Martel Maxwell has become one of Scotland’s best known faces and voices, with appearances on The One Show (BBC1), Lorraine (ITV1) and recent stints presenting On The Road (BBC1 Scotland)with Fred Macaulay and then filling in for Fred on his MacAulay and Co radio show (BBC Radio Scotland). As if that wasn’t enough, she’s also the author of a best-selling novel, Scandalous.
Interestingly though, her initial aim wasn’t to make in the world of media and journalism jobs but rather in the courtroom. We spoke to the native Dundonian to find out more about her fascinating career path.
You initially studied to be a lawyer, before applying for The Sun’s Graduate Trainee scheme… at what stage did you start considering journalism rather than law as a career and what was behind the change?
At the end of my first year as a law undergraduate, I got some work experience at a well-known criminal law firm in my home city of Dundee. It wasn’t the LA Law I’d watched as a kid. There was no high drama and lipgloss in court; there was little glamour. There was child abuse and getting shoplifters off so they could reoffend again by lunchtime. I knew I would need a thicker skin to do this day in and out. I wanted to be a criminal lawyer (or at least thought I did) but the life of a journalist seemed closer to what I wanted – travelling, not knowing what stories would unfold from one day to the next. I’m glad I had the conviction to change. But even after I completed my law degree, I spent another year studying for a postgrad diploma to allow me to practice and I applied for traineeships – and got two. During an interview for one on my 22nd birthday, I came home and cried so much. I knew this wasn’t the path I should be taking. It was at this point I decided I had to do something – and wrote a letter to every national newspaper in the UK. A secretary at The Sun in London called me up and said she’d send me an application for the paper’s first graduate traineeship.
I was the first person in my family to go to university and I suppose I thought it would be impressive if I got in to do law. It also drove me to get the grades to apply and I chose Edinburgh Uni for my law degree, followed by Dundee for the diploma year.
Has your legal training ever come in handy for your media career?
If I’m being completely honest, I suppose it’s helped because people can be quite impressed by a law degree. It made me stand out at that first traineeship interview. “Ooh, a law degree.” It probably makes me sound more intelligent than I am. So many people do have a degree these days so it has been useful to have something a bit different. But you shouldn’t be put off applying for jobs if you don’t have a degree. The fact that there are so many graduates out there might make you stand out if you’re brave enough to say ‘I just wanted to crack on with getting a job. I want a head-start in the job market and believe I can do it without a degree.’
When I became a graduate trainee, The Sun sent me to City University in London for a year’s postgrad in newspaper journalism. Having my law degree definitely helped because we had covered much of the media law on the course. Law’s also been helpful when the odd flicker of knowledge comes back – a Latin phrase or precedent set by a case I remember, that happens to be pertinent to a story in the news. I also have a feel for what can and can’t be said while writing or broadcasting – what you can and can’t get away with legally.
You trained for 2 years at postgraduate level at the print school of London’s City University, so you’ve experienced both academic training and on the job learning for your media career. How important do you think the academic aspect was?
The course at City was unbeatable in terms of giving students the opportunity to get a job. I was lucky enough to be part of a two-year traineeship at a national newspaper while at City – but I was in the minority. Almost all the other students on the course were applying for jobs and traineeships. As City is based in London, you could take an afternoon off and go for an interview. The staff also had a good knowledge of jobs out there and passed on this information. City has a great reputation and from my year alone, people have gone on to fly high – Sky’s new Political Editor Faisal Islam, The Daily Telegraph’s football editor Jim Bruce-Ball, The Sun’s News Editor James Clench, not to mention writers for the Financial Times, glossy magazines and successful freelancers.
But as far as training to get stories and write them, doing so in a classroom environment is always going to be a bit false. You learn how to write and get out and make contacts by being on a job – and dare I say, learning from howlers of mistakes, getting that rollicking so you never make the mistake again.
As a showbiz reporter for The Sun you interviewed the likes of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Sir Sean Connery… do you have any stories that you can share with us?
As a young and foolish showbiz reporter at one of my first free bars, I was told Steve Coogan – who I was waiting to interview – was running so late he probably wasn’t going to make it after all. So I tucked in to the drinks, of course. Two hours later, he appeared and I was too drunk to remember my questions. So he took my pen and paper and wrote ‘I’m retiring Alan Partridge’ with a few details of how he planned to end the character’s run on TV. The next day, I had a story for news conference – as well as an epic hangover – and I could have kissed Coogan.
I also asked Angelina Jolie if she was having an affair with Brad Pitt (when he was still married to Jennifer Aniston).
What can I say? I was young, I was brave and the gin was mostly free. You can take the girl out of Dundee…
You’ve branched out into presenting for TV and radio: when did you realise that journalism jobs could offer broader opportunities?
Radio and TV shows would ask me to come on as a showbiz expert when I worked for papers. I loved the immediacy of broadcast and did bits and bobs for years. I came to the conclusion I’d served my time in print and gained amazing experience but around seven years ago, decided to explore more in the way of presenting – I just thought it was my future. There’s only so long you can hang out at parties until 3am – and I had a good run at it.
Giving up a secure job was scary but my mum said something I love. “If it feels scary, it’s probably the right thing to do.” Straight away, I was offered my own radio show on Saturday mornings on a local talk station in Edinburgh (since shut down) and a presenting role on STV’s motor show, Drivetime. This was brilliant but the thing about freelance is that things can vanish as soon as they came. And when a radio station shuts or series comes to an end, so does your employment.
A friend gave me a great bit of advice: to be freelance in the media, you always have to have three things going on at once. Then again, sometimes something comes along which is effectively full-time work and that’s great fun too as you can immerse yourself in it for the time it’s going. Co-presenting BBC One Scotland’s On The Road with Fred Macaulay was all-immersive in this way – travelling round Scotland for a few months and learning everything I could above the people and places and came across. Then a recent three-week stint covering for Fred on MacAulay & Co was also like a full-time every-day job for that short period of time. I love that I can do that.
You’ve worked for one of the UK’s biggest newspapers, you’re a regular on our TV screens and your debut novel, Scandalous, has been a big success. You must have fulfilled a lot of your ambitions already but what’s next on your dream to-do list?
I’m seven months pregnant with our second baby (Monty’s 15 months old) so new motherhood’s impending. That’s what is really important and everything else goes around it.
I’d like to complete a kick-ass second novel and I’m thinking of writing a script for TV too. I love writing. The whole process of having a novel (Scandalous, about a party-loving showbiz reporter and her more sensible sister…ring any bells?) published by Penguin was such fun it’s just got to be repeated. And not just for the launch party.
Live TV and radio can be challenging, have you ever had a moment that you wish you could go back and erase?
Plenty. When I first appeared on Lorraine on itv1 almost a decade ago, I couldn’t watch it back because I looked so petrified. But with experience has come confidence and now going on her show feels like having a blether with a pal…which it is in a way, just with a few cameras there too.
What advice would you give to people looking to build a career in the media?
Don’t listen to anyone who says it’s too competitive to get on. What industry is not? Getting your foot in the door is not the hard part. Staying there and moving up is. But if you show eagerness and enthusiasm, it shines through. A strong work ethic is key, as is loving what you do. It’s such an amazing industry to be in – what’s not to love about radio and TV? Knowing how lucky you are and holding on to opportunities is important. Be professional, learn by asking and watching and treat people how you’d wish to be treated.
Good luck, go forth and enjoy!
Thank you to Martel for speaking to us and giving us an insight into her fascinating career in journalism so far. As our Brand Manager, Kayleigh Lockhart, says:
“Martel’s story is inspirational as she’s shown that you should never be afraid to make a change and search out the career that’s right for you. Having gained a law degree, it must have been tempting to continue down that path even though her heart wasn’t in it. Instead, she decided to pursue the role that she really wanted. At s1jobs we’re committed to helping you find the role that you really want and each year we do that for thousands of people.”
Photograph supplied by interviewee.