BBC News reporter Kate Adie at home in Kew, 1980.
When I was in high school, we were lucky enough to have a BBC journalist come and speak. Her name was Kate Adie, and she talked to us all for about 45 minutes, one lunch hour. We had an ambitious religious studies teacher who had gone to Cambridge. He organized a thing called Speakers’ Corner. She accepted his invitation. Bingo.
She was fantastic. Known for her fearless reporting from war zones, Ms. Adie pulled no punches. She’s a year younger than my mum. I told my friends at the time, “she’s amazing.” They all mocked me. I guess they thought I was saying, “I fancy my mum.” Or that’s what they pretended I was saying. I mean, my mum is beautiful. But whatever.
What was I actually saying, though? I mean, I didn’t have the words for it at the time. But it was this:
“Here is a woman who has broken the mold for women in British media. She is a trailblazer who has gained widespread recognition for bravery. We are teenage boys at an all-boys school. We have swallowed sexist portrayals of women. Our interactions with girls are not extensive. They could be better. And we rarely come across ambitious women, let alone get the opportunity to hear them speak. A vast majority of our teaching staff are men. This person has blown my mind. She makes me think we are all sheltered and complacent and that there is a lot more to life than this place. We are lucky to have had her speak to us. You are also pathetic for mocking me for liking her. More important, where can we meet more people like Kate Adie? How can we follow that up?”
Or something along those lines. My old school recently — 27 years after I left — announced it was admitting girls. I couldn’t be prouder to hear it. One main reason is, it’s so expensive to go there these days that they need the revenue. I wish they’d framed it as a point of principle but they’d never do that. At least I admire their honesty.
I’ve recently learned a lot more about cultural bias thanks to working with a client in the field. Harvard’s cultural bias tests have shown me I have a huge number of biases. I’m ashamed to admit them, and the good news is, you don’t have to. But if these concepts are new to you, then please do click through on the link. It’s important.
They’ve recently opened an archive of Kate Adie’s work at the University of Sunderland. My great grandfather was from there and so was Ms. Adie. It’s a small town in the North of England you could describe as humble. My great granddad spent an awful lot of his life at sea, to be fair. If you’ve been to Sunderland you’d understand why.
When I graduated university I realized I didn’t know anybody at the BBC. My friend Polly at university had a cousin there who got her a job writing scripts. Polly was low-key posh. I was low-key middle class but not well connected at all. If I knew then what I know now it is this: I should have asked Polly for an introduction to her cousin. I should have begged her. I should have begged everyone I knew. It is 100% about who you know, getting a foot in the door for a career in media. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. It’s about summoning the courage to ask. All over the world without exception.
Instead, I wrote to 75 production companies — in the mail — and begged them all to let me come and work for free. One of them wrote me back. I took the opportunity. It led me, via some twists and turns, to where I am today.
What I’m saying is, getting picked on for admiring Kate Adie felt like a microcosm of something larger. It was a reflection of the biases and blind spots that come with growing up in a sheltered environment. It showed me how early cultural conditioning can stifle curiosity and diminish respect for individuals who defy expectations or break barriers.
Kate Adie represented ambition, courage, and excellence, qualities I didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate back then, but knew were worth celebrating. That experience not only shaped my values but also set me on a path to challenge the norms that perpetuate those biases. Whether it’s recognizing the importance of diversity, admitting our own blind spots, or finding inspiration in unexpected places, the lesson holds true: Unexpected people can have the most transformative impact on our worldview, but only if we’re brave enough to embrace it. No matter what our mates say.
Also I’m not too proud to say it these days, but Kate Adie was also hot. Like, she was a smoke show! Never mind that she was my mum’s age. But that is genuinely beside the point. I think? Sigmund Freud would tell you otherwise, of course. But we’ve run out of time, here. Thank God.
[Represses uncomfortable emotions.]
[Is an Englishman.]
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Matt Davis is a strategic communications consultant in Manhattan.
