The crimes that shocked the nation, the celebrity sagas that captivated the world and the stories that you just couldn’t make up if you tried, the new Nova new original investigative podcast Unpacked launches Thursday 7 October.
Unpacked cuts through the gossip, opinions, and theories to deconstruct some of the world’s most complex and compelling stories and how they shone the spotlight on who we are as a society.
Hosted by journalist Edwina Stott, season one of Unpacked investigates the saga of Britney Spears, her conservatorship, and how the media, her family, and the public have been complicit in Spears losing control of her career, her money, and her life.
This long form podcast will cover the story through investigative storytelling, research and interviews with the people who were there, including:
Perez Hilton, gossip blogger
Daniel Ramos, the paparazzi who Britney attacked with an umbrella in 2007
Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer-songwriter who toured with Britney in 2004
Hayley Herms, key influencer supporting the #FreeBritney movement
Each episode of Unpacked breaks down a different factor that contributed to Spears’ current situation. From the music industry machine and how it markets young women, to the relentless media scrutiny, the role her family and the people around her played, and the impact of the #FreeBritney movement. The podcast explores how the story of Britney Spears became a part of a wider cultural conversation about mental health, human rights and our obsession with celebrity.
Perez Hilton said, “People want there to be villains because it’s easier to place the blame on somebody but mental health is complex, it’s not black or white. I carry with me deep shame and regret. I own up to all of that. I can’t go back in time. If I could, I would do things differently.”
Edwina Stott said, “We all know Britney’s story, but we definitely don’t know everything. This series is an in depth look at the way Britney has grown up under the lens of the media, been manufactured by the music industry and crumbled under the pressure placed on her to be perfect. The series offers a closer look at Britney’s life but looks at important questions about the society we live in that we all have a responsibility to consider.”
Rachel Corbett, Nova’s head of podcasts & digital content said, “Investigative podcasts are such a popular genre and with good reason. They give you so much scope to unpack complex stories and there’s no story more compelling right now than the conservatorship of Britney Spears. We’re really excited to be launching this as our first original investigative podcast under the Nova Podcasts banner and look forward to unpacking more great stories in subsequent seasons.”
Each season of Unpacked will investigate a different story that captivated the public and get to the bottom of some of the most talked about modern events.