Radio 2
In Search of Mimi (Radio 2) was, presenter Trevor Nelson declared, a chance to get beyond Mariah Carey's "tabloid tales and glossy image" and see the "real" person. And it did have moments of that, between friends and colleagues telling us just how fantastic she is ("the world doesn't know how brilliant her mind is").
I especially enjoyed Jasmine Dotiwala's recollection of Carey doing some jokey shopping for her in a corner shop in Southall, west London, to cheer her up when she was poorly. The tale was certainly a long way from Carey's diva image. "She'd gone in and bought a handful of crappy groceries," Dotiwala explained. "A giant box of super large sanitary towels; some self-raising flour to raise my spirits. Lots of silly stuff." I also liked Carey's description of her tasteful Christmas celebrations. "Live reindeer," she said, "and Santa visits us".
Nelson's interview with her, though, was about as hard-edged as a Flump. Why didn't he ask her to comment on the diva claims, especially as the programme included mention of the best ones ("I don't do stairs")? Or the discrepancy between her image and the way she describes herself ("I'm a very open, sensitive person")? It was all well produced, using her music inventively to give the show texture and shape, but remained frustratingly hollow overall.
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