Joan Lucky B.

11211144007 / I G
Witness: Spice Girls
BBC World Service
Sunday, December 25th 2011
11.00 11.50
Fifteen years ago, the Spice Girls were celebrating their first Christmas number
one. Capping of an extraordinary year which saw the British all girl band taking
the world by storm. Cordelia Hablewhite reports.
That Christmas was very much, everyone was very much inspired, we all were.
Anyone whos involved in that project was very much sort of in this weird bubble.
That was happening
It was iconic time, it was like Spice Christmas, to become one came out, it was a
phenomena. The album was number one, the singles were number one, number
one in America. So, it was a fantastic time, you know, leading up to a Christmas,
that year was amazing.
Elliot Kennedy was one of the first song writers to work with the Spice Girls. He
met them a little over and a half before, when they were five unknowns hungry
for success. He had a date fix to work with them, but wasnt expecting to find
Geri Heliwel and Mel B on his doorsteps. Geri did the talking.
She said, look, we desperately wanna to work with you. So we decided just to
drive to Sheffield to find you, in the phonebook, and I supposed Im not informal,
and I supposed we work that out five hours ago, and I kind of figured that was
pretty dedicated really, you know, thats what they prepared to do, rive to
another country. Then I said, well, look were gonna be picking up Victoria and
Emma from the bus station tomorrow. And Mel C was coming out from Liverpool.
So, the next thing was is there anywhere we can stay and I was like, yeah, yeah,
sure there is.
These five young women from across Britain had responded to an ad in the paper
to form the group. They wanted to work with Elliot because of his success with
the boy band Take That. Elliot had never worked with the girl group before. Let
alone had them taking over his house.
Morning was always a nightmare because you got five girls warning shower, so
there was never any hot water. Things like that was nightmare and they didnt
have any money. We pull together what weve got. I remember one great time I
took them up for pizzas, like, I dont know. I just give them number one record.
That was so thankful. I remember get in massive group, hook in the pizza in
Sheffield.
Soon after, Simon Fuller, one of the biggest names in music industry, took over
as their manager. The Spice Girls worked hard at perfecting that act, hoping, just
hoping, they might get signed. And signed they were by Virgin Record for almost
20 million dollars, a sum pretty much unheard all at that time. Within weeks of it
launch, Wannabe the debut single as number one, not just in the UK but around
the world. The Spice Girls had arrived.

Lauren Barry of Virgin Records travelled with them to dozen of countries in those
ally days.
It was just wild fire around the world. I cant even explain the paparazzi, Ive
never experience anything like that. Kids were uncontrollable, banging on the
cars, running in front. We needed to take security everywhere we went.
Schedules had to be so finely tuned, you know due arrival bellmen in the
morning, to rive in to Holland for TV show in the afternoon, perhaps get on a
flight to France, or you know, those platform shoes wear enormous. Its hard to
think now, when we looking to people in platform fashion. Its nothing compares
to the moon boots the girls were wearing. Not very many of those fit in size of
suitcase. So, we will be travelling with thousands of suitcases. It was chaos, and
adrenalin, and excitement. We never experience anything like it. We had to step
up on us as much as I did.
By now, they lost their real names. They most commonly have known by their
nicknames: Baby Spice, Sporty Spice, Posh Spice, Scary Spice, and Ginger Spice.
Named by the journalist, they said they were just ordinary young women who
made it big who see hard work and termination.
I never wanna do anything else. I cant do anything else. You know, to me its
like this is it now.
I think the most important thing is our friendship, really. That is what Spice Girls
is fundamentally about, friendship and music.
People that really matter to us are our fans, and maybe absolutely fantastic. We
got the best fans ever.
But, that was one word that really sums them up, Girl Power.
Thats all girl power thing was very much, you know, front and centre of
everything they want us to do. They want us to be in charge, to be about
empowering women, which I thought was fantastic. Mot people saw this stuff, do
what they need to do, and then so jump on the band, like we empowering
women. They actually started with it.
To tell girls you can do what you want, you can have goals, you can aim to reach
for the stars, you can be successful, you can be us, was a very useful thing. Just
maybe girl power is seem a little bit about the drive behind it, yeah, why not?
Newspaper started writing about the Spice Girls, and the social phenomenon of
the Spice Girls and girl power. Mothers took their young girls to concerts, but not
everyone was convinced by the boat brush body on display they represented.
The Spice Girls went on to become the biggest selling female group ever, with
number one hits in more than thirty countries. Geri Heliwel quit the group
suddenly in May 1998. The best days of Spice was effectively over, but says Elliot
Kennedy, they left their mark musically.

The English We Speak: Cheesy

BBC World Service
Monday, December 26th 2011

12.00 12.05

Hello and welcome to the English We Speak. Im Neil and with me today is Lee.
Hi there, Im Lee. Todays word is cheesy.
L:

Look it Neil, Ive got something cheesy for you.

N:

Oh, cheese crackers? Yummy, dont you like them?

L:
No, I find them too cheesy as I dont eat cheese. I find them flavour a bit
too strong.
N:

I like cheese and I love all cheesy food.

A song playing

N:

But I dont like this music youre playing. Its too cheesy.

L:

Too cheesy? Do you mean the music is no good? Its Christmas.

N:

Well, alright for this time of year, and it does go with the festive mood,
but generally, speaking is too predictable, its shivering stifle.

Lets listen to a couple of examples.

L:
Would you like to go to the band tomorrow next week? I thought it might
be fun.
N:
kid.

I know children love it, but I find it a bit too cheesy. I used to love it as a

-L:

Hi everyone, Im organizing our Christmas dinner. How about going back

to the Case Cheese Pub?

N:
The food is excellent, but you know what, the music there was a bit too
cheesy.
L:
Cheesy? Of course! May be thats why the pub was called the Chaser
Cheese.

The English We Speak

L:

The second speaker there came across as a bit snobbish, dont you think?

N:

Yes, the word does have a slightly negative connotation. Something too
superficial and simple and...

L:

Not deepen sophisticated.

N:

No.

L:

I see. Hm... Remember what you aid about the music Im playing? So, you
mean my taste in music is not very sophisticated?

N:

Dont
get me wrong. Its only that one particular piece because Ive
heard it so many times. I must say that youre tasting clothes is fabulous.
Oh, is that a brand new coat?

L:

Yeah...

N:

Never seen it before. Bright colours, they suit you really well. Your face is
lit up and you look very very attractive.

L:

Oh, stop it, Neil. I never knew you can be so cheesy. Come on. Please have
some cheese crackers and that will stop your cheesy compliment.

N:

Lee, youre blushing.

L:

Bye for now.

N:

Bye.