A BBC documentary series will examine the “rise and fall” of Michelle Mone, the Scottish millionaire lingerie entrepreneur now embroiled in a PPE scandal that broke in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.
The two-part series will chart Mone’s ascent from Glasgow’s East End to the upper echelons of the British establishment.
Described as “one of the most eye-opening business stories of modern times”, it will hear from many of those who witnessed the rise-and-fall of Baroness Mone of Mayfair, the businesswoman and life peer, including former colleagues and advisors.
The first hour-long programme, titled “Rise”, will be shown on the BBC Scotland channel on Monday 26 May and will then be available on iPlayer. It will then be screened on Wednesday 28 May on BBC Two.
The episode will “turn the spotlight” on Mone’s early life, her breakthrough into the world of business and how she established herself as a celebrity entrepreneur.
Mone, now 53, left school aged 15 without any qualifications but with a determination to earn money and succeed in business.
After working in a fruit shop she became a model, including a stint as a ring girl in boxing contests, before creating her lingerie company MJM and launching Ultimo, a new type of push-up bra.
Announcing the series, BBC Scotland said: “Ruthlessly exploiting the 90s preoccupation with cleavage – it was the age of the iconic Hello Boys advert with Eva Herzigova – and through clever promotion, Michelle made Ultimo a hit, getting the bra into department stores like Selfridges.
“In 2004, she pulled off a brilliant, if brutal, PR coup. For two years, model Penny Lancaster had been the face of Ultimo. Penny was the partner of Sir Rod Stewart, and she and Mone had become friends. Then Mone replaced her with the rocker’s ex-wife, supermodel Rachel Hunter.”
On the advice of fellow Scottish entrepreneur, Tom Hunter, Mone had brought in high profile mentor Ted Anders from the United States, to help her and husband and co-director Michael, deal with the pressure of a rapidly expanding business.
Anders gives the inside track on Mone’s whirlwind success and the pressures, which arose in the company, and in the couple’s home life.
Other contributors include PR chief Jack Irvine, who helped boost the firm’s profile in the early days before parting company after a falling out, and journalists in Scotland who covered Mone’s early publicity coups.
The programme also features the testimonies of former employees who shed light on the working culture during the rise of MJM International.
The second episode tells the story of Mone’s elevation to the House of Lords and the on-going controversy around her links to a business that was awarded a PPE contract through the so-called “VIP fast lane” during the pandemic.
The Rise and Fall of Michelle Mone is a Rogan Scotland production for BBC Two, BBC Scotland, and iPlayer. The first episode will be shown on the BBC Scotland channel on Monday 26 May at 10pm and later on BBC Two on Wednesday 28 May at 10pm.
The image below is from the House of Lords website showing that Baroness Mone has taken a leave of absence.
