How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment

How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is a podcast that celebrates the things in life that haven’t gone right and what we might learn from them along the way. Every week, Elizabeth’s guest explores three failures, and what these failures have taught them about how to grow and succeed, better. We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Elizabeth to share your failures, problems or questions - anonymously or otherwise. She'll go through these each week with the help of her very special guests. And remember: a fail shared is a fail halved. https://forms.sonymusicfans.com/campaign/how-to-fail-uk-2023/ An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Original Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com read less

Our Editor's Take

Failure or disappointment isn't always a bad thing. That's why How To Fail With Elizabeth Day shares heartfelt stories about triumph over life's trials. For some guests on the show, their quest for success took work. One might say most people have to overcome some obstacles to achieve goals. While this may be true, some of the podcast's guests had to go through personal battles in full view of the world. The "lucky" ones who endured trials away from the public's eye had to smile through their pain. Stories of tenacity, courage, and growth are recurring themes on the UK-based podcast.

Podcast host Elizabeth Day does a phenomenal job with the interviewees on the show. She asks the right questions that encourage guests to share with enthusiasm. Elizabeth is a bestselling author and works as a broadcaster for BBC Radio 4. She has several books to her credit, including one with the same title as this podcast. She started the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast in 2018 and has had an impressive guest list. Author of Solve for Happy Mow Gawdat is one of the show's guests. Fellow journalist and podcaster Dolly Alderton is another invited personality. Diving champion Tom Daley talks about announcing his sexuality and the public's reaction. TV personality Ryan Clark discusses growing up in a single home and going from a nobody on X Factor to fame.

The podcast offers no pomp or arrogance. The conversations on How To Fail with Elizabeth Day are open, honest, and educational. Guests come on and have candid discussions. Other topics on the podcast include mental health, eating disorders, infertility, and homelessness. Listeners are likely to feel inspired, motivated, and encouraged. The show releases a new episode each week.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

Play Trailer

Introducing How To Write a Book: Episode 1 - The Idea (Part 1)

Introducing 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 more experienced bunch to guide you on this journey. Sara Collins is the bestselling novelist and screenwriter currently serving as a judge for the 2024 Booker Prize. Her debut novel, The Confessions of Frannie Langton, won the Costa book awards in 2019 and she later wrote the TV screenplay. Nelle Andrew is a literary agent and former Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards, and Sharmaine Lovegrove is the co-founder and managing director of Dialogue Books, an inclusive imprint at a major publishing house. Each of them is an expert in one stage of the publishing journey…. and all are literary nerds (in the best possible way). Together, Sara, Sharmaine and Nelle are your on-hand writing community giving you the push you need to get started on that novel, memoir, or piece of non fiction you've always dreamed of writing. We hope you enjoy our part 1 & part 2 on IDEA. If you don’t want to wait for next week’s episode, you can subscribe now and binge them all at once by tapping ‘subscribe’. You’ll get to listen to all episodes ad-free and get exclusive subscriber access to How To Fail and Failing With Friends. Books discussed in these episodes include: •The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins •The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett •Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden •Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth •The Color Purple by Alice Walker •Scissors, Paper, Stone by Elizabeth Day •Paradise City by Elizabeth Day •Magpie by Elizabeth Day We also talk about Christopher Booker, Kit de Waal, The Seven Basic Plots and Michael Crichton’ Executive produced by Elizabeth Day for Daylight Productions and Carly Maile for Sony Music Entertainment. Produced by Imogen Serwotka. Please do get in touch with us, your writing community, with thoughts, feedback and more at: howtowriteabook.daylight@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episodes

Andy Cohen - ‘Madonna says I’m a trouble-making queen’

