The Fame Formula

In the latest episode of The Fame Formula, Mark Borkowski sits down with a man who knows exactly how stars are made.

Simon Napier-Bell has spent more than six decades inside the machinery of fame. He has managed an extraordinary range of artists, including The Yardbirds, Marc Bolan and T. Rex, Ultravox, Sinéad O'Connor, Candi Staton, Boney M and Wham!

Together they get into:

• The rise of Wham! Mania, and the audacious 1985 tour of China that made them the first Western pop group to play the People's Republic
• What visibility takes from the people who chase it
• Where does protecting an artist from the burden of fame end, and managing their ego begin?
• How fame has changed across generations, from the 1960s to the age of social media

Simon is the author of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Black Vinyl White Powder and Sour Mouth, Sweet Bottom, and has directed documentaries including To Be Frank, 50 Years Legal and George Michael: Portrait of an Artist.

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This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

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Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention. 

In the latest episode of The Fame Formula podcast, Mark Borkowski sits down with a man who knows exactly how stars are made.

Want the full story? Watch the full episode with Simon Napier-Bell on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. 

Follow The Fame Formula on social media

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This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

• Follow Mark Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Follow Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Find out more about Borkowski PR
• Subscribe to Borkowski's Media Trends & Insights Newsletter 

Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention. 

In the latest episode of The Fame Formula, Mark Borkowski sits down with renowned human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, whose nearly six decades of activism have seen him take on governments, dictators, religious authorities and powerful institutions in the fight for LGBT+ equality, democracy and global justice. 

From helping organise Britain’s first Pride march in 1972 to confronting figures including Robert Mugabe and Mike Tyson, Peter has repeatedly placed himself on the front line of protest, often at enormous personal cost.  

In this conversation, Peter reflects on the highs and lows of becoming a public figure, the personal toll of a lifetime spent challenging power, and why he has always viewed his public profile not as a source of fame, but as a tool for change. The conversation traces Peter’s journey from his early campaigns against racism, apartheid and Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War to the intense homophobia and violence he encountered during the Bermondsey by-election of 1981.  

Peter reflects on becoming the subject of the acclaimed documentary Hating Peter Tatchell and how he transformed public hostility into a platform for social change. Mark and Peter explore the erosion of free speech and the right to protest and what it means to challenge authority in today’s political climate.  

Recorded ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, Peter also discusses his campaign to hold FIFA accountable for LGBTQ+ rights.  

Read Peter’s recent article in The Independent

• 00:47: Introducing Peter Tatchell: Six decades of activism  
• 04:47: 3,000 protests, 100 arrests and 300 attacks 
• 06:16: Growing up gay in 1960s Australia 
• 16:27: Has protest become harder today? 
• 26:00: Facing homophobia, violence and media attacks 
• 30:50: Fame, ego and activism 
• 47:25: Challenging FIFA over LGBTQ+ Rights in football 
• 50:23: Why activism is more dangerous today 
• 59:03: The Hating Peter Tatchell documentary 

Follow Peter Tachell: 

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• Peter Tatchell Foundation 

Follow The Fame Formula on social media

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This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

• Follow Mark Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Follow Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Find out more about Borkowski PR
• Subscribe to Borkowski's Media Trends & Insights Newsletter 

Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention. 

In the latest episode of The Fame Formula podcast, Mark Borkowski sits down with futurist, women’s empowerment guru and PR icon Lynne Franks, to discuss her legendary career and influence. As the instigator of London Fashion Week, the British Fashion Awards, as well as representing a rolodex of figures such as Vivienne Westwood and Lenny Henry, Franks has helped define every corner of the cultural landscape, at times even becoming more famous than her clients.  

Hailed by Vogue as ‘the zeitgeist’, Franks started her own PR company at just 21 years old. It was her illustrious, trendsetting career and glamorous persona that transcended the world of PR, famously inspiring the character of Edina Monsoon in one of Britain’s most iconic sitcoms, Absolutely Fabulous, starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley.  

She has since dedicated her work to supporting women and wider social impact globally, and in 2018 was awarded an OBE for services to business, fashion, and women’s empowerment. Franks is also the author of the global bestseller The SEED Handbook: The Feminine Way to Create Business, which became the foundation for her SEED Women’s Leadership Platform and training programmes. 

