podcast co-hosts shared the news of his sudden and unexpected death with listeners. In response, more than 1,800 messages have been posted below a Telegraph report on his death, which serves as a digital book of condolences, and yet more have appeared on social media and podcast apps.
Podcast inspired listeners to help Ukraine
Listeners, from as far afield as Australia, Canada and Japan, have paid tribute to Knowles. Among them were those who shared how the podcast had inspired them to act in support of Ukraine and its people in their struggle against the Russian invasion.
“Your podcast encouraged me to become political and outspoken on the war on Ukraine,” said listener Peter Behrends from Germany. “Last week friends of my son asked me to accompany them driving… to [Lviv] to give to medics (as I have a background in mechanics). Would I have done that without your podcast? I doubt it. Thank you for inspiring me, David. Thank you for giving me a sense of what is right and of what is wrong.”
UK listener Alison Carragher said Knowles was “an inspiration to us all”, adding: “I sponsored, through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, a lovely young couple – the husband was Ukrainian and his wife was Russian. This was a direct result of listening to the podcast and wanting to do my bit.”
Many of those posting messages of condolence mentioned Knowles’s voice – well-spoken with a tone of authority – which was often the first thing they heard as he delivered his “solemn introduction to the podcast”, as one listener put it.
“For more than two years my mornings in Melbourne, Australia, started with ‘I’m David Knowles and this is Ukraine, the latest’,” said listener Christiane Stehmann. “It seems impossible to believe I will never hear David’s voice again,” said listener Jane Edwards. “I have heard it almost every day for over two years. It feels like I have lost a friend.”
For others, the podcast offered more than just a way to catch up with the latest news on the conflict in Europe, but membership of a community. “At the centre of that community there was always David Knowles,” said listener Andrew Potter from Canada.
Family ‘astounded’ by outpouring of messages from around the world
Knowles’ mother, Kaye, told Press Gazette the family had been “astounded at the outpouring of messages” and were unaware “he had touched so many people around the world”. She said her son had a “calm, measured timbre when speaking which was simply pleasant to listen to” and an “intuitive ability to know the ‘right’ questions to ask”.
“So often, as I listened (while making the evening meal), he would make enquiries about people’s lives in a gentle, humane, way and they were often what I wanted to know. This was clearly recognised by those who listened to the pod on a daily basis,” she added.
Knowles comes from a long line of journalists. His father, Peter Knowles, was controller of BBC Parliament and is now Westminster correspondent for US TV network C-SPAN. Knowles’ grandfather was a journalist with BBC Manchester and his great-grandfather was a print setter on the Bolton Evening News.
Although he studied theology at Durham University, Knowles went on to complete a masters in Interactive Journalism at City University in 2015/16 and later regularly returned to speak to students. “His last visit, to talk to our MA Podcasting students, was as witty, insightful and erudite as ever,” said journalist and lecturer Adam Tinworth, who taught Knowles.
Knowles had a “ceaseless curiosity” and an “infectious enthusiasm” that could sometimes be “overwhelming for those on the receiving end of it”, his mother said. An avid reader, he would eagerly share what he had learned with friends and family, be it about the Aztecs or Napoleon, or his love of military history and the Master and Commander books.
His interests were many and varied, ranging from classical music (playing a number of musical instruments and singing in Geneva’s Holy Trinity Choir) and the performance arts (taking part in the Durham Revue and the National Youth Theatre) to learning languages (Czech and Hebrew among them) and playing cricket.
‘The happiest and most curious person I’ve ever met’
Journalist Marie Le Conte, Knowles’ friend and ex-girlfriend, said: “David may genuinely have been the happiest and most curious person I’ve ever met.
“He loved football and cricket; playing the viola and the mandolin; books about military history and books about everything else. He spoke a dizzying array of languages, some extinct and others rare, and couldn’t really explain why he’d learnt them. He was endlessly fascinated by life and all it could offer.”
She added: “Journalists are a famously cutting bunch, but I don’t think I ever heard anyone say anything even vaguely negative about him.”
Friend and former Telegraph colleague Ben Gartside, now senior reporter at The i newspaper, described Knowles as a “wonderfully talented renaissance man” and a “natural broadcaster”, having appeared as a guest on the Ukraine: The Latest podcast.
It was with Gartside that he set up the Larkhall Wanderers cricket team, bringing together some 50 players “none of [whom] would have been friends if it wasn’t for him,” said Gartside, who added that while Knowles’ enthusiasm was greater than his skill on the pitch “he became one of our most important and best players”.
Knowles was also keen on football, and, despite his “plummy west London voice”, supported Bolton Wanderers. “I remember going up to him at work and he had a Bolton Wanderers mug at his desk,” said Gartside. “I said: ‘Why have you pulled that out of the work cupboard?’ He said: ‘I really like Bolton,’ and was regaling me with stories of their players from 15 to 20 years ago, and I was like: ‘Okay, you really know your stuff!”
His fascination with lower-league football also took him on his holiday to Gibraltar, where he went with a friend to watch the tiny territory take on Lichtenstein in the UEFA Nations League, although he never made it to the match.
Family believe ‘foul play’ will be ruled out
While counter-terrorism police are investigating Knowles’ death, the family believe foul play is likely to be ruled out. Knowles was banned from entering Russia due to his reporting of the conflict in Ukraine. While police are investigating his death they have said they have no specific concerns as yet.
Gartside said Knowles was “humble” about the success of his podcast, adding: “David was doing it because it was something that was important to do, and any ego or any personal acclaim that he could claim from that he shrugged off.”
Ukraine: The Latest has had nearly 100 million listens overall since it began in 2022, with a large segment of its audience based in the US. It averages around four million plays per month.
Colleague and podcast contributor Colin Freeman said: “Many current affairs podcasts fizzle out after a few weeks or months – Ukraine: The Latest went from strength to strength.
“These days I bump into people all over the world who tell me they listen to it, including many in Ukraine itself. Sometimes it has even opened doors for interviews that might not otherwise have happened.”
Podcast gave ‘hope and strength’ to Ukrainian listeners
Knowles made a number of trips to Ukraine himself for the podcast, including a visit this summer when he travelled to Bucha and reported on how people there were rebuilding their community after the illegal Russian occupation left the town in ruins.
Knowles’ work won him plaudits from Ukraine itself. On hearing of his death, the Ukrainian Embassy in London tweeted: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of the Telegraph journalist of ‘Ukraine: The Latest’ podcast @djknowles22. His dedication to reporting the truth about the war in Ukraine and his commitment to telling the stories of those affected by it will never be forgotten.”
Ukrainian listeners also shared messages of condolence online. “I live in Ukraine and I have been listening… for 1.5 years,” said Serhii Fartushnyi. “David’s voice has been a constant companion for me through these difficult times.
“For the past 1.5 years, his dedication to bringing the truth about Ukraine to the world gave me hope and strength when it was hard to find any. His empathy, intelligence, and unwavering commitment to telling our story made Ukrainians feel less alone in the world.”
Listener Ben Skolozdra added: “David’s legacy will be that of an English language voice for a free, independent, and democratic Ukraine. The Ukrainian diaspora across the world is mourning as one at this tremendous loss.”
In Ottawa, Canada, anti-war protestors put up pictures of Knowles on what’s called the Freedom Pole, which sits outside the Russian embassy, with the message “eternal memory”. “You taught us so much and gave inspiration to carry on our daily protests,” tweeted one protestor in tribute to Knowles and the Ukraine: The Latest podcast.
A pleasure to work with because he had no ego
It was through the podcast that Knowles met girlfriend Adélie Pojzman-Pontay, who produced reportage episodes in her role as narrative podcast producer at the Telegraph, accompanying him on a trip to Ukraine in February.
“David had no ego, so it was a pleasure to work with him,” said Pojzman-Pontay. “I’m not an expert on Ukraine… when we travelled to Ukraine it was the first time I would be going out there [but] he never made me feel that any of my questions were stupid, he was just so happy to share absolutely everything he knew and explain everything to me.”
She said she was struck by how many people Knowles knew in Ukraine. “Most of his sources were his friends,” she said. “Whenever we met someone, he was just so caring in the way he approached people, and so patient as well. He really had a sense of how to engage with people and I think that’s just because he’s incredibly honest in himself all the time. I’ve never seen someone who’s so true – he’s always 100% himself.”
She revealed Knowles had decided to learn Ukrainian after becoming a full-time audio journalist and presenter at the Telegraph this summer – “the first time in two years that his job title matched what he spent the majority of his days doing”.
She said the podcast came about “very organically” because “David absolutely loved history – his flat is covered in history books everywhere and most of these books are about war. Colleagues and I would sometimes tease him that he had the hobbies of a 55-year-old dad, you know, reading and war and naval battles and talking about Master and Commander and Hornblower all the time. And so that’s definitely a subject he was really interested in.”
Remembering Knowles, Pojzman-Pontay said he was “incredibly warm and happy” and “was never in a bad mood”. “He was incredibly cheerful and always making a joke, and if you weren’t in a good mood, he was always trying to cheer you up by being silly or extremely caring. So he would often, for example, leave chocolate bars on people’s desks,” she said.
“He was always joking and being silly or he would come and tell you about some nerdy obsession of his… He really loved Napoleon. I’m from France and I honestly have never heard as much about Napoleon since I started being friends with David.”
Although short, Pojzman-Pontay said their relationship had been “incredibly serious” and “within a few weeks we were talking about marriage and children”. She added: “I’m just really sad we only had six months together, when we were meant to have 60 years.”
A funeral will take place at St Bride’s Church, where a candle has been lit for Knowles, on a date yet to be determined. Knowles will be buried on the island of Islay in Scotland.
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