Jenny Eclair: The Original 90s Ladette Looks Back

When people talk about 90s ladettes, they usually think of Sara Cox, Denise Van Outen or Zoe Ball. But before them came Jenny Eclair: PVC-clad, vodka in one hand and fag in the other.

Before Jenny Eclair became a beloved comedy veteran, novelist, podcaster, artist and national treasure, she was one of the defining women of the 1990s: loud, filthy, funny, fearless, and right there at the start of the ladette era.

In this episode, she joins Martin Deeson to look back at when she was guest editor of Loaded, on winning the Perrier Award, on fame, hangovers, reinvention and the complicated legacy of a decade that was enormous fun – until it wasn’t.

Jenny Eclair is one of Britain’s most distinctive comic voices: the first woman to win the Perrier Award, star of Grumpy Old Women, author of novels and memoirs, podcaster, performer, and one of the few people who can talk about shame, sex, ageing, ambition. dog castration adverts and blow jobs in the same breath.

In this funny, filthy, sharp and surprisingly revealing conversation, Martin and Jenny revisit the 1990s from the inside: the Loaded years, the ladette label, the pressure to be outrageous, and the emotional bill that went with it.

In this episode:

• Jenny remembers winning the Perrier Award – and why the morning after was anything but glamorous.
• Martin and Jenny revisit her infamous guest-edit of Loaded magazine, including the bondage photo shoot in which she trussed him up like a chicken.
• They discuss the original ladette era, why the word was both powerful and a millstone, and how much of it was performance.
• Jenny reflects on being clever, funny, reckless, ambitious and sometimes deeply uncomfortable in the persona she had created.
• Martin and Jenny talk about the Loaded live tour, lad culture, the BBC documentary, and where the magazine’s legacy became more complicated.
• Jenny explains how she moved from PVC trousers and filthy stage persona to novels, Radio 4 monologues, Grumpy Old Women, podcasting and later-life reinvention.
• They discuss ageing, family, work ethic, addiction, anxiety, writing, performance, and whether it is ever too late to do your best work.

This is a conversation about the 90s as they really felt from the inside: hilarious, excessive, clever, frightening, liberating, embarrassing and unforgettable.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MartinDeesonUnloaded

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/martin-deeson-unloaded/id1885169674X: https://x.com/martindeesonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/martindeeson/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@martindeeson

Website: https://www.unloadedpodcast.com/

Jenny Eclair official website for tour dates, books, podcasts and more: https://jennyeclair.com/

Jenny Eclair — Older & Wider Podcast

Jenny’s podcast with Judith Holder. https://jennyeclair.com/podcast

Jokes, Jokes, Jokes: My Very Funny MemoirJenny’s memoir, which is heavily referenced in the episode available on amazon