Happy Place

How do you find joy in the darkest of times? Broadcaster, writer and DJ Gemma Cairney has some ideas. She joins Fearne in the Happy Place studio to talk about sisterhood, shame and subverting the status quo.Fearne and Gemma go way back. From their heady days on Radio 1, to trudging through the fields of Glastonbury, they reflect on the industry that tried to mould them as young women.Gemma opens up about growth, the messiness of the human experience and the beauty we should see in the world around us - even if it is intense and terrifying.Plus, she shares more about the women in her imagined sisterhood, from Erykah Badu to Marsha P. Johnson, and the bottle of wine she shared with her hero, Grace Jones.Gemma’s book, The Immortal Sisterhood: 12 Guiding Stars to Grow, Heal and Navigate Life, is available now in paperback.We'd love to hear from you - email Fearne at [email protected] you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Miquita OliverPhillipa PerryAshley Roberts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson spent 11 years on our screens as Mitchell Pritchett in the hit series, Modern Family. But when the opportunity presented itself to be alone on stage, in front of a sell-out audience, a different feeling started to creep in.In this chat with Fearne, Jesse opens up about the fear that drives him. He reflects on how he’s learned to work through it, and what he does to lean in and embrace the challenges ahead. He also talks about how playing Mitchell helped him prepare for fatherhood, and the impact his relationship with his onscreen daughter had on him becoming a dad.Plus, Jesse shares some of the White House secrets he learned when interviewing former First Lady, Jill Biden.You can catch Jesse as Truman Capote in Tru at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London until the 14th November 2026.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Joe LycettJoseph FiennesCaitlin Moran Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What part do male role models need to play in young boys’ lives? How do we raise young men with empathy and love? What should masculinity even mean? Adolescence’s Stephen Graham has teamed up with psychology researcher Orly Klein to answer these questions.In this chat with Fearne, Stephen and Orly explore what they’ve learnt about manhood, fatherhood, and generational trauma through asking lots of dads to write letters to their sons.They chat about why we need to stop treating boys like they’re a problem to be fixed, and why it’s so important to offer them positive messages so they don’t fall into the hands of toxic influencers.Plus, Stephen reveals how he felt about filming each Adolescence episode in one take...Stephen and Orly’s book, Letters To Our Sons, is out now.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Ashley WaltersCaitlin MoranSam Claflin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in the noughties, Miquita Oliver thought Fearne Cotton was an irritatingly gorgeous, successful presenter – everything she wasn’t. Fearne was jealous Miquita was part of the TV cool gang. In reality? Fearne worried she was an unsophisticated nerd, and Miquita was feeling like the fat, ugly sidekick. In this episode, live from the Happy Place Festival, Fearne and Miquita chat for the first time in decades, finally able to see that it was press cruelty that created their feud. They talk through how to cope if you feel projection, assumption, or a misunderstanding have created a rift between you and a friend. Miquita also explores why she felt the need to drink to stay in a haze for much of her younger years, and why getting curious about why she felt like sh*t was the first step to getting her life back on track. Plus: how to dream bigger for yourself, and why adults need to play more!If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Matt Edmondson and Mollie KingRuth LangsfordAshley James Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve all got quirks. Tom Read Wilson realised early on that no one else was going to celebrate his differences if he didn’t own them himself. In this chat with Fearne, live from the Happy Place Festival, Tom explains how he learnt to honour his eclectic personality.Fearne and Tom both have a history of extreme people pleasing, so they share what they’ve learnt about self-advocating and getting good at uncomfortable confrontation. Why does turning 40 seem to be when the real honesty kicks in?The I’m A Celeb jungle had a profound impact on Tom, particularly the digital detox part... he explores the huge physical and mental impact giving up his phone has had.Plus, Tom delights in finding the perfect whimsical words, and wonders that language is the key to unlocking better mental health.Tom’s new children’s book, Pricklepaper’s Letter Magic, is out on the 24th of September.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Todd RoseJoe LycettRuby Wax Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Caitlin Moran's anxiety started when she was 13, when she accidentally let a family secret slip. That anxiety kept her wired for the next 30 years.In this chat with Fearne, Caitlin explains how choosing to be hopeful and see the good in life means she’s now two years anxiety-free.They also talk about how social media has drastically altered our perception of reality, and just how unkind (or kind!) a place the world really is. Angrily posting on Instagram at 3am? It’s not going to change society, but volunteering to pick letter... well... that might!Caitlin talks about the severe dread she feels when meeting up with her best friends; do you have that social anxiety too? Because Fearne does... Plus, how could presuming everyone’s having a really bad day make you a happier person?Caitlin’s book, How To Be Hopeful, is out on September 17th.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Todd RoseLucas JonesNicole LaPera Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month in the Happy Place Book Club, we’ve been reading Queenie Is Working On It, by Candice Carty-Williams. This is the much anticipated follow up to 2019’s Queenie.... and this time, Queenie Jenkins is questioning whether she wants kids, being priced out of the housing market in the place she grew up, and coping with horrible heartbreak too.In this chat with Fearne – live from the Happy Place Festival – Candice explains why she felt it was so important to write about big topics like medical racism and fertility pressures, as well as why for her characters come first and the plot is just a side quest. Also, we all think hen parties are the absolute worst, right??Thank you to Trapeze for the use of the Queenie Is Working On It audiobook, narrated by Shvorne Marks.You can listen to the Queenie Is Working On It audiobook, from bookshop.org, here. If you'd like to WIN a year's supply of audiobooks, enter our competition with bookshop.org here. Competition closes on August 22nd.  If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Book Club Meets: Caro Claire BurkeBook Club Meets: Josie Lloyd and Emlyn ReesBook Club Meets: Imani Thompson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Thompson has made a career out of making people laugh, but behind the pranks and infectious energy, there’s a lot of panic and overthinking.In this chat with Fearne, Sam shares how anxiety and undiagnosed ADHD shaped everything from his relationships to his self-confidence, and why it took years of therapy before he understood the patterns he kept repeating. Who do you call in a crisis? Sam has three people he goes to for very specific reasons when he’s spiralling.Sam and Fearne also debate the people-pleaser and non-people-pleaser ways to leave a party, and Sam reveals some of the (amazing!) BTS goss from his content creation with Pete Wicks.Plus, why was Sam willing to pay to go on I’m A Celeb...??Sam’s book, You, Me, and ADHD is available now.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Louise ThompsonJamie LaingAnt and Dec Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.