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Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News
The things that are said on camera are only part of the story.
Behind every interview there is a backstory. How it came about. How it ended. The compromises that were made. The regrets, the rows, the deeply inappropriate comedy.
Making news is an essential but imperfect art, and it rarely goes according to plan.
I never expected to find myself wandering around the Maharani of Jaipur's bedroom with Bill Clinton or invited to the Miss USA beauty pageant by its owner, Donald Trump. I never expected to be thrown into a provincial Cuban jail, or to be drinking red wine at Steve Bannon's kitchen table or spend three hours in a lift with Alan Partridge.
I certainly didn't expect the Dalai Lama to tell me the story of his most memorable poo.
The beauty of television is its ability to simplify, but that's also its weakness: it can distil everything down to one snapshot, one soundbite. Then the news cycle moves on.
Behind every interview there is a backstory. How it came about. How it ended. The compromises that were made. The regrets, the rows, the deeply inappropriate comedy.
Making news is an essential but imperfect art, and it rarely goes according to plan.
I never expected to find myself wandering around the Maharani of Jaipur's bedroom with Bill Clinton or invited to the Miss USA beauty pageant by its owner, Donald Trump. I never expected to be thrown into a provincial Cuban jail, or to be drinking red wine at Steve Bannon's kitchen table or spend three hours in a lift with Alan Partridge.
I certainly didn't expect the Dalai Lama to tell me the story of his most memorable poo.
The beauty of television is its ability to simplify, but that's also its weakness: it can distil everything down to one snapshot, one soundbite. Then the news cycle moves on.
375 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2019
308 people are currently reading
2861 people want to read
About the author
Emily Maitlis
3 books32 followersEmily Maitlis (born 6 September 1970) is a British journalist, documentary filmmaker, and former newsreader for the BBC. She was the lead anchor of the BBC Two news and current affairs programme Newsnight until the end of 2021. She is currently a presenter of the daily podcast The News Agents on LBC Radio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 479 reviews
March 19, 2020
Well, clearly Emily Maitliss, presenter of the BBC's flagship Newsnight programme, is no Airhead. but the consummate professional interrogator and interviewer. This is not really an autobiography, and there is little in the way of any meaningful spotlight on her personal and private life. Instead, this is a commentary on the nature of the news business, where so often the best laid plans go awry, looking at our contemporary world with its political and social realities, and the collection of often memorable interviews conducted by the ambitious Maitlis. Written in an easy reading style, there are an array of anecdotes, the back stories, soundbites, and compromises integral to TV news and interviews, giving us a well observed and insightful glimpse, coverage into the behind scenes world that is Maitlis's everyday life. The interviews cover leading global figures, from politics, such as US presidents, the arts, like Emma Thompson, and religion, like the Dalai Lamai, alongside a raft of other celebrities.
I can't say that I thought every interview she has conducted has been a success, but there have been some excellent ones. She is confident, hard nosed, skilful, and effective, often witty and humorous, and even compassionate on occasion. This is a light, well written and entertaining read that throws some light on the complex, perceptive and intelligent personality that is Emily Maitless, with brief coverage of her personal troubles with a stalker. Maitlis has since added an additional bow to her stellar career with her recent groundbreaking interview with Prince Andrew that made headlines around the world. I rcommend this to all those who are interested in the world of TV news, portrayed through the life of one of the leading talented BBC news presenters. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph.
I can't say that I thought every interview she has conducted has been a success, but there have been some excellent ones. She is confident, hard nosed, skilful, and effective, often witty and humorous, and even compassionate on occasion. This is a light, well written and entertaining read that throws some light on the complex, perceptive and intelligent personality that is Emily Maitless, with brief coverage of her personal troubles with a stalker. Maitlis has since added an additional bow to her stellar career with her recent groundbreaking interview with Prince Andrew that made headlines around the world. I rcommend this to all those who are interested in the world of TV news, portrayed through the life of one of the leading talented BBC news presenters. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph.
December 19, 2020
Hugely enjoyable, funny and insightful. Airhead is not a biography nor a treatise on television journalism but more, as Emily Maitlis says herself, it's a look at how things happen in her job: how things get planned, go right and help make the headlines - and as equally, how things are unplanned, go wrong and help make the headlines.
For those not familiar with Ms Maitlis, she is a BBC News reporter and anchor for BBC Television's flagship news and current affairs programme Newsnight. As a news and politics "junkie" being known to sit up all night and watch UK General and US Presidential elections and stuff like the Brexit referendum, I readily appreciate Ms Maitlis's work, career and professional standing; I also have a soft spot for her as she is very watchable and across her many hours on TV she is quite brilliant, but at times she also exasperates me and makes me furious.
In this audio book there's nothing to make the listener furious. There is however a lot to enjoy as we hear of events, plans and efforts by Ms Maitlis and her editors and crews to "get" an interview. Variously, as she openly shows, the order and supposed organisation of television interviewing and journalism is more rushed, chaotic and off-the-cuff. And it this juxtaposition of what one sees or hears broadcast to the less polished and ordered behind-the-scenes stuff that makes this book such an interesting and enjoyable book. Ms Maitlis is a funny - as are some events - and open where she has made a mistake or done something that what was not wanted before or helped during an interview. She is also considered and open in how she thinks her own performance stood or how the interview went or was broadcast and perceived.
