Catherine Elizabeth Moran ( ; born 5 April 1975) is an English journalist, broadcaster, and author at The Times, where she writes two columns a week: one for the Saturday Magazine, and the satirical Friday column "Celebrity Watch".
Moran was named British Press Awards (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, 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. She has described her father, who is of Irish extraction, as a "psychedelic rock pioneer" drummer who "did session work with many well-known bands in the Sixties" later "confined to the sofa by osteoarthritis". Moran lived in a three-bedroom council house in Wolverhampton with her parents and siblings, an experience she described as akin to The Hunger Games.
Moran attended Springdale Junior School and was then educated at home from the age of 11, having attended Wolverhampton Girls' High School She and her siblings received no formal education from their parents; the local council allowed this, as home education is legal in England. Moreover, according to Ms Moran, they were "the only hippies in Wolverhampton".
Journalism and writing career
thumb|right|Moran at the [[Hay Festival, 2016]]
Throughout her adolescence, Moran was certain that she would pursue a career as a writer. 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 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 and the Boo Radleys.
Moran's upbringing inspired her TV drama/comedy series, Raised by Wolves, which began airing in the UK on Channel 4 in December 2013.
In July 2012, Moran became a Fellow of the University of Aberystwyth. In April 2014, she was named as one of Britain's most influential women in the BBC Woman's Hour power list 2014.
Moran's semi-autobiographical novel, How to Build a Girl, 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, and starring Beanie Feldstein, Alfie Allen, Paddy Considine and Sarah Solemani.
Feminism
Moran recalls becoming a feminist after reading The Female Eunuch as a child.
In 2011, Ebury Press published Moran's book How to Be a Woman In September 2020 Ebury Press published its sequel, More Than a Woman, which explores middle age.
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 reported she was the most influential British journalist on Twitter.
Personal life
Moran married The Times rock critic Peter Paphides in Coventry on 27 December 1999; they met while both were working for Melody Maker. The couple share a home in Crouch End, North London (having previously lived in Holloway) and have two daughters (born 2001 and 2003). while the younger daughter is singer-songwriter Eaves Wilder.
Awards and honours
- 2010 British Press Awards, Columnist of the Year
- 2011 Cosmopolitan, Ultimate Writer of the Year
- 2011 Irish Book Award, 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, Interviewer of the Year
- 2011 British Press Awards, Critic of the Year
- 2012 Glamour Awards, Writer of the Year
- 2015 Glamour Awards, 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
- What About Men?