Emma Willis, Holly Willoughby and Keeley Hawes were among the celebrities who smiled for Shout magazine before they hit the big time.
Some, like Leonardo DiCaprio, were already gaining popularity for their earliest roles when they gave an interview to the magazine.
Shout launched in 1993 and was a mix of features, news, real-life stories, celebrity gossip, fashion, horoscopes, problems and relationships.
The decade was a great time to be a teenage heartthrob.
This was the era of Boyzone, East 17, Peter Andre and Take That.
A decade when Home and Away and Neighbours were essential after-school viewing.
Ramsay Street hunk was first poster boy for Shout magazine
Shout was created, printed and published by DC Thomson in Dundee.
Its prime age range was 11 to 14-year-olds, but its core readership was younger.
Jackie Brown was the first editor.
Shout was aimed to fill the gap left when Jackie magazine ceased publication.
It was launched as a fortnightly magazine, priced 75p, with the first issue offering lipstick as a gift and a giant poster of Scott Michaelson.
He was the surfer Brad Willis in Neighbours.
There were also features on Baywatch, East 17, Home and Away and Take That alongside the chance to win £3,000 of “Beverly Hills 90210 goodies”.
Shout went on a date with Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves.
He was described as “scruffy, a bit goofy and isn’t too fond of showers”.
Inside, a Topshop fashion spread marked the first time it had added size 8s to its range.
There were reader makeovers and posters, features on bullying, body issues and friendship and a poster featuring lyrics to Take That’s Why Can’t I Wake Up With You?
The first issue also included “everything you ever wanted to know about boys”.
The “brilliant guide” suggested boys loved their mums, their local football team, “girls with big chests wearing tight T-shirts” and “sauce or ketchup on virtually everything”.
Boys secretly craved a motorbike and “muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger”.
Young love was a tough sell in 1993
They wouldn’t be seen dead with a girl who “weighs significantly more than they do” or “insists on writing his name on all her school books surrounded by little hearts”.
The first issue of 54 pages sold 272,992 copies.
And girls loved it.
Fancy catching the eye of the boy you fancy?
What better way to get in shape than with a lesson from Keeley Hawes in April 1993?
Keeley pulled on the lycra and white Dunlop trainers for “Shout’s simple workout for lazybones” when she worked as a model for the magazine.
A few years later she found fame as an actress.
Shout gave the biggest pop stars a fortnightly platform to impart their wisdom including an exclusive interview with Take That in August 1993.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams spoke about life, fame and girls after coming back from America.
Robbie said: “If the band was to split up one day, I’d be sad of course, but life would go on, as they say.
“There are always other things we could do.”
Leonardo DiCaprio was interviewed in 1995
Girls would huddle around the magazine on the school playground.
Shout wasn’t afraid to tackle the big stuff, either.
“Summer Bay or Ramsay Street – where would you rather live?”
Shout provided beauty and fashion tips.
Before bagging the gig as an MTV presenter, Emma Willis modelled an all-white ensemble while pottering around in the garden in April 1994.
Move over, Charlie Dimmock.
Most girls pledged their pre-teen loyalty to Shout.
Leonardo DiCaprio was interviewed in 1994 and pictured with a copy of the magazine before he achieved international stardom in Titanic.
He still lived with his mum.
His favourite food was pasta.
He liked rap music “because it gets my blood pumping”.
At its height, in 1995-96, the magazine sold around 200,000 every fortnight.
Who could forget the free gifts?
They included everything from a perm comb and trinket tin to Clearasil Lotion.
There were also some great competitions with big prizes.
Everyone got a reply from the problem page
Holly Willoughby was wearing a Strathmore Clear baseball hat and listening to her Sony Discman before gracing our screens on This Morning.
She was showing off the competition prize in July 1996 during her modelling days.
The true stories from readers were compelling.
“I said I was ill to miss an exam”, “I fancied my brother in law”, “I ripped up my report card” and “joyriding killed my mate” were among the subject matters.
Did you write to the letters page?
There was £5 for each letter printed.
Star letter received a Cosmetics To Go catalogue and goodie bag packed with potions like Violet Nights Bath Oil and Happy Hippy Hair and Body Shampoo.
Then there was the problem page.
There were issues like family and school while young girls also looked to Shout for advice on boys like “should I ask him out?” or “should we kiss?”
Or what to do if you are in love with Les Hill who plays Blake in Home and Away?
Serious issues were also dealt with by Cathy on the problem page, like anxiety, domestic abuse, eating disorders, problem drinking and sexual assault.
All problems sent with a stamped addressed envelope received a written reply.
Fearne Cotton opened up to Shout magazine in 1998
Fearne Cotton was already gaining popularity in the children’s TV show Diggit when she spoke about her favourite things to Shout in November 1998.
These included honey-dipped bananas, fancying Will Smith, and her teddy, which was “just teddy” because she couldn’t think of a name for him.
Shout was relaunched in 2005 in an innovative compact style “so that it could fit into handbags and be taken to school to read with friends”.
The new-look fortnightly Shout had 124 pages.
A Shout Yearbook and a spin-off titled Shout Secrets was released in 2008.
In 2010 the title underwent another revamp and was returned to magazine size.
The new tagline was: “It’s all about you!”
The majority of the old features were maintained but there were some new sections, such as GlamCam, which included pictures of A-list stars on the red carpets.
The new issue was really positive and embraced the idea that “it’s great to be a girl”.
The final issue hit the shelves in 2023
The editorial office moved from Meadowside to Kingsway in 2012.
Shout embraced the new digital age.
The magazine shifted its focus to be more on YouTubers than pop stars and bands.
Shout celebrated its 25th anniversary in March 2018 after 70 million copies sold.
The anniversary edition was a celebration of all things 1990s.
Magazine circulation was steadily dropping.
Change was inevitable.
Shout reached its end in 2023 after 637 issues.
A final feature was an ultimate quiz to find your celebrity BFF.
Fitting, as the beloved magazine had been a best friend to thousands of young girls for decades.
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