Aerobics TV star Sue Becker was also a talkback radio host 'way ahead of her time'

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2024

Aerobics TV star Sue Becker was also a talkback radio host 'way ahead of her time'

In 1992 Rae Earl was a student at home in England watching a BBC program called TV Hell.

The show was a compilation of “diabolical moments” from British television history — programs that quickly disappeared into entertainment purgatory.

Featured was a show from 1972 called Boomph with Becker, an aerobics program for seniors presented by an eccentric fitness guru called Sue Becker.

“I was fairly entranced as much as the nation was,” Ms Earl told Leon Compton on ABC Radio Hobart.

“It was pre-internet so you can’t say it was viral but once you saw it a lot of people were talking about it.”

Described by the BBC as idiosyncratic, Becker starts off in a green dress but is soon prancing around elderly people in a black leotard encouraging them to “boomph” with her.

“It’s wonderful, it’s so eccentric,” Ms Earl said.

Thirty years later, and now an author, Ms Earl would begin dedicating her time to finding out more about Becker’s life and writing a PhD about her.

She discovered there was much more to Becker than her moment in TV Hell.

Becker and pop star Normie Rowe.(ABC News)

A ‘fascinating’ life

About seven years ago BBC Archives shared the clip of Boomph with Becker again, and Sue Becker was back on Ms Earl’s mind.

Ms Earl was now living in Tasmania, and discovered that Becker had spent a decade on the island as well.

Becker was a radio presenter in Tasmania for a decade.(ABC News)

“I couldn’t find much about her, but the more I did find, the more interesting she became,” Ms Earl said.

“I started to look into her life, she was fascinating.”

Born in England, Becker attended the revolutionary I.M Marsh College of Physical Training in Liverpool.

“It was one of the first places in the world that thought women should be involved in sport and education,” Ms Earl said.

Becker then travelled widely, and in the 1950s she moved to Papua New Guinea by herself to reportedly learn native dance.

She married the doctor who treated her for malaria and hepatitis and lived there for about six years, before getting divorced.

Becker during an interview in 1991 about leaving Tasmania.(ABC News)

TV aerobics fame

In 1966 Becker ended up in Australia, and shot to TV fame through her own aerobics show on the ABC called Swing In Time.

“She wore diamanté fishnet stockings with a black leotard, her figure was to die for,” Ms Earl said.

Becker doing facial exercises in the 1960s.(ABC News)

In the 1970s she took her manager to court over what she believed was an unfair deal.

It settled out of court but hampered her ability to work in the industry in Australia.

This led to the infamous one-off season of Boomph with Becker in the UK, which would be repeated for decades to come.

Just last month BBC Archives re-shared a clip from it and it received 380,000 views.

“She disappeared from view except for when she’s been used as a joke, which I think is criminal,” Ms Earl said.

Becker interviews former Tasmanian premier Robin Gray in the late 1980s.(ABC News)

Beckers Broadside

As well as her aerobics programs, Becker was on air for the ABC, initially in Sydney and then all throughout the 1980s on radio in Tasmania.

Her program Beckers Broadside was one of the earliest talkback radio programs, and one of the first with a woman hosting.

The hour-long program saw her interview all types in a very matter-of-fact way, including prime ministers and premiers.

Her signature deep, gravelly voice became an iconic sound across Tasmania.

A transcript shows Becker hotly debating Malcolm Fraser over the cost of living and interest rates.

Rae Earl is writing a book and PhD about Becker.(ABC News)

“She is way ahead of her time,” Ms Earl said.

“She’s a talkback presenter in the 80s, and female.

“There were not many of those.”

a black and white typed transcript of an interview — Becker’s interview with prime minister Malcolm Fraser.(Supplied: Australian government)

Ms Earl said her PhD would explore the relationship radio presenters had with their audience, and what happened when they were no longer on air.

“She allows me to examine women in the entertainment industry, it’s also a story of empire, it’s a story of post-war Britain and Australia.”

Ms Earl also plans to write a book about Becker, and wants her to be remembered for more than Boomph With Becker.

“She’s kind of been forgotten, and I think this is an act of criminality,” she said.

“She was on air for the entirety of the 1980s so I would really like to get her back into the public consciousness.

“She’s a protean talent.”

Becker parted ways with the ABC in 1990 and moved to Queensland to be closer to her son.

She died in 2007.

ABC listeners remember Sue Becker

ABC Radio Hobart listeners shared memories of Sue Becker on the Mornings program.

Cathy: “Sue Becker, wow, a blast from the past! I was one of thousands who tuned in wearing my sports gear and joining in with exercising.”

Melegueta said: “The way she was, she put a lot of people’s backs up but in herself I thought she was just wonderful.”

Mary: “She was dynamic, exciting. I had four children under five in the 70s so I was frantically busy but I wanted to be fit too. She was a real drawcard when I had time to hear her. I do remember her very fondly, she was an exciting personality.”

Keith: “She was quite outrageous in some ways.”

Kay: “I remember the husky voice, black leotard and colourful scarf around her neck.”

Sue: “We were living in Port Moresby in the 1960s and 70s and Sue had a show on air on aerobics.”

Ms Earl would like to hear from people with memories of Sue Becker via suebeckerproject@gmail.com

Click to comment

Exercise ‘snacks’ can keep your fitness on track when time is tight – try these 3 today

Published

6 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Exercise ‘snacks’ can keep your fitness on track when time is tight – try these 3 today

December is great for many things – socialising, scoffing, falling out with relatives – but sticking to a training schedule is not one of them.

