Charles Wooley, a former 60 Minutes reporter, recalls the fallout from a mid-1990s interview with recently separated Australian prime minister Bob Hawke and his then-partner (later wife) Blanche d'Alpuget. Under pressure from his producer, Wooley put an indirect but pointed question to the couple about when their physical relationship began, a moment that generated significant public controversy and has stayed with him ever since. The piece reflects on the pressures of tabloid-style commercial television and the ethical discomfort of probing public figures' private lives for ratings.

Filmed for a substantial fee funded by Kerry Packer, the segment featured d'Alpuget applying suntan lotion to Hawke at a secluded location on Sydney's Pittwater, images the production had specifically sought. Wooley recounts his reluctance to ask about the start of their sexual relationship, given Hawke's marriage to the widely respected Hazel Hawke, but was pushed by his producer to do so regardless of how the couple might respond. Neither Hawke nor d'Alpuget directly answered the question, but the resulting media storm over the interview's framing left a lasting impression on Wooley's career.