In Airhead you will hear of her interviews with Donald Trump, Anthony Scaramucci, James Comey to events such as the Grenfell Tower fire, the European migrant march and the Paris terror attacks to Russell Brand (still a massive wanker in my view), Alan Partridge (A-ha), Emma Thompson and an interview with a Chippendale (dancer not furniture).
As Pandora Sykes wrote "I think people are a bit in love with Emily Maitlis, she's a brilliant interviewer", I am and she is, and in Airhead she is a great companion and narrator.
I listened to the Penguin audio book version narrated by Emily Maitlis.
( sadly this version doesn't have the information on her now infamous interview with Prince Andrew ).
For those not familiar with Ms Maitlis, she is a BBC News reporter and anchor for BBC Television's flagship news and current affairs programme Newsnight. As a news and politics "junkie" being known to sit up all night and watch UK General and US Presidential elections and stuff like the Brexit referendum, I readily appreciate Ms Maitlis's work, career and professional standing; I also have a soft spot for her as she is very watchable and across her many hours on TV she is quite brilliant, but at times she also exasperates me and makes me furious.
In this audio book there's nothing to make the listener furious. There is however a lot to enjoy as we hear of events, plans and efforts by Ms Maitlis and her editors and crews to "get" an interview. Variously, as she openly shows, the order and supposed organisation of television interviewing and journalism is more rushed, chaotic and off-the-cuff. And it this juxtaposition of what one sees or hears broadcast to the less polished and ordered behind-the-scenes stuff that makes this book such an interesting and enjoyable book. Ms Maitlis is a funny - as are some events - and open where she has made a mistake or done something that what was not wanted before or helped during an interview. She is also considered and open in how she thinks her own performance stood or how the interview went or was broadcast and perceived.
In Airhead you will hear of her interviews with Donald Trump, Anthony Scaramucci, James Comey to events such as the Grenfell Tower fire, the European migrant march and the Paris terror attacks to Russell Brand (still a massive wanker in my view), Alan Partridge (A-ha), Emma Thompson and an interview with a Chippendale (dancer not furniture).
As Pandora Sykes wrote "I think people are a bit in love with Emily Maitlis, she's a brilliant interviewer", I am and she is, and in Airhead she is a great companion and narrator.
I listened to the Penguin audio book version narrated by Emily Maitlis.
( sadly this version doesn't have the information on her now infamous interview with Prince Andrew ).
March 17, 2021
This is a series of snapshots and encounters from Emily Maitlis that have marked some of her most memorable interviews. They include musings on accompanying Donald Trump to a beauty pageant, six years before he became President, and later questioning why she didn't pull him out on his hazy relationship with the truth, the migrant march of 2015, a near incomprehensible interview with the Dalai Lama, being arrested in Cuba, interviewing Harvey Weinstein's PA, as well as many others - including Tony Blair, Piers Morgan, James Comey, Sean Spicer and Bill Clinton.
I have always enjoyed Emily Maitlis on Newsnight and on Americast with Jon Sopel, so I found this a really interesting account of making the news. Although much of this is fairly light, there are also more thought provoking moments, such as her long, difficult issues with a stalker. However, Maitlis is keen not to make herself the centre of the story and it is the news that she champions and the importance of a media which has, so often recently, been under attack.
I have always enjoyed Emily Maitlis on Newsnight and on Americast with Jon Sopel, so I found this a really interesting account of making the news. Although much of this is fairly light, there are also more thought provoking moments, such as her long, difficult issues with a stalker. However, Maitlis is keen not to make herself the centre of the story and it is the news that she champions and the importance of a media which has, so often recently, been under attack.
June 6, 2019
I’m really disappointed in this. She makes so many important points about journalistic ethics, but the format - based around specific interviews - never allows a sustained analysis to develop. There is a great book in here which didn’t get written.
May 30, 2024
Immediacy and vividness are what to value here: the sense of what it was like to be there, and to do her job; to think on your feet whilst not being too dizzied by being - as she recognises - at the centre of things.
Those reviewers and readers seeking depth seem to me to misunderstand the book and its context. Yes, British journalism does often lack depth, as I posted a few times in the 2010s, wishing that there were more of a place for those who like to read and write the LRB-style deep dive. But its world is what it is, and Maitlis has attained the status of insider to that world, and she does analyse somewhat more than you might expect from those criticisms.
I wish, impossibly, that this book had existed 30 years ago. (Its author would have not long left university then, and I was still at school). Its vignette-narratives of the work of news journalism would make superb reading for a teenager interested in it as a career.
Mid-90s media wholeheartedly fêted messy, chaotic personalities across entertainment and journalism, and a few of us made the mistake of trying to ape them because it looked like a way in. (As an ex and of mine who once had similar tendencies said, reflecting on the past, "actually, cutting your ear off won't make you into van Gogh") In reality, the future was, as Maitlis would in some ways prefer not to be thought of, "hockey girl": organised, conventionally presentable, on-message but tacitly understanding the complexities, with Goldilocks-just-right amount of confidence.