Heading out the door on Christmas morning for a two-hour long run is likely to put anyone on the naughty list, while it takes a dedicated runner indeed to spend part of the festive period running loops of the track.

What the mere mortal needs is exercise “snacks”. These can be enjoyed/endured alongside the carb-based variety and snuck in to even the busiest Christmas schedule.

A review in Sports Medicine and Health Research confirmed that regular, short bursts of physical activity throughout the day improved cardiovascular respiratory fitness, increased fat oxidation and polished off blood sugar levels after eating.

Vigorous intermittent exercises, such as sprints, were good for building muscle strength. Meanwhile, 10-minute resistance training sessions were found to be particularly beneficial to older people. The researchers concluded that exercise snacks could be a viable alternative to longer, less frequent sessions.

Cram in vigorous bouts of stair climbing for muscle strength, or one or two sub-10 minute morsels for muscle growth as an efficient alternative to meatier long sessions. Here’s some inspo below…

3 exercise snacks to gorge on

Try these simple workouts for results on the quick

For upper-body

Press-ups: 3 x 20 with a 30-sec rest between (b/w) reps

Bench dips: 3 x 15 with a 30-sec rest b/w reps

For lower-body

Bodyweight squats: 3 x 20 with 20-sec rest b/w reps

Wall sit: 2 x 90 secs with 1-min rest b/w reps

For cardio fitness

Burpees: 3 x 20 with 30-sec rest b/w reps

Skipping: 4mins consisting of 1min normal, 1min high knees, 1min normal, 1min high knees

Fitness

Study shows the antioxidants in this tea improve exercise recovery

Published

18 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Study shows the antioxidants in this tea improve exercise recovery

I love many different herbal teas just as much as I enjoy a good old-fashioned British cup of PG tips, Earl Grey, or Glengettie — a Welsh favorite from the rolling valleys where I was born. In an interesting study, researchers explored whether drinking green or matcha tea can improve sports performance and exercise recovery, and the results might have you reaching for a vibrant green drink. If you want to get straight to the results, the short answer is that drinking green and matcha tea can support hydration, body fat control, and exercise recovery. Still, it definitely won’t be a game-changer when it comes to your performance in the gym, on the court, or on the field.

Hydrating with tea

In a study published in Nutrition and Food Technology, researchers reviewed existing studies of athletes and active adults that focused solely on drinking tea — no pills or extracts. They revealed that green or matcha tea can help hydrate the body when consumed in normal amounts. Tea counts toward your daily water intake.

Antioxidants and recovery

The research highlighted how the widely-studied antioxidants in green and matcha tea can improve exercise recovery and help protect your cells from the stress associated with intense exercise. That said, the research shows that drinking tea won’t lead to faster or better strength gains, so it’s no silver bullet for helping you achieve your fitness goals. However, they also concluded that low-caffeine green tea could even improve sleep quality, which I would argue could potentially help you power through that workout if you’re getting better sleep the night before.

Linked to lower body fat

Interestingly, the study authors also concluded that drinking around two or three cups of green or matcha tea per day was associated with slightly lower body fat and improved body composition and fat burning. While the effects weren’t overly significant, they were noted in the research. Cup of tea, anyone?

Fitness

Taylor Swift’s fitness strategy that made 632 days long Eras Tour possible: Her exercise routine to stay energized

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Taylor Swift’s fitness strategy that made 632 days long Eras Tour possible: Her exercise routine to stay energized

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was a feat few artists could imagine. Spanning 632 days from March 2023 to December 2024, the tour included 149 shows across five continents and became the highest-grossing tour in history. Behind the glittering performances, Swift relied on an intense and meticulously planned exercise routine to sustain the stamina required for her marathon three-and-a-half-hour concerts.

Preparing for a Physical Marathon

Before the tour began, Swift recognized the physical challenge she was about to face. “I never would’ve believed you if you told me we were doing a three-and-a-half-hour show. Saying it is one thing, doing it is another,” she admitted in the Disney+ docuseries The End of an Era. For comparison, her longest previous show had lasted just two hours and 15 minutes.

To meet these demands, Swift began training six months ahead of her first rehearsal. Her daily treadmill sessions mirrored the tempo of the songs she would perform live, with faster tracks prompting running and slower songs calling for brisk walks or light jogging. “You just don’t want them to see you panting,” she explained to TIME.

Strength and Conditioning Regimen

While cardio built endurance, strength training ensured she could perform high-energy choreography without fatigue. Under the guidance of longtime trainer Kirk Myers, Swift tackled exercises such as battle ropes, medicine ball throws, assisted pull-ups, sledgehammer workouts, leg raises, and Russian twists. Myers described her as “the most resilient person I have ever met,” highlighting her ability to persevere through challenging workouts.

— swifferupdates (@swifferupdates)

Swift’s humor surfaced even during difficult exercises. “In no way do I ever apply this … at any point in the show, I just want to flag that as I do every time I have to do pull-ups. Strong dislike. Two thumbs down,” she said, referring to resistance band-assisted pull-ups. She jokingly attributed her increasing strength to “all the pent-up rage and resentment” she felt toward the moves.

Dance Training and On-Stage Precision

Beyond the gym, Swift committed three months to dance rehearsals with choreographer Mandy Moore to ensure every move was second nature. “I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought,” she shared with TIME. The precision extended to rapid costume changes, often completed in under 1 minute and 15 seconds, with the fastest taking just 39 seconds.

Swift ran an estimated eight miles per show while performing over 40 songs that spanned her musical eras. High-cardio sections, including the 1989 and Reputation sets, were particularly demanding. Yet she described the physical challenge as secondary to the personal purpose the tour provided, especially during a period marked by two breakups.

Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source