Bryony Gordon
Simon Mayo's Books of the Year
Bauer Media
4.9 • 994 Ratings
🗓️ 29 April 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Simon Mayo and Matt Williams welcome podcaster, journalist, marathon-runner, broadcaster and author - Bryony Gordon - to the podcast, to chat about her debut novel for adults.
They discuss the London Marathon (which Bryony ran this year in her underwear with her good friend Adele Roberts), columnists who don't write what they truly believe - and - people pleasing, which is the central theme in Bryony's novel.
Here's a little bit more about 'People Pleaser:
Olivia Greenwood has been trying very hard to please people for a very long time.
But today is going to change Olivia in a big way. A soul-crushing career disappointment, a fiery young woman with a chip on her shoulder and a cigarette in her hand, and one single blue hallucinogenic gummy all lead to a raucous night out and one hell of a hangover. And when Olivia wakes up the next morning, it seems she’s unable to please anyone but HERSELF.
So who actually is Olivia Greenwood, when she’s not trying to be what everyone else wants her to be?
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome. It's another Books of the Year podcast from your good friends at Books of the Year, the number one books podcast, not just in the UK, but in Western Europe. |
| 0:20.3 | In Western Europe, we're taking over. That's right. Oh, I love the UK, but in Western Europe. In Western Europe, |
| 0:21.1 | we're taking over. That's right. Oh, I love it. Moving slightly into Central Europe, |
| 0:25.0 | we're not very big in Eastern Europe at the moment. Right, because of reasons. Also the Americas |
| 0:28.6 | and some parts of Africa. Yeah. An email from June, |
| 0:32.7 | Hello, Lads. I wanted to contribute to the discussion about whether to read or not read in the order of a book series. |
| 0:39.9 | Oh, yes. |
| 0:40.5 | My late father-in-law was an avid reader. |
| 0:43.0 | Through his life, well into his 80s, he could pick up any book in sequence and remember the content to slot it into place with the other books in the series. |
| 0:51.4 | Or he could completely abandon a series and never find out what happened before or after. |
| 0:56.9 | I cannot do this. |
| 0:58.5 | In July 23, you interviewed the wonderful Kate Moss for her novel The Ghost Cheap. |
| 1:02.9 | Yes. |
| 1:03.6 | After hearing the interview, I immediately put the book on my wish list, but not before adding |
| 1:07.7 | book one and book two of the series. |
| 1:10.6 | I have had to read in chronological order. |
| 1:12.9 | Maybe it's an obsessive behavior, but there we are. |
| 1:15.5 | We all read differently. |
| 1:16.4 | Keep up the work. |
| 1:17.8 | June, thank you very much. |
| 1:18.9 | I mean, if you're dealing with a really top-rated author, |
| 1:23.8 | they put enough explanation in that if you've just joined, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bauer Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Bauer Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.