Big Fish with Spencer Matthews

Eton College is one of the most famous boarding schools in the UK. It's educated 20 of Britain’s 57 prime ministers and has churned out many successful people over its nearly 600 year history. Eton is an easy thing to judge, but I wonder if some of your preconceptions will be challenged after hearing this week’s episode. Simon Henderson has been headmaster at Eton’s since 2015 and this interview gives you a rare insight into how things are done at one of the country’s most prestigious schools. I guarantee you’ll learn something from this episode. Simon’s views - especially on testing and extra-curricular activities - may surprise you.

Caroline Hirons is a skincare guru and is described as the most powerful woman in the beauty industry. She started off on the shop floor, working on beauty counters at Harvey Nichols. Now she's the CEO of her own brand, Skin Rocks. She took the internet by storm after launching her blog over ten years ago, which has now been viewed more than 125 million times. That led to a Sunday Times bestselling book, which became the bestselling beauty book of all time.

Sadiq Khan is the Mayor of London, one of the top jobs in British politics. He is extremely ambitious and has achieved huge success in his career, previously working as a Labour MP and a human rights solicitor. But Sadiq came from humble beginnings. He grew up on a council estate in Tooting with 7 siblings. I absolutely loved my conversation with the Mayor. We discussed how to make tough decisions, whether sacrifices are necessary for a successful career, why more CEOs aren't in politics and his new campaign to make London safer for women.

Dan Carter is hailed as one of the most elite and successful rugby players in the world. His new book The Art of Winning is a manual for aspiring leaders everywhere. There is so much to learn from Dan on how discipline, mindset and drive can help you achieve huge success - in sport, business or life.

James Buckley is an actor and YouTuber, best known for his role as Jay Cartwright in the BAFTA-nominated sitcom The Inbetweeners. The iconic show was loved and watched by millions across the UK and its first movie had the biggest ever UK opening weekend for a comedy film. But nearly a decade after the show’s final film, Jay is only just getting back into acting. In recent years he, his wife and kids have become YouTube stars and James has become the first Cameo-millionaire. It seems there’s a lot of money to be made in calling people ‘bus wankers’. This interview is absolutely fascinating: James isn’t driven by money or fame, but a pure passion to make people laugh and smile. 

Sara Davies is an entrepreneur and the youngest ever female investor on Dragons' Den. She founded her company Crafter's Companion whilst a student in 2005 - and by the time she graduated the business was turning over half a million pounds a year. This episode is absolutely jam-packed with advice for budding entrepreneurs, so if you've ever thought about starting a business - don't miss this.

In this bonus episode, I'm joined by my good friend John Belton to discuss how we completed the hardest ultra marathon known to man. We recorded this days after we returned home after taking on the gruelling challenge of a 230-kilometer self-sufficient foot race through the Amazon Jungle. I'm incredibly proud to say John came second and I third, but it was not without facing some incredible physical and emotional hurdles.

Russell Kane is probably one of the only successful stand-up comics that doesn’t even watch stand-up comedy. He took the plunge to try his hand at comedy aged 28 after building a successful career in advertising. It was a huge gamble - which left him Googling bankruptcy over fears he couldn’t pay his mortgage. Russell grew up on a London council estate and left school at 16 with few qualifications, because in his words, he was "hell bent on being like a weed smoking bad man”. But he turned his life around through adult education and sheer graft. Russell’s drive to succeed is absolutely immense. He doesn’t accept rejection and his story of passion and grit is inspiring.

Marcia Kilgore is a serial entrepreneur, who has successfully built and sold multiple brands. She began as a facialist to the stars - working with clients such as Paul Simon, Calvin Klein, Madonna and Oprah - and sold her first company Bliss Spa to Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, one of the biggest luxury brands, at just 30-years-old.The term ‘disrupter’ is thrown around in business, but for Marcia it’s actually true. She’s turned the whole beauty industry on its head with her latest venture Beauty Pie, the Netflix of beauty - which offers members luxury beauty products at a fraction of the price.

