I’ve been listening to ‘Harsh Reality’
As I continue to fritter away any sense of being ‘on trend,’ I only recently came across podcast production company Wondery (owned by Amazon). I was introduced by the podcast Harsh Reality, presented by Trace Lysette.
This is a six-part documentary series released in November which reports on the production and personal impacts of the 2004 Sky reality series, There’s Something About Miriam. It’s not a reality series that I watched, but I was certainly aware of the surrounding controversy. I had very little awareness of the longterm ramifications for those involved, including the titular Miriam Rivera, the contestants, those involved in the production, and the host.
I was absorbed by this podcast’s discussion of the commissioning and production decisions behind the programme, and its reflections on the pace of change in society’s view of transgender rights over the two decades since.
This post was filed under: Podcasts, Post-a-day 2023, Miriam Rivera, Trace Lysette, Wondery.