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It was the sex scandal of the year: British rom-com star Hugh Grant procuring the services of hitherto unknown L.A. streetwalker Divine Brown on Sunset Boulevard on 27th June, 1995.\nWhen their in-car liaison went public the following morning (following their arrest for lewd behaviour), Grant embarked upon what has become seen as a textbook \u2018apology tour\u2019, culminating in an appearance on The Tonight Show in which Jay Leno asked him the question on everybody\u2019s lips: \u201cWhat were you thinking?\u201d.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why Brown originally thought Grant was a cop, and certainly not a celebrity; question the racial undertone to the press reaction to the incident; and recall how Grant\u2019s appearance was pivotal in securing The Tonight Show\u2019s place ahead of Letterman\u2019s Late Show in the TV ratings for years to come\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018Hugh Grant arrested with sex worker 20 years ago\u2019 (The Guardian, 2015): https://www.theguardian.com/film/from-the-archive-blog/2015/jun/26/hugh-grant-arrest-prostitute-divine-brown-20-1995\n\u2022 \u2018\u201cWhat the hell were you thinking?\u201d - How Hugh Grant\u2019s arrest for \u2018lewd conduct\u2019 changed the way celebrities say sorry\u2019 (The Independent, 2020):\nhttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/hugh-grant-arrest-divine-brown-sex-worker-nine-months-elizabeth-hurley-a9584341.html\n\u2022 \u2018Hugh Grant on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno\u2019 (NBC, 1995): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqCbgHM5MqU\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices