Shows
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySimon Cowell - ‘I often think: what gives me the right to judge people?’Simon Cowell has built an entertainment empire on his ability to say exactly what he thinks and an uncanny ability to judge the public mood.
From launching Pop Idol in 2001, The X Factor in 2004 and the cultural behemoth Britain’s Got Talent in 2007, he has been at the helm of primetime around the world for over a quarter of a century. His TV shows and Syco record label have shaped the careers of everyone from One Direction to Little Mix, Susan Boyle and Leona Lewis.
But his success hasn’t co...2025-05-071h 01
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayCeleste Barber: the FUNNIEST woman on the internetMy guest today has been an integral part of my feminist awakening. Celeste Barber’s instagram posts - which parody the unattainable standards of the fashion and beauty industry - are both hilarious and revolutionary. Her work has helped a generation of women to feel better about their bodies - and made her a star in the process. (Plus she’s been blocked by a few celebrities. Lol.)
Barber began her account in 2015 as a jobbing actor. She now has almost 10 million followers, including Reese Witherspoon, Chelsea Handler and designer Tom Ford who ended up hiring her for...2025-04-3053 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayEmma Dabiri - ‘We are still so obsessed with how we look’This episode of How To Fail was recorded in front of a live audience at Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy theatre.
Emma Dabiri is a broadcaster, historian, and bestselling author whose work delves into the complexities of identity, culture, and race through art history and current affairs. She's now written a number of books - culture shifting works which are a radical re-imagining of what we consider to be beauty. Her first book was an Irish Times bestseller and inspired a conversation around race that led to change regulations in schools and in the...2025-04-2345 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySally Phillips - ‘I saw Colin Firth and thought - he’s mine!’This episode of How To Fail was recorded in front of a live audience at London’s Barbican Theatre.
Sally Phillips has appeared in a string of the most influential and hilarious comedy series of all time - from Smack The Pony, Miranda, The Thick of It and Veep. Not forgetting, of course, her star turn as Bridget Jones’s best friend, Shazza, in the hugely popular movie franchise. Alongside her professional success, Phillips has also been an important voice in the neurodivergent community. Her eldest son, Olly, has Down syndrome and Sally is a tir...2025-04-1652 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayMae Martin - 'Everything I do is about proving those high school bullies wrong.'Over on Failing with Friends this week, Mae Martin talks about self-care, how to stop pushing people away and we tackle a listener’s failure to be messy in their twenties. To hear Mae Martin's brilliant advice, join our community of subscribers: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Canadian comedian, writer, producer and singer/songwriter Mae Martin joins Elizabeth to talk about making music, the importance of pronouns and being diagnosed with ADHD. We also discuss their hit Netflix show Feel Good, going to rehab as a teenager and their borderline addiction to escape rooms (th...2025-04-0953 min
How To Write A BookHow to Write a Book | 10. AN INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH DAYIn this tenth, rather special episode, of the How to Write a Book podclass series, hosts Sara Collins, Sharmaine Lovegrove and Nelle Andrew turn the microphone around to quiz their friend, executive producer and bestselling author Elizabeth Day, on her life’s work and writing journey.
Of course, Elizabeth knows more than most about the trials and tribulations of writing a book - having penned nine of them herself, writing her first novel at 29 and since then working in every form - non-fiction, children’s and screenplays. She has come up against all of the questions we ask...2025-04-0248 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJonathan Van Ness - 'I was one wrong thing away from losing everything'Over on Failing with Friends this week, JVN and I get into relationship therapy and the perfect length of shorts on a man. To hear JVN tackling your failures, join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Jonathan Van Ness, one fifth of Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, three-times New York Times bestseller, podcaster, business magnate and all-round icon is on the pod this week. JVN joins us to talk about TV show cancellations, almost getting cancelled, business failures and learning that validation is an inside job. Plus: the Queer Eye...2025-04-0250 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySam Ryder - ‘Fame is like giving a dog a treat every single day. You get used to it.’Over on Failing with Friends - Sam Ryder talks about panic attacks, how to forgive, and (in a How To Fail first) why he likes to cut his toenails outdoors. To hear Sam tackling your failures join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Sam Ryder is a British singer-songwriter who started posting covers on TikTok during the pandemic that ended up catching the eye of Sia, Elton John and Justin Bieber. He represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022, placing second only to Ukraine. It was our highest-scoring...2025-03-2656 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHow To Date: The most important relationship you’ll ever haveFor the final episode of How To Date (sob!) Mel and Elizabeth look at the most important relationships any of us can have in our lives: the one with ourselves.
We unpack what this means in practical terms. How do we nurture a healthy sense of self-respect - and why can this sometimes feel so challenging? How can we ensure interdependence rather than co-dependence? We explore why being clear about your own worth is a fundamental building block in any sustainable relationship with another person. And we are joined by two VERY special guests w...2025-03-2459 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayOlivia Attwood - ‘It’s either vodka and a gay club until 5am, or hyperbaric oxygen’Olivia Attwood first appeared on our TV screens in 2017 as a contestant in the third series of Love Island, and instantly became a star due to her dry humour and gobby relatability. You might also know her as a regular panellist on Loose Women or from her hit documentaries for ITV. Last year, she launched her podcast, Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right, which promptly went to Number 1 in the UK charts. On today’s episode, we talk about everything from reality tv to her diagnosis with ADHD; from her love of gay clubs and medi-spas to failed...2025-03-1951 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHow To Date: How to cope with heartbreak and rejectionElizabeth and Mel face one of the most challenging parts of dating: heartbreak and rejection.
We are joined by life coach and author Michelle Elman who went through a devastating, public break-up after being notified via an Instagram DM that her fiance of 24-hours had been cheating on her. Michelle, Mel and Elizabeth explore the impact an experience like this can have and how best to cope with it. We discuss surviving rejection and the lessons that heartbreak can teach us, in time. Plus: how to feel hopeful again and embrace the ‘what next?’ stage...2025-03-1746 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayErin Doherty - ‘Lean Into Your Truth’To hear more of Erin offering advice on listener failures, join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Erin Doherty’s big break came playing Princess Anne in The Crown. She’s now back on our screens as Mary Carr, the leader of a real-life Victorian female crime gang, in A Thousand Blows (written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight). Erin talks about acting rejections, struggling with social anxiety, her approach to friendships, how she was *almost* a professional footballer and why dating a woman for the first time felt like ‘coming...2025-03-1248 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHow To Date: Taking it to the next levelThings are going well… So Elizabeth and Mel are taking it to the next level where they are getting just that little bit more serious.
In this episode, Mel and Elizabeth look at exclusivity and commitment and what it takes to build a strong foundation for a lasting relationship. Plus: how a partner’s past plays into your future together.
