Wrong Turns with Jameela Jamil
Episode: Sofie Hagen and Danny Wallace
Date: October 30, 2025
Guests: Sofie Hagen (Comedian, Author), Danny Wallace (Author, Broadcaster)
Overview
In this riotous episode of "Wrong Turns," Jameela Jamil welcomes two beloved friends: standup comedian and author Sofie Hagen and humorist, author, and broadcaster Danny Wallace. The trio dives shamelessly into confessions of their most embarrassing, mortifying, and awkward life moments. The guiding principle: there are no morals, no silver linings, and the only goal is to revel unapologetically in shared humiliation.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Introductions & Mutual Admiration
(01:32–04:34)
- Jameela introduces Sofie and Danny with deep affection, noting both have built careers out of life’s disasters.
- Sofie confesses to being starstruck by Danny, calling "Yes Man" life-changing:
“Secretly, of course, Yes Man meant the world to me…I needed to read it once a year to try and change my life.” — Sofie Hagen, (02:58)
- Jameela credits Danny's book with her TV career:
“Yes Man is the only reason I'm on television... I said yes ever since to everything apart from anal thus far.” — Jameela Jamil, (03:17)
On Profiting from Disaster and Micro-Humiliations
(04:34–06:24)
- Danny details his writing’s foundation: mini personal disasters, internal monologues, and learning they seem much worse in your head.
- Classic Danny gaffe: comparing someone’s blueberry-stained child to Hitler at a party:
“I realized that people don’t like you sort of pointing that kind of thing out loudly at a party.” — Danny Wallace, (06:02)
- Sofie observes the universal relief (and sometimes horror) when sharing embarrassing stories:
“Sometimes I'll share something and there'll be complete silence...then the shame." — Sofie Hagen, (06:24)
Making It Worse: Social Faux Pas and Doubling Down
(06:24–09:36)
- Jameela admits a compulsion to compare people’s children to her dogs—never goes down well.
- Sofie’s solution: "lean into it," claiming loving a dog is different and superior.
- Danny’s summary advice:
“Never compare them to dogs, Hitler or calling them dicks.” — Danny Wallace, (09:14)
- The group agrees some social blunders are better just acknowledged or even doubled down.
The Kissing Chronicles
(09:44–16:44)
- Sofie relates two cringeworthy kissing fails:
- The Bleeding Head Incident: While being intimate, hits head on radiator, starts bleeding but insists, "Just keep going. I’m fine." (10:21)
- The Mistaken Dance Move: Years later, tries to kiss same guy on the dance floor, but he was just doing a move; lips drag along his cheek, she hides on the floor in shame.
“My lips just, like, dragged along his cheek like this sad snail...I just sat on the floor, like, hiding my face until he left.” — Sofie Hagen, (11:10)
- Jameela confesses to never initiating kisses out of terror of rejection, leading to an “interview process” for anyone interested.
“If somebody wants to have sex with me, they would have to press the top of the traffic light...It’s whatever the exact opposite of porn is.” — Jameela Jamil, (16:04)
- Danny’s micro-humiliation: never knowing how many cheek kisses to give, leading to accidental mouth contact.
Social Misreads and Awkward Interactions
(18:06–23:35)
- Danny recounts following the wrong event staff around a hotel, inadvertently creating a “chase” scenario.
- Jameela confesses to compulsively chasing runners as a kid, earning confused and terrified glances.
- Danny talks about embarrassing his children by shouting at joggers ("No! Running!") and devising ways to embarrass street vendors in Rome (“Never in a million years!” for a rose vendor).
Extended Humiliations: Guest “Big Wrong Turns”
Sofie Hagen’s Story: The Michael Sheen Blunder
(27:08–33:22)
- Setup: Comedy fest in Wales, sees a quiet "slightly older" man at the table, assumes he’s a new comedian being shunned.
- Decides to be welcoming and supportive, giving advice on the industry, only to learn after a long pep talk that it’s the acclaimed actor Michael Sheen.
- She tries to recall his work, realizes she only knows him from Twilight:
“I was being very supportive...And then all the other comedians are kicking me under the table. And I just think, you snobs...” — Sofie Hagen, (29:27)
- Anecdote leads to a theme: forgetting people you’ve already met, sometimes even former housemates.
- Danny:
“Five of the most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘nice to see you again’.” — Danny Wallace, (33:49)
Danny Wallace’s Nightmare: The “Fresh Challenges” Dog
(39:44–53:34)
- Details owning a highly “challenging” dog and the series of escalating disasters:
- Dog Can’t Blink: Vet tells him the dog may need “doggles”—dog glasses.
- Carpet Catastrophe: After a diarrhea incident, rents an industrial carpet cleaning device for the first time, turning the process into an ordeal.
- Camping Debacle: After dealing with spilled Guinness and watermelon, takes kids and dog camping. Dog proceeds to have diarrhea throughout the tent all night, with no ability to escape, clean, or scream without waking children.
“To say it was the worst night of my life would be accurate, I think.” — Danny Wallace, (46:44)
- Jameela and Sofie top this with hotel dog diarrhea disasters—streaking expensive hotel towels, being captured in CCTV, and “smearing” the problem further (48:17–53:02).
Audience Submission: Medical School Interview Gone Wrong
(55:06–55:48)
- Listener Evie’s friend completely feigns knowledge of a book during a med school interview—only to discover the interviewer was the book’s author.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Jameela, on the podcast’s whole point:
“This is the podcast where dignity goes to die...Sometimes life is just fucking terrible and mortifying.” (01:32)
- Sofie describes her “snail” dance move:
“My lips just, like, dragged along his cheek like this sad snail...and I, like, crouched down, so I just sat on the floor, like, hiding my face until he left.” (11:10)
- Danny, summarizing accidental physical contact:
“All you can really do is go, I just kissed you on the side of your mouth. And then carry on.” (15:08)
- Jameela, on her traffic-light consent system:
“If somebody wants to have sex with me, they would have to press the top of the traffic light. And then I'll let you know if the light is green.” (16:04)
- Sofie, reflecting on her Michael Sheen mix-up:
"The play he was working on was something for...the Globe or something ridiculous. And he was being so nice about it." (30:59)
- Danny, post-camping horror:
“Maybe by sharing it, it will stop being mine and it will become ours.” (48:01)
Important Timestamps
- Introductions & fangirling: 02:15–03:17
- Main theme set-up: 03:34–04:34
- First remorseful disaster (Hitler baby): 05:02–06:15
- Micro-humiliations (“snail” dance): 09:44–12:20
- The Michael Sheen story: 27:14–31:01
- Danny’s “Fresh Challenges” and camping story: 41:44–48:02
- Audience disaster story: 55:06–55:48
Where to Find the Guests
- Sofie Hagen: Books ("Happy Fat", “Will I Ever Have Sex Again?”), YouTube Show "Generation Boy Band"
- Danny Wallace: Latest book "Somebody Told Me", Podcast "The Important Broadcast"
Tone and Final Thoughts
The episode is a masterclass in self-deprecating, no-holds-barred British humor. It’s a joyfully undignified parade of failed social cues, bodily disasters, and the peculiar, universal loneliness of embarrassment. Jameela, Sofie, and Danny create a hilarious safe space for listeners who need to hear that however many times you put your foot in it, you’re definitely not alone.
For full, vivid stories, listen to the episode for a cathartic laugh and a potent reminder: your worst moments are worth celebrating—especially when told with wit.