But for present-day teenagers, there will likely be fewer jobs in journalism than there were even for those a decade or so ahead of them, and there will be various new challenges for which the immediate past described here by Maitlis cannot adequately prepare them, such as working under increasing authoritarianism and living with AI as challenge to information and to their jobs. The working environment she describes is closer to what it was in the 90s than what it may be like in 15 years' time. But it does implicitly, importantly ask "could you take the stress of this?" about a range of situations, and the audio is especially evocative of the pace.
Airhead will become another snapshot of journalism at a particular time - like the collection of 1960s- 70s Keith Waterhouse columns I once found in my grandmother's bookcase, and dozens of other similar British collections of articles with short chapters - and due to the range of political figures covered, will no doubt be cited in a few essays and dissertations whose focus will be analysis rather than what it was like to be there.
Those reviewers and readers seeking depth seem to me to misunderstand the book and its context. Yes, British journalism does often lack depth, as I posted a few times in the 2010s, wishing that there were more of a place for those who like to read and write the LRB-style deep dive. But its world is what it is, and Maitlis has attained the status of insider to that world, and she does analyse somewhat more than you might expect from those criticisms.
I wish, impossibly, that this book had existed 30 years ago. (Its author would have not long left university then, and I was still at school). Its vignette-narratives of the work of news journalism would make superb reading for a teenager interested in it as a career.
Mid-90s media wholeheartedly fêted messy, chaotic personalities across entertainment and journalism, and a few of us made the mistake of trying to ape them because it looked like a way in. (As an ex and of mine who once had similar tendencies said, reflecting on the past, "actually, cutting your ear off won't make you into van Gogh") In reality, the future was, as Maitlis would in some ways prefer not to be thought of, "hockey girl": organised, conventionally presentable, on-message but tacitly understanding the complexities, with Goldilocks-just-right amount of confidence.
But for present-day teenagers, there will likely be fewer jobs in journalism than there were even for those a decade or so ahead of them, and there will be various new challenges for which the immediate past described here by Maitlis cannot adequately prepare them, such as working under increasing authoritarianism and living with AI as challenge to information and to their jobs. The working environment she describes is closer to what it was in the 90s than what it may be like in 15 years' time. But it does implicitly, importantly ask "could you take the stress of this?" about a range of situations, and the audio is especially evocative of the pace.
Airhead will become another snapshot of journalism at a particular time - like the collection of 1960s- 70s Keith Waterhouse columns I once found in my grandmother's bookcase, and dozens of other similar British collections of articles with short chapters - and due to the range of political figures covered, will no doubt be cited in a few essays and dissertations whose focus will be analysis rather than what it was like to be there.
May 26, 2019
Maitlis, mascara and mastering the art of the tv interview.
There’s no getting away from it: Emily Maitlis is ordinately ‘well turned out’! She’s immaculately groomed right down to her no-doubt flawless cuticles. It’s not just a key component of the Maitlis signature style, it’s an essential part of who La Maitlis is - and her appearance is simply one further iteration of her meticulous preparation for an interview.
This book is not an intimate self-portrait, quite the opposite. It’s an account of her most recent memorable interviews: how they were set up, the points in the interview that struck her as important and her feelings as the interview was concluded: was it a job well done, did her viewers gain any insights, did she land the soccer-punch that makes for great telly?
Interestingly, she talks about a kind of tv time-warp: how everything is distilled into ‘one snapshot, one soundbite. Then the new cycle moves on.’ Equally fascinating is her take on interviews for which she’s had the time to prepare thoroughly versus the stomach-churning excitement she feels when she goes for it and grabs an unexpected opening that has presented itself. Her fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants interviews are bordering on legendary (her nabbing of Anthony Scaramucci on the White House lawn is surely unforgettable and – boy – was that ever a short window of opportunity!) As for the crouch-in-the-lift-to-apply-the-mascara moments, which female amongst us who cares about her appearance has not been seized by a similar moment of blind panic? "Will I look alright???"
It’s all done in bite-size, eminently readable chunks. She is a far more engaging writer than I had expected her to be (I wonder why I’d thought her rather too cool a customer – could this be the impeccable grooming?). But in fact she shows warmth and empathy in abundance. Of course, she’s as hard-nosed as it comes when she needs to be, relentlessly pursuing an interviewee she wants at the risk of incurring their wrath. And whilst there wasn’t quite as much of the personal side in Airhead as we might like there to be, that's not what she wanted this book to be about. The woman we see here is a consummate professional who can only be admired. And yes, liked. I wish her and her family well.
There’s no getting away from it: Emily Maitlis is ordinately ‘well turned out’! She’s immaculately groomed right down to her no-doubt flawless cuticles. It’s not just a key component of the Maitlis signature style, it’s an essential part of who La Maitlis is - and her appearance is simply one further iteration of her meticulous preparation for an interview.