Andy 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 the host of the phenomenally successful late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, the author of five New York Times bestselling books and has even appeared as Zeus in a Lady Gaga music video. We talk about…everything. I get all the tea on The Real Housewives - its inception, its stars and which housewife gives him the best gifts. We chat about that baby shower. We talk about why John Mayer would be Andy’s ideal husband. We talk about gay parenting, surrogacy and why an incident in a playground with his son left him feeling like a failure. We talk about knowing your audience, how difficult it is to deal with online trolling, why he’s never had any plastic surgery and whether he’d ever share a bath with Meredith Marks. One of my favourite ever interviews. Thank you so much, Andy! NEW HOW TO FAIL WITH ELIZABETH DAY PRESENTED BY HAYU LIVE TOUR DATE Friday 28th March 2025 – The London Barbican Go to: www.fane.co.uk/how-to-fail 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: Matias Torres Sole and John Scott Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ella Purnell - ‘Therapy changed my life’

Ella 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 struggles. ‘Sweatpea’ is out now on Sky Atlantic and Now TV. If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised by our discussion on Trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder) or self-harm, you can find more resources here. Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com NEW HOW TO FAIL WITH ELIZABETH DAY PRESENTED BY HAYU LIVE TOUR DATE Friday 28th March 2025 – The London Barbican Pre-sale: Thursday 14 November On Sale: Friday 15 November Go to: www.fane.co.uk/how-to-fail Production & Post Production Manager: Eric Ryan Studio and Mix Engineer: Matias Torres Sole and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lashana Lynch - ‘I didn’t know when I was auditioning that I was going to be 007’

Lashana 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…as well as the importance of dressing well. I loved chatting to Lashana - she’s so smart and strong and interesting. We discuss grief, racism, people-pleasing and her failure to stop procrastinating about procrastination. The Day of the Jackal premieres on Sky and NOW on Thursday 7th November 2024. 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 Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jilly Cooper - ‘What’s a dick pic?’

Jilly 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, why she wishes she could throw more things away, as well as the terrifying time she lost an entire manuscript on the number 28 bus and had to rewrite it. Plus her experiences of interviewing Margaret Thatcher, her friendship with the Queen, her obsession with beautiful people and ‘macho men’ - and why she’d wholeheartedly recommend adoption to others. Thank you Dame Jilly. A total sport (but we knew that). You can watch Rivals on Disney+ now. 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: Matias Torres Sole and John Scott Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Blunt - ‘The Iraq war lost me my GRAMMYS’

James 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 Awards and two Ivor Novellos along the way. But Blunt faced an astonishing cultural backlash for his ubiquity - eventually choosing to fight back in his own words on Twitter, where he rapidly became known for his acerbic put-downs and self-deprecating humour. He joins me to talk about the ‘honour’ of being a ‘one-hit wonder’, his rejection by every single major record label and his failure to win any Grammys, despite being nominated for five in one night. We also talk about his friendship with the late Carrie Fisher, whether he bears a grudge against any of the musicians who slagged him off (looking at you, Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher), the absurdity of fame and - in a moving exchange - the male experience of miscarriage. At points, his humour was so dry it took me a couple of seconds to realise he’d made a joke. Listening back, I can confirm I find him utterly hilarious. Back To Bedlam is about to be released as a remastered 20th anniversary edition. 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 Manager: Eric Ryan Studio and Mix Engineer: Matias Torres Sole and Josh Gibbs Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Miranda Hart - 'I always knew I’d get married at 51'

Miranda 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 failures include not being a farmer’s wife, not being an athlete and not making the school choir (it turns out there was a reason for this but she only found out years later and has never spoken about it before…). So if that’s not tantalising enough for you then, quite frankly, I don’t know what is. In my subscriber episode ‘Failing with Friends’, Miranda stayed on to answer your questions including one about farting in front of your partner. Yes, we went there. Thank you, Miranda and welcome back, we missed you! ‘I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You’ by Miranda Hart is out now. 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 Manager: Eric Ryan Studio and Mix Engineer: Matias Torres Sole and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neneh Cherry - ‘My mother’s death undid me.’

