Fitness
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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