Mark Wright is a presenter and former professional footballer, who rose to fame on the BAFTA-award winning reality TV programme The Only Way Is Essex.He has an incredible drive to succeed - which comes from his absolute fear of losing everything. As a child, his father lost his business in the 80s recession and the family went from having everything to nothing.Mark is a self-confessed workaholic and is one of my only guests who actually admits he loves money. I absolutely loved talking to Mark. We’ve had an extremely similar entry to fame, and I guess I’m the Chelsea version of him… In Mark’s words we were men that women just love to hate.

We're having a mid-season break while I complete an ultra-marathon in the Amazon, but we're back with an amazing guest on Weds 14th June that you will not want to miss. To keep you going, here's 4 of my favourite moments from season 2 so far, where Gordon Ramsay, Elizabeth Day, Kelly Hoppen and Jay Blades discuss what drives them.

Elizabeth Day has absolutely revolutionised how we think about failure. Her chart-topping podcast How To Fail is currently in its 17th season, and led to a bestselling book of the same name. She's a bestselling author of 9 books and prior to podcasting, she was a writer at some of the UK’s best-known publications. Elizabeth has made so many of us rethink what failure means and show us that it’s absolutely key in achieving success. There is so much to learn from her wisdom and I know you'll love this conversation as much as I did.

James Smith is a personal trainer and three-time bestselling author, who’s amassed a huge online audience of over 1 million people.At 21, he found himself broke and knocking doors as a salesman with no real direction, so decided to become a personal trainer. He’s now built a phenomenal business, training thousands of people through his online academy and his straight-talking, no-nonsense approach sees him touring the world.In this episode we talk about how finding your purpose fuels motivation to succeed, what advice he gives to people who hate their jobs and why happiness and pleasure are two separate things.

Jay Blades is the BAFTA-winning presenter of the hit primetime TV show The Repair Shop - watched by 4.5 million people a week. But a TV career was never on the cards for him. He was raised in east London by a single mother, after his father ran off with all of their money. His education was stunted by undiagnosed dyslexia - he learned in adulthood he had the reading age of an 11-year-old.But this didn’t stop Jay. He dedicated his life helping his local community, and founded a charity teaching young people to restore old furniture. But when funding ran out and his marriage fell apart, he hit rock bottom: he was suicidal and homeless. He turned his life around and lifted himself from that darkness. Jay is one of the most incredible people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet - and I know you’ll love this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.This episode is not suitable to those under 18 and contains offensive language and sensitive topic discussions including suicide, alcoholism and mental health issues. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support please see the suggested helpline and website links below. Samaritans helpline: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/ https://www.mind.org.ukhttps://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk 

Gabby Logan is one of the UK's most notable sports broadcasters but before she turned her hand to presenting, Gabby was a gymnast for Wales and Great Britain - something she got into accidentally.Gabby comes from a family of professional athletes, all with incredible talent and discipline. But it wasn't this alone that motivated Gabby to achieve all that she has. Her brother Daniel - a professional footballer - died at just 15 from a congenital heart defect and his death accelerated her drive to succeed.

David Gandy is one of the most successful male supermodels in the world.After winning a modelling competition on This Morning at 21, he became one of the biggest names in the industry and was an overnight sensation after his famous Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue ad campaign.In this episode we talk about rejection, the dangers of social media and how to know when you've pushed yourself too far.

Kelly Hoppen is one of the most sought-after interior designers of her generation. After quitting school at just 16, she took on her first client and built her design empire from there. She’s gone on to design the homes of A-listers such as the Beckhams, as well as yachts, five-star hotels and restaurants around the world. In this incredible conversation we talk about her successes and failures as an investor on Dragons' Den, how she works with A-list clients and what happened when she met the leader of a religious cult which her ex-husband had joined.