This book is not an intimate self-portrait, quite the opposite. It’s an account of her most recent memorable interviews: how they were set up, the points in the interview that struck her as important and her feelings as the interview was concluded: was it a job well done, did her viewers gain any insights, did she land the soccer-punch that makes for great telly?
Interestingly, she talks about a kind of tv time-warp: how everything is distilled into ‘one snapshot, one soundbite. Then the new cycle moves on.’ Equally fascinating is her take on interviews for which she’s had the time to prepare thoroughly versus the stomach-churning excitement she feels when she goes for it and grabs an unexpected opening that has presented itself. Her fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants interviews are bordering on legendary (her nabbing of Anthony Scaramucci on the White House lawn is surely unforgettable and – boy – was that ever a short window of opportunity!) As for the crouch-in-the-lift-to-apply-the-mascara moments, which female amongst us who cares about her appearance has not been seized by a similar moment of blind panic? "Will I look alright???"
It’s all done in bite-size, eminently readable chunks. She is a far more engaging writer than I had expected her to be (I wonder why I’d thought her rather too cool a customer – could this be the impeccable grooming?). But in fact she shows warmth and empathy in abundance. Of course, she’s as hard-nosed as it comes when she needs to be, relentlessly pursuing an interviewee she wants at the risk of incurring their wrath. And whilst there wasn’t quite as much of the personal side in Airhead as we might like there to be, that's not what she wanted this book to be about. The woman we see here is a consummate professional who can only be admired. And yes, liked. I wish her and her family well.
October 8, 2019
Whistle stop tour of some of the more memorable moments in recent years that has moulded and brought Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis to TV news and current affairs watchers attention.
Elections, Donald Trump and Brexit have brought such presenters more to the forefront despite the frustration that political interviews and programmes drone on about stuff we find altogether boring.
Emily Maitlis is a driven journalist in a male dominated world who beyond her natural good looks has succeeded at the BBC and fronted Newsnight with a degree of grace and an ear for a story.
Post Paxman she has come to our attention but she has been around for longer than than we may think.
Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News is Maitlis at her best describing what in her professional life she loves most. Getting that killer interview, remembering to ask the right questions and delivering a piece to camera that provides clarity and context.
Here in a book format she is able to unpack this process and explain her fears, rationale and motivations to be the best she can and tell those stories.
I found the book a compelling read; the many interviewees all have something to say and her role is secondary to the whole. She is honest, fearless, reflective and empathetic in this process and that comes across in her writing and recalling these meetings. How they came about, the issues at that time, what needed to be addressed and why sometimes things don’t go to plan.
It is her dry humour that also gets conveyed and I get no sense of a woman who feels she is the leading star or the main player. What translates is her sense of teamwork, a shared vision and focus coupled with the support and encouragement she receives and reciprocates to her Newsnight buddies.
Emily’s humility also shines through. Although not a perfectionist she worries if she missed something out or came over too forcibly. She cares about those she meets and isn’t just out for a good sound bite.
She comprehends the agenda of the politician or celebrity and why it isn’t always possible to elicit the answers she desires. But she still beats herself up if she feels she has been overtaxing or too soft in her questioning.
Above all she is an intelligent journalist, a hard-working individual and the consummate professional.
Her book is refreshing and illuminating and allows more insight into her work and because of her openness perhaps reveals far more than she’d say if someone else interviewed her.
I hope Airhead is widely read, it isn’t a dry political read but a commentary on our busy modern lives. It is a book that will appeal to a broad section of readers since it is well written, engaging and filled with wit, emotion and energy. However, the quality that stands out most is the author’s integrity.
Elections, Donald Trump and Brexit have brought such presenters more to the forefront despite the frustration that political interviews and programmes drone on about stuff we find altogether boring.
Emily Maitlis is a driven journalist in a male dominated world who beyond her natural good looks has succeeded at the BBC and fronted Newsnight with a degree of grace and an ear for a story.
Post Paxman she has come to our attention but she has been around for longer than than we may think.
Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News is Maitlis at her best describing what in her professional life she loves most. Getting that killer interview, remembering to ask the right questions and delivering a piece to camera that provides clarity and context.
Here in a book format she is able to unpack this process and explain her fears, rationale and motivations to be the best she can and tell those stories.
I found the book a compelling read; the many interviewees all have something to say and her role is secondary to the whole. She is honest, fearless, reflective and empathetic in this process and that comes across in her writing and recalling these meetings. How they came about, the issues at that time, what needed to be addressed and why sometimes things don’t go to plan.
It is her dry humour that also gets conveyed and I get no sense of a woman who feels she is the leading star or the main player. What translates is her sense of teamwork, a shared vision and focus coupled with the support and encouragement she receives and reciprocates to her Newsnight buddies.
Emily’s humility also shines through. Although not a perfectionist she worries if she missed something out or came over too forcibly. She cares about those she meets and isn’t just out for a good sound bite.
She comprehends the agenda of the politician or celebrity and why it isn’t always possible to elicit the answers she desires. But she still beats herself up if she feels she has been overtaxing or too soft in her questioning.
Above all she is an intelligent journalist, a hard-working individual and the consummate professional.
