The news has never been more prominent - but are we getting the full story? Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis gives us a behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest news stories and interviews of recent years
'Smart, funny and brilliantly told' Elizabeth Day
'Revelatory, riveting and frequently hilarious' James O'Brien
'Absolutely irresistible' Jeremy Vine
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In this no holds barred account of life in the seconds before, during and after going on air, Newsnight presenter, leading journalist, and queen of the side eye Emily Maitlis gives us the insider info on what we don't get to see on-screen.
Giving us the inside scoop on her interviews with everyone from Emma Thompson to Russell Brand, and Donald Trump to Tony Blair, as well as covering news stories such as President Clinton's affairs, Boris Johnson's race to PM, Grenfell, #MeToo, and that interview with Prince Andrew.
Airhead is a brilliant exposé of the moments that never make the news.
From News Presenter of the Year and 2020 BAFTA nominee
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'Funny and subtly smart' GUARDIAN, BOOKS OF THE YEAR
DAILY MAIL BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'Deliciously funny . . . Irresistible' The Times
'[Emily] is so absolutely of the moment' Evening Standard
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Imprint: Penguin
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Published: 18/04/2019
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ISBN: 9781405938358
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Length: 400 Pages
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RRP: £9.99
Reviews
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Anyone who has spent this election campaign shouting at the TV needs a copy of Emily Maitlis's Airhead in their Christmas stocking. It's funny and subtly smart, taking the reader behind the camera
Guardian, Best Politics Books of 2019
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Maitlis has written a deliciously funny book about the high-wire act of broadcasting and the madness that surrounds it. Lots of famous presenters have written books but Maitlis' is different . . . Irresistible. She sounds great company . . . Her book's a romp
The Times
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Maitlis paints a vivid picture of the intensity and unpredictability that come with her assignments, which punctures the perceived glamour of life reporting the news . . . Her writing is excellent: precise, economical and accessible
Guardian
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She is a superb writer, used to throwing together pacy, engaging scripts at a second's notice. Each chapter is dedicated to one of her interviews - it is a sort of greatest-hits compilation
The Sunday Times
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[Emily] is so absolutely of the moment, a quasi-memoir could not be better timed. Airhead is a compilation of her greatest hits. And boy are there many . . . narrated in her snappy, chatty style . . . her asides are acerbic, her observations hilarious
Evening Standard
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She recounts the interviews of her career, from the great, the good and the questionable, offering insights into the questions that illuminated their characters and the ones they dodged. A chapter on being the target of a stalker reveals her more vulnerable side in this compelling book
Observer
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Airhead is, like its author, funny, wise, self-deprecating and insightful
You Magazine
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Smart, funny and brilliantly told stories about what goes on behind the scenes of television news. A joy
Elizabeth Day
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Revelatory, riveting and frequently hilarious. A joy from beginning to end
James O'Brien
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A wonderfully sane book for our unhinged times
Simon Schama
