Bootleg Betty
From Life As A Harlette, The BBC Documentary, Imagine… Bette Midler: The Divine Miss M 2014
By Life As A Harlette
Dec. 28, 2025
Imagine… Bette Midler: The Divine Miss M is a 2014 BBC documentary from the long-running arts series Imagine…, presented by Alan Yentob. It aired on BBC One in November 2014 as part of the Winter 2014 season (the episode originally aired around November 11, 2014, and ran approximately 1 hour). The film profiles the extraordinary career of Bette Midler, known as “The Divine Miss M,” tracing her rise over five decades from humble beginnings to Hollywood stardom. Yentob meets Midler in New York City, exploring her journey:
- Starting in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she worked in a pineapple-canning factory.
- Her rapid breakthrough at age 20, landing a role in the Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof (1967).
- Her iconic performances in 1970s New York gay bathhouses and nightclubs, where she built a devoted following with campy, outrageous humor and powerful vocals.
- Transitions to Broadway chorus lines, recording success (including her debut album The Divine Miss M in 1972), and major film roles that established her as a versatile entertainer.
The documentary highlights Midler’s unique blend of soulful singing and raucous, Mae West-inspired wit, portraying her as a captivating, all-around performer. It was timed around the release of her album It’s the Girls! (2014), a tribute to girl groups, marked her first new studio album in eight years. Directed by Samantha Peters, the episode features interviews with Midler, archival footage, and reflections on her cultural impact. It has an IMDb rating of 7.9/10 and has been rebroadcast occasionally, including ahead of her Broadway run in Hello, Dolly!. A separate but related 2014 Imagine… episode featured her Las Vegas show The Showgirl Must Go On. This portrait celebrates Midler’s instinct, resilience, and enduring appeal as a singer, actress, and icon.