Her book is refreshing and illuminating and allows more insight into her work and because of her openness perhaps reveals far more than she’d say if someone else interviewed her.
I hope Airhead is widely read, it isn’t a dry political read but a commentary on our busy modern lives. It is a book that will appeal to a broad section of readers since it is well written, engaging and filled with wit, emotion and energy. However, the quality that stands out most is the author’s integrity.
August 31, 2019
I bought this because I liked Maitlis on Newsnight skewering politicians with her sharp intellect and curious mind and think this book is rubbish precisely because she seems to have been told to tone down the quick thinking and opt instead for nauseating accounts of her crush on Simon Cowell.
It's a massive let down, and I really wish she'd not bothered trying to gloss over her intelligence lest it was too much for the alpha males of the BBC to cope with and just written a book from her brain rather than this terrible hash of very smart woman meets Bella. It's garbage.
It's a massive let down, and I really wish she'd not bothered trying to gloss over her intelligence lest it was too much for the alpha males of the BBC to cope with and just written a book from her brain rather than this terrible hash of very smart woman meets Bella. It's garbage.
April 14, 2019
I thought this might be more of a memoir, but we only get tiny glimpses into Maitlis's own life - she mentions in passing that she was born in Sheffield, that a relative escaped from Nazi Germany, and a chapter is dedicated to her experience of being stalked for the past 20 years. Airhead is more of a collection of snippets from previous interviews Maitlis has done throughout her career. While each chapter is not all that long it really feels like the reader gets an insight into each individual which is not widely known by those who have not had the opportunity to interview them. Some of the more memorable chapters featured the Dalai Lama, Piers Morgan, Emma Thompson, David Attenborough, Anthony Scaramucci and Donald Trump. Recommended!
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2020
Stunning collection of vignettes, which in a great way, is preferable to a full blown memoir. I feel some parts could go deeper, but that being said, it's understandably more of a journalistic account.
May 29, 2025
this made me feel embarrassed that I get clammy and nervous speaking in a 5 person meeting when some people have to interview Presidents on live TV
May 23, 2019
I enjoyed Airhead. It’s more of a collection of vignettes that a full memoir, which means that I tended to dip in and out of it, but a few sections at a time make very good reading. Each section describes a memorable interview or event which Emily Maitlis reported on, with background detail and some personal reflections.
This isn’t really an autobiography or even a memoir. We get personal details of Maitlis’s life and career only as they impinge on the story she’s covering at the time – like the Grenfell Tower disaster, because she lives close by and spent the day working as a volunteer there – and I could have done with a little more background. Nonetheless, she is quite self-critical and examines her motives and actions in some depth at times; she gives a very good flavour of some of the ethical dilemmas faced by reporters and doesn’t always conclude that she did the right thing. I found this aspect of the book very interesting and rather admirable.
The book is well structured and prose is very readable, although (perhaps inevitably) there is sometimes a little too much journalistic punchiness for my taste. You know the sort of thing: talking of Hungary, “The eyes of the world are once more upon it. But not in the way of old.” That trick of a full stop and new, verbless sentence, rather than a comma can get a bit wearing after a while. She doesn’t overdo it too badly, but it did grate on me a bit.
Maitlis emerges from the book as thoughtful, intelligent and perceptive with a surprisingly deep vein of self-doubt – which probably contributes to those qualities. There are some amusing moments, too, which always helps and I can recommend this as a readable, interesting and insightful book.
(My thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC via NetGalley.)
This isn’t really an autobiography or even a memoir. We get personal details of Maitlis’s life and career only as they impinge on the story she’s covering at the time – like the Grenfell Tower disaster, because she lives close by and spent the day working as a volunteer there – and I could have done with a little more background. Nonetheless, she is quite self-critical and examines her motives and actions in some depth at times; she gives a very good flavour of some of the ethical dilemmas faced by reporters and doesn’t always conclude that she did the right thing. I found this aspect of the book very interesting and rather admirable.
The book is well structured and prose is very readable, although (perhaps inevitably) there is sometimes a little too much journalistic punchiness for my taste. You know the sort of thing: talking of Hungary, “The eyes of the world are once more upon it. But not in the way of old.” That trick of a full stop and new, verbless sentence, rather than a comma can get a bit wearing after a while. She doesn’t overdo it too badly, but it did grate on me a bit.
Maitlis emerges from the book as thoughtful, intelligent and perceptive with a surprisingly deep vein of self-doubt – which probably contributes to those qualities. There are some amusing moments, too, which always helps and I can recommend this as a readable, interesting and insightful book.
(My thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC via NetGalley.)
May 28, 2019
Anecdotal account of some of the author's more memorable interviews. Provides an insight on the haphazard nature of reporting and the simplification that TV requires/ imposes. Mostly forgettable.
October 2, 2024
audiobook drowns out snoring to some extent, which is nice. actually quite well written and interesting tho, a little drawn out by the end perhaps
October 6, 2024
3.5 probz ✨ Some great interview tales spanning geopolitics, showbiz & of course the bts of telly. By it's nature it didn't flow super well - each chapter was v different from the last & I often needed breaks between them. Fully satiated my recent obsession with amazing Ms Maitlis 🥰
June 14, 2023
Very interesting to know what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a famous journalist. It helps to look at things through a different perspective altogether.
