Matthew Wright, The Gossip columnist they all gossip about.

I found myself in at a new point of my career last week.  During my usual frantic day updating, improving the site & research on the web, I got a telephone call confirming an interview with the country's most referred to Showbiz editor.
Mr. Matthew Wright.

I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive but definitely honoured that one of Fleet Street's most fearless editors, would spare 15 minutes of his valuable time.
Q: Would he change his mind without warning and refuse to speak to me?.... would he put it off for days and then weeks to see if he could get something out of me?........

A: No, he didn't let me down......

Picture supplied by The Mirror Picture Desk

How many years have you been a journalist?

'10 years'

and showbiz editor for The Mirror?

'3 years, 1 month 5 days'

 Do you have complete autonomy of your page or do you answer to anyone else?

'95%. If the editor doesn't like it or has a better idea, I follow his suggestion or I would be out the door. I must also pay tribute to Polly (Graham), my deputy who does loads of work for a fraction of the glory'.

Do you write the entire page yourself or does Polly write some of it?

'As I take ultimate responsibility I read all the stuff that Polly does, but we have worked together for so long that we are in tune together and sometimes, it's impossible to tell who has written what'.

What's your moral view on exposing personal stories about the stars private lives?

'Any star who is happy to appear in magazines like Hello or OK has very little to complain about if personal details appear in other publications. Lots of stars courted the press on their way up but then turned their backs when they became really famous which doesn't seem fair to me. There are some actors and actresses who have always remained deeply private and yes, I do feel some sympathy when their private lives become public news. However I can't think of too many people who fit into this category'.

Which was your favourite celeb to interview?

'I prefer to interview the bigger celebrity, the bigger the more keyed up.'

'I've never done an interview with Elton John. Always wanted to do something with him, I see him a lot but I've never done an interview with him. My all time favourite was Cher. She was just so normal, open and friendly'.

What was you're biggest scoop & when?

'It's always difficult to say. My favourite has to be
Jerry Hall getting pregnant at 42, I knew before Mick!!'.

Picture taken from a Cher unofficial fan site
http://home4.swipnet.se/~w9555/cher/cherbelieve.jpg

Do you regard yourself as a friend to the stars?

'I don't regard any stars as being close friends of mine. Although I do have soft spots for certain people and they are people that I would do things for, just as I would for my friends'.

Recently, you made front page with
'IT'S OVER' the break up of Anita Dobson and Brian May,
did you therefore regard this as just another scoop?

'Brian May has met me on a few occasions and although he was civil, he was cold.  He was a big hero of mine in the 'Queen' days.  However Anita and Brian's relationship was big.  And Anita has spoke about their relationship in the past.  I tried to be as un-intrusive as possible.
Brian's spokesman confirmed the story within a few minutes.
As a result, there was no need to send any
reporters to ask any questions'.

Front page of The Mirror January 16th 1999

How did you feel about your EXCLUSIVE being printed simultaneously in The Sun?

'Was it?, I didn't know that. I think that's flattering. There are four sometimes five editions produced every night.  When the first editions are dropped, sometimes the other papers pick up an interesting story.  Sometimes, they'll even print it as THEIR exclusive. Everybody does it including the broadsheets'.

How do you verify your sources?

'Lots of different ways, if I had a grumble it would be that sometimes press officers and agents won't answer a query straight forwardly, but I can understand they have their reasons for that.  The next people to call are known friends and insiders who work on their shows.  But the further away you get from the source, the more likely you are to run into problems, which could be bad for everyone.  A degree of co-operation from all parties is always the best way to go'.

Do you have regular spies, snouts or contacts who report gossip directly from the celebrity?

'For sure, regular spies, one particular contact has been with me for six or seven years and gets us about 2 stories per week,it's become a full time job for her; and of course the public'.

Do you have anything to say about any soap star you have met, like Sid Owen for example?

'Sid can be prone to fits of stupidity.
He threw beer over me one time,
but hand on heart, it didn't really upset me.
We both have our jobs to do, sometimes it goes well
and other times not so well …the next time you see Sid,
tell him to give me a call....'.

Sid Owen singing, Picture from AAS Archives

What do you think about the TV Soap phenomena?

'Soap operas are beamed into our living rooms almost every day of the week and the characters become part of all our lives. It's fun to get involved in the storylines as it provides an escape from reality which can be a really good thing. I guess sometimes people do get too involved, it's not a bad thing to say poor Bianca, look what's happening to her, but it is a bad thing when fans follow them around'.

Tabloids are often referred to as the gutter press, what is your opinion about tabloid verses broadsheet journalism?

'It's a generally accepted fact in Fleet Street that you could replace the staff from a broad sheet with a tabloid journalist and possibly have some genuine stories….. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work the other way round.
There was an experiment about fifteen years ago with a tabloid and a broadsheet journalist…they swapped desks in complete secrecy, no one could tell the difference when the reports were published…..'.

When you do get a free moment, what telly or other stuff do you relax to?

'I watch Coronation Street and EastEnders religiously on video, mostly because of GMTV (The breakfast tv show on ITV which Matthew presents the showbiz features).  I also love going out on my 26 years old Triumph motorbike'.

Matthew was not quite what I expected, I thought he would be cold and impatient, eager to get on with his own work,  
but I found him to be fun, human and easy to interview. this could be attributed to the years of training and experience that he has had, or perhaps his way of getting a little closer to some answers he requires.  I will say, I do have a much better opinion of him and as he says, he "does have a job to do".

Thank you Matthew for your time....let's hope we could do something like this again.

Judy, Editor and Webmaster for AAS Online.

Quote for the day: 'To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand.' JOSE ORTEGA Y GASSET 1930