Giovanni Pernice is a highly decorated performer, best known for being one of the professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing, one of the UK’s most watched programmes.He’s a BAFTA winner, Guinness World Record holder and world champion.Gio left home at just 14 to pursue his ambitions of becoming a professional dancer - and came to the UK to take part in Strictly Coming Dancing speaking no English.His determination and drive to succeed is palpable. He’s a self-confessed workaholic who's addicted to winning - this episode is utterly inspirational.

This is a story about a scam. But this isn’t any old scam. There's shamanism, a 'tree of life' in the jungle of Suriname, a bathing ritual in a dark rusty red lake, voodoo dolls, black magic and envelopes jammed full of sacrificial cash. There's even a wild capuchin monkey called Joey.At the turn of the 21st century, set in one of London's most wealthy suburbs, Hampstead, Juliette D'Souza wreaked havoc on a number of people's lives. Described by her neighbours as 'a knife in a velvet glove', D'Souza claimed to have a special connection to an ancient source of power and wisdom, deep in the Amazonian jungle. She became filthy rich, and one of the most prolific con women in British history. Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala, the soulmates behind the hit true crime podcast, Redhanded, are on the case. They speak to the reporters who travelled to Suriname to track Juliette down, one of Britain's leading shamans and the victims who came together in search of justice.This is a true story so bizarre, you might not believe your ears.All 6 episodes will be available from April 19th on Global Player. Download it now from the App Store or go to https://www.globalplayer.com

Chelcee Grimes is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and professional footballer. She’s written songs for Dua Lipa, Kylie Minogue, Olly Murs and the Saturdays.She began playing football at the age of 10 and went on to play professionally for Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. But at 16, she decided to pursue a music career and signed an album deal at just 18. After getting dropped from her label and money running out, she got signed as a songwriter and now travels the world working with some of the world's biggest stars.

Gordon Ramsay needs no introduction. But just in case you’ve been living under a rock, he’s an internationally renowned chef, restaurateur and TV personality. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, now has 72 restaurants across the world and has been awarded a whopping 17 Michelin stars overall.Gordon’s drive to succeed came from his need to provide a new life for himself. He grew up on multiple council estates and his mother worked three jobs to support him and his siblings. His footballer career ended after a serious knee injury, so Gordon decided to enrol on a foundation course in hotel management. He worked as a pot washer before taking the plunge to call Marco Pierre White out of the blue and ask for a job. And the rest is history.

I'm beyond excited to bring you season 2 of Big Fish - launching Wednesday 5th April with Gordon Ramsay! Make sure you're following the feed so you don't miss an episode.

Dave Rodney, simply known as California Dave or Sherpa Dave - despite the fact that he's from Canmore in Canada - joins me for this bonus interview on Big Fish. He's one of Canada's most accomplished climbers - and the only Canadian to summit Everest twice - he's a politician, businessman and philanthropist, but most importantly, he was my brother Michael’s climbing partner on his Everest expedition in 1999. Dave was one of the last people to see Mike alive. Their dream was to reach the summit together, but unfortunately fate had other plans. Dave takes me back to the day they reached the top of the world - and Mike became the youngest Briton to reach the summit - and what happened when he realised my brother had not come back down.

Before Bear Grylls climbed mountains, he needed to learn how to climb the stairs again after breaking his back in three places. In this bonus episode he reveals how he built himself back up after catastrophic injury, plus why he was so inspired to produce Spencer's film Finding Michael.

At 21 years old, Tom Grennan shot to fame after appearing on the Chase and Status hit, All Gone Wrong. He's gone on to land a number one album, four UK top 10 singles and sell out a nation-wide tour. But Tom's journey to become one of the UK's most exciting musicians hasn't been a straightforward one. He first caught the eye as a talented footballer but turned down a scholarship in America when he was a teenager. We talk about Tom's struggle with imposter syndrome and how being attacked and left with a broken jaw, provided the material that would open up his songwriting passion. For Tom, success is about loving and appreciating what you do, but his own competitive nature doesn't allow him to enjoy the successes he's had for long.