After you’ve listened, you can get all the resources and worksheets discussed at www.thepodclass.co.uk
Mel and Elizabeth are on a missio...2025-03-1051 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayGugu Mbatha-Raw - ‘Have I ever worked with an awful co-star? Maybe one or two’Friendship advice: ‘Are you a radiator or a drain?’ To hear more from Gugu tackling your failures join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Gugu Mbatha-Raw is an actor who firmly resists typecasting: her West End debut was as Ophelia in Hamlet; while on-screen she has tackled everything from Belle, to a victim of sexual assault in the hit drama The Morning Show. Her co-stars have included Jennifer Aniston, Matthew McConaughey, Kiefer Sutherland and Will Smith. Now, Mbatha-Raw returns to Apple TV+ with the second season of psychological thriller Surface. Alth...2025-03-0549 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayKate Hudson - ‘Fame is a tumultuous machine’Kate Hudson’s comedic turn in How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days made that movie one of the greatest romantic comedies of the noughties, and her performances in everything from Bride Wars to Glass Onion have each been totally scene-stealing.
This month, she stars in Running Point, a new Netflix comedy from Mindy Kaling, and she has just released her first album, Glorious. Her failures are open, honest and so very wise.
Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: ho...2025-02-261h 01
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHow To Date: Communication - dating dos and don’tsThe first date has gone well for Elizabeth and Mel (the chemistry was sizzling, quite frankly) so now we turn our attention to the murky waters of early-stage communication in dating.
Psychotherapist, author and podcaster Emma Reed-Turrell joins Elizabeth and Mel this week to break down how to communicate with clarity and kindness, without ever losing our power. We explore why self-esteem plays a crucial role in shaping the way we communicate, the pitfalls of people-pleasing and how blind spots in our own behaviour often spill into our connections with others.
2025-02-2555 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySimon Callow: ‘Scottish reeling almost killed me.’Simon Callow is a critically acclaimed actor, director, author and star of classic movies such as Room with a View, Shakespeare in Love and Howards End. However, it’s his part as Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral that many took to their hearts.
Callow’s failures include a childhood rejection that still haunts him, a play he directed which was savaged by the critics, painting and how he was ‘very annoyed’ not to get the movie part of Amadeus despite having played it on stage.
Do you have something to share of...2025-02-1944 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHow To Date: The first dateMel and Elizabeth continue their dating journey and today, we’ve reached one of the most nerve-wracking, yet potentially thrilling, milestones: the first date.
Our guest is the fabulous Ryan Lanji, cultural producer, winner of Netflix’s Big Flower Fight and all-round icon. Ryan joins us to break down everything from the lead-up to the date, how to navigate the date itself and the immediate aftermath, as well as dating in the queer community. He also shares his own first-date stories, tips, and lessons learned - with hilarious results.
After...2025-02-1754 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJessel Taank - ‘Real Housewives? It’s like Game of Thrones’Jessel Taank is the first South Asian housewife and the breakout star of her debut season of The Real Housewives of New York in 2023. In this episode we speak openly about the challenges of conceiving her twin sons through IVF and the misplaced shame she felt at not being able to have children naturally.
Her failures include failing to overcome Indian beauty ideals, a failure to balance motherhood with personal ambition, and a failure to understand the mechanisms of reality TV (and yes…we get INTO it).
Have something to...2025-02-1253 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJessel Taank - ‘Real Housewives? It’s like Game of Thrones’Jessel Taank is the first South Asian housewife and the breakout star of her debut season of The Real Housewives of New York in 2023. In this episode we speak openly about the challenges of conceiving her twin sons through IVF and the misplaced shame she felt at not being able to have children naturally.
Her failures include failing to overcome Indian beauty ideals, a failure to balance motherhood with personal ambition, and a failure to understand the mechanisms of reality TV (and yes…we get INTO it).
Have something to share of yo...2025-02-1153 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHow To Date: How to meet someoneElizabeth and Mel get into the exciting, terrifying and sometimes overwhelming world of how on earth to meet someone. We discuss online dating and IRL encounters and how to navigate it all without losing our self-esteem.
Our guest this week is the brilliant Sharmaine Lovegrove, whom many of you might already know as one of the hosts of our previous podclass, How To Write A Book. Sharmaine went through a marital separation in her early 40s and threw herself into the apps. She joins us to share her many anecdotes and first-hand accounts of...2025-02-1053 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayNick Grimshaw - 'I told The Guardian I was gay before I told my parents'Broadcaster and author Nick Grimshaw joins Elizabeth to talk about failing his maths GCSE, failing his business and communications degree, his failure to be present, and failing at New Year’s resolutions.
Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com
Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Lawrence-Tickell
Producer: Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini
...2025-02-0552 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayIntroducing How To Date: Am I ready to date?Elizabeth and Mel look at one of the most important yet daunting questions: “Am I ready to date?”Whether you’re returning to the dating world after divorce, heartbreak, loss or simply wondering if it’s the right time to put yourself out there, this episode explores what it really means to be ‘date ready’.After you’ve listened, you can get all the resources and worksheets discussed at www.thepodclass.co.ukMel and Elizabeth are on a mission to revolutionise the world of dating! We...2025-02-0352 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayIntroducing How To Date: Am I ready to date?Elizabeth and Mel look at one of the most important yet daunting questions: “Am I ready to date?”
Whether you’re returning to the dating world after divorce, heartbreak, loss or simply wondering if it’s the right time to put yourself out there, this episode explores what it really means to be ‘date ready’.
After you’ve listened, you can get all the resources and worksheets discussed at www.thepodclass.co.uk
Mel and Elizabeth are on a mission to revolutionise the world of dating! We...2025-02-0352 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayDame Harriet Walter - ‘I wish I’d had all this attention when I was 40’Olivier and Emmy-award-winning Dame Harriet Walter must have acting in her blood: her uncle is the legendary horror star Christopher Lee, she turned down a place at Oxford in favour of drama school, and began her career at the Royal Shakespeare Company. On screen you’ll know her from Killing Eve, Ted Lasso, The Crown or as Lady Caroline in Succession - plus films including Sense and Sensibility, Atonement and The Last Duel. On stage she’s embodied everyone from Prospero to Elizabeth I.
Her failures include failing to master the piano or music theo...2025-01-2955 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySharon Horgan - ‘My marriage failed but it had such a positive impact on my life’Sharon Horgan is a writer, actor and director. She has an uncanny ability to craft complex, compelling and heartfelt characters who find comedy even in the darkest of situations: just like in her hit series Bad Sisters - which has won a Peabody Award and four Emmy nominations. You’ll also know her from the BAFTA-nominated show Pulling, plus starring and writing in the critically-acclaimed shows Catastrophe and Motherland.
Her failures include dropping out of art college and drama school, a failed audition and finally - a big one - her marriage.
2025-01-2248 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayStephen Merchant: ‘Most famous people are f**cked up’Actor, writer and director Stephen Merchant joins How To Fail this week and is reflective, fascinating and - yes - even funny. We talk about what he learned from Ricky Gervais when co-writing The Office, on feeling rattled turning 50 and how it’s hard to fail as a stand-up comedian (but he got over it).
Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com
Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver La...2025-01-1550 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayFailure Throwback: Geena DavisThe final episode in our run of throwback episodes is the one and only Geena Davis - this one went out on 9th November 2022. This is what I wrote at the time:
I am obsessed with today's guest and I'm not even going to pretend otherwise. Geena Davis, the star of such seminal movies as Tootsie, Beetlejuice, Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own and the underrated classic, The Long Kiss Goodnight, TURNED UP AT MY ACTUAL HOUSE to record a witty, warm and fascinating conversation.*
We talk about...2025-01-081h 01
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayFailure Throwback: Jamie DornanI’m revisiting some of my favourite episodes this Christmas. This week it’s Jamie Dornan, whose episode went out when we were in deepest, darkest lockdown, on 24th November 2020. This is what I wrote at the time:
You’ll know Jamie from starring on our screens in The Fall, Fifty Shades of Grey, and more recently The Tourist. He joins me to talk about failures in acting, failures at school and a failure to sit still. We also discuss growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, male objectification, the death...2025-01-011h 10
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayFailure Throwback: Phoebe Waller-BridgeI’ve hand-picked some of my favourite episodes of all time to revisit this Christmas, so today’s a very special one. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was my first EVER guest on this podcast when I launched in July 2018. A year after that, almost to the day, I welcomed her back to talk about how her life had changed in the interim [spoiler alert: she’d become a global superstar].
Phoebe talks about the craziness of those 12 months, during which she wrote and starred in Fleabag 2 (described as a televisual masterpiece by...well...almost everyone), made Killin...2024-12-251h 01
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySir Chris Hoy - ‘There’s no cure but I still find hope’It was an honour to record this episode. We overuse words such as ‘hero’ and ‘inspiration’ but Sir Chris Hoy is both. Not only is he one of Great Britain’s most successful Olympic athletes (during a record-breaking career as a sprint cyclist, he won six gold medals, one silver medal, and 11 world championships) but he’s currently living with a Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis. In September 2023, a seemingly routine trip to the doctor’s turned into a waking nightmare when he was given between two and four years to live. His beloved wife Sarra was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis a mo...2024-12-1857 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayKirsty Young - ‘The great benefit of age? You give less of a f**k.’When I started How To Fail, I had a list of dream guests. Kirsty Young was on it. Not only because she’s one of the greatest interviewers of all time but also because her style of broadcasting (especially during her time on Desert Island Discs) is the standard I aspire to every week on this podcast.
Her intelligence, warmth and ability to listen - both to what is being said and what isn’t - are what mark her apart. It was an honour to be allowed to ask her the questions for a ch...2024-12-1152 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJustin Baldoni - ‘I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. It makes sense of who I am.’TW: sexual assault
I love Justins. I haven’t met a bad one yet. I’m even married to one. Justin Baldoni continues the trend of Great Justins. He’s intelligent, empathetic and unbelievably eloquent (honestly - it was such an easy interview because I hardly had to ask a single question; I just sat back and listened).
An actor and director, Baldoni played Raphael in the rom-com Jane the Virgin for five years, before directing and starring in It Ends With Us - the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover...2024-12-0441 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayLuke Evans - ‘If I didn’t have to take my top off on a movie set, I’d let myself go’Lovely, lovely, LOVELY Luke Evans. I think he’s quite possibly one of the nicest men in Hollywood - a bona fide A-Lister after star turns in Beauty and the Beast, The Hobbit, Fast & Furious, to name but a few. And yet, his early life was challenging. Raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, he was unable to be open about his sexuality for fear of banishment from the church and rejection by his parents. He left home at 16, moved to Cardiff to study singing, and eventually became a successful musical theatre actor before finally landing a movie role at the...2024-11-2757 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayAndy Cohen - ‘Madonna says I’m a trouble-making queen’Andy Cohen doesn’t just shape the culture. He is the culture. And if you think I was excited-slash-terrified to interview a man who means so much to me (despite us never having met until this moment) then you would be entirely correct.
In many ways, Andy is the godfather of reality TV. He’s responsible for the birth of The Real Housewives franchise, without which we would never have had some of the most iconic small-screen moments of the last 20 years or spin-off shows such as Vanderpump Rules and Below Deck. He’s also t...2024-11-2052 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayElla Purnell - ‘Therapy changed my life’TW: self-harm
You might know Ella from her leading roles in the hit TV show ‘Yellowjackets’ or Amazon Prime’s ‘Fallout’. She’s been acting since she was a child (and is still absurdly young tbf) and bears the notable distinction of having played the younger versions of Keira Knightly, Margot Robbie and Angeline Jolie on-screen. What a thruple! At 28, she is wise beyond her years and on her way to stellar success. We talk about being realistic about perfectionism, how to stop caring about negative voices and how she overcame her own mental health strug...2024-11-1343 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayLashana Lynch - ‘I didn’t know when I was auditioning that I was going to be 007’Lashana Lynch has had a pretty incredible few years: she was the first ever Black female agent with a licence to kill in the James Bond franchise, played a ferocious warrior (and performed her own stunts) in The Woman King, became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and portrayed Mrs Honey in the movie adaptation of Matilda. Now she’s back in a Sky adaptation of The Day of the Jackal, co-starring Eddie Redmayne.
It’s a long way from her working-class upbringing in Hammersmith, West London - a childhood she credits with teaching her resilience and grit...2024-11-0649 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJilly Cooper - ‘What’s a dick pic?’Dame Jilly Cooper. What a legend. For the uninitiated (where have you been?) she’s a journalist and author most famous for her bestselling Rutshire Chronicle series which includes Riders, Polo and Rivals - the latter of which has now made into a hugely popular TV series starring David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson. In the past, Dame Jilly’s books have been unfairly dismissed as mere ‘bonkbusters’, charting the sex lives of the upper classes. But, as I discover, there’s much more to both her writing - and to her. We talk about her failures with technology...2024-10-3039 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJames Blunt - ‘The Iraq war lost me my GRAMMYS’TW: miscarriage and pregnancy loss
You’ll probably have heard of James Blunt. And if you haven’t, you’ve almost definitely heard his most famous song, You’re Beautiful. There was a time in the early 2000s that it was EVERYWHERE. And that’s because James Blunt was absolutely huge. His debut 2004 album, Back To Bedlam, was the biggest-selling album of the decade in the UK, shifting over 12 million copies. I know!! TWELVE MILLION.
He has released another six albums since then, every one of them a top 10 hit, winning two Brit Award...2024-10-2351 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayMiranda Hart - 'I always knew I’d get married at 51'It’s been ten years of ‘bear with.. bear with’ but *finally* we’ve got our beloved Miranda Hart back. Due to a long-term undiagnosed chronic illness (which we talk about, of course) Miranda has been largely out of the public eye for the past decade. I was so touched to be the first person she spoke to on her return to work. We covered writing her new book (full of amazing life advice), being an introvert, medical gaslighting, body image and…wait for it... her new husband.
Miranda and I had a ball - her fail...2024-10-1658 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayNeneh Cherry - ‘My mother’s death undid me.’If you’d told the 12-year-old me, listening to Manchild and Buffalo Stance on repeat at school in Belfast, that I would one day be interviewing Neneh Cherry, I wouldn’t have believed you. This woman is so iconic and has shaped so much of our culture - it’s not just her monster hits such as Seven Seconds (with Youssou N’Dour) or the fact that Massive Attack recorded their seminal first album in her bedroom, or that she’s met everyone from James Baldwin to Chuck D, it’s also that all three of her children are musicians to...2024-10-0945 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayRupert Everett - 'Everyone is my Professional Nemesis'Rupert Everett is the best type of A-list guest. He’s been through the highs and the lows of fame and come out of the other side wiser, stronger, and with no qualms about speaking his mind.
Plus his new book ‘The American No’ was born from failure (a collection of brilliant short stories that were TV and film ideas). We talked about: ‘learning to die’ professionally; his love for fragile but strong women such as Paula Yates (with whom he had a 6-year affair); coming out in Hollywood; Madonna; My Best Friend’s Wedding with...2024-10-0251 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayYuval Noah Harari - ‘AI doesn't have to end badly for humankind’Well, look, of COURSE I was intimidated. Yuval Noah Harari is one of our most revered thinkers - a philosopher for our age and a bestselling writer of books that have redefined our thinking about humanity. You will probably know him as the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (25 million copies sold and counting). Now, he tackles AI in his latest work, Nexus.
Yuval joins us to talk about the potential of AI, as well as its dangers (I was actually left feeling more positive than negative, so it’s a great an...2024-09-2556 min
How To DateHow to Write a Book | 10. AN INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH DAYIn this tenth, rather special episode, of the How to Write a Book podclass series, hosts Sara Collins, Sharmaine Lovegrove and Nelle Andrew turn the microphone around to quiz their friend, executive producer and bestselling author Elizabeth Day, on her life’s work and writing journey.
Of course, Elizabeth knows more than most about the trials and tribulations of writing a book - having penned nine of them herself, writing her first novel at 29 and since then working in every form - non-fiction, children’s and screenplays. She has come up against all of the questions we ask...2024-09-2353 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayDiane Abbott - ‘I’ve never had a nice chat with Keir Starmer’Diane Abbott is a force of nature - and she needs to be, with so much vitriol directed towards her. She has weathered decades of racist and sexist abuse but has still blazed a trail through British politics as the first ever Black female MP. Not for nothing is she now known as ‘Mother of the House’.
We talk about why some people (*cough* white, privately educated men in politics *cough*) are given multiple opportunities to fail upwards, while others aren’t and how she’s always felt the need to prove herself. We also dis...2024-09-1852 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayKate Winslet - ‘I remember thinking: I do not want to be famous’Look, I don’t like to brag but in case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve got Kate Winslet on How To Fail this week. ACTUAL KATE WINSLET! The one and only! And oh my goodness, what an incredible guest she is: acutely intelligent, funny and brilliantly forthright. We covered so much ground - from the media obsession with her body image, to her regret at giving up tap-dancing, her feelings of failure around not yet having directed, working with Emma Thompson and the time Woody Allen called her ‘a bad actress’...it’s *all* here.
We talk about a...2024-09-1158 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayAgony Uncle Salman Rushdie – ‘I walked into a glass door and fell in love’This is a very special one-off edition of How to Fail, where I bring you a peek behind the paywall to hear one of my favourite subscriber editions of ‘Failing with Friends’. If you’re not already a subscriber (and if not, why not, quite frankly?) then this is a little glimpse of what we’ve been up to. Failing With Friends is where my lovely listeners write in and ask for advice about their failures, problems or just to say hello. In this episode, the highly-acclaimed author, Sir Salman Rushdie kindly stayed on after his interview with me, to help...2024-09-0424 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayEllie Simmonds - Being different is a superpower.Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds OBE has won five - count ‘em - Gold Medals. Amazingly, her first two were at the age of 13 and she’s set two world records. But she happily admits she learned more ‘from the races that didn’t go well’. Ellie talks to me about putting an intense amount of pressure on herself, never being able to switch off and how she still struggles with that now - especially when it comes to getting enough sleep. She also opens up very movingly about being adopted as a baby and growing up in a family that celeb...2024-08-2845 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayGuenther Steiner - F1 made me an absent fatherThe first thing Guenther Steiner said when he walked into the HTF studio was: ‘Recently your guests have been Shania Twain and Salman Rushdie, are you sure you want me and haven’t made a mistake?’ This tells you almost everything you need to know about the breakout star of Netflix’s F1: Drive to Survive and former Haas team principal: he’s hilarious, he’s modest and he still finds his newfound fame fairly baffling.
Although he’s known for his fruity vocabulary alongside his racing skills, I confess that the only person to swear in our chat was m...2024-08-2146 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayAde Adepitan - ‘At 16 I’d seen more violence than anyone should ever see’TW: contains references to racist abuse and racially-aggravated violence.
This is probably one of my favourite episodes of all time, and I don’t say that lightly. The former championship wheelchair basketball star turned TV presenter, Ade Adepitan, came into the How To Fail studio with an open heart and a moving story to tell. He blew us all away.
Ade talks about growing up working-class, Black and disabled and how the intersection of these left him feeling he had to prove himself twice as much. He talks about letting his parents down and a fam...2024-08-1454 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayPat Cummins - 'My mother’s death taught me cricket isn’t as important as family'Considered by many as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, the Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins is extremely well-placed to tell me how he wins but also how he’s been shaped by losing.
But his losses have not been limited to the cricket pitch. In an extremely moving exchange, he tells me about his mother dying from cancer and how her death put the rest of his life into perspective. We talk about the continuing juggle of family commitments with the demands made of an elite sportsman and the practical strategies he’s found to s...2024-08-0743 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayElif Shafak - ‘There’s only one thing that scares me - and that’s indifference’I could listen to Elif Shafak speak for HOURS. The eloquence of this woman! She speaks like most of us would aspire to write. I cannot get over it. Shafak, the Turkish-British author, combines ferocious intelligence with a captivating turn of phrase so it’s little wonder she’s garnered so much critical acclaim. She has been nominated for countless literary awards, including the Booker Prize and made the BBC’s 100 Most Inspiring Women list of 2021.
Elif and I talked about the importance of outsidership, why it’s her mission to champion ‘otherness’, the fluidity of chosen family and ho...2024-07-3146 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayDanny O Donoghue - ‘I’m finished drinking, I’m finished smoking, everything’Danny O’Donoghue is best known as the lead singer of The Script and a former coach on singing talent show The Voice. But the last year of his life has been overshadowed by personal tragedy: the death of his bandmate and best friend Mark Sheehan at the age of 46.
In his first full-length interview since Mark’s death, Danny opens up about how he navigated grief, how he spiralled into alcohol abuse and how he managed to find a way to survive through therapy and faith.
It’s an extraordinary story, movingly told with great pro...2024-07-2446 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayIntroducing How To Write a Book: Episode 1 - The Idea (Part 1)In this first episode of How to Write a Book, Elizabeth Day’s new podclass series, hosts Sara Collins, Sharmaine Lovegrove and Nelle Andrew discuss coming up with ideas.
Just where do ideas for books come from? How do you know if they’re any good, or even if they’re right for you to pursue? Our expert podclass provides answers to all of this - and even a lesson in how to know when your idea might be ready to send to an agent.
And we could not have a...2024-07-2236 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySara Cox - ‘it made me feel a bit of a failed mum’Sara Cox is a broadcaster and author. You might have grown up with her on Radio 1’s iconic Breakfast Show. You might remember her being one of the first so-called ‘ladettes’ (and if you do, we talk about how much she hates this word in the episode). You might have read one of her bestselling books - she wrote a memoir in 2019, followed by two novels, the most recent of which, Way Back, was published in March.
She’s now the host of the most listened to radio show in Europe: BBC Radio 2’s tea time...2024-07-1751 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHOW TO WRITE A BOOK - introducing your new favourite podcast!From Elizabeth Day, the creator and host of How To Fail, comes a brand new podcast: How To Write A Book. Hosted by bestselling author Sara Collins, powerhouse publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove and superagent Nelle Andrew, WE are your on-hand writing community.
You’ll learn how to develop ideas, experiment with your voice and get your finished manuscript out there. It’s also the place to come if you just love reading and want a glimpse behind the scenes of how great books, films and TV dramas get written. It’s a masterclass in podcast form - a podcla...2024-07-1502 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayDanny Dyer - 'I’m a f**king legend or I’m a f**king disgrace. I suppose I divide people'We bonded over swearing. And, although I’m not one to brag: Danny Dyer said it suits me. DANNY F***ING DYER! I mean. I know this is a podcast about failure, but surely that’s a major life achievement?
Anyway, I digress… Today’s guest was born in East London and had a challenging childhood - his parents split when he was nine after his mother discovered Danny’s father had a secret family. Acting was, in many ways, his escape from everyday life. He started in his teens, and was soon acting alongside luminaries such as Helen M...2024-07-1052 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJesse Tyler Ferguson - ‘I was caught stealing gay porn'This week: it’s Mitch from Modern Family! On screen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson brought to life one of the most beloved comic roles in recent years but he’s also a Tony-award winning theatre actor, not to mention host of the wonderful Dinner’s On Me podcast.
Jesse was so easy to talk to - I felt I could ask him anything, and frequently did. We chat about his adolescent failures at sport when it seemed to be all his dad wanted from him, and this leads us into a deeply moving discussion about his own sexuality. The st...2024-07-0351 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySadiq Khan - ‘Had I known what it involved, I can’t say I’d have gone into politics’Q. What connects the grandson of Pakistani immigrants, the son of a seamstress and bus driver, one of eight children raised in a three-bedroomed council flat in Tooting, a human rights lawyer, former Labour Cabinet Minister, Liverpool football fan AND the Mayor of London?
A. They are ALL Sadiq Khan.
At 53, Khan has lived many lives - in his latest incarnation, he is the three-time London Mayor (although he says he wants to serve for six terms). Today, he joins me on How To Fail to discuss the personal and professional failures that shaped him...2024-06-2655 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayVogue Williams - ‘I love therapy’Ugh I just adore this woman. I had a girl crush on her from afar and recently was lucky enough to meet her properly when she interviewed me on tour. Let me tell you that Vogue Williams is EVEN BETTER in person than she is on screen or in our ears. You’ll know her as one half of one of the UK’s most downloaded and hilarious podcasts - My Therapist Ghosted Me - and as the star of several TV shows, including Channel 4’s The Jump where she met her now husband, Spencer Matthews. The couple have three...2024-06-1951 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayAngel Strawbridge - No RegretsYou will probably know Angel Strawbridge from Escape to the Chateau, the hugely popular TV show she fronted with her husband, Dick. You might also recognise her from her trademark vintage style, bestselling books and bright red hair.
Escape to the Chateau, which followed the Strawbridges as they renovated a dilapidated French castle with no water, no electricity or heating (with two young children in tow) ran for nine seasons before coming to an end in 2022. Shortly afterwards, an audio recording of Angel speaking angrily to an unknown man was leaked. It made headline news - this...2024-06-1241 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySalman Rushdie - ‘I’d rather have had a different life’TW: this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and injuries.
Two years ago, Sir Salman Rushdie, one of the most celebrated and famous authors in the world was on stage at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York, when a figure dressed in black clothes and a mask rushed onto stage and stabbed him numerous times. He nearly died.
Today, I’m so honoured that this extraordinary man joins me to talk about what this experience taught him - and how the forces of love ultimately triumphed over the forces of hatred. We t...2024-06-0555 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayLouise Thompson - ‘I asked myself: Am I alive?’TW: this episode contains graphic descriptions of birth trauma and PTSD.
You might know Louise Thompson as the former Made in Chelsea star. Or the fitness influencer who launched two businesses and graced the cover of Women’s Health magazine twice. But when she gave birth to her son Leo, all that changed. She experienced a series of life-threatening haemorrhages before ending up in Intensive Care, absolutely convinced she was going to die. Since then, she has suffered PTSD, panic attacks and countless further complications, resulting in being fitted with a stoma in January this year.
