Miquita Oliver - I Drank Half a Bottle of Wine Every Morning

Miquita Oliver is a podcaster, TV presenter and all-round brilliant woman. She was just 16 when she burst onto our screens co-hosting Channel 4’s cult music show Popworld alongside Simon Amstell. Twenty-five years later, she’s still one of Britain’s most distinctive broadcasters and interviewers. She co-created Miss Me?, with Lily Allen, and now co-hosts it with musician Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks.

You may also know Miquita from the acclaimed BBC series The Caribbean with Andi and Miquita, in which she and her mother, Andi Oliver, travelled to Antigua to reconnect with their family, heritage and identity.

We talk about Miquita surviving the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, the shame she associates with going bankrupt, her struggle with alcoholism in her thirties, love, family, and why she still can't quite conquer her driving theory test. She even opens up about her hopes and fears around motherhood. This is an essential conversation for any one who survived the noughties diet culture or who has grappled with financial hardship. Frank, funny and unexpectedly moving: just like Miquita herself.

IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Introduction

02:42 Heritage and Caribbean Roots

04:19 Tsunami Trauma and Healing

07:04 Iconic Co-Hosts and Craft

10:51 Losing Home

13:03 Miss Me Origins and Honesty

15:26 Bankruptcy Shame and Survival

30:58 Weight and Work Comeback

32:02 Second Reinvention Switch

33:01 Money Lessons After Bankruptcy

34:21 Why Aren’t We Taught Tax

35:50 Alcoholism

39:19 Leaving Richmond and Getting Clear

43:12 Motherhood Without Shame

48:03 Driving Test Fail

LINKS + MENTIONS:

Listen to Miss Me? wherever you get your podcasts

Join the How To Fail community: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com

WANT MORE?

Andi Oliver - swap.fm/l/kcBWNXdPsg7LhgcGhvoF

Lily Allen - swap.fm/l/8Otj3tpmbH5SF4xjVHTJ

Neneh Cherry - swap.fm/l/r5YD9vNivp5t6yw1gN1U

Mabel - swap.fm/l/bfOzGVjFFpo13LK7MHUu

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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Engineer: Matias Torres

Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson

Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Alex Lawless

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