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

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Sony Music

Society & Culture

4.8 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2024

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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 [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:15.8	Just a warning before we get started that this episode contains references to racist abuse. Welcome to how to fail the podcast that flips the traditional interview format on its head,
1:37.1	and asks its guests to talk about the things that went wrong rather than right.
1:42.3	Would you like a celebrity agony aunt or uncle helping you?
1:46.0	What, of course you would.
1:48.0	Each week my guest and I answer your questions and celebrate your failures in failing with friends.
1:53.7	It'll be something like this one with Addie.
1:56.7	I want to say to my son, you know, I'll be there if you mess up, I'll be there, you know, and I'll still love you and I'll still care for you and I'll still find a way to make it work.
2:08.5	And we need to have that arm wrapped around the whole of society.
2:12.8	Do join in by following the link in the podcast notes or look out for my call-outs once a month on
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