How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Latest Episodes:

Vicky Pattison - ‘You don't become old and wise if you haven't been young and daft’ Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Vicky Pattison was 22 when her life changed and she was cast in reality TV show Geordie Shore. She was on the show for nine seasons between 2011 and 2014, during which time the cameras followed her falling in love, becoming engaged, then breaking up.

Now 37, Pattison has rarely been off our screens - whether it’s as a finalist on Celebrity Masterchef or winning I’m A Celebrity in 2015. She’s a radio presenter on the Heart network, is fronting a new Channel 4 dating show called The Honesty Box and has a new podcast, Get A Grip, which she co-hosts with Angela Scanlon.

In this candid episode, Vicky talks openly about her lifetime struggle with PMDD and how it affects her every day, fighting the fear of becoming an alcoholic and how so much has changed since the days of Geordie Shore.

This bonus episode is brought to you by @arlalactoFREE - all the taste, easier to digest.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00.00 Intro

02:00 Fame and Geordie Shore

05:00 Growing up and getting married

07:00 First failure - failing her driving test

12:00 Ex boyfriends and resilience

14:30 Dad and alcoholism

22:00 Vicky on having children

25:00 Egg freezing

29:45 Second failure - a failure to be still

34:00 What wellness is for Vicky

38:00 Self-worth

41:00 Handling social media as an over-sharer

43:30 PMDD and how it impacts her

46:00 The affect of PMDD

53:00 Final thoughts on Geordie Shaw

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 & Gulliver Lawrence-Tickell

Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

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Dannii Minogue - ‘I hit low points where I thought: “I just can’t take this any more.” May 28, 2025

Show notes

In her most revealing interview to date, Dannii Minogue talks openly about the pressures of fame, the relentless comparisons with her sister, Kylie, and navigating a divorce that left her broke.

It’s an extraordinary conversation with a woman who found fame as a 10-year-old in her native Australia. As a teenager Dannii, signed a record deal and acted in Home and Away. In her early 20s her debut album went Gold in the UK, and she went on to have 9 top 10 singles. Over the course of her music career she has spent over 200 weeks in the official UK chart, sold in excess of seven million records worldwide, and scored a record-breaking 19 Number One dance singles. After a four year stint on The X Factor UK, she now hosts her own queer dating shows ‘I Kissed a Girl’ and ‘I Kissed a Boy’, on BBC3 and iPlayer.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

01:57 Dannii's Journey in the Entertainment Industry

02:49 The Importance of Allyship

03:44 Hosting 'I Kissed a Boy'

05:18 Personal Reflections

15:10 Failed Marriage and Lessons Learned

26:00 Reflecting on Family Support

26:22 Encountering the Ex

26:56 First Marriage Reflections

27:23 Failing at Living Up to Expectations

27:51 Struggles with Media and Comparisons

32:24 Body Image and Confidence

41:28 X Factor Challenges

50:19 Defining Success and Final Thoughts

How to recover a broken heart- Elizabeth and Dannii answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Mix Engineer: Josh Gibbs

Studio Engineer: Mathias Torres

Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

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

Julia Stiles - ‘I ran in the other direction from fame’ May 21, 2025

Show notes

For many of us who grew up in the the 90s, Julia Stiles was an integral part of our coming of age. Her portrayal of the clever, acerbic Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You was a radical reinvention of the blonde teenage female rom-com lead. Her roles in Save The Last Dance and Mona Lisa Smile spoke to our adolescent feminist awakenings and catapulted Stiles to stardom. And, just like the heroines she played, Stiles chose to do things a bit differently. At the height of her teenage fame, she went to study English at Columbia University, continuing to act throughout her degree, most notably in the first of four Jason Bourne films.

Her latest project is her directorial debut - the feature film, Wish You Were Here, which Stiles also produced and co-wrote. As a mother of three, Stiles said that her parenting informed her ability to direct.

Wish You Were Here is available now to rent or own on digital platforms.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

02:08 Directorial Debut: Wish You Were Here

03:40 Balancing Comedy and Drama

08:48 Friendship and Fame

13:39 College Life and Career Choices

21:58 Dancing Through Life

26:03 Landing the Role in Save the Last Dance

26:35 Reflecting on the Audition Scene

27:07 Challenges and Triumphs of Filming

27:50 Looking Back as a Mother and Director

29:48 Directing and Casting Jennifer Gray

31:22 Dancing with the Stars and TikTok Memes

35:56 Body Image and Self-Acceptance

45:30 Meeting Taylor Swift and Final Thoughts

Grief, how to stop caring what everyone thinks and discussing the most difficult times in their lives - Elizabeth and Julia answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Mix Engineer: Josh Gibbs

Studio Engineer: Sam Bair

Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Bishop - ‘I’ve always wanted someone to say: you’re good enough’ May 14, 2025

Show notes

John Bishop has been a hugely successful stand-up comedian for 25 years. Yet that wasn’t his first dream, which was to play football. We discuss his failure to do so professionally, his challenges at school, the working-class upbringing that shaped him and how comedy saved his marriage when he and his wife were at the ‘decree nisi stage’ of divorce. Plus: skincare tips and why making people laugh is like stripping. Yes, really.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

01:48 The Art of Standup Comedy

06:52 Reflecting on Past Failures

12:30 Class and Injustice

13:50 Family and Personal Struggles

16:47 Balancing Career and Family

26:11 School Days and O Levels

26:44 Sixth Form Struggles

27:49 Balancing Work and Education

31:15 Dyslexia and English A Levels

34:22 Comedy and Confidence

35:17 Parenting in a New World

38:24 The End of the TV Show

47:19 Skin Care Secrets and Final Thoughts

Tickets - priced at £25 - for ‘John Bishop: 25’ UK tour, 1 Oct - 8 Nov: johnbishoponline.com

