Catherine Elizabeth Moran (; born 5 April 1975) is an English journalist, author, and broadcaster at ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', where she writes three columns a week: one for the Saturday Magazine, a TV review column, and the satirical Friday column "Celebrity Watch".
Moran was named
British Press Awards
The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of United Kingdom, British journalism.
History
Established in 1962 by ''The Sunday People, The People'' and ''Campaign (magazine), World's Press ...
(BPA) Columnist of the Year for 2010, and both BPA Critic of the Year 2011 and Interviewer of the Year 2011. In 2012, she was named Columnist of the Year by the
London Press Club
The Press Club was established in 1882 as a London gentlemen's club. For much of its history, it occupied premises in Wine Office Court, near Fleet Street. It still exists today, as a society for journalists, but no longer offers club facilities ...
, and Culture Commentator at the Comment Awards in 2013.
Early life
Moran was born in
Brighton, the eldest of eight children; she has four sisters and three brothers. Her father, who is of
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
extraction, was a "
psychedelic rock pioneer" drummer who "did session work with many well-known bands in the Sixties"
later "confined to the sofa by
osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...
". Moran lived in a three-bedroom
council house
A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...
in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
with her parents and siblings, an experience she described as akin to ''
The Hunger Games
''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...
''.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
: "My Teenage Diary", First Broadcast 6:30PM Wed, 4 July 2012.
Moran attended Springdale Junior School and was then educated at home from the age of 11, having attended
Wolverhampton Girls' High School
(Game Before the Prize)
, established = 1911
, closed =
, type = Grammar school;academy
, religious_affiliation =
, president =
, head_label = Headteacher
, head = Trudi Young
, r_head =
, cha ...
for only three weeks. She and her siblings received no formal education from their parents; the local council allowed this, as
home education
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...
is legal in England. Moreover, according to Ms Moran, they were "the only
hippies in Wolverhampton".
[ The children frequently occupied their time with simple games, such as throwing mud at their house.][ Moran describes her childhood as happy, but revealed she left home as soon as she was able to do so at the age of 18.][
]
Journalism and writing career
Moran was convinced throughout her teenage years that she would become a writer.[ At the age of 13 in October 1988 she won a ]Dillons
Dillons is a grocery supermarket chain based in Hutchinson, Kansas, and is a division of Kroger. Other banners under Dillon Stores Division include Gerbes in Missouri and Baker's in Omaha, Nebraska. Dillons operates grocery stores throughout K ...
young readers' contest for an essay on ''Why I Like Books'' and was awarded £250 of book tokens. At the age of 15, she won ''The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
s Young Reporter of the Year. She began her career as a journalist for '' Melody Maker'', the weekly music publication, at the age of 16. Moran also wrote a novel called ''The Chronicles of Narmo'' at the age of 16, inspired by having been part of a home-schooled family.
In 1992, she launched her television career, hosting the Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
music show ''Naked City'', which ran for two series and featured a number of then up-and-coming British bands such as Blur, Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...
and the Boo Radleys. Johnny Vaughan
Jonathan Randal Vaughan (born 16 July 1966) is an English television and radio presenter and a film critic. He was the main presenter of '' Capital Breakfast'' alongside Lisa Snowdon on 95.8 Capital FM between 2004 and 2011.
Vaughan currently ...
co-presented with her on ''Naked City''.
Moran's upbringing inspired her TV drama/comedy series, '' Raised by Wolves'', which began airing in the UK on Channel 4 in December 2013.["Raised by Wolves" page on Channel 4]
/ref>
In July 2012, Moran became a Fellow of the University of Aberystwyth
, mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all
, established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'')
, former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, type = Public
, endowment = ...
. In April 2014, she was named as one of Britain's most influential women in the BBC ''Woman's Hour
''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946.
History
Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by ...
'' power list 2014.
Moran's semi-autobiographical novel, ''How to Build a Girl
''How to Build a Girl'' is a 2019 Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age comedy film directed by Coky Giedroyc, from a screenplay by Caitlin Moran, based on her 2014 How to Build a Girl (novel), novel of the same name. The film tells the story of J ...
'', [ is set in ]Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
in the early 1990s. It is the first of a planned trilogy, to be followed by ''How to Be Famous'', and concluding with ''How To Change The World''. Moran co-wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of the same name alongside John Niven. She also served as an executive producer on the film, directed by Coky Giedroyc
Mary Rose Helen "Coky" Giedroyc (; born 6 February 1963) is an English director known for her work on ''Women Talking Dirty'', '' The Virgin Queen'', '' The Nativity'', and ''Penny Dreadful''.
Early life
Giedroyc was born in Kowloon on 6 Febru ...
, and starring Beanie Feldstein
Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein (born June 29, 1993) is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' (2016), the comedy-drama film '' Lady Bird'' (2017), and the ...