...2024-05-291h 00
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayShania Twain - ‘There is no man that intimidates me’Today’s guest has the biggest selling studio album ever in the UK by an international female artist. She has won five Grammys, sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and, at 58, remains the top-selling female country pop artist of all time. This year, she makes her Glastonbury debut in the coveted Legends slot, undertakes a new tour of the UK and Ireland and returns to Las Vegas for her third residency.
And yet Shania Twain has battled adversity from a young age; her childhood was challenging and impoverished. From the age of eight, she was helping to su...2024-05-2252 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayDame Arlene Phillips - ‘I know the power of love’Oh my. I can’t tell you how moving I found this interview. That doesn’t mean it’s a weepy one - sometimes, the most powerful exchanges are the ones where you witness the sheer strength it takes someone *no*t to cry.
Dame Arlene Phillips is defined by her strength: strength of mind and of body (at 80, she’s still hard at work as a hit choreographer). You’ll know her as an internationally celebrated jazz and musical theatre legend, who has worked on some of the biggest-selling musicals in West End and Broadway theatre, as well as...2024-05-1556 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHenry Winkler - The Fonz, Getting Fired and Listening To Your GutWhen Henry Winkler played Arthur Fonzarelli (The Fonz) on Happy Days, he was treated like a rock star. Afterwards wasn’t so easy though. Winkler couldn’t get work as an actor and his career as a director failed at the first hurdle. He tells me how he endured emotional abuse from his parents and had to cope with undiagnosed dyslexia at school, all of which led to lasting low self-esteem. I learn how he came to terms with these old demons through therapy and, with newfound self-knowledge in his 70s, was able to turn in award-winning performances in show...2024-05-0838 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayBonnie Tyler - Her first ever podcast interviewTW: miscarriage
This week, brace yourself for A TOTAL ECLIPSE… of all other podcast episodes, because this one’s a total banger. I could not have asked for a more open, hilarious, moving or riveting encounter than with the formidable Bonnie Tyler.
She grew up in a working-class Welsh family and answered a newspaper ad for a backing singer when she was 17. From there, she went on to be one of the most iconic recording artists of all time. Her hit singles include It’s A Heartache, Holding Out for a Hero and, of course, Total...2024-05-0152 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayWill Young - ‘I like to talk about it because I survived it’TW: this episode contains discussion of sexual assault and suicide.
In many ways, Will Young is the definition of resilience. As a child, he endured physical and psychological abuse at prep school. In his 20s, he found fame on a reality TV show and was forced to be public about his sexuality by a tabloid newspaper, after which he faced years of homophobia. In his 30s, he coped with extensive periods of depression as he struggled to understand his PTSD and tragically lost his twin brother, Rupert, to death by suicide. Now in his 40s...2024-04-2458 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayRichard Osman on cats, crime and c**tsI loved interviewing Richard Osman and can’t stop thinking about our conversation. I think it’s because his brain works at warp speed: I genuinely felt he was three steps ahead of every question I was about to ask. It became something of a personal challenge to ask a question he couldn’t guess beforehand and I *think* I managed it when I asked if he’d ever written to Jim’ll Fix It (he had, by the way).
His mind was formed by an early passion for television and the stories it created. He became an expert...2024-04-1759 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayDr. Jen Gunter - Patriarchy, periods and penile failureTW: infant loss and birth trauma
Dr Jen Gunter is an obstetrician-gynaecologist, pain medicine physician and bestselling author. She’s most well-known to many of us as Twitter’s resident OB-GYN, the woman who took on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop with claims of medical misinformation and one of the fiercest advocates for women’s health the world over.
She had premature triplet boys in 2003 and tragically, one of her sons died at birth. To this day, Dr Gunter says her two boys ‘keep me so honest it hurts’. We discuss everything from first periods, failed marriages, f...2024-04-1054 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayAdeel Akhtar - The importance of staying true to yourselfMy guest today has a nickname in showbiz circles: he’s called ‘Ideal Actor’ because of his scene-stealing talent and his ability to get under the skin of what it is to be human. If you’ve watched Netflix’s monster hit, Fool Me Once, or seen Sherwood or Back To Life or The Night Manager or if you’ve watched the movies Four Lions or Murder Mystery 2, the chances are you will remember his performances. He’s a brilliant actor, but he’s also, as it happens, a wonderful guest - funny, moving and a deep thinker.
He joins me to...2024-04-0348 min
How Did We Get Here?Claudia Winkleman on the joy of imperfection - How to Fail with Elizabeth DayClaudia Winkleman is a broadcaster who feels like your best friend - whether she's co-hosting Strictly Come Dancing, fronting her Saturday morning BBC Radio 2 show or sending shivers down your spine as the presenter of The Traitors. And now, for our season finale, she joins How to Fail to talk about her hatred of perfect, her distaste for exercise, her introversion and her failure to live in the present. Plus: struggles with sleep, the invaluable lessons her parents' taught her and why Rembrandt (as seen with minus 15 eyesight) might be her forever style icon.
...2024-03-281h 00
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayKatie Price - ‘Everything bad that’s ever happened to me is because of men’TW: this episode contains discussion of sexual assault and suicide.
In the 90s you might have known Katie Price as ‘Jordan’ - featured on page three, known for her succession of plastic surgeries and her complicated personal life. But, in reality, she is so much more than the cartoon character the media created for her.
Today, Katie is a mother of five and her disabled son, Harvey, is - she tells me - the only person who ‘never judges’ her. Her life has been scarred by trauma and she has survived horrendous, and repeated, sexual abuse. A...2024-03-2750 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayNicole Scherzinger - ‘I’ve never felt I’m enough’Nicole Scherzinger became famous as part of The Pussycat Dolls - one of the biggest selling female groups of all time - but it almost didn’t work out that way. For years, she was a jobbing singer and dancer who learned how to deal with rejection from a succession of failed auditions. Yet her resilience - and her work ethic - shone through. Now, after a highly acclaimed run in London, Nicole is set to storm Broadway as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
We spoke about the curse of perfectionism and her struggles with being in the...2024-03-2041 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJon Ronson on truth-telling and the culture warsJon Ronson is a journalistic hero of mine, as he is to many. He was one of the first people to write about the culture wars, well before the phrase became commonplace in our news cycles. His two audio series exploring real-life origin stories from these everyday battles ‘Things Fell Apart' (BBC Sounds) have been a huge commercial and critical success.
