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. Click here to get in touch.
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
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. Click here to get in touch.
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
Episodes
Mentioned books
4 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 12min
ON AMBITION… With Gillian Anderson and Munroe Bergdorf
Gillian Anderson, an award-winning actor balancing high-profile work with motherhood and examining her drive. Munroe Bergdorf, a model and activist challenging fashion gatekeeping and fighting for trans representation. They discuss workaholism, pleasure as power, boundaries and guilt, resilience after rejection, tokenism versus true inclusion, and hope for wider change.
Feb 25, 2026 • 50min
Baz Luhrmann - ‘I self-medicate with creativity’
Baz Luhrmann, Australian filmmaker behind Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, reflects on a career of bold, theatrical filmmaking. He talks about creativity as self‑medication. He shares the origin of the Romeo + Juliet fish tank idea, why Elvis fascinates him, discovering lost Vegas footage, his workshop casting method, and rebounding after early setbacks.
Feb 23, 2026 • 24min
ON SELF ACCEPTANCE... With Pamela Anderson and Rylan Clark
Pamela Anderson, actress and cultural icon, reflects on fame, body image and the long practice of self-acceptance. Rylan Clark, British broadcaster and media personality, recounts growing up different, surviving bullying and owning his identity. They discuss public scrutiny, social media, resilience and learning to live authentically.
12 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 57min
Jennette McCurdy on Reclaiming Her Voice
Jennette McCurdy, actress-turned-writer known for her memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died and novel Half His Age, reflects on a childhood pushed into performance and the hard work of reclaiming autonomy. She discusses her experience with anorexia and bulimia, how writing gave her a voice, setting boundaries in relationships, therapy that helped, and finding steadiness in a long-term partner.
Feb 16, 2026 • 22min
ON FAMILY DYNAMICS… With Bella Freud and Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer, East London actor who grew up on a council estate, reflects on family, fatherhood and identity. Bella Freud, fashion designer and Sigmund Freud’s great-granddaughter, speaks about grief, responsibility and upbringing. They explore messy, tender family ties, childhood shocks, sibling bonds and how early bonds shape who we become.
Feb 11, 2026 • 52min
Mo Gilligan - Fatherhood Is A Gift I Didn’t Know I Needed
Mo Gilligan, a South London stand-up and TV star known for viral videos and BAFTA-winning shows. He talks about how retail taught his stagecraft. He describes crowdwork choices and the pressure of representing Black British comedy. He reflects on dyslexia, money mistakes and how fatherhood became an unexpected gift.
Feb 9, 2026 • 28min
ON FINDING LOVE AT ANY AGE… With Luke Evans and Dolly Alderton
Dolly Alderton, writer known for candid takes on dating, talks heartbreak, deliberate celibacy and relearning to sit with uncertainty. Luke Evans, actor and singer, reflects on meeting his soulmate in his forties, coming out and how waiting changed his capacity for love. They explore reassessing sex, relinquishing control and why love can arrive on its own timetable.
Feb 4, 2026 • 49min
Shabaz Ali - ‘I’ll be a diversity quota as long as I get paid’
Shabaz Ali, former chemistry teacher turned viral creator, comedian and author of I'm Rich, You're Poor. He skewers online displays of wealth and discusses how social media erodes self-worth. He talks about growing up in Blackburn, navigating class, race and identity, and how empathy and humility shaped his rise from teacher to cultural commentator.
7 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 20min
ON FINDING HOPE IN ADVERSITY… With Sir Chris Hoy and Michael Rosen
Michael Rosen, beloved British children’s author and poet, reflects on the loss of his son and how talking about grief brings relief. Sir Chris Hoy, Olympic cycling legend, speaks about living with stage four prostate cancer, coping strategies and the value of family and small moments. Both conversations explore resilience, memory and finding hope amid profound hardship.
Jan 28, 2026 • 53min
Golda Rosheuvel - ‘I don’t see my dyslexia as a failure anymore’
Golda Rosheuvel, acclaimed stage and screen actor known for Queen Charlotte and daring theatrical roles, talks about growing up biracial, discovering she is dyslexic, and navigating casting that questioned her identity. She shares stories of failed auditions, the importance of representation, and how she learned to embrace being whole.