, Alfie Allen
Alfie Evan Allen (born 12 September 1986) is an English actor. He portrayed Theon Greyjoy on all eight seasons of the HBO fantasy series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Out ...
, Paddy Considine
Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He frequently collaborates with filmmaker/director Shane Meadows. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard Brit ...
and Sarah Solemani
Sarah Solemani (born 4 September 1982) is an English actress, writer and activist. She is best known for starring in the BAFTA winning sitcom ''Him & Her'' and playing Renee Zellweger's best friend Miranda in ''Bridget Jones's Baby'', for which ...
.
Feminism
Moran recalls becoming a feminist after reading ''The Female Eunuch
''The Female Eunuch'' is a 1970 book by Germaine Greer that became an international bestseller and an important text in the feminist movement. Greer's thesis is that the "traditional" suburban, consumerist, nuclear family represses women sexual ...
'' as a child.
In 2011, Ebury Press
Ebury Publishing is a division of Penguin Random House, and is a publisher of general non-fiction books in the UK. Ebury was founded in 1961 as a division of Nat Mags and was originally located on Ebury Street in London. It was sold to Centu ...
published Moran's book '' How to Be a Woman''[ in the UK, which details her early life including her views on feminism. As of July 2012, it had sold over 400,000 copies in 16 countries. In September 2020 ]Ebury Press
Ebury Publishing is a division of Penguin Random House, and is a publisher of general non-fiction books in the UK. Ebury was founded in 1961 as a division of Nat Mags and was originally located on Ebury Street in London. It was sold to Centu ...
published its sequel, ''More Than a Woman'', which explores middle age.[
]
Twitter
In August 2013, she organised a 24-hour boycott of Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
in protest against the organisation's perceived failure to deal adequately with offensive content posted, sometimes anonymously, on public figures' Twitter feeds.
In 2014, her Twitter feed became a controversial addition to the list of English A-Level set texts. In June 2014 the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) is a UK-based research centre and think tank founded in 2006, which operates Thomson Reuters Journalism Fellowship Programme, also known as the Reuters Fellowship.
History
The institute ...
reported she was the most influential British journalist on Twitter.
Personal life
In December 1999, Moran married ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
rock critic Peter Paphides
Peter Paphides (born 1969 as Panayiotakis Paphides or Panayiotis Paphides) is a British journalist and broadcaster.
Early life
Paphides was born in Birmingham to a Greek Cypriot father, Chris, and a Greek mother, Victoria. He has an elder broth ...
in Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
; they have two daughters, born in 2001 and 2003.
Awards and honours
*2010 British Press Awards
The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of United Kingdom, British journalism.
History
Established in 1962 by ''The Sunday People, The People'' and ''Campaign (magazine), World's Press ...
, Columnist of the Year
*2011 Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
, Ultimate Writer of the Year
*2011 Irish Book Award
The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...
, Listeners Choice category, ''How to Be A Woman''
*2011 Galaxy National Book Awards, Book of the Year, ''How to Be A Woman''
*2011 Galaxy National Book Awards, Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year, ''How to Be A Woman''
*2011 British Press Awards
The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of United Kingdom, British journalism.
History
Established in 1962 by ''The Sunday People, The People'' and ''Campaign (magazine), World's Press ...
, Interviewer of the Year
*2011 British Press Awards
The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of United Kingdom, British journalism.
History
Established in 1962 by ''The Sunday People, The People'' and ''Campaign (magazine), World's Press ...
, Critic of the Year
*2012 Glamour Awards
The ''Glamour'' Awards is an annual set of awards hosted by '' Glamour'' magazine. Woman of the Year awards honour "extraordinary and inspirational" women from a variety of fields, including entertainment, business, sports, music, science, medic ...
, Writer of the Year
*2012 London Press Club
The Press Club was established in 1882 as a London gentlemen's club. For much of its history, it occupied premises in Wine Office Court, near Fleet Street. It still exists today, as a society for journalists, but no longer offers club facilities ...
, Columnist of the Year
*2013 Comment Awards, Culture Commentator of the Year
*2015 Glamour Awards
The ''Glamour'' Awards is an annual set of awards hosted by '' Glamour'' magazine. Woman of the Year awards honour "extraordinary and inspirational" women from a variety of fields, including entertainment, business, sports, music, science, medic ...
, Columnist of the Year
Bibliography
* ''The Chronicles of Narmo''
* ''How to Be a Woman''
* ''Moranthology''
* ''How to Build a Girl''
* ''Moranifesto''
* '' How to be Famous''
* ''More Than a Woman''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Caitlin
1975 births
Living people
English journalists
English music journalists
English feminists
English people of Irish descent
English television critics
English feminist writers
Melody Maker writers
writers from Wolverhampton
The Times people
British women columnists
English women journalists
Women writers about music
British women screenwriters
British film producers
British women film producers
Women's Equality Party people