Dame Jilly Cooper. What a legend. For the uninitiated (where have you been?) she’s a journalist and author most famous for her bestselling Rutshire Chronicle series which includes Riders, Polo and Rivals - the latter of which has now made into a hugely popular TV series starring David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson. In the past, Dame Jilly’s books have been unfairly dismissed as mere ‘bonkbusters’, charting the sex lives of the upper classes. But, as I discover, there’s much more to both her writing - and to her. We talk about her failures with technology, why she wishes she could throw more things away, as well as the terrifying time she lost an entire manuscript on the number 28 bus and had to rewrite it. Plus her experiences of interviewing Margaret Thatcher, her friendship with the Queen, her obsession with beautiful people and ‘macho men’ - and why she’d wholeheartedly recommend adoption to others.



Thank you Dame Jilly. A total sport (but we knew that).



You can watch Rivals on Disney+ now.



Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com



Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Studio and Mix Engineer: Matias Torres Sole and John Scott

Senior Producer: Selina Ream

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini



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 [email protected]



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices