Sophie Willan: ‘In the care system you're either a tragic story or a hero’ | 3
How Do You Cope?
Wondery
5 • 695 Ratings
🗓️ 3 March 2025
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
John is joined by comedian Sophie Willan, the star and writer of Alma’s Not Normal, to talk about her experiences of the care system.
Sophie discusses the many ways being in care has affected her life - from constantly thinking of herself as an outsider, to always feeling the need to make people happy. She also talks about growing up with a drug-addicted mother and the boundaries she had to put in place to take care of her mental health.
On Thursday in our bonus episode The Gratitude List, Sophie shares the 5 things that she is currently grateful for.
You can send in your thoughts and reflections to [email protected], or follow the show on Instagram and TikTok.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Wonderry Plus subscribers can listen to episodes of How Do You Cope early and ad-free? |
| 0:04.7 | Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:09.2 | This advert is brought to you by Macmillan Cancer Support, a registered charity. |
| 0:14.1 | If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, the Macmillan online community is here. |
| 0:19.6 | Macmillan's online community is open 24-7. |
| 0:23.0 | It's a free, safe space to connect with people who get what it's like to have cancer. |
| 0:27.6 | You can browse groups, ask questions to an expert, share your experience, or just see what |
| 0:32.6 | others have to say. On the online community, no question is too big, too small or too personal. Their members have all |
| 0:39.7 | been there too. Plus, it's completely anonymous. Search McMillan online community today. |
| 0:49.0 | Just to let you know, this episode contains discussions of suicidal thoughts. If you need any support, |
| 0:57.8 | we have included resources at the end of this episode and in the episode description. |
| 1:03.3 | Hello and welcome to How Do You Cope with me, John Robbins. This is the show where I sit down with special guests, |
| 1:09.4 | talk about their lives and the problems they have overcome. |
| 1:12.7 | Today I'm talking to comedian, writer, actor, BAFTA award winner and fellow season 17 of Taskmaster competitor, Sophie Willam. |
| 1:22.3 | Sophie spent much of her childhood in foster care, as well as being looked after by her grandmother. |
| 1:26.9 | Her father wasn't |
| 1:27.5 | around, and her mother struggled with mental illness and various addictions. She's described her |
| 1:32.5 | teenage years as chaotic and turbulent, and she fell out with her grandmother, went through various |
| 1:37.2 | foster placements, and didn't take to the education system. By the age of 17, she was living by |
| 1:42.4 | herself. Sophie is the founder of Stories of Care, |
| 1:46.2 | a multi-platform arts organisation that helps train, support and develop young creatives who've |
| 1:51.6 | been through the care system. Her first script was for the TV show Alma's Not Normal, |
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