Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Image Reflection, Shadow | 20220913 | 20230101 (R4) | In the summer of 1962, during a break in filming Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were caught in a series of candid photographs on a yacht in a compromising embrace. This image, it's argued, marks the birth of modern celebrity - a new contract between those in the spotlight and those who are consumers of celebrity. This series seeks a closer understanding of our relationship with fame through facets of one iconic screen goddess's life - that of Elizabeth Taylor. With photojournalist Danny Hayward, sociologist Ellis Cashmore (author of Elizabeth Taylor: A Private Life for Public Consumption) and philosopher Professor Angie Hobbs. With Louise Gallagher. And including sound from klankbeeld Additional research by Hannah Dean. Produced by Alan Hall with music by Jeremy Warmsley A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 Celebrity culture through the lens of Elizabeth Taylor. |
| 02 | Read All About It | 20220920 | 20230108 (R4) | Press intrusion into the lives of the famous didn't start with Elizabeth Taylor, though it did reach a new scale with her private life being so publicly consumed. Since the 60s, the relationship between celebrities and the media has evolved. Journalist Emma Jones and TV presenter Gail Porter share differing perspectives from their experiences in the 90s and beyond. With Louise Gallagher. And including sound from klankbeeld Produced by Alan Hall with music by Jeremy Warmsley A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 Celebrity culture through the lens of Elizabeth Taylor. |
| 03 | Reach For The Stars | 20220927 | 20230115 (R4) | Elizabeth Taylor made her stage debut, in front of the Royal Family, at the age of three, then first appeared on screen aged nine. She became a child star within the studio system, an experience which generations of actors have found challenging. Celebrity collaborator (ghost writer) Hilary Liftin, perhaps best known for Miley Cyrus' Miles To Go, psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, who worked on the inaugural series of Big Brother, and Nikki Everson, an agent who also helps prepare young actors at Rose Bruford Drama School for the realities of the profession, reflect on the nature of child stardom and growing up in the spotlight. With Louise Gallagher and archive of Dame Elizabeth from England's Other Elizabeth (1515 Productions, 2000). Produced by Alan Hall with music by Jeremy Warmsley. A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 Celebrity culture through the lens of Elizabeth Taylor. |
| 04 | Pink Clouds | 20221004 | 20230122 (R4) | Elizabeth Taylor received her second Oscar, playing the hard-drinking, blousy, abusive Martha opposite her real-life husband Richard Burton's George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Years later, after an intervention by her family, Taylor would become the first A-list celebrity publicly to enter rehab. TV and radio presenter (and I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here participant) Iain Lee shares his own relationship to fame and to addiction. With extracts from a 1985 Channel Four interview with the late Mavis Nicholson, in which Taylor revealed details of her time in the Betty Ford Center, and a contribution from Ellis Cashmore, author of Elizabeth Taylor, a Private Life for Public Consumption'. With Louise Gallagher. Produced by Alan Hall with music by Jeremy Warmsley. A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio Four. Celebrity culture through the lens of Elizabeth Taylor. |
| 05 | Fabulous! | 20221011 | 20230129 (R4) | As opportunities to star in films began to wane, Elizabeth Taylor found a new outlet for her unique brand - perfumery. She wasn't the first celebrity to launch her own fragrance (Sophia Loren had beaten her to it), but she was the first to be so involved in the creation, design and marketing, setting a template for future celebrities. With fashion writer Sali Hughes, psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, Dr Milly Williamson of Goldsmiths College, University of London, and Elizabeth Taylor impersonator Louise Gallagher. (Including archive from Barbara Walters 2002 interview with Elizabeth Taylor on ABC.) Produced by Alan Hall with music by Jeremy Warmsley. A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 Celebrity culture through the lens of Elizabeth Taylor. |
| 06 | Celebrating Life | 20221018 | `With my name, I could open doors, I was a commodity in myself - and I'm not talking as an actress... I could take the fame I resented and tried to get away from for so many years - but you can never get away from it - and use it to do some goo |