August 14, 2020
Just fab. 5 stars
Engaging, concise stories, covering encounters with the Dali Lama, Syrian migrants to Simon Cowell - ‘he’s shorter in real life’ ... (We’ve all seen those dodgy heeled shoes he wears Emily)
Her ability to hold whoever accountable, from Russel Brand to Bill Clinton and humanising what we see on our TV screens
Insightful hearing her reflections on interviews she did years ago, to present day, particularly on asking more pointed questions to men on #MeToo
// read on the plane to Istanbul, Emily Maitlis will now remind me of escaping Bucks to Turkey to during corona //
Engaging, concise stories, covering encounters with the Dali Lama, Syrian migrants to Simon Cowell - ‘he’s shorter in real life’ ... (We’ve all seen those dodgy heeled shoes he wears Emily)
Her ability to hold whoever accountable, from Russel Brand to Bill Clinton and humanising what we see on our TV screens
Insightful hearing her reflections on interviews she did years ago, to present day, particularly on asking more pointed questions to men on #MeToo
// read on the plane to Istanbul, Emily Maitlis will now remind me of escaping Bucks to Turkey to during corona //
April 22, 2020
Enjoyed the gossipy side - her retelling of her appearance on This Time with Alan Partridge was a true delight - but the broadcasting and political side of the book fell slightly flat. Occasionally revealing about the difficulties with broadcast interviews, it didn't necessarily offer a tremendous level of insight. A decent read all the same though.
February 6, 2020
This is really just Emily interviewing powerful men and a couple of women about men. The only really interesting part is when Emily talks about her personal experience of being stalked. Quick read but nothing of depth.
January 17, 2021
Lustlik ja intrigeeriv kogumik BBC teleajakirjaniku lugusid kohtumisest maailmakuulsate poliitikute, meelelahutajate ja muidu staaridega. Raamatu juhtmõte on see, et teleuudised (ma ise arvan küll, et ajakirjandus laiemalt) on ebatäiuslik kunst. Tihtilugu otsitakse eri ebaõnnestumiste tagant - miks ei ole üht või teist küsimust küsitud või miks on eetrisse läinud kummaline sõnavõtt või miks miski on loost välja jäänud - vanenõusid. Enamasti on vastus palju lihtsam: shit happens. Teleajakirjanik peab eetris välja puterdatud sõnadest ja muudest lollustest hoolimata järgmisel päeval uuesti ärkama ja elu edasi elama. Sellest poolest Maitlis väga põhjalikult ei rääkinud, pigem oli see anekdootlike seikade kogumik. Väga hea ajaviitekirjandus.
Ma pean ütlema, et kui igasugused muud äpardumised tundusid täiesti vabandatavad, siis kurte puudutav peatükk raamatu lõpupoole lõi mind küll pahviks. Põhimõtteliselt kutsuti sensatsioonimaigulise teemapüstituse peale eetrisse kaks kurti, neid palgati vahendama täiesti ebakompetentne tõlk, sest keegi ei tulnud selle peale, et talle kvaliteedikontrolli teha - kurdid saatekülalised pidid selle sama tõlgi vahendusel ise selgitama, et ta on oma töös täiesti ebaadekvaatne. Ja kõige lõpuks lasti terve debatt kahe kurdi inimese vahel eetrisse nii, et nende käed polnud eetris. Ehk siis ükski kurt inimene ei saanud aru, mida neid puudutaval teemal räägiti. Selle peatüki lõpus oleksin oodanud vähemalt MINGITKI analüüsi või vabandust või sügavamat tõdemust, kui et me tegime nii ja see oli natsa naljakas. Eks natukene nina kirtsutama panevaid kohti on raamatus teisigi - Maitlis on näiteks hea sõber Piers Morganiga -, aga need ei olnud nii häirivad kui see üks konkreetne peatükk, mis mind veits hinge pussitas.
Ma pean ütlema, et kui igasugused muud äpardumised tundusid täiesti vabandatavad, siis kurte puudutav peatükk raamatu lõpupoole lõi mind küll pahviks. Põhimõtteliselt kutsuti sensatsioonimaigulise teemapüstituse peale eetrisse kaks kurti, neid palgati vahendama täiesti ebakompetentne tõlk, sest keegi ei tulnud selle peale, et talle kvaliteedikontrolli teha - kurdid saatekülalised pidid selle sama tõlgi vahendusel ise selgitama, et ta on oma töös täiesti ebaadekvaatne. Ja kõige lõpuks lasti terve debatt kahe kurdi inimese vahel eetrisse nii, et nende käed polnud eetris. Ehk siis ükski kurt inimene ei saanud aru, mida neid puudutaval teemal räägiti. Selle peatüki lõpus oleksin oodanud vähemalt MINGITKI analüüsi või vabandust või sügavamat tõdemust, kui et me tegime nii ja see oli natsa naljakas. Eks natukene nina kirtsutama panevaid kohti on raamatus teisigi - Maitlis on näiteks hea sõber Piers Morganiga -, aga need ei olnud nii häirivad kui see üks konkreetne peatükk, mis mind veits hinge pussitas.
