Paula Yates – The life, loves and tragedy of a Big Breakfast superstar
6/22/20261 hr 23 min
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Big Breakfast presenter, tabloid icon and 50% of THE rock power couple, Paula Yates was one of the most fascinating and complicated figures of the 1990s. A journalist, presenter, style icon and gossip column fixture, she helped redefine celebrity culture with her unconventional Big Breakfast interviews. Her high-profile marriage to Bob Geldof, and later relationship with Michael Hutchence, made her one of the most talked-about women in Britain. But behind the glamour lay a life shaped by family secrets, fame, heartbreak and tragedy. Miranda Sawyer is joined by Guardian columnist Polly Hudson to explore the woman who captivated Britain – and the legacy she left behind.
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Written and presented by Miranda Sawyer. Produced by Liam Tait and Amelia Phillips. Audio and video production by Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Soniq Branding from Artlist. Talk ’90s To Me is a Podmasters production.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMiranda Sawyer· Host0:00
Hi, everyone. It's Miranda here, just warning that this episode contains talk of addiction and suicide, and honestly, it's quite a sad episode for us, so grab a tissue. [upbeat music] This is Talk 90s To Me, where we carve out a brilliant career as a charismatic TV presenter, prolific author, and all the medals flirt, where we hide our pain and our intelligence beneath our frou-frou fashion sense and megawatt charm, where we leave our rock star husband for another more famous rock star, where we are hounded by paparazzi through terrible personal tragedy, and where our awful turmoil leads to our own early death. I am Miranda Sawyer. And yes, this week on Talk 90s To Me, we are talking the fabulous writer, presenter, and '90s tabloid catnip, Paula Yates. And with me to discuss all things Paula, I am delighted to welcome Guardian columnist Polly Hudson. Hello, Polly. Hello. Okay, how do you feel about talking about Paula Yates? Well, I feel quite excited- Mm. ... and sad. Yes. It's a real mixed emotion one, isn't it? I think it's quite interesting because I was like, "Okay, we definitely need to do her. She's a really brilliant character. She was absolutely all over the tabloids." But because you know what happens, it, it- Mm. And that thing, and her death could have been prevented, it's just really sad as well. And the ripple effect of