How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Every success story you've ever been told is incomplete. How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is the part they leave out. Each week, Sunday Times #1 bestselling author Elizabeth Day sits down with someone extraordinary - and asks them about the moments that didn’t go according to plan and how these failures shaped them. Kate Winslet on body image. Malala Yousafzai on rewriting her story. Pamela Anderson on refuting shame. Phoebe Waller-Bridge on creativity. Salman Rushdie on survival. Emilia Clarke on fame. What happens when the people you most admire stop performing and start telling the truth? Five hundred episodes in, we're still finding out. With sold-out nights at the London Palladium and Sydney Opera House, millions of listeners worldwide, and a British Podcast Award to its name, How To Fail is one of the UK's most successful podcasts. And yes, we're aware of the irony. Pick an episode. Start anywhere. An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment production. All guest booking is managed from an official Sony Music email address. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcastsTo bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com

Episodes

Anthony Scaramucci - My Biggest Failure? Working For Donald Trump

October 14, 2026 • 67 mins

Scaramucci’s 11-day tenure as the White House Communications Chief under President Donald Trump’s first term ended in a blaze of recrimination. Scaramucci was advised by a PR consultant to disappear for five years. He refused - and reinvented his career. Now, he is the co-host of the US version of The Rest is Politics podcast alongside British journalist Katty Kay. After Harvard Law School, he joined Goldman Sachs an...

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Luke Evans, Sarah Solemani & Elizabeth Day: The Making of The Party

October 12, 2026 • 38 mins

Luke Evans and Sarah Solemani join Elizabeth to talk about the journey of Elizabeth’s 2017 novel The Party to its new five-part ITV adaptation. Luke stars as the show’s protagonist, Martin Gilmour, and Sarah stars as his wife, Lucy… oh and she also brilliantly adapted the novel for screen. The trio discuss the making of this exciting new drama for TV, how Luke discovered the book and kick-started th...

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Bonnie Garmus - ‘Adoption Gave Us A Family’

October 7, 2026 • 58 mins

Bonnie Garmus was 64 when her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, was published. It went on to sell more than eight million copies, spend almost two years on the New York Times bestseller list, was translated into more than 40 languages and become an eight-part Apple TV+ series. At its centre was Elizabeth Zott, a fiercely intelligent, forthright chemist turned 1950s TV cooking star. Bonnie and I talk about the misogyny that inspir...

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Russell T Davies - On Dr Who, Grief and Gay Representation on TV

September 30, 2026 • 56 mins

Russell T Davies has spent decades creating some of Britain’s most beloved and groundbreaking television. After studying English at Oxford, he went from writing for children’s programmes and Coronation Street to creating Queer As Folk in 1999 - a show that changed the conversation around gay representation on TV. Since then, he’s written hit after hit, from Bob & Rose and A Very English Scandal to Years and Ye...

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Sir Paul Smith - ‘People In Fashion Are Insecure’

September 23, 2026 • 51 mins

Sir Paul Smith is one of Britain’s most iconic fashion designers, renowned for his sharp tailoring and his sartorial flair. His clothes have an innate sense of mischief: brightly coloured linings, unexpected stripes and a determination never to take themselves too seriously. His devoted clients include Gary Oldman, Bill Nighy and Matty Healy, who wore a Paul Smith suit for his recent wedding. Behind the stripes and the suits...

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Louise O’Neill - ‘Full Recovery Is Possible’

September 16, 2026 • 58 mins

This episode contains references to and descriptions of eating disorders. Louise O’Neill is a bestselling, award-winning Irish author whose fearless writing has helped shape modern feminism. Her fiction is taught on the Irish curriculum and Paul Mescal starred in a critically acclaimed stage adaptation of her work. Her second novel, Asking For It, catapulted her into the public eye in 2015. Now, with her eighth book, A Bi...

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Nish Kumar - Failure Is Information. Comedians Call It Material.

