Holding the Front Page

Becky is thrilled to get a summer placement on a weekend style magazine. She's always wanted to be a journalist, and this is an amazing start, but Becky's ambitions are for serious journalism - politics and current affairs. It's geeky, but there are only so many cosmetic features a girl can write, not like the satisfaction she'll get from exploring topical issues with real depth. Becky's resigned to doing the frothy stuff though, until one day on a train from Bath to London she overhears an intriguing and sinister phone conversation and cleverly switches on her dictaphone. It seems that the conversation is about illegal gold bullion and implicates some high standing politicians. Becky and her new 'colleague' Ben are determined to get to the bottom of it, but there are distractions; she's getting very close to Ben, who's much too old for her, and her dad - an MP - seems intent on thwarting the investigation. Becky soon starts to realise she's in deep water, both with the reportage and with Ben. So it's a relief when a friend of her cousin Jake, a boy her own age, starts taking an interest in her. She'll never forget her passion and is driven to succeed, but Becky finally realises that she needs to enjoy being a teenager for a while longer, before the serious stuff sets in. And it's while she's hanging out with her new boyfriend that she meets Ellie, a wannabee pop star, in the queue for the loos at an outdoor festival.