June 27, 2025
Maitlis wittily describes the combination of utter chaos and careful thought that is TV news. Truly fascinating anecdotes and a deeply human portrayal of the questions that keep you up at night when you work in news. Very readable. An interesting observation I’d say is that some of the foibles and confusions mentioned in the text pick up on a need for more diverse voices in news.
July 8, 2025
As someone with a degree in journalism, I of course know a little what goes on behind the scenes of conducting an interview on tape with cameras recording everything and reducing it to a shorter snippet. And still, discovering Emily's thoughts and what kind of preparation went into every single momentous interview she conducted, was very liberating and informative and educational. Her style of writing has a way to keep your eyes taped to the pages to continue reading, discovering more.
December 30, 2024
I enjoyed this so much. Emily Maitlis has had a fascinating career
March 30, 2024
A great light read with lots of juice and insider gos eg Bill Clinton buying a copy of karma sutra from a bookshop in India.
May 14, 2022
Brilliant compilation insight into the life of a reporter, through the use of various short chapters from different interviews and stories over the last 20 or so years.
Great pick to just pick up intermittently and also very funny in parts.
Great pick to just pick up intermittently and also very funny in parts.
April 5, 2022
Really enjoyed this book especially the Penguin biscuit references with Russell Brand ����
November 27, 2023
Actually great x
December 14, 2024
Agree perhaps too much focus on the usual suspects but just love her
April 20, 2019
Emily Maitlis has a really uplifting writing style which makes this book a joy to read. Coupled with a sense of self-doubt and a humour that is sometimes wry and which she occasionally turns on herself, this makes Airhead a delightful and fast read.
This is not an autobiography; rather it is a series of anecdotes and memorable interviews Maitlis has conducted. She wanted, she says, to show that more often than not, broadcasting is more cock-up than conspiracy. She does that, but in doing so, she also shows us that in a fast moving news environment keeping your head is everything if you are to deliver that interview.
Her interviewees range from Donald Trump at the Miss USA Beauty Pageant to Sheryl Sandberg on grief to Emma Thompson and the Chippendales on #MeToo and Theresa May after Grenfell.
The Grenfell Tower chapter is particularly poignant. Maitlis and her neighbours were volunteering after the fire, helping to find clothing, personal hygiene materials, food and shelter for the rescued residents. Interviewing Theresa May in the aftermath of a completely horrendous situation, her own feelings were less than calm.
She discusses Piers Morgan in an almost affectionate way but her best moments come when she is commenting as an aside on people or events. She relates the story of being in India to interview Bill Clinton on part of the Clinton Foundation’s work there on HIV. Afterwards, in her hotel, she is looking longingly at a cashmere pashmina when she sees the former President walk in. Embarrassed to be seen coveting such luxury after spending the day contemplating the poverty of India, she winds the pashmina over her face, only to see Bill Clinton walk over to the book table and pick up a beautifully decorated copy of the Kama Sutra.
She is very funny on her interview with the Dalai Lama, whom she slowly comes to realise will not give her a straight answer to any question she asks. It is, she reflects, just like talking to any blustering politician.
She worries about her frizzy hair, lack of sleep and hastily put on make-up when she’s out on location, yet she leaves us with the impression of a woman who is at the top of her game; who can balance the personal and the political in interviews and come out with the right mix and who is thoughtful and intelligent when considering the questions to be asked.
Airhead is anything but vacuous; it is a series of beautifully observed interviews from the interviewer’s perspective, told with compassion, wit and elegance – much like the lady herself.
Verdict: Well written, wry, perceptive and intelligent anecdotes from a well-travelled journalist.
This is not an autobiography; rather it is a series of anecdotes and memorable interviews Maitlis has conducted. She wanted, she says, to show that more often than not, broadcasting is more cock-up than conspiracy. She does that, but in doing so, she also shows us that in a fast moving news environment keeping your head is everything if you are to deliver that interview.
Her interviewees range from Donald Trump at the Miss USA Beauty Pageant to Sheryl Sandberg on grief to Emma Thompson and the Chippendales on #MeToo and Theresa May after Grenfell.
The Grenfell Tower chapter is particularly poignant. Maitlis and her neighbours were volunteering after the fire, helping to find clothing, personal hygiene materials, food and shelter for the rescued residents. Interviewing Theresa May in the aftermath of a completely horrendous situation, her own feelings were less than calm.
She discusses Piers Morgan in an almost affectionate way but her best moments come when she is commenting as an aside on people or events. She relates the story of being in India to interview Bill Clinton on part of the Clinton Foundation’s work there on HIV. Afterwards, in her hotel, she is looking longingly at a cashmere pashmina when she sees the former President walk in. Embarrassed to be seen coveting such luxury after spending the day contemplating the poverty of India, she winds the pashmina over her face, only to see Bill Clinton walk over to the book table and pick up a beautifully decorated copy of the Kama Sutra.
