Sally Phillips - ‘I saw Colin Firth and thought - he’s mine!’

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Sony Music

Society & Culture

4.8 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, lovely How to Fail listeners and viewers.
0:03.3	This is just to let you know that if you want a peek behind the curtain to find out the last time that Kate Winslet spoke to Leo or how much sex Vogue Williams considers to be normal, then you can listen to my subscriber series.
0:16.3	Just follow the link in the show notes and we will see you there.
0:33.1	I'm delighted to bring you this extra special episode of How to Fail with the wonderful Sally Phillips recorded in front of a live audience at London's Barbican.
0:38.7	That's the secret to Shazza, basically. She's not Bridget, and so she doesn't get to snog,
0:44.0	Colin Firth, or Hugh Grant, or Leo Woodle, or Patrick Dempsey, or Chiallo Fodger,
0:49.5	and consequently spends 25 years saying, fuck.
1:01.3	This episode is brought to you by wild nutrition did you know that 95% of supplements on the market are synthetically derived 95% well wild nutrition believe you deserve better
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1:56.1	Just go to wildnutrition.com forward slash how to fail to get started. That's wildnutrition.com
2:02.4	forward slash how to fail so you can feel a difference yourselves. T's and C's apply.
2:08.6	My guest tonight is distinctly uneasy with being called a national treasure, but it's hard
2:15.7	not to think of Sally Phillips as part of the fabric of our culture.
2:20.0	She has appeared in a string of the most influential and hilarious comedy series of all time.
	...

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