This is the first time I've ever interviewed my wife about her incredible career. Vogue has become one of Ireland’s most sought-after media stars. Since landing her big break, she has presented documentaries and live shows, performed DJ sets for thousands of fans and collaborated with big UK brands like Little Mistress. She also runs a highly successful tanning brand, Bare By Vogue and hosts two chart-topping podcasts, My Therapist Ghosted Me and Spencer & Vogue which are listened to by millions of people every month. We talk about the importance of being an authentic influencer, how Vogue changed my mind about anxiety and what's been the proudest moment of her career so far.

Jake Humphrey wasn’t born a high performer. In fact, he failed his A levels and was sacked from McDonalds when he was just a teenager. But Jake became determined to make something of himself. He’s gone on to become one of the UK’s best-known sports broadcasters and host of his own hugely successful podcast, High Performance. Jake’s work ethic is incredible. Now at the top of his game, he’s determined to stay there and enjoy every second of it.

He’s on a personal mission to cancel ‘cancel culture’. Piers Morgan is one of the most prominent broadcasters of his generation. After studying journalism, he went to Fleet Street and quickly rose to become one of the youngest newspaper editors in Britain at just 28 years old. Since then, he’s presented prime time TV programmes in the UK and America and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the world. With a Twitter following of over 8 million, Piers has made a name for himself with his straight-talking opinions. Love him or hate him, when he talks, people listen.

At 18 years-old, Harry Stebbings started the Twenty Minute VC podcast with fifty dollars and not a single contact in venture capital. He’s the first person to turn a podcast into a multi-million pound fund. Across several vehicles, he’s raised over $400 million. And he’s only 26.Harry is seriously impressive. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll learn exactly what Harry looks for when he invests. But this episode isn’t just for those in business. He’s overcome bulimia and is now sober, and has tonnes of advice for those who want to take their life to the next level.

Would you replace your morning coffee with a cup of mushroom powder?Andy and Simon Salter think you should. The brothers co-founded Dirtea 18 months in 2021, as part of a movement to make functional mushrooms accessible to the masses. Their business is now the market leader in its field and they’re working to destigmatise and educate people on the health benefits. Thousands of people all over the UK are now drinking their products, which are consumed like tea or coffee, on a daily basis. Dirtea is said to sharpen your focus, strengthen your immune system, improve your sleep and soothe stress, amongst many other benefits.The co-founders of Dirtea say the health benefits and claims contained in this episode can be supported by research papers found on PubMed and mushroomreference.com, which is a curated list of references relevant to scientists who are curious about the effects of mushrooms. If you have any further questions, we recommend you speak to your nutritionist or GP.Please see some links:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18844328/http://mushroomreferences.com/2019/10/18/the-neuroprotective-effect-of-hericium-erinaceus-extracts-in-mouse-hippocampus-after-pilocarpine-induced-status-epilepticus/http://mushroomreferences.com/2021/12/20/hericium-erinaceus-mycelium-ameliorate-anxiety-induced-by-continuous-sleep-disturbance-in-vivo/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23510212/

This is the most open, honest and serious conversation I’ve ever had with Jamie. You might know him as a reality star. But Jamie is a hugely successful entrepreneur. He co-founded Candy Kittens in 2012, the fastest growing confectionary brand in Europe which turns over more than ten million pounds a year.He’s also the founder of JamPot productions, which produces chart-topping podcasts like Nearly Weds.We talk about how reality TV fuelled Jamie’s crippling anxiety, whether being on Made in Chelsea helped or hindered the success of Candy Kittens and why achieving success isn’t just about making bucket loads of cash.

Jo Malone’s name is synonymous with luxury, but Jo didn’t grow up with wealth. She was raised on a council estate in South East London and left school without any qualifications. Jo built the luxury fragrance brand Jo Malone London with her husband, Gary, and sold the company in 1999 to Estee Lauder. She left the business a few years later, after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and was given only 9 months to live. As part of the Lauder deal, she wasn’t allowed to enter the industry for 5 years. Jo felt utterly lost, so she started a new brand, Jo Loves. Jo is so honest in this episode and tells me about the mistakes she made building her second company, after the huge success of the first.