She is very funny on her interview with the Dalai Lama, whom she slowly comes to realise will not give her a straight answer to any question she asks. It is, she reflects, just like talking to any blustering politician.
She worries about her frizzy hair, lack of sleep and hastily put on make-up when she’s out on location, yet she leaves us with the impression of a woman who is at the top of her game; who can balance the personal and the political in interviews and come out with the right mix and who is thoughtful and intelligent when considering the questions to be asked.
Airhead is anything but vacuous; it is a series of beautifully observed interviews from the interviewer’s perspective, told with compassion, wit and elegance – much like the lady herself.
Verdict: Well written, wry, perceptive and intelligent anecdotes from a well-travelled journalist.
September 22, 2020
Overall, this was disappointing. TBF, I didn't really know anything about Emily Maitliss before reading this, but I guess I assumed that since she's a journalist covering stories of national and international interest and extremely serious cases this book would be analytical and informative.
I was wrong.
Instead it touches very lightly on a number of high-profile interviews and TV spots Maitliss has been involved in. Many powerful men have their words repeated by her without any response or rebuttal, whilst she breathlessly fangirls about their charisma. Many minor criticisms of Maitliss' reporting technique are dismissed, to the background of horrific tragedies which are mainly barely commented on. Many very boring texts and tweets are repeated verbatim, to no obvious end.
Not only is this book dull, but on occasion the lack of contrasting viewpoints and complete absence of even a hint of debate is ignorant, and even downright dangerous. Most egregious is possibly the section when Maitliss draws comparison between Rachel Dolezal's actions and the experience of transgender people. At one point she even includes a tweet from an anti-transgender troll, which she apparently takes at face value. Then having skipped lightly over this painful and difficult issue she moves on, without offering any hint of the opposing view. Or indeed any indications that she understands the issue at all. Similarly contentious is the section when she jumps from covering the horrific experiences of migrants crossing Europe to effectively blaming them for Brexit. At best, clumsy. At worst, inflammatory. A nadir is reached when Maitliss manages to fawn over Prince Andrew even whilst questioning him on his membership of a paedophile ring. Truly horrifying stuff.
A significant amount of the book is just fluff - asking Simon Cowell about his ex-girlfriends or Jon Stewart about his father issues. A fair amount of it is self congratulation for the amazing value and impact of her interviews. And some of it is personally offensive to me - discussing what good friends she is with Piers Morgan, or inexplicably describing Jeremy Clarkson as "profoundly anti-establishment".
I was hoping for light essays with a sociopolitical angle, informed by the many years an intelligent woman has spent at the heart of news journalism. What I got was a somewhat self-serving memoir by a woman living in a comfortable upper-middle-class media bubble who is unaware of the extent to which she neglects to question the establishment. At times I was almost embarrassed for her, as she basically giggles and twirls her hair whilst interviewing Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart, or concludes a section on Grenfell by discussing how hard television journalism is. But more often I felt let down by her - an intelligent, educated woman in a position of power who seems to be wasting chance after chance to make a difference.
I was wrong.
Instead it touches very lightly on a number of high-profile interviews and TV spots Maitliss has been involved in. Many powerful men have their words repeated by her without any response or rebuttal, whilst she breathlessly fangirls about their charisma. Many minor criticisms of Maitliss' reporting technique are dismissed, to the background of horrific tragedies which are mainly barely commented on. Many very boring texts and tweets are repeated verbatim, to no obvious end.
Not only is this book dull, but on occasion the lack of contrasting viewpoints and complete absence of even a hint of debate is ignorant, and even downright dangerous. Most egregious is possibly the section when Maitliss draws comparison between Rachel Dolezal's actions and the experience of transgender people. At one point she even includes a tweet from an anti-transgender troll, which she apparently takes at face value. Then having skipped lightly over this painful and difficult issue she moves on, without offering any hint of the opposing view. Or indeed any indications that she understands the issue at all. Similarly contentious is the section when she jumps from covering the horrific experiences of migrants crossing Europe to effectively blaming them for Brexit. At best, clumsy. At worst, inflammatory. A nadir is reached when Maitliss manages to fawn over Prince Andrew even whilst questioning him on his membership of a paedophile ring. Truly horrifying stuff.
A significant amount of the book is just fluff - asking Simon Cowell about his ex-girlfriends or Jon Stewart about his father issues. A fair amount of it is self congratulation for the amazing value and impact of her interviews. And some of it is personally offensive to me - discussing what good friends she is with Piers Morgan, or inexplicably describing Jeremy Clarkson as "profoundly anti-establishment".
I was hoping for light essays with a sociopolitical angle, informed by the many years an intelligent woman has spent at the heart of news journalism. What I got was a somewhat self-serving memoir by a woman living in a comfortable upper-middle-class media bubble who is unaware of the extent to which she neglects to question the establishment. At times I was almost embarrassed for her, as she basically giggles and twirls her hair whilst interviewing Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart, or concludes a section on Grenfell by discussing how hard television journalism is. But more often I felt let down by her - an intelligent, educated woman in a position of power who seems to be wasting chance after chance to make a difference.
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