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Hello and welcome to Women with Balls, where I, Katie Balls, talked to today's trailblazers.

Today I'm delighted to be joined by Lynn Barber, the journalist.

Barber is famous for her frank and often searing prose.

She has won not one but six press boards.

She has also written a memoir detailing her relationship as a teen with an older man.

It was later made into film adaptation and education starring Carrie Mulligan.

However, Barber is best known for her interviews.

Over the years, she has spoken to a variety of public figures from all walks of life,

from the Chapman Brothers to Marianne Faithel to Katie Price, aka Jordan, to Jimmy Savile.

Will Self has described her approach as starting from a position of really disliking people and then compelling them to win you

over. That hasn't always gone to plan, the Chapman brothers are said to have suggested after their

interview with Barber that they would kill her if they ever saw her again. Lise days, Barber at 75 now works

freelance. Writing for the spectator last year, she detailed how she had been let go by the Sunday

Times magazine, suggesting there had only been a matter of time given that the magazine editor

didn't seem to like reading. So thank you very much for joining us today, Lynn. We are

recording from your home in Highgate.

Now before we get to the various things I mentioned, on this podcast, we like to start by rewinding

the hands of time and talking a little bit about what you were doing before you became a journalist.

Right. So you grew up in South West London. I grew up in Twickenham. My parents brought me up to pass every possible exam

...