Ronson has written a handful of fascinating works of non-fiction including ‘Them: Adventures with Extremists’; ‘The Psychopath Test’ and ‘So You’Ve Been Publicly Shamed’ and his book ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ was made into a feature film...2024-03-131h 00
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayAJ Odudu - ‘Living to tell the tale is the joyful thing’Big Brother host, Strictly Come Dancing finalist and the woman who, by her own admission, ‘puts black into Blackburn’, AJ Odudu is a force to be reckoned with. Growing up in Lancashire, no one ever knew how to pronounce her name and she was questioned constantly on why she was different. But as an adult, she has turned these early experiences into inner strength - resilience that has served her well throughout personal and professional failures.
Now she’s best known for being the host of the recently rebooted Big Brother but a decade earlier, she lost her pr...2024-03-0643 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayMel B - ‘I was a Spice Girl shouting about girl power, but I was girl powerless.’TW: coercive / controlling relationships
Mel B has a story that everyone needs to hear. It’s a story of resilience in the face of severe adversity - and how we can conquer our biggest fears if we put our minds to it.
Melanie was in a coercively controlling and abusive relationship for a decade. After finding the courage to leave, she dealt with years of isolation, post-traumatic stress disorder and a loss of confidence. She also had to build her way back from bankruptcy to financial independence. In this - her most open interview yet...2024-02-281h 00
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySabrina Dhowre Elba… I thought ‘this is how I’m going to die’Spoiler alert: I’m low-key obsessed with this woman. Sabrina Dhowre Elba is a UN Goodwill ambassador, a skincare maven, an actor, producer and all-round good egg. She is, then, *so* much more than some bloke’s wife, but given that the bloke in question is Idris Elba, she’s incredibly understanding when asked questions about how she copes with the attention.
She joins me to talk about the boxes we put women in, her failure to work a regular nine-to-five, her struggles with confidence and physical health and her rampant sugar addiction (no, really). We also talk a...2024-02-2150 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayPaloma Faith… ‘I overshare by whose standards? Not mine.’TW: miscarriage
Paloma Faith’s teachers used to ask her why she ‘acted stupid’, which is ironic given that she’s now one of the smartest, sharpest guests I’ve ever had on this podcast. A global singing sensation, as well as an acclaimed actor, she’s got a totally unique perspective on the world - and a refreshingly frank way of expressing it.
Her failures included being thrown out of ballet school aged 10(!) for being ‘too curvy’, her self-perceived failure to conceive her daughters naturally and inability to have a healthy work-life balance.
We dive deep i...2024-02-1455 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DaySathnam Sanghera on why books can save us and how to understand EmpireFull disclosure - Sathnam is a dear friend of mine. He was a guest on the first ever season of How To Fail and there’s a very good reason why I’m chatting to him again.
A lot has shifted in both our lives. Since he was last on here, Sathnam has written Empireland and more recently Empireworld, two bestselling books which have garnered him critical acclaim, a Channel 4 documentary and which - even more crucially - have changed the national discourse around our colonial past. Without necessarily meaning to, Sathnam has become a historian. But his...2024-02-0750 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayJoe Wicks on addiction, homeschooling and body imageTW: addiction
The popularity of Joe Wicks’s online workouts and meal plans as ‘The Body Coach’ catapulted him into fame during lockdown. He’s a source of endless positive energy for the rest of us, but he had a challenging childhood. Growing up on a council estate, his father had a debilitating heroin addiction and his mother lived with severe OCD. His escape was physical exercise.
Joe’s failures include learning to become more compassionate with his father’s addiction, being more patient with his kids and learning to stay focused and be consisten...2024-01-3154 min
Where There's A Will, There's A WakeFailure is not a Death SentenceBrace yourselves for a trip away from the graveyard as we announce the 20thSeason of How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. Elizabeth has already died in my presence but has miraculously been revived to create another season of her hit podcast. The new season has started with none other than the incomparable and multi-award-winning Dan Levy as her first guest and trust me she has a host of more incredible guests on the horizon! Check it out now – wherever you get your podcasts.
An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Original Production.
Find mo...2024-01-2403 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayDan Levy on overcoming rejection and harnessing griefWe bonded over eyebrows, amongst other things.
You’ll know Dan Levy as David Rose in the widely adored TV show Schitt’s Creek, which he co-wrote and created with his father Eugene Levy. If ever there was a story of failure leading to success, it’s this, as Dan tells me how his multi-award winning and critically acclaimed show was (initially) turned down by every single network in the USA.
We also chat about relationship failures and a particular childhood incident involving birthday cake. Plus, we explore his fantastic new film ‘Good Grief’ - a beautifu...2024-01-2449 min
Kermode & Mayo’s TakeThe Art of Failing Gracefully: How to Fail with Elizabeth DayHey listeners! Get ready for a delightful detour from the cinema and our chats to the candid world of failure. We're thrilled to announce a brand-new season of the podcast How to Fail featuring the incredible Elizabeth Day. The new season has started with none other than the incomparable and multi-award-winning Dan Levy as her first guest! Check it out now – wherever you get your podcasts.
An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Original Production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
...2024-01-2403 min
It's Not You, It's Them...But It Might Be You with LalalaLetMeExplainFailure is not an Ick.I’m thrilled to announce that a brand-new season of the podcast How to Fail featuring the incredible Elizabeth Day is out now! The show is about celebrating resilience, growth and the wisdom that comes from our failures. Join Elizabeth as she sits down with incredible guests, each sharing three pivotal moment when life didn’t go as planned. From these stumbles, they uncover valuable lessons that propel them forward.
An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Original Production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @so...2024-01-2403 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayWho’s ready for Season 20?Season 20 of How to Fail will be kicking off on the 24th January - where we will be embracing the beautiful messiness of life - yet again.
This season is a celebration of resilience, growth, and the wisdom that comes from our failures. Join me, Elizabeth Day, as I sit down with incredible guests, each sharing three pivotal moments when life didn't go as planned. From these stumbles, we uncover valuable lessons that propel us forward. From career hiccups to personal setbacks, we dive deep into the stories that shape us. Because let's face it, life isn't a...2024-01-1902 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayThe F-Word Miniseries: Mo Gawdat and Elizabeth Day on FriendshipWelcome to The How To Fail F-Word miniseries! Three days, three guests, three different F-words.In this final episode, the tables are turned and I’m the one being interviewed on...friendships. My interviewer is non other than my dear friend and beloved How To Fail repeat guest, the wonderful Mo Gawdat. And, as ever with us, the conversation goes both ways. This was recorded for Mo’s own podcast, Slow Mo, and released on his channels last month. Enjoy.--You can find Mo's own podcast, Slo Mo, here.--H...2023-08-171h 22
They Did ThatThe Transit Activist: Elizabeth Jennings100 years before Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin, there was Elizabeth Jennings. In 1854, Elizabeth refused to leave the streetcar she’d boarded after being told to wait for one designated for Black riders. When her fierce determination leads to an unwarranted physical assault at the hands of the conductor, Elizabeth takes her fight to the New York State Supreme Court. Her game-changing victory would lead to the desegregation of the New York City transit system and cause a ripple effect that would be felt for over a century.
A Sony Music Entertainment and Somethin' Else pr...2023-01-1234 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS5 BONUS EPISODE! How to Fail: Philippa Perry and Sadie JonesA live recording of a one-off How To Fail With Elizabeth Day special with authors Philippa Perry (The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read) and Sadie Jones (The Snakes) about How To Fail...At Families.Recorded in front of a live audience at Foyle's bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London.This episode is sponsored by Penguin Life, which publishes books by experts who share a passion for living well.*Philippa Perry's The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read is available to order here.Sadie Jones's The Snakes i...2019-08-2146 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS5, Ep2 How To Fail: FLEABAG IS BACKYes. That's right. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is back.One year on from her debut appearance on How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, my first ever guest returns to talk about the craziness of her last 12 months, during which she has written and starred in Fleabag 2 (described as a televisual masterpiece by...well...almost everyone), made Killing Eve (described as a televisual masterpiece by...well...almost everyone) and been brought in by the James Bond producers to work her magic on the franchise.It's a year that, from the outside, has seemed to many of us to be...2019-07-0358 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS5, Ep1 How to Fail: Nigel SlaterWe’re BAAACK! As House of Pain once rapped in their immortal hit Jump Around, ‘Just like the Prodigal Son I’ve returned’. Yes, here we are for Season 5 of How To Fail With Elizabeth Day: eight sparkling new episodes featuring eight marvellous guests.And for our opening episode, I could not be happier to welcome the legendary Nigel Slater to the podcast. The bestselling and beloved cookery writer, whose books have adorned every kitchen worth its (Maldon) salt for decades, joins me to talk about his failure to be a proper chef, his fear that he let his fath...2019-06-2654 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS4, Ep5 How to Fail: Charly CoxI have my FIRST POET on the podcast this week - and my, what a poet. Charly Cox is not only a beautiful soul but a beautiful chronicler of what it is to be human. Her first collection, She Must Be Mad, became the bestselling poetry debut of 2018 and Cox was named by Elle magazine as one of their 20 ‘power players’ of the year.Although still only 23, she's accumulated an astonishing store of wisdom and I was so, so happy to have her on the podcast because what Charly has to say is deeply important for anyone struggling with...2019-05-0150 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS4, Ep4 How to Fail: Mo GawdatJust occasionally in life, you meet someone who changes your way of thinking about the world. The shift might be subtle or it might be seismic, but afterwards, you are never quite the same again.This is what happened to me when my path crossed with that of Mo Gawdat who spoke to me about what it is to live a contented life in a way that had an immediate and practical impact on my outlook. Gawdat is the former chief business officer at Google X (Google's so-called 'moonshot factory' responsible for off-the-wall ideas such as self-driving cars...2019-04-241h 00
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS4, Ep3 How to Fail: Tracey ThornMy guest this week is the fantastic Tracey Thorn, who I basically grew up listening to. She was one-half of Everything But The Girl, guest vocalist on Massive Attack's phenomenal Protection album and lately has launched her own solo career alongside writing three critically acclaimed memoirs, the latest of which, Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia has won rave plaudits from Julie Burchill, David Nicholls and Dolly Alderton, to name but a few.Tracey joins me to talk about failing to get into the university of her choice (but meeting her husband as a consequence so...y'know...swings...2019-04-1745 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS4, Ep2 How to Fail: John CraceMy guest this week is John Crace, one of our foremost journalists and critics. Probably best known for his role at the Guardian as parliamentary sketch-writer (it was he who famously coined the term ‘Maybot’ to describe our besieged Prime Minister’s rather…um…mechanical response to crisis) and as the author of the brilliant Digested Read column, which takes the book of the moment and distils it into a hysterically funny parody.John joins me to talk about being a heroin addict for 10 years. He describes the chaos and constant sense of failure that plagued him throughout his period...2019-04-1048 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS4, Ep1 How to Fail: Vicky McClureWe’re baaaaaack! And to celebrate our fourth season, please welcome the one, the only, VICKY MCCLURE.You’re in for a treat with this one. Vicky is not only one of my favourite actresses but also one of my favourite people, as genuine as she is talented, and a total delight to interview. She’s probably most famous for her role as police officer Kate Fleming in Line of Duty, which kicked off again in spectacular style on Sunday night (did you watch the first episode? Could you follow what was going on with the UCO in the OC...2019-04-0348 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS3, Ep7 How to Fail: Sharmaine LovegroveThis week on How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, my guest is the brilliant Sharmaine Lovegrove. Sharmaine is a champion of stories. As a publisher, she heads up her own imprint, Dialogue Books, at Little, Brown and has been instrumental in bringing more diverse voices into print.But Sharmaine is also one of the most dynamic and inspiring women I've ever had the privilege of meeting. This is a woman who survived a challenging childhood and ended up living on the streets while studying for her A-Levels. This is a woman who, through sheer force of will, began s...2019-02-1344 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS2, Ep2 How to Fail: Mishal HusainThe wonderful Mishal Husain joins How To Fail With Elizabeth Day this week, which I'm very excited about because she's basically my long-time woman crush.Husain, who has been presenting Radio 4’s flagship Today programme since 2013 and is also one of our most recognisable and respected television broadcasters, joins me to talk about failing at university admissions, failing to get what she thought was her dream job, failing to ask the right questions in interviews and beating herself up about it afterwards. Along the way, we discuss racism, the impossibility of women 'having it all', the unhelpful narrative of...2018-10-1041 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayHow to Fail: End of Season 1A thank you from Elizabeth for listening to the first season of How To Fail With Elizabeth Day and a sneak peek of the guests lined up for season two. See you in October! How To Fail is hosted by Elizabeth Day and produced by Chris Sharp How To Fail is sponsored by Moorish The Party by Elizabeth Day is published by 4th Estate Social Media: Elizabeth Day @elizabdayChris Sharp @chrissharpaudioMoorish...2018-08-3004 min
How To Fail With Elizabeth DayS1, Ep8 How to Fail: Elizabeth DayFor the last episode of the first season of How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, our interviewee is…well…Elizabeth Day. Which means I’m currently writing shownotes about myself in the third person. Which is weird. Let me stop doing that.Over the course of the last eight weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to interview some truly wonderful, interesting, successful people, all of whom have opened up to me and made themselves vulnerable by discussing the place failure occupies in their lives. It seemed only fair to turn the tables on myself.In this episode...2018-08-291h 10