September 9, 2026 • 57 mins

Nish Kumar is one of the UK’s best-known comedians, known for his impassioned political progressiveness. You might remember him as the host of the topical BBC comedy show, The Mash Report, which ran to great acclaim until it was abruptly cancelled in 2021 - one of his failures addresses this head-on. Kumar now co-hosts the popular podcast, Pod Save The UK and his 2026 tour, Angry Humour From A Really Nice Guy tackles the ...

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Remembering Gloria Steinem

September 3, 2026 • 58 mins

It was a privilege to have one of my all-time heroes, the feminist activist, writer and icon Gloria Steinem on How to Fail back in 2020 and we are heartbroken to hear of her passing at the age of 92. To celebrate her life, we’re re-releasing this very special episode. We talked about her failure to understand her mother, her failure to be at her father's deathbed and her failure to learn lessons quickly enough - yes, ...

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David Sedaris - ‘My Father Said I Was A Bad Influence Because I Was Gay’

September 2, 2026 • 52 mins

David Sedaris is one of America’s best-loved humorists, famous for turning the absurdities of everyday life into razor-sharp, deeply human essays. He joins Elizabeth Day on How to Fail to talk about the moments that have shaped him: from dropping out of university and ending up in his parents’ basement at 20, to being thrown out by his father and growing up with a parent who seemed to actively invest in his failure. He...

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Failure Throwback: Mo Gawdat

August 26, 2026 • 61 mins

This episode with Mo Gawdat originally went out in 2019, but its message feels as relevant as ever. We’re re-releasing it to celebrate the 500th episode of How to Fail. Just occasionally, you meet someone who changes the way you think about the world. That’s what happened when Elizabeth met Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer at Google X, who spent years trying to solve a problem that seemed impossible to quantify...

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Failure Throwback: Phoebe Waller Bridge

August 19, 2026 • 51 mins

To mark 500 episodes of How to Fail! To we’re re-releasing the first ever episode with Phoebe Waller Bridge, which originally went out in July 2018. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator and star of Fleabag, writer of Killing Eve, superstar feminist and human embodiment of a Star Wars droid, joins How To Fail to talk about how she failed at her 20s (but got lots of brilliant material from the terrible dates she endured), failing at...

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Mel Giedroyc - I Lost My Biggest Fan When Mum Died

August 12, 2026 • 57 mins

Mel Giedroyc is a comedian, writer and TV presenter who has been entertaining the nation for over 30 years. Hired in 1996 as a writer for French and Saunders (alongside best friend Sue Perkins), Mel’s career took off and she went on to co-present hit Channel 4 series Light Lunch and Late Lunch, and then the Great British Bake Off. Since then, Giedoryc has written a Sunday Times bestselling novel and fronts the podcast, Wh...

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Prime Minister Andy Burnham - ‘I’m a better politician for having failed.’

August 5, 2026 • 49 mins

Andy Burnham is the first Prime Minister on How to Fail. Past leaders have run scared of doing a podcast with ‘fail’ in the title - but not this one. As he says in this conversation: ‘if you’ve not succeeded, you have to understand why it happened, and what you’re going to do about it.’ Wise words from a global leader. Burnham is now our 7th Prime Minister in 10 years, having won a decisive by...

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Nikita Gill - Everyone Wants to Be Heard But No One Wants to Listen

July 29, 2026 • 54 mins

Before becoming a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most widely read poets on Instagram, Nikita worked as a cleaner and carer while sharing her poetry online. She moved from New Delhi to Britain in her early twenties to study for a master's degree at the University for the Creative Arts, and felt she ‘disappointed’ her parents and faced repeated rejection and misogyny in the process. In this epis...

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Miquita Oliver - I Drank Half a Bottle of Wine Every Morning

July 22, 2026 • 57 mins

Miquita Oliver is a podcaster, TV presenter and all-round brilliant woman. She was just 16 when she burst onto our screens co-hosting Channel 4’s cult music show Popworld alongside Simon Amstell. Twenty-five years later, she’s still one of Britain’s most distinctive broadcasters and interviewers. She co-created Miss Me?, with Lily Allen, and now co-hosts it with musician Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks. You may a...

