Leading investigative crime journalist Sheron Boyle is the latest industry leader to be under the spotlight in a brand-new podcast series themed around success.
The tenacious Yorkshire journalist who, over four decades has broken countless exclusives in best-selling UK newspapers, has repeatedly proved she is not afraid to confront murderers, conmen, cheats and wrong doers.
She’s seen huge changes in the tabloid press, as well as criticism levelled at the industry, during that time, but has remained a steadfast ambassador for her trade and a vocal campaigner for the rights of freelance writers.
In the latest episode of Success Means Business Boyle talks about the changes she’s witnessed in journalism, the most high-profile stories she has worked on throughout her career – and why she’s proud to be a tabloid journalist. She also tells the inside story on some of the UK’s most notorious crime stories.
Boyle has worked on some of the North’s most infamous crime stories. She interviewed several families and investigators connected to the Yorkshire Ripper case, and was the joint recipient of a notorious letter sent by Ripper Peter Sutcliffe to iTV news in 2017, in which the killer admitted he had done some “bad things.”
She also interviewed Elvis Presley’s last girlfriend, Linda Thompson, and has worked on high-profile cold cases including the disappearance of Patricia Hall in 1992.
Boyle started out working on local newspapers in West Yorkshire and for the last three decades has forged a successful freelance career, recently featuring in The Confession, an Amazon documentary about the disappearance of Patricia Hall from her home in Pudsey.
Success Means Business is the brainchild of Altrincham-based studio Applehead Media, with a fortnightly podcast featuring a diverse range of industry leaders who have all achieved success in their chosen career and how they got there.
The series is fronted by former TV journalist Nicola Sands who runs Applehead alongside her cameraman husband Steve. Filmed in the company’s Altrincham studio, Success Means Business is broadcast fortnightly through Spotify, Apple Podcast and Youtube.
The series digs beneath the surface with its guests, all successful high achievers who have shown incredible determination and tenacity in their industries. It uncovers the stories, challenges and triumphs of a range of remarkable people who have carved their own path to success.
Boyle has always been a strong voice for and supporter of freelance journalists – campaigning against “byline banditry” and successfully pushing for the exclusive stories supplied by freelancers to be recognised as their own work and property.
A proud old school hack, she has at times jeopardised her own career by publicly standing up to national newspaper editors to call out bad practices in her beloved profession. A vocal ambassador for freelance journalists, she has set up support groups to help fight for fair treatment and payments for fellow colleagues.
She said: “It’s a strange feeling being on the other side of some tough questions, but I’ve always felt incredibly proud to be a tabloid journalist, so I never really get tired of talking about the industry and the stories that I’ve worked on. It’s a very humbling feeling when someone is willing to share their story with you and trust you with it.”
Sands added: “We are so lucky to have access to some really amazing people who have fantastic stories to tell about their own journey in their chosen careers. Our guests are all from very different industries and backgrounds and they all have really interesting stories to tell.
“We really want the series to inspire and motivate and I’m sure everyone, including fellow journalists and journalism students will find Sheron’s story absolutely fascinating, as she reveals insights into sides of lives few of us see up close.”