Dan Murray-Serter is a serial entrepreneur. He’s the co-founder of Heights, a braincare company. His previous company Grabble was the UK’s top fashion app. They had 30,000 new users a day, but the company failed. Dan then suffered from crippling insomnia, but couldn't see that he was mentally unwell. He thought he was just being productive; committed to building his business. Heights was born as a remedy for that insomnia and the debilitating anxiety and panic attacks he experienced. This episode is a fascinating listen for anyone who’s interested in mental health and entrepreneurship: how to stay mentally resilient while riding the storm of building a company from the ground up.

Joanne McNally exploded onto the comedy scene as one of the most popular and up-and-coming female comedians in the country. She’s recently sold out Ireland’s leading comedy venue - Vicar Street - with a whopping 66 shows, more than any other comedian. That's after being told she’d never sell a single show. Her chart-topping podcast with my wife Vogue Williams brings in over 3 million listeners a month. Joanne's resilience is inspiring; she was determined to succeed in a male-dominated industry whilst battling bulimia.If you've been affected by anything in this episode, contact Beat for information or help: 0808 801 0677.

The rise of Henry Holland was incredible. As a young journalism graduate, he designed some t-shirts, just for fun. Within six months he went from selling them via his Myspace account to his brand, House of Holland, being sold in luxury department stores all over the world. Then along came the pandemic. His company went into administration and Henry had to weather the storm of parting with the company he built. In this episode we talk about the pressures of building a brand and how to deal with your own company going under.

Even if you’re not a fan of boxing, you’ve heard of Eddie Hearn. He’s the chairman of Matchroom sport, the sporting events company which last year signed a 100 million pound five-year deal with Dazn as it aims to become the Netflix of sport. Eddie also represents boxing beasts like Anthony Joshua, Canelo Álvarez and formerly Oleksandr Usyk. He took over the business from his father, but started by printing the posters himself and sending out tweets to promote his fights. Now, he’s one of the most powerful men in boxing.

Ursula Burns is an American success story. From growing up in a deprived and dangerous area of New York, she became the first black woman to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Xerox, later becoming its president and chairwoman. She’s sat on the Board of Directors of Diageo, Uber, American Express and ExxonMobil and even advised President Obama. You don’t want to miss this episode.

DJ Fat Tony is one of the most notorious hell raisers and leading figures in dance music. Raised on a council estate in South London, he ended up working in the most famous clubs in both London and New York. He’s now the official DJ to the Beckhams and Versace and best friends with Boy George and Kate Moss. But Tony’s rise to the top has been fraught with tragedy and pain. After the AIDS crisis hit London, Tony’s boyfriend was diagnosed with HIV and died shortly after and his addiction to alcohol, drugs and sex spiralled out of control. Tony is now 16 years sober and his road to recovery is utterly inspirational.If you’ve been affected by anything discuss in this episode, the following organisations may be of help:Samaritans: 116 123Alcoholics Anonymous: 0800 9177 650Narcotics Anonymous: 0300 999 1212

Ant Middleton doesn’t sit still for long. He’s a former marine and sniper, perhaps best known for his role as chief instructor in SAS Who Dares Wins. In 2019 he conquered one of the biggest challenges known to man - climbing Mount Everest. This year he attempted a dangerous climb up K2, one of the world’s most treacherous mountains. He's a perfect example of someone who never gives up, even if the odds are against him. But in this episode, he reveals just how close he came to quitting his climb of K2 - something he’s never admitted before.

For years I was trapped in a cycle of excessive drinking. I became subdued, a half-version of myself and began to realise the damage alcohol was doing to my relationships and career. In 2019, I became sober. It's the best decision I’ve ever made and inspired me to start my own business. CleanCo is now the largest independent non-alcoholic brand in the UK. Building a business has been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done and I’ve become fascinated by how other people have developed a mindset for success. Each week I’ll be speaking to leading CEOs, inspiring entrepreneurs, incredible designers and other famous faces to find out what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles and be the best at what they do.