"A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed" fashion designer Bob Mackie

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The spectacular designer to the stars Bob Mackie, who created Cher’s notorious “nude illusion” dress. From Diana Ross to Tina Turner and more recently from Miley Cyrus to Sabrina Carpenter, wearing a Bob Mackie creation, most likely studded with sequins and elaborate embroidery and with a revealing cut, was bound to turn heads and lead to acres of media coverage. Joe McFate was Bob’s Design Director for over thirty years. He explained the design process Bob went through with every single dress he created, the relationship Bob had with the celebrities he dressed, and the Elton John costume which went wrong, but brought Bob the most joy. Stephanie Cole, the actor best known for playing formidable characters in Tenko and Open All Hours. At the age of 17 in her first paid acting role, Stephanie was cast as the 90-year-old medium Madame Arcati in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. Caroline Frost is the TV Editor of the Radio Times. and told Matthew being offered parts much older than her years became something of a recurring theme for her. Stephanie worked regularly in theatre and on TV but her big break came midway through her career in her 40s when she played the role of Dr Mason in Tenko. Peter Llewellyn-Jones who played a leading role in the development of British Sign Language, helping to create the profession of sign language interpreter and train the next generation. Graham Turner is policy and research lead at the British Deaf Association, he explained how Peter was at the fore of bringing BSL to public attention in the 80s and 90s when he interpreted at political party conferences, on television and in theatres. Peter also co-presented television programmes such as Insight and The Riddlers, both were groundbreaking for deaf children. In later years, Peter was also involved in the academic development of the language at several universities. Emma Bonino, was an Italian politician who championed women’s rights in her native country. Through her campaigning she brought about the legalisation of abortion, the right for women to divorce and the abolition of the death penalty. Emma Bonino first got involved in Italian politics after she became pregnant aged 26 and had an abortion, even though it was illegal at that time. Her motivation, she said, was to make sure no other woman had to suffer the humiliation she went through. The Italian journalist Sabina Castelfranco told Matthew that she has much to thank Emma Bonino for, "maybe more than any other woman in Italy". Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy Archive: BBC News at One,BBC One,20/08/2018; Cult Heroes: Happy Birthday Mr President, BBC Radio 4, 13/11/1990; Bob Mackie – Naked Illusion; Cher Meets Rylan, BBC Two, 09/06/2026; Elton John: Uncensored, BBC Two, 28/11/2019; This Is Your Life (Series 35, )BBC One, 21/12/1994; Waiting for God, BBC One, 28/06/1990; Tenko (Series 3, Episode 10, BBC Two, 16/12/1984; Open All Hours (Series 4, "Soulmate Wanted"), BBC One, 01/09/1985; Witness History, BBC World Service, 19/09/2023; HARDtalk, BBC World News / BBC World Service, 28/10/2013; News (Peter Llewellyn-Jones), BBC World Service,10/03/1994; Spotlight, BBC World Service, 20/01/1998; See Hear: 25th Anniversary Special, BBC Two; Insight: The Pretty Nasty Programme, Yorkshire Television, 1983