Available to watch on YouTube 

Follow Lynne Franks on social media:

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Check out Lynne’s latest work:  

• Website
• Coaching
• SEED Hub 
• Frankly Speaking Podcast

Follow The Fame Formula on social media

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This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

• Follow Mark Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Follow Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Find out more about Borkowski PR
• Subscribe to Borkowski's Media Trends & Insights Newsletter 

Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention. 

In the latest episode of The Fame Formula podcast, Mark Borkowski sits down with futurist, women’s empowerment guru and PR icon Lynne Franks, to discuss her legendary career and influence. As the instigator of London Fashion Week, the British Fashion Awards, as well as representing a rolodex of figures such as Vivienne Westwood and Lenny Henry, Franks has helped define every corner of the cultural landscape, at times even becoming more famous than her clients.  

Watch the full episode - Live Thursday 21st May at 11am BST

Follow The Fame Formula on social media

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This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

• Follow Mark Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Follow Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Find out more about Borkowski PR
• Subscribe to Borkowski's Media Trends & Insights Newsletter 

Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention. 

In the latest episode of The Fame Formula, PR expert Mark Borkowski sits down with legendary music executive Rob Dickins CBE for a rare, unfiltered look at life inside the music industry and the real cost of fame. 

Drawing on decades of experience working with iconic artists including Madonna, Rod Stewart, Enya, Jimi Hendrix and Seal, Rob reflects on the delicate balance between talent, instinct and timing, and how success can both elevate and distort identity. 

The conversation also explores the darker, less discussed sides of celebrity, from conviction and creative drive to burnout and collapse, including Rob’s stark reflections on the so-called “27 Club” and the intense pressures that come with sudden success. 

Together, Mark and Rob question what lasting fame really looks like in an era of AI-driven decision-making, and whether instinct and gut feeling still have a place in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms. 

Content advisory: This episode may also include sensitive topics such as public controversy, the intense pressures of sudden success, and its potential impact on mental health and wellbeing, including references to self-harm in the context of wider discussions about the darker sides of fame and public life. 

Follow The Fame Formula on social media

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This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

• Follow Mark Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Follow Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Find out more about Borkowski PR
• Subscribe to Borkowski's Media Trends & Insights Newsletter 

Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention. 

In the first episode of The Fame Formula podcast, Mark Borkowski sits down with former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci to discuss the intoxicating nature of power, the dangers of ego, and his time in Donald Trump’s administration, a role that profoundly shaped his career and life in the spotlight. 

Scaramucci reveals how ambition and “Potomac fever” drew him into Trump’s orbit, why joining the administration was “the stupidest thing” he’s done, and Trump’s unmatched ability to command attention, from reality TV to social media.  

Together, Borkowski and Scaramucci explore the fragmentation of modern media, the rise of personality-driven politics, and the growing political divide in Western society, highlighting why communications have never mattered more. 

Available to watch on YouTube 

Guest: Anthony Scaramucci 

• YouTube
• LinkedIn 
• X
• Instagram

Anthony's latest book: All The Wrong Moves

Podcast: Open Book

Follow The Fame Formula on social media

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This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

• Follow Mark Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Follow Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Find out more about Borkowski PR
• Subscribe to Borkowski's Media Trends & Insights Newsletter 

Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention. 

PR and celebrity expert Mark Borkowski launches his new podcast, The Fame Formula.

The first trailer and debut episode feature former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci,‬ reflecting on the intoxicating nature of power and the dangers of ego. 

Anthony Scaramucci shares his experience taking the job that changed his life, the pride and ambition that drove him, and what he learned in White House after just 11 days. 

The pair also discuss the growing political divide in Western society, why communications have never mattered more, and the prospect of politics heading somewhere very dangerous. 

This is the beginning of a new series exploring power, influence, reputation, and the forces shaping modern culture.

Available to watch on YouTube 

Follow The Fame Formula on social media

• YouTube 
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• Instagram 
• X
• TikTok 

This podcast is brought to you by Borkowski PR.

• Follow Mark Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Follow Borkowski on LinkedIn: 
• Find out more about Borkowski PR
• Subscribe to Borkowski's Media Trends & Insights Newsletter 

Content advisory: This podcast explores themes related to fame, media scrutiny, cancel culture, reputation crises, and the pressures of public life. Discussions may include sensitive topics such as online harassment, misinformation, public controversy, and the personal impact of intense media attention.