Janet Street-Porter is a journalist, writer and broadcaster. She is exuberant, loud and sometimes outspoken. She is not afraid to disagree or complain, and tends to tell it like it is - often with the addition of bad language. She defends her point of view with a passion, and is an expert in one-upmanship.

Street-Porter is known for her cockney twang, frilly teeth (her own description) and trademark deep red hair. Her modern dress sense and personality projects a lively and opinionated public persona which made her stand out from the crowd early on, and she has used this to her advantage in radio and television appearances over the years.

Street-Porter was in based in London during her early journalistic career, and initially became a fashion editor for Petticoat, a magazine for teens and young women. Her work was noticed and she moved to The Daily Mail as a deputy fashion editor in 1971. She was involved in many publishing projects around London during the eighties and nineties, and eventually became editor of The Independent on Sunday in 1999.

Her expressive personality meant it wasn't long before she went into broadcasting and started out as a co-presenter at LBC Radio in London in 1973, shortly followed by television work in 1975 at LWT (London Weekend Television). Street-Porter was involved in the production and editing of music shows and television programming aimed at teenagers (commonly termed as youth TV or even yoof TV), and magazine style shows in formats seen as modern for the times.

In 1987, Street-Porter went on to work for Channel 4 as editor of the BAFTA winning youth TV show Network 7. Her success resulted in a move to BBC 2 in a more senior position, and she was responsible for commissioning seemingly risky, but as it turned out, highly successful TV shows with a fresh or alternative edge such as Rapido (music), Rough Guide (travel) and Red Dwarf (Sci-Fi Comedy). She also axed some long-established shows, such as The Old Grey Whistle Test which was a showcase for non-chart music - originally commissioned by David Attenborough, and produced by Rowan Ayers (who also started out as a Fleet Street journalist).

From the mid-nineties she became more directly involved in TV shows and appeared as herself in reality shows, chat shows, game shows, food programs and discussion shows. She is still in the public eye with regular television appearances (notably a day-time chat show entitled Loose Women), and has been an editor-at-large since 2002, writing for publications such as the The Independent, Mailonline, and the i newspaper, owned by the media company DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust). She has also published a series of autobiographies, and a book about rambling and long-distance walking (which was an activity she had done for pleasure) to accompany a television series about the subject.

Away from her on-screen persona her attitude is the same, but the tone is a little different - underneath the TV ego there is a journalist and writer with extensive knowledge of history and art, and a strong interest in architecture, gastronomy and the countryside. She is still matter of fact, but can connect with an audience on a very personal level with an honest and candid approach when it comes to subjects that mean something to her personally.

As with anyone who is outspoken and opinionated, there is a backlash. Her critics are often scathing and she can stir up intense negative feelings with her sometimes brash attitude and views. Street-Porter herself admits she can be intolerant, restless and direct at times.

However, if you wanted to survive in the highly competitive and male dominated industry of Fleet Street, or the media in the early seventies and eighties, it was almost a requirement to be tough and ruthless. Some may not agree with her views or like her attitude, but getting into such an industry in the first place, and then sustaining a presence for so long has to be admired as an achievement. Janet Street-Porter is an experienced and confident media professional and understands how the media works, and how to get her point of view heard - like it or not.

By Matt Sheen August MMXX - See video playlist for references

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