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Richard Bacon - ‘I Was Betrayed By My Best Friend’

July 15, 2026 • 57 mins

What connects Barack Obama, a tabloid sting and Love Islander Alex George? Have a Blue Peter badge if you were thinking of Richard Bacon... While the broadcaster and producer is perhaps best known for the time his Blue Peter contract was terminated - following a tabloid reveal of his cocaine use - there is so much more to the man. His storied time in television led to him founding a production company and creating numerous TV s...

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Remembering Bonnie Tyler

July 9, 2026 • 49 mins

It was a privilege to have Bonnie Tyler on How to Fail back in 2024 - and we are heartbroken to hear of her passing today. Bonnie was open, funny and moving when she joined me on How to Fail. Total Eclipse of the Heart made her a global star, and at the time of this recording, she managed to squeeze in an hour on How to Fail between gigs and the release of her new album, In Berlin. It was also her first ever po...

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Charlie Mackesy – ‘Grief propelled me into work that saved me’

July 8, 2026 • 53 mins

In this episode, I sit down with bestselling author‑illustrator Charlie Mackesy, whose work – The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – has become a global touchstone for kindness, vulnerability and hope. Yet Charlie’s path was anything but straightforward: he grew up feeling inherently at fault, shaped by the pressures of competitive schooling and the emotional weight of carrying the painful stories readers now...

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Anastacia – All My Songs Have Been Good Therapy

July 1, 2026 • 54 mins

Anastacia has released eight albums and sold over 50 million records worldwide. She has collected a total of 227 gold and platinum certifications and counts Elton John as one of her biggest fans. In 2000, she released "I'm Outta Love", her debut single, which quickly topped charts worldwide and paved the way for her first album, Not That Kind. This year sees her embark on a major arena tour to celebrate that album’s 25th ann...

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Mel Giedroyc and AJ Odudu on Body Confidence, Midlife Reinvention and Female Friendship

June 29, 2026 • 45 mins

Welcome to the FIRST EVER How To Fail Roundtable - a format we enjoyed so much we might just keep it. Today, Elizabeth is joined by broadcaster, actor, author and comedian Mel Giedroyc, and presenting powerhouse AJ Odudu for a candid conversation about body confidence, midlife reinvention and self-acceptance. Brought to you by Dove Whole Body Deodorant, they discuss navigating public scrutiny, aging, personal experiences of the men...

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How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Anthony Scaramucci - My Biggest Failure? Working For Donald Trump

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Luke Evans, Sarah Solemani & Elizabeth Day: The Making of The Party

Bonnie Garmus - ‘Adoption Gave Us A Family’

Russell T Davies - On Dr Who, Grief and Gay Representation on TV

Sir Paul Smith - ‘People In Fashion Are Insecure’

Louise O’Neill - ‘Full Recovery Is Possible’

Nish Kumar - Failure Is Information. Comedians Call It Material.

Remembering Gloria Steinem

David Sedaris - ‘My Father Said I Was A Bad Influence Because I Was Gay’

Failure Throwback: Mo Gawdat

Failure Throwback: Phoebe Waller Bridge

Mel Giedroyc - I Lost My Biggest Fan When Mum Died

Prime Minister Andy Burnham - ‘I’m a better politician for having failed.’

Nikita Gill - Everyone Wants to Be Heard But No One Wants to Listen

Miquita Oliver - I Drank Half a Bottle of Wine Every Morning

Richard Bacon - ‘I Was Betrayed By My Best Friend’

Remembering Bonnie Tyler

Charlie Mackesy – ‘Grief propelled me into work that saved me’

Anastacia – All My Songs Have Been Good Therapy

Mel Giedroyc and AJ Odudu on Body Confidence, Midlife Reinvention and Female Friendship

Popular Podcasts

Anthony Scaramucci - My Biggest Failure? Working For Donald Trump

Luke Evans, Sarah Solemani & Elizabeth Day: The Making of The Party