Miquita Oliver is a podcaster, TV presenter and all-round brilliant woman. She was just 16 when she burst onto our screens co-hosting Channel 4’s cult music show Popworld alongside Simon Amstell. Twenty-five years later, she’s still one of Britain’s most distinctive broadcasters and interviewers. She co-created Miss Me?, with Lily Allen, and now co-hosts it with musician Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks.
You may also know Miquita from the acclaimed BBC series The Caribbean with Andi and Miquita, in which she and her mother, Andi Oliver, travelled to Antigua to reconnect with their family, heritage and identity.
We talk about Miquita surviving the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, the shame she associates with going bankrupt, her struggle with alcoholism in her thirties, love, family, and why she still can't quite conquer her driving theory test. She even opens up about her hopes and fears around motherhood. This is an essential conversation for any one who survived the noughties diet culture or who has grappled with financial hardship. Frank, funny and unexpectedly moving: just like Miquita herself.
IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Introduction
02:42 Heritage and Caribbean Roots
04:19 Tsunami Trauma and Healing
07:04 Iconic Co-Hosts and Craft
10:51 Losing Home
13:03 Miss Me Origins and Honesty
15:26 Bankruptcy Shame and Survival
30:58 Weight and Work Comeback
32:02 Second Reinvention Switch
33:01 Money Lessons After Bankruptcy
34:21 Why Aren’t We Taught Tax
35:50 Alcoholism
39:19 Leaving Richmond and Getting Clear
43:12 Motherhood Without Shame
48:03 Driving Test Fail
LINKS + MENTIONS:
Listen to Miss Me? wherever you get your podcasts
Join the How To Fail community: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com
WANT MORE?
Andi Oliver - swap.fm/l/kcBWNXdPsg7LhgcGhvoF
Lily Allen - swap.fm/l/8Otj3tpmbH5SF4xjVHTJ
Neneh Cherry - swap.fm/l/r5YD9vNivp5t6yw1gN1U
Mabel - swap.fm/l/bfOzGVjFFpo13LK7MHUu
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