You might have recently seen Hamnet at the cinema, but did you read the book along with the Happy Place Book Club in January?

In this chat, Fearne and author Maggie O’Farrell talk about how Jessie Buckley’s award-winning performance brought Agnes to life in the film, why it’s vital to remember women’s place in history, and why Maggie chose not to name Shakespeare in the book.

Maggie uses her intuition when she’s writing, and talks about why she doesn’t really plan what voice or tense to style she’s going to write in.

Plus, Maggie reveals some of the Elizabethan pursuits she took up during her research phase, including flying Kestrels and making herbal cold remedies... And Fearne reads out what she reckons is "the sexiest paragraph ever written"!

Thank you to Tinder Press for use of the Hamnet audiobook, narrated by Jessie Buckley.

If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:

Book Club Meets: Nussaibah Younis

Book Club Meets: Elizabeth Day

Book Club Meets: Elizabeth Gilbert

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you find it hard to look in the mirror? Have you found yourself controlling what you eat or exercise you do? Actor Sam Claflin has struggled with his body image since he was a child.

In this chat with Fearne, Sam explains what having body dysmorphia means to him, and reflects on how it continues to affect everything from the food he eats to his willingness to watch his own films back.

Fearne and Sam are both chronic people pleasers, and share how they’re working to stop putting everyone else’s comfort before their own. Sam also thinks about how he was brought up to think about what masculinity is, and what he’s doing to make sure his own son grows up with gentler male role models.

Plus, who remembers the days of MSN and webcam chatrooms? They reminisce about the random people they ended up talking to online back in the day...

You can watch Sam in Vanished on Amazon Prime from February 27th.

If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:

Riley Keogh

Jame Laing

Katherine May

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a bit too much pressure on reaching an unwavering state of happiness isn’t there? It’s just not realistic. So Fearne’s going to be dropping into your feed every week for some candid nattering about what’s making her feel great, and what’s making her feel crap.

This is a cosy little corner for all of us to explore what’s been on our minds, what’s been getting us down, inspiring us, and making us laugh. Wanna join the chat? Send us a voicenote, DM, or comment on Instagram @happyplaceofficial!

Today: what joyful little moments are getting Fearne and Team Happy Place through the grey winter, and what are we all leaving firmly in 2025?

In this chat, Fearne covers:

-The joy (or, maybe not) of finding your inner child through skipping

-Transitioning from being a gym-bunny to an intuitive exerciser

-Being constantly infantilised by others

-Reaching your gardening and electric blanket era

-How to deal with mansplaining

-A reminder for you to stop people pleasing, please

-Why treating yourself to a little gift is a very good idea

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.