Neneh 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 too, including her daughter, chart-topping popstar Mabel (and former How To Fail guest - you can listen to her episode here). Neneh joins me to talk about an unconventional and itinerant upbringing, surrounded by music, art and expression. We chat about creativity and self-doubt, about motherhood and sisterhood and about how she once spectacularly failed to make pizza for Ian Dury. Neneh’s beautiful memoir ‘A Thousand Threads’ is out now. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rupert Everett - 'Everyone is my Professional Nemesis'

Rupert 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 Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz; why Oscar Wilde is a Christ figure, how drugs have ruined his brain and using hyper-sexuality as an escape. See, told you he didn’t hold back. Rupert’s new book ‘The American No’ is available now in all the usual places. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yuval Noah Harari - ‘AI doesn't have to end badly for humankind’

Yuval 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 antidote to all the doom-mongering out there). We also discuss his childhood, his sexuality and his one big regret about not ‘coming out’ earlier - not to others, but to himself. He gives an extremely considered response to the terrible crisis in the Middle East and talks about how his critical stance against the Israeli state has lost him friendships. Plus: why he thinks he fails at meditation despite doing it for two hours a day. And if you’re a Failing With Friends subscriber, you’ll get to hear me ask the really BIG questions: his favourite karaoke tune and whether he gives cat or dog energy. These were such enlightening, important conversations, filled with hope and explained with such clarity. Thank you, Yuval. PS. You’re totally a cat. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Diane Abbott - ‘I’ve never had a nice chat with Keir Starmer’

Diane 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 discuss how, as the child of two Windrush generation parents, she had to stand up to her teachers in school when they told her Cambridge University ‘wasn’t for her’ and how she felt she failed in her degree. We chat about political failure in leadership and general elections, drinking Mojitos on public transport, anti-semitism and why she’s never had a ‘nice chat’ with Keir Starmer. Plus: dating ex-boyfriend Jeremy Corbyn (warning: involves much tinkering with socialist motorbikes). 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kate Winslet - ‘I remember thinking: I do not want to be famous’

Kate 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 career that started at the age of 17 in Heavenly Creatures and went on to encompass some of the biggest roles in the biggest movies of all time - Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and so much more. Along the way, Winslet has won an Academy Award, two Emmys, five Baftas, five Golden Globes and been awarded a CBE. Now, 48, Winslet’s titular role in Lee, the biopic of war photographer Lee Miller, also marks her first time as producer. It was a passion project she was determined to get made, although it took her eight long years to do so. And for anyone who wants to hear more about the filming of The Holiday and whether she and Leonardo di Caprio are still friends, then you *have* to tune into Failing With Friends, our subscriber episode, where Winslet spills all the beans. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agony Uncle Salman Rushdie – ‘I walked into a glass door and fell in love’

Agony 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 answer your questions. Salman certainly lived up to his role as Agony Uncle, revealing his thoughts on people who bulls**t, his hack for writer’s block, and even giving excellent dating advice. I hope you enjoy it! And if you do, don’t forget to subscribe for a weekly Failing With Friends episode as well as the chance to listen to How To Fail completely ad-free. (You also get exclusive access to the How To… channel and will be able to binge all 12 episodes of How To Write A Book). 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ellie Simmonds - Being different is a superpower.

Ellie 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 celebrated difference. We also chat about why there’s still so much more education needed around disability and why travel has taught her to counter her fear of being out of control. An amazing woman. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guenther Steiner - F1 made me an absent father

Guenther Steiner - F1 made me an absent father

The 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 me. Guenther was an incredibly charming guest - honest, thoughtful and kind. We talked about failure in sport, how to keep calm in high pressure situations and what Toto Wolff is *really* like. Plus, Guenther’s regrets at not spending enough time with his family and why there are no women drivers in F1. The only question that stumped him was when I asked what his favourite car was - you’ll have to listen for the answer. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ade Adepitan - ‘At 16 I’d seen more violence than anyone should ever see’

Ade 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 family estrangement that lasted 10 years. We chat about the impact of leaving Nigeria, aged three, and how that has continued to shape his outlook on life and we talk about his own self-perceived failure to protect his friend from a racist attack as a teenager - and how what happened changed all their lives. We also talk about a 2005 BBC documentary where he broke down in front of cameras while trying to climb a volcano and his fear that he had let himself and the disabled community down. AND - in a first for How To Fail -his failure to take a compliment You can catch Ade presenting Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympic Games this summer. As always, I’m desperate to hear about your failures. Every week, my guest and I choose a selection to read out and answer on our special subscription offering, Failing with Friends. We’ll endeavour to give you advice, wisdom, some laughs and much, much more. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pat Cummins - 'My mother’s death taught me cricket isn’t as important as family'

