My OCD gave me existential dread! Finding meaning in difficult times, with poet & actor Lucas Jones

More from Happy Place

1. 

   S46 · E3 · 27 Aug 2026 · 35 min

   Book Club Meets: Holiday romance and friendship in your 40s, with Chloe Ashby

   For 20 years Maggie and Will have spent idyllic summers in the south of France with their friends Lydia and Roland. This year though, tension is brewing and loyalties are being tested. Their young kids are all there too, and they might end up stumbling upon secrets that were being kept from them... August’s Happy Place Book Club read is Family Friends. In this chat with Fearne, author Chloe Ashby explains why she wanted to explore relationship dynamics around the age of 40. Each character has brought a bit of extra baggage to this year’s holiday, so through them Chloe wonders at what point…

2. 

   S46 · E2 · 24 Aug 2026 · 55 min

   Joe Lycett: "Nerves and excitement are the same!" How to reframe anxiety

   Do you find yourself cringing at your younger self? Did you lose yourself in the early part of parenthood? Do you wonder if who you’re being is who you really are? It’s check, check, and check for comedian Joe Lycett. In this chat with Fearne, Joe reflects on how much of his stage persona has become who he actually is, why paternity leave triggered a lot of existential crises all at once, and how he’s come out the other side caring a lot less about what anyone thinks. Fearne and Joe also wonder if the art of losing your inhibitions is gone forever thanks to camera phones, and why playing…

3. 

   S46 · E1 · 20 Aug 2026 · 14 min

   “Wear the OTT dress!” Fearne’s got wardrobe and dating advice

   What’s been going on for you this week? What are you happy about, and what’s making you not so happy? Fearne’s here with more chat about what’s putting her, Team Happy Place team, and you lot in a good mood, and what’s feeling a bit heavier. This is our space to explore what’s been on our minds. Want to join the chat? Send us a voicenote, DM, or comment on Instagram @happyplaceofficial! In this chat, Fearne explores: -Why the regular mates getaway is so vital -Why – contrary to popular advice – it’s important to talk to strangers -Sitting on a train without looking at your phone -Just bloody…

4. 

   S45 · E9 · 13 Aug 2026 · 43 min

   Chris McCausland: “Dependence is exhausting!” Holidaying with a disability

   What ratio of planned activities to spontaneity do you love when you travel? Comedian Chris McCausland has to know some top tier activities have been booked ahead of time. Welcome to The Happy Place Guide To Holidays! In this chat with Fearne – brought to you by British Airways Holidays – Chris explains how holidays have changed since he lost his sight. He thinks hard about everything from communicating in a foreign country, to how dependent he’ll need to be on his loved ones. He also chats about getting into his daughter’s favourite holiday hobby: rollercoasters! Plus, Chris reveals why he…

5. 

   S45 · E8 · 10 Aug 2026 · 46 min

   Ruby Wax: “I was addicted to rage!” How to respond instead of reacting

   Have you noticed that your memory and rational thinking disappear when you’re anxious? Ruby Wax wants you to retrain your focus and attention in a digital world that’s always trying to steal it. In this chat with Fearne – live from the Happy Place Festival – Ruby explains the difference between mental health and mental illness, and why she calls meditation ‘mind gym’. She also explores why laughing – getting into your body – is one of the greatest things you can do for your mental health. Ruby also tells some raucous stories about the celebrities she’s interviewed. Why did Trump want her…

6. 

   S45 · E7 · 6 Aug 2026 · 39 min

   Feeling stressed? You’re probably dehydrated! Make hydration a habit, with Phizz

   You know how your mood dips when you’re hangry? Well, being thangry is a thing too! Thirst – being dehydrated – can have a very real impact on everything from your stress levels to cognitive function and physical performance. We’re heading back to this year’s Happy Place Festival, where the Talk Stage was sponsored by Phizz, the UK’s number-one selling hydration brand. In this chat with Fearne, Dan Cray, CEO and Co-Founder of Phizz, and Dr Paul Anastasiades, Head of Product Development and Co-Founder, explore what hydration really means, why it’s so easy to overlook, and how getting it right…

7. 

   S47 · E5 · 8 Oct 2026 · 51 minNew

   “I know I’m safe but my body doesn’t!” Megan McKenna is coping with PTSD and sleep paralysis

   Entertainment personality Megan McKenna was once advertised in a straitjacket. She was nicknamed Mental Megan, branded mouthy, and edited down to her worst moments on camera. Now, she can see that none of that was who she really was. In this chat with Fearne, live from the Happy Place Festival, Megan explores how she’s learnt to live more authentically. For her, that means less drinking and more home cooking for her young family. Megan also opens up about the anxieties and sleep issues she’s been left with after a traumatic robbery. Fearne has some gentle advice for when your body feels…

8. 

   S47 · E4 · 5 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

   Stephen Graham and Orly Klein: "Consent, compassion, condom!" The advice teenage boys need

   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…

9. 

   S47 · E3 · 1 Oct 2026 · 39 min

   Book Club Meets: Murder mysteries and naming emotions, with Susie Dent

   When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from an alphabet created by a deceased writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer... Countdown’s Susie Dent has written Death Writ Large, a murder mystery that cleverly weaves her linguistic skills around a killer plot. In this chat, live from the Happy Place Festival, Susie teaches Fearne a few new words (confelicity, anyone?) and explains where phrases like Flaming…

10. 

    S47 · E2 · 28 Sep 2026 · 58 min

    Miquita Oliver: "I thought I hated you Fearne, I was actually scared!" Debunking female rivalry

    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…

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