Extraordinary Stories

Coming soon.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 3 of 3] In the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the world began to wonder how and if Peng Shuai would be used in the games, and whether the IOC was going to have anything to say to the Chinese Government about their silencing of the tennis star. So how did the Chinese propaganda juggernaut shift its attention to the global sporting stage? And what happens when the international community’s peak sporting body is accused of silencing a sexual assault survivor?

Plus, we investigate China’s Me Too movement. What does the story of Peng Shuai tell us about feminism in China?

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writer: Emma Gillespie

Producers: Emma Gillespie, Kally Borg, Tia Ucich

Guest booking: Kally Borg 

Audio Production: Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

Yaqiu Wang, Pan Wang, Tom Steinfort & Sydney Pead

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 2 of 3] For three long weeks in November 2021, the tennis community, news organisations, and human rights advocates the world over had one question; Where Is Peng Shuai? In the aftermath of a Weibo post detailing allegations of sexual assault against one of China’s top political figures, concerns for Peng Shuai's freedom were escalating swiftly. Then suddenly, proof of life. In this episode, we’ll learn more about the Chinese propaganda machine, and how it’s working to convince the world of Peng Shuai's safety, whilst censoring her story.

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Emma Gillespie

Producers: Emma Gillespie, Kally Borg, Tia Ucich

Guest booking: Kally Borg 

Audio Production: Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

Yaqiu Wang, Drew Pavlou, Tom Steinfort & Sydney Pead

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 1 of 3] It was after 10 pm, on November 2nd, 2021 when 35-year-old Peng Shuai - China’s beloved global tennis star - sat down and began typing. Truncated sentences of an open letter, detailing an affair and sexual assault involving one of China’s highest-ranking political figures. It took only a few minutes before the post had amassed thousands of shares, likes, and comments. But within half an hour, it vanished. And moments later, so too did Peng Shuai.

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Emma Gillespie, Tia Ucich 

Producers: Emma Gillespie

Guest booking: Kally Borg 

Audio Production: Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

Sydney Pead, Yaqiu Wang and Drew Pavlou

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 2 of 2] From 2013 until just a few weeks ago, Amanda’s Bynes life was controlled by a conservatorship, governed primarily by her mum, Lynn. In the wake of Britney Spears’ bombshell revelations about her own conservatorship, the #freebritney movement turned its attention to Amanda. Knowing what we now know about conservatorships and how they can be manipulated, why did it take more than eight years for Amanda to regain control of her own life?

CREDITS
Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

With thanks to:
Laura Brodnik, Host of The Spill
Louisa Hatfield, Former Editor of New Weekly, Woman's Day
Sarah Wentz - Lawyer at Fox Rothschild, U.S.
Megan Radford - #freebritney Campaigner


SOURCES:
Entertainment Tonight
9 News
New York Times - Framing Britney Spears
TMZ

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 1 of 2] She was the queen of Nickelodeon, beloved by teens of the noughties. But just as her movie career was taking off, something happened to Amanda Bynes. In this two-part series, we’re looking back on the life and career of Amanda Bynes before, during and after things got out of control.

We’ll dive into the paparazzi culture that hounded and taunted young Hollywood starlets, and question our historic understanding of the mental health issues at play. What caused Amanda Bynes to crumble alongside a generation of young stars? And where has Amanda been for the last nine years?

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

With thanks to:
Laura Brodnik
Louisa Hatfield

SOURCES:
Entertainment Tonight
Paper Magazine
Nickelodeon
Dreamworks film She's The Man
Splash News TV


GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 3 of 3] Charlene Wittstock had made it through years of tabloid speculation about her marriage to the Prince of Monaco, but in 2020, just as she found some peace, a new, yet very familiar scandal involving her husband rattled the palace. Then, in a matter of weeks Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene left the country and wouldn’t return for almost a year. Had a serious illness kept her away from her children and her husband’s new paternity battle? Or did Charlene not want to come home?

CREDITS
Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

With thanks to:
Professor Chandrika Kaul- Historian, University of St Andrews
Maddalena Maestrostefano - Royal Correspondent, Royal Central
Chelsea McLaughlin - Entertainment Reporter, Mamamia

SOURCES:
Entertainment Tonight
South Africa Radio 702
PEOPLE Every Day podcast

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 2 of 3] To lock down the future of the Grimaldi dynasty, Prince Albert II needed to marry and produce a legitimate heir. So when he met South African olympian Charlene Wittstock, the palace breathed a sigh of relief. Beautiful and elegant, Charlene would make the perfect princess. But when Albert’s past life as “The Playboy Prince” caught up with him, the star-studded princely wedding in Monaco almost had everything except a bride. The tabloids were reporting Albert had a new love child, and that Charlene had tried to escape the tiny country three times. The world wondered if Charlene really wanted to marry into the Grimaldi family, and if she did, why was she crying on her wedding day?

Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

With thanks to:
Professor Chandrika Kaul- Historian, University of St Andrews
Maddalena Maestrostefano - Royal Correspondent, Royal Central
Chelsea McLaughlin - Entertainment Reporter, Mamamia

SOURCES:
Entertainment Tonight
The Times
Graham Bassinger, 2017
SABC, Top Billing

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 1 of 3] Seven hundred years ago a woman betrayed by the ruler of Monaco cursed the future of his family: no descendant of the House of Grimaldi would ever find happiness in marriage. On this season of Extraordinary Stories our host Emma Gillespie dives into the modern-day impact of that curse. Did it play a part in the tragic demise of the Hollywood star turned princess Grace Kelly?

CREDITS
Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

With thanks to:
Professor Chandrika Kaul- Historian, University of St Andrews
Maddalena Mastrostefano - Royal Correspondent, Royal Central
Chelsea McLaughlin - Entertainment Reporter, Mamamia

SOURCES:
Entertainment Tonight
Graham Bassinger, 2017
MGM archives
The Times

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 3 of 3] In trying to put an end to the legal quagmire they found themselves in, Pamela and Tommy Lee signed away the rights to their stolen sex tape, and to any future profits it would make. It was an insult to injury, after the viral home movie saw the couple become some of the first victims of a crime often misnamed as ‘revenge porn.’ A crime so pervasive it forces many of us to ask ourselves “who else has seen my nudes?”

CREDITS
Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

With thanks to:
Kathy Kenzora - Host - History of the 90s Podcast
Amanda Chicago Lewis - Journalist
Assoc. Professor Lynn Comella - Gender Studies, University of Nevada
Julie Inman Grant - Australia's eSafety Commissioner
and a special thanks to Tia and James.

Sources
The Untold Story of the World's Most Infamous Sex Tape - Rolling Stones
Fox Files show with Catherine Crier

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.