Richard Whiteley interviews novelist Jilly Cooper and journalist Jean Rook, who talk about their careers in writing. Title: YORKSHIRE TELEVISION – Colour Production Colourful graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE On stage Richard Whiteley sits with the two guests. The programme moves to a close view of Richard Whiteley as he introduces the programme. Title: Richard Whiteley Richard starts by...

Richard Whiteley interviews novelist Jilly Cooper and journalist Jean Rook, who talk about their careers in writing. Title: YORKSHIRE TELEVISION – Colour Production Colourful graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE On stage Richard Whiteley sits with the two guests. The programme moves to a close view of Richard Whiteley as he introduces the programme. Title: Richard Whiteley Richard starts by introducing his guests both of whom are writers one of who is read by 12million Daily Express readers each week, while the other is read by 4 million readers each week in the Sunday Times. Both were born in Yorkshire, and they are Jean Rook the journalist and Jilly Cooper, novelist. The audience applauds, and unusually for the programme the audience consists of mostly men. Richard remarks that despite writing for Fleet Street newspapers the two women have never met. Jilly Cooper corrects Richard by saying there is an awful mythology exists about Fleet Street and that the Sunday Times office where she works is in Gray’s Inn Road. Richard suggests that they would likely have met at one of the many cocktail parties’ journalists attend. Jean Rook dismisses the assertion that implies what they do is based on not doing much work. Richard reveals their respective birth places with Jean being born in Hull and Jilly in Ilkley. Richard asks Jean the question, what do people in Hull think about llkley? She responds that Hull residents might see Ilkley as part of the real Yorkshire. Jilly is asked about residents of Ilkley’s views on Hull, she responds that they would probably think it’s a long way off. Richard asks about Jean Rook's childhood, which she says was of a middle – class family, her father was a consultant engineer. Title: Jean Rook Title: Jilly Cooper Richard asks Jilly about her childhood, which she concedes is very middle class. She also says that her great, great grandfather started the Leeds Mercury newspaper which eventually became the Yorkshire Post. He was also liberal member of parliament for Leeds. Following on there is discussion of well to do Ilkley and disparaging comments from Jean Rook of the pretensions she feels exist in Harrogate. Both now reside well away from Yorkshire, Jean Rook in Kent and Jilly Cooper in London. Richard asks Jilly Cooper about an item in her book about a marriage proposal to her which didn’t happen as the prospective groom didn’t think she was upper class enough, Jilly agreed with his assessment. Richard asks about some negative aspects of Jean Rook's reporting, which Jean agrees with whole heartedly. She defends herself saying she prefers to report in a way some readers might think as blunt. Richard accuses her of being ‘bitchy’ about everyone which she emphatically says is not true. Richard asks about their reporting about prime minister Harold Wilson. Jean has written about him in a negative way whereas Jilly has been more positive especially about the prime minister’s performance in parliament. A discussion follows where Jilly asserts that columnists are paid to be rude and negative about their subjects. Jean Rook disagrees believing that readers will know if you are dishonest or patronising in your writing. Jilly asserted that she perceived Harold Wilson speaking in the commons was quite ‘sexy’. Richard asks her to explain that view. Jilly described him as being powerful which is very attractive, as well as having blue eyes! Jean Rook, when asked about Harold Wilson, detests him and explains that the feeling is apparently mutual. Richard asks Jean about who she does like, Jilly picks this up saying she wrote an approving column about Margaret Thatcher this week. Jean Rook responds saying that she does like Margaret Thatcher and thinks she will become prime minister and be good at the job. Jean says that she has been accused as being anti-royal, and admits, using examples, of making derogatory remarks of members of the royal family. However, she believes the Queen should not abdicate and she foresees Charles being a ‘super king’. Richard asks Jean about the extravagant jewellery she is wearing particularly on her fingers. He also says that he understands that she has weeks where she wears gold and other weeks when she wears silver. Being the highest paid female journalist Richard asks Jean about her lifestyle and how she spends her money. Richard mentions Jean’s early start in journalism working for the Sheffield Telegraph. Jean says her ambition then was to be a woman’s editor at the Daily Express an ambition that was lost because of changes at the newspaper. Jilly says she wanted to be a reporter because she saw male reporters at airports in mackintoshes. She adds that she wanted to work in Fleet Street but was unsuccessful and went into public relations and advertising. After meeting the editor of the Sunday Times at party she became a writer for the newspaper, and she feels extremely lucky about getting the job. Richard points out that she was also offered a job on the Daily Express where she would write about social topics, which included a high pay grade. Richard mentions the column in the Sunday Times he describes it as ‘sexy’ as Jilly appears to talk about men finding some very attractive while others ‘chat her up’. Jilly agrees but confesses that she attends lots of parties where these things happen. She also says her husband often ‘chats up’ other women. Richard, talking to Jean Rook mentions her having married in her thirties. She says she had been engaged three times beforehand, however it was her ambition to succeed in journalism which led to a late successful marriage. Richard asks Jilly about her marriage to husband Leo a publisher. Jilly is better known than her husband, so she admits it is awkward when people say hello and start chatting with her effectively sidelining her husband. Richard asks Jilly if she has the same trappings of success as Jean has. She replies although not as materially well off as Jean Rook, she has lots of children. The programme jumps forward to a mid-point in a discussion about women. Richard accuses Jean Rook about not liking women even though she is responsible for content directed at women. However, Jean says that in fact 60 per cent of readers who read her contributions to the Daily Express are men, and she goes on to say most of the letters of complaint are from men. Richard asks Jilly if she writes for men or women in her column, she replies about fifty-fifty. She also finds the writing process for her a very slow procedure. Jean Rook's column appears in the Daily Express on Wednesday, and she writes the column early on Tuesday. During the rest of the week, she does other work recently interviewing major politicians including the leader of opposition Margaret Thatcher. Richard asks Jilly Cooper her opinion of the women’s liberation movement. She replies she doesn’t think about it but feels it’s also somewhat out of date and she’s not a great believer in it, and she says it’s done terrible things to men, because they feel defenceless. Richard thanks his two guests and closes the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Tonight Featured Credits: Jilly Cooper Jean Rook Talking to Richard Whiteley Director - Charles Flynn Producer - John Meade Editor – John Wilford YORKSHIRE TELEVISION Colour Production End Title: © Trident Television Ltd 1975