You might know Sue Perkins from her long-running partnership with Mel Giedroyc, presenting The Great British Bake Off (The Great British Baking Show for our American friends), or from TV and radio shows including The Supersizers..., Just a Minute and her many travel documentaries. A comedian, broadcaster, writer and presenter, Perkins has been a fixture on British television for more than 25 years. In 2023, she was diagnosed with ADHD, inspiring her latest Audible Original, Attention Please!, an exploration of neurodivergence, dopamine and what it means to navigate life with a differently wired brain. In this episode of How To Fail, we discuss Sue's late ADHD diagnosis and how undiagnosed neurodivergence shaped her childhood and school years; the traumatic experience of having a pituitary tumour dismissed by a male doctor because she didn't have a husband or boyfriend, and the lasting impact that had. We also talk about grief, shame and friendship, as Sue reflects on drifting apart from her university friend, Shayla, before her tragic death, and what this loss taught Sue about showing up for the people we love. Questions this episode tackles: How do I manage my ADHD? How do I cope with the death of my friend? How do I discuss my fertility with doctors? IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 Introduction 03:04 Dopamine and Maestro 06:09 Sensitivity and the News 07:36 Childhood and Being Seen 10:09 Rejection Sensitivity 11:32 School Test Trauma 15:01 Undiagnosed ADHD at School 16:56 Diagnosis and Lockdown Spiral 19:42 Sponsor Letter to Future Self 21:10 Parenting Yourself After Loss 21:31 Health Scare and Fertility 21:56 Emailing the wrong person 22:04 Pituitary tumor diagnosis 23:51 Not advocating in care 25:36 Fertility grief and acceptance 27:16 Parenting yourself instead 32:26 Bake Off kindness ethos 35:37 Shayla and comedy beginnings 38:28 Drifting apart and loss 42:36 Shame, guilt and friendship lessons 46:14 Closing reflections and goodbye 💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER: My fertility has nothing to do with my partner, and it has nothing to do with my sexuality. I think it’s my role in this life to be a great aunt and to be a great godparent. If you feel something, it’s not enough to feel it, you must act on it… make the thought, the feeling, the need and the love real. 🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS: Sue's 2027 tour tickets: https://www.sueperkinslive.co.uk/ Sue’s new audio book, Attention Please! available here: www.audible.co.uk Join the How To Fail community: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com 📚 WANT MORE? Mel Giedroyc (2026) - http://swap.fm/l/HTFMelGiedroyc 💌 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 Sue answer listener questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://lnk.to/7i0moR Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: askhowtofail.com Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan Engineer: Matias Torres Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson 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