Pat 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 say no to people (he gives us his top three tips and, trust me, they are SO helpful). This is someone for whom resilience and tenacity are key - after becoming a professional cricketer at 18, he spent the next 5 years plagued with injuries and played less cricket than he’d ever done in his life. Pat recounts how he kept going and what he loves to do when he’s not on the pitch (it involves fixing fences slowly…and quite badly). 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elif Shafak - ‘There’s only one thing that scares me - and that’s indifference’

Elif 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 how growing up without her father’s love shaped her for years to come. We also discuss gender, sexuality, prejudice and why the only thing that terrifies her is indifference. There are truth bombs in every sentence. And we talk about her fantastic new novel, There are Rivers in the Sky. As always, I’m desperate to hear about your failures. Every week, my guest and I choose a selection to read out and answer on our special subscription offering, Failing with Friends. We’ll endeavour to give you advice, wisdom, some laughs and much, much more. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Danny O Donoghue - ‘I’m finished drinking, I’m finished smoking, everything’

Danny 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 profundity. Danny’s failures include failing music in school and dropping out (he was finally diagnosed with Dyslexia earlier this year), the failure of his first record deal and failing to look after himself physically and spiritually as an adult. Thank you, Danny, for being so open and for your willingness to show a vulnerability that I know will help many others who are struggling with loss. As always, I’m desperate to hear about your failures. Every week, my guest and I choose a selection to read out and answer on our special subscription offering, Failing with Friends. We’ll endeavour to give you advice, wisdom, some laughs and much, much more. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing How To Write a Book: Episode 1 - The Idea (Part 1)

Introducing 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 more experienced bunch to guide you on this journey. Sara Collins is the bestselling novelist and screenwriter currently serving as a judge for the 2024 Booker Prize. Her debut novel, The Confessions of Frannie Langton, won the Costa book awards in 2019 and she later wrote the TV screenplay. Nelle Andrew is a literary agent and former Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards, and Sharmaine Lovegrove is the co-founder and managing director of Dialogue Books, an inclusive imprint at a major publishing house. Each of them is an expert in one stage of the publishing journey…. and all are literary nerds (in the best possible way). Together, Sara, Sharmaine and Nelle are your on-hand writing community giving you the push you need to get started on that novel, memoir, or piece of non fiction you've always dreamed of writing. We hope you enjoy our part 1 & part 2 on IDEA. If you don’t want to wait for next week’s episode, you can subscribe now and binge them all at once by tapping ‘subscribe’. You’ll get to listen to all episodes ad-free and get exclusive subscriber access to How To Fail and Failing With Friends. Books discussed in these episodes include: •The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins •The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett •Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden •Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth •The Color Purple by Alice Walker •Scissors, Paper, Stone by Elizabeth Day •Paradise City by Elizabeth Day •Magpie by Elizabeth Day We also talk about Christopher Booker, Kit de Waal, The Seven Basic Plots and Michael Crichton’ Executive produced by Elizabeth Day for Daylight Productions and Carly Maile for Sony Music Entertainment. Produced by Imogen Serwotka. Please do get in touch with us, your writing community, with thoughts, feedback and more at: howtowriteabook.daylight@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sara Cox - ‘it made me feel a bit of a failed mum’

Sara 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, as well as being on our screens at the helm of the hugely successful TV books show, Between the Covers. But her upbringing was far removed from media luvviedom: she comes from a Lancashire farming family and spent her childhood shuttling between her divorced parents - her father’s farm and her mother’s pub. We talk about how these early experiences affected her and what she learned from her parents’ break-up. We also discuss her failure to farm, her failure to believe she’s ACTUALLY an author and an early career failure to control Sacha Baron Cohen when he was a live guest on Radio 1 (and the media’s misogynistic treatment of Cox in the aftermath). As always, I’m desperate to hear about your failures. Every week, my guest and I choose a selection to read out and answer on our special subscription offering, Failing with Friends. We’ll endeavour to give you advice, wisdom, some laughs and much, much more. 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 Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices