Sophie Willan - From Foster Care to Alma’s Not Normal

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Sony Music

Society & Culture

4.7 • 9.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 December 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode contains very strong language and isn’t suitable for small ears. Sophie Willan is a double BAFTA award-winning writer, comedian and actor, perhaps best known for her BBC comedy drama, Alma's Not Normal. But it wasn’t always red carpets and award ceremonies. Willan experienced an unsettled childhood with spells in foster care, which she talks openly about in this episode. We also talk about a failed Edinburgh show that coincided with an ‘intense’ relationship and what these experiences taught her. Moving, funny and honest, this episode was recorded in front of a lovely live audience at The Lowry in Salford, Manchester. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Alma's Not Normal: Success and Challenges 03:00 The Emotional Toll of Comedy 03:55 Awards and Recognition 05:03 Personal Struggles and Triumphs 08:43 Reflections on Care Experience 14:39 Family Stories and Humor 23:46 The Fine Line Between Madness and Comedy 24:49 A Disastrous Improv Show 26:55 The Novice Detective: A Misplaced Comedy 27:55 Facing Criticism and Misogyny in Comedy 31:32 Stories of Care: Empowering Voices 32:27 The Edinburgh Experience: Highs and Lows 38:06 Writing Process: Chaos and Creativity 💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER: We're all quite funny in my family though. It's like a family of emotionally deranged people that have a good sense of humour. You spend the first half of your life unpicking what you inherited and the second half building something better. Sad things are funny, and funny things are sad, that’s just how the world is. 🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS: You can watch Alma’s Not Normal on BBC iPlayer Listen to Sophie Willan’s episode on Where There’s a Will There’s a Wake Stories of Care founded by Sophie Willan Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/ Join Elizabeth Day for a special How to Fail live show at Crossed Wires Festival in Sheffield! Tickets on sale now: https://crossedwires.live/podcast/how-to-fail 📚 WANT MORE? Mae Martin - comedian, writer and actor on identity, anxiety and learning to trust yourself without external approval https://link.chtbl.com/F50L9kqQ Adeel Akhtar - on self-doubt, feeling like an outsider and how success can change your sense of belonging swap.fm/l/eWxKBXUJZAAkfovquzwi Fern Brady - the comedian and author on class, misogyny and neurodivergence. http://swap.fm/l/cmeompBv7EHK20enmwbS 💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE? Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts Leave a 5⭐ review – it helps more people discover these stories 👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth: Instagram: @elizabday TikTok: @howtofailpod Podcast Instagram: @howtofailpod Website: www.elizabethday.org Elizabeth and Sophie answer live audience questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan Engineer: Matias Torres Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Alex Lawless 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

Transcript

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0:00.0	Train Dreams is now nominated for five Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay,
0:08.0	and two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor Joel Edgerton.
0:12.0	I don't know where the years go.
0:13.0	It is also nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards.
0:16.0	Figured out, let me know. I'd like to ask for a few back.
0:19.0	And winner for Best Adapted Screenplay from National Board of Review.
0:23.4	New York Magazine hails it as the best picture of the year.
0:27.4	Train Dreams, only on Netflix.
0:30.1	Joel Domit, shall we tell these wonderful people about the new business that we're starting?
0:34.2	Good idea, Ben Shepard, especially if we want them to come along for the ride.
0:37.8	Which is exactly what we want. Quite simply, we are starting a business. We're starting a brand.
0:43.5	This is not going to be a television show. There's no bright lights and makeup. This is very, very real, Ben.
0:50.0	We've got no idea how to do it, but we are going to share the whole journey with you right here on our brand new podcast.
0:56.6	The Businessmen podcast, out now.
1:00.0	I'm delighted to say that this episode was recorded with a lovely live audience at the Lowry in Salford, Manchester.
1:08.9	My guest tonight is Sophie Willen, a double BAFTA award-winning writer, comedian and actor, most known for her BBC comedy drama, Alma's Not Normal.
1:20.7	The show, which has been acclaimed by critics as uplifting, strangely enchanting, and Phoenix Knights meets Fleabag, guided by the
1:30.7	spirit of Victoria Wood, is loosely based on Willem's own experiences growing up in the care
1:36.9	system after her mother struggled with mental health issues and addiction. It was an unsettled
1:43.4	childhood with spells in foster care and it was while being
1:47.3	looked after by her grandmother, Denise, that Willan discovered her love of acting. On holiday in
1:53.7	Abitha, aged eight, she joined the hotel's drama club and was promptly given her first role
	...

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