LIVE UNSCRIPTED: Award-winning Journalist Tim Teeman and the Art of Asking Difficult Questions!

A couple of days ago, I chatted with my friend Tim Teeman, an award-winning journalist who has written for Town and Country, The Times of London and The Guardian as well as digital outlets like Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast. I met Tim almost 30 years ago when I started writing a music column for the newspaper he edited. We both lived in London at the time, but our lives and careers have since brought us both out to the States. For a few years we overlapped living in New York, before I made my own move to LA. A big part of our discussion focused on our respective interview techniques – and how we tackle challenging interviews. Tim is a fearless reporter and will ask anything of anyone. I’ve always been a little more cautious, perhaps because in TV, if an interviewee walks out of the room, it can capsize an entire show. But I love hearing how Tim isn’t afraid to push people – and why he believes it’s a journalist’s job to go there. I think you’ll find this part of our conversation fascinating - and it’s a great life lesson beyond just journalism and TV. Are you holding yourself back from a hard conversation you really need to have? As always, I’ve given Tim’s interview a cutdown to keep all the best bits, so you don’t have to wade through any small talk – or side tangents. Here’s some of the main topics we discussed... 0.45 Tim and I chat about how we met, my early journalism efforts and how turning passions into side hustles can be an amazing source of extra income. 3.40 How Tim broke into journalism and the importance of reaching out to potential employers – rather than waiting for opportunities to come to you. 5.20 Navigating the job market in 2026 – and why applying for roles on LinkedIn cannot be your only strategy. 06.34 The UK vs the US Press. 08.08 Tim’s interview technique and how and why he asks the hard questions. 13.40 You always regret the question you didn’t ask... 14.30 What happens when an interviewee takes offense. 17.08 The A-List actress Tim confronted when he was told certain questions were off-limits. (BTW you’ll likely notice a little bit of echo on Tim’s answers here and there - guess what my next tech fix needs to be!)