Katherine Parkinson – ‘I’m Still Learning How to Be Me’

About this episode

Katherine Parkinson discusses her journey through personal challenges, acting, and the impact of motherhood on her understanding of resilience.

*triggers: contains description of physical assault Katherine Parkinson is the two‑time BAFTA‑winning actor beloved for The IT Crowd, Doc Martin, Humans and most recently, Rivals, the hit Jilly Cooper adaptation that became an international Emmy winner. Fresh from her latest BAFTA win, she joins Elizabeth to reflect on the unexpected turns that shaped her life – from Surbiton to Oxford, from comedy to chaos, and from self‑doubt to a hard‑won sense of confidence. In this episode, we talk about her childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut, how her brothers are convinced she’s in MI5 (we will never know), the class anxieties that coloured her university years, her lifelong battle with disorganisation and the pressure she put on herself to “earn her place”. Katherine also opens up – for the first time – about a violent assault she minimised for years, the shame she carried and how motherhood has reframed her understanding of fear, safety and resilience. We also explore the joy she found in acting, the liberation of embracing her own contradictions, the friendships that sustained her and the work that goes into rebuilding after trauma. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Intro 03:48 Northern…

People in this episode

Host: Elizabeth Day

Guest: Katherine Parkinson

Topics covered

• personal growth
• trauma
• acting
• confidence
• childhood dreams
• class anxieties
• motherhood

Keywords

• Katherine Parkinson
• Elizabeth Day
• acting
• trauma
• confidence
• motherhood
• disorganisation
• class anxieties
• Jilly Cooper
• The IT Crowd

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sony Music Entertainment

Books & works: The IT Crowd, Doc Martin, Humans, Rivals, Jilly Cooper

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