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Hey Reader,

I’m reading Ben Elton’s autobiography at the moment — What Have I Done? — and it’s making me see my childhood completely differently.

I picked it up at the library because I’m a big fan of Blackadder and I vaguely remember the genius of The Young Ones and so much more brilliant comedy that shaped my childhood.

But what surprised me was how much I’d forgotten about the way the world was. I mean, I wouldn’t have noticed a lot of it, being a kid.

The one thing that really stood out was regional programming and how truly special that was.

Now, we have wall-to-wall internet and entertainment that’s largely centralised — via big corporations like Netflix and Apple, and some of it is brilliant, sure (Slow Horses, Stranger Things, and many more).

But back then, we had only four channels and regional programming. When we went on holiday to wales, we’d get SC4, too, which is the Welsh TV channel, and that was eye-opening because it showed us what was important to Welsh people as opposed to the Anglocentric everything else.

Ben Elton writes about what the BBC used to be, and it was an extraordinary thing.

Not driven by money and profits but by what was interesting and useful and fun and fascinating.

Regional programmes were specific to their area — northern England got its own beat, the Midlands too, with shows and documentaries featuring local people and history and stories. Parts of London had shows dedicated to them.

Kids programming was different — I learned so much from magazine shows and documentaries and the late-night Open University lectures.

And it was good journalism.

I wouldn’t have thought about any of this without Ben Elton’s book. It’s a peep into the world he lived in then, and a contrast to the world we all live in now, and it reminded me what could be again. What the arts and sciences achieved and brought to us.

This is the magic of nonfiction.

I’m reading an autobiography, but it’s as true for self-help, how-to, deep dives into a specific topic. Nonfiction shows us a slice of a world we’re less familiar with, or one we’ve forgotten, or one we’ve never known.

It opens doors onto different perspectives and shows us how and why the writer might have that point of view. And that matters.

So read books by all sorts of people.

Read books by people you disagree with.

Even people who make you so angry you could pop.

Because when you understand how powerful that experience is — sitting with someone’s full story, their context, their world — you’ll understand why YOUR book matters.

Your book is the best way to truly share who you are, what you believe, and the message that burns inside you. When people sit down with your book, they’re committing to truly getting to know you.

If all they have is a few social media posts and soundbites on videos, your message will get lost in the performative noise.

I’m not saying online has no value; I’m saying that your book speaks to people in a way that social media never could.

This is exactly what I’ll be talking about in Bristol on January 29 at Sophie Lee’s Self Expression Sessions.

How do we create work that actually connects and cuts through the noise?

I’m joining Sophie, Yinka Ewuola, Samantha Harman, and Rosina Buck for an evening of honest conversation about self-expression and social change.

It’s 6pm-9.30pm and tickets are just £16.50.

Sophie’s Self Expression Sessions are ALWAYS a delight — inclusive, friendly, low-pressure, fun, and massively thought-provoking. I’ve been to every one so far, and spoken at one in Brighton too, and they’re some of my favourite events.

I’d love to see you there if you can make it.

​Get your ticket here.

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

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