‘Those four letters - love - are loaded with so much’ - Elizabeth and John answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Mix Engineer: Matias Torres Sole

Senior Producer: Selina Ream

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

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

Simon Cowell - ‘I often think: what gives me the right to judge people?’ May 07, 2025

Show notes

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 come without its struggles. For the first time, Cowell opens up about his biggest failures and regrets - an extraordinary thing to hear from one of the most successful men on the planet. We chat about fame, bankruptcy, loss, being ‘obnoxious’ and whether he has any regrets. Plus: what breaking his back and a near-death experience taught him and why he thinks we needs another referendum on Brexit.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

01:46 Early Life and Career

06:52 The Impact of a Life-Altering Accident

18:19 Facing Bankruptcy and Lessons Learned

22:16 The Influence of Simon's Parents

28:29 Reflections on Wealth and Success

29:37 Reflecting on Wealth and Happiness

30:27 The Impact of COVID-19 on Production

31:58 The Birth of Britain's Got Talent

33:29 The Struggles and Success of BGT

38:20 Understanding Fame and Its Challenges

40:35 The Formation of One Direction

47:20 Lessons from Professional Failures

56:10 Final Thoughts and Advice for Success

Britain’s Got Talent is currently airing on ITV, and America’s Got Talent celebrates its 20th year this summer on NBC.

‘The biggest risk is being safe’ - Elizabeth and Simon answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Mix Engineer: Josh Gibbs

Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Celeste Barber: the FUNNIEST woman on the internet Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

My 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 a fashion campaign. We talk about imposter syndrome, ADHD, standing up to bullies and her Janet Jackson obsession.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

01:54 Journey to Fame

04:30 The Tom Ford Campaign

05:47 Creating Relatable Instagram Content

14:25 Challenges of ADHD

17:57 Touring and Family Life

20:34 The Importance of Purpose and Resilience

27:47 Self-Hatred and Imposter Syndrome

28:32 Failing to Fit In

30:10 Family Dynamics and Meeting Her Husband

33:39 Being a Stepparent

36:55 Raising Sons as Feminists

40:04 The Janet Jackson Obsession

41:03 Meeting Janet Jackson

48:37 Final Thoughts and Listener Questions

Toxic relationships, dealing with a narcissist and how to come back from ‘rock bottom’ - Elizabeth and Celeste answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Mix Engineer: Richie Lee

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

Emma Dabiri - ‘We are still so obsessed with how we look’ Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

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 British Army. It was later adapted into an award-winning documentary. She's a fellow in African studies at London, SOAS and is the mother of two boys.

Over on Failing with Friends, Emma talks about advice for someone in the audience who feels their singleness is a failure; what success looks like; when to know when to stop fertility treatment, and Elizabeth and Emma’s thoughts on Botox among other things!

To hear Emma tackling your failures join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Mix Engineer: Richie Lee

Live Engineer: Will Kontargyris

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sally Phillips - ‘I saw Colin Firth and thought - he’s mine!’ Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

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 tireless campaigner for disability rights.

So why, then, does she never feel she’s made it as a ‘serious’ actress? And why is she so obsessed with Clown School? And - pressing question - why have she and Colin Firth never been a thing?

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

02:39 Bridget Jones Memories

07:26 Veep and Women in Comedy

09:19 Smack the Pony: A Revolutionary Comedy

10:45 Clown School and Its Life Lessons

12:55 Failures of Courage

19:06 Reflections on Marriage and Divorce

22:55 Reflecting on Mutual Support

23:16 Aspirations of a Serious Actress

24:14 Comedy vs. Serious Roles

24:50 Auditioning for Terrence Davis

30:56 Embracing Weaknesses and Comedy

32:57 Ethical Review of NIPT

36:16 Ollie's Impact and Parenting

43:25 Ollie's Adventures and Lessons

Over on Failing with Friends, Sally answers questions from the live audience at the Barbican: they discuss red and green flags in partners, and what Hugh Grant is REALLY like and whether Sally and Renée Zellweger really are friends or whether she might just be making it up?

To hear Sally tackling your failures join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Engineer: Matias Torres Sole & Gulliver Lawrence-Tickell

Live Engineer: Will Kontargyris

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mae Martin - 'Everything I do is about proving those high school bullies wrong.' Apr 09, 2025

Show notes

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 (they've done 50 in three years...absolutely zero judgement here).

Mae Martin’s new album ‘I’m a TV’ is out now.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

02:08 Creative Journey

04:22 Discussing the Album 'I'm a TV'

10:01 Failures and Life Lessons

11:19 Childhood and Family Influence

17:54 Struggles with Identity and Addiction

34:33 Diving into Troubled Teen Industry

35:43 Importance of Pronouns

38:13 Standup Comedy Struggles

39:03 Bombing at Edinburgh Fringe

42:12 Comedy Community Support

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code [howtofail] at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/howtofail ⛵

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 & Gulliver Lawrence-Tickell

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Van Ness - 'I was one wrong thing away from losing everything' Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

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 makeover they still regret. And: what would JVN do to Donald Trump's hair?

To check out JVN’s hair products go to: https://www.spacenk.com/uk/brands/j/jvn-hair

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

01:40 Journey to Fame

02:23 Struggles with Self-Acceptance

06:02 The Floater Story and Podcasting

08:54 Marriage and Personal Growth

10:22 Queer Eye and Cultural Impact

14:01 Challenges in Trump's America

25:09 Navigating Business Challenges

25:15 The Overwhelming Process of Fundraising

25:56 Learning the Business Side