While the international showdown with Iraq continues apace, broadcasters are gearing up to cover the event of war. The latest announcement comes from Five, which has hired veteran correspondent Martin Bell to provide analysis should a war take place.

In the event of a war, Bell would provide nightly analysis of events from the Five News studio in London. During the Gulf War, Bell was stationed on the front lines with the 7th Armoured Brigade, reporting for the BBC.

Gary Rogers, Editor of Five News, said: "We will deploy many of our reporters to the region to cover the war, including a team in Baghdad. But we also want to be able to provide a clear and concise analysis each night and who better to do that than Martin Bell. He's a natural story teller who brings great wisdom and insight given his experience in the last Gulf War in 1991."

Bell, who is already contracted to Five to produce a number of news features for the channel, said: "I’m very flattered to be asked to cover the war. Having been with the 7th Armoured Brigade in the last war I hope I’ll have something valuable to contribute to Five’s coverage."