Big Fish with Spencer Matthews

British women have recently topped a list of the world’s biggest binge drinkers. In this episode I'm asking why do Brits drink so much? It's important to note that men were found to consistently drink more heavily than women do, including in the UK where 45% of men and 26% of women are binge drinkers.

This episode covers:

1'00 - What is binge drinking?

4'00 - What's the difference between alcohol dependency and binge-pattern drinking?

7'00 - Why do Brits drink so much?

19'00 - Top tips for how you can drink less this Christmas

Tommy Mallet is an entrepreneur and TV personality - best known for appearing in The Only Way Is Essex. He started his own affordable footwear brand Mallet London in 2015, after being bullied at school for not being able to afford the best trainers. Mallet London has gone from strength to strength - with celebrity fans like Drake, Craig David and Will.I.Am. 

Tommy struggled academically at school, he was diagnosed a few years ago with ADHD and his dyslexia meant he struggled to read and write. He left school without any qualifications - and found his drive to earn money after working in luxury houses. This is a fascinating conversation about drive and perseverance.

Catch up with Tommy and his wife Georgia in the brand-new series of Georgia and Tommy: Baby Steps on ITVBE and ITVX, coming soon.

I've recently been diagnosed with ADHD. At school I always felt different, but never knew why. In this episode, I talk to Chip about how I feel about my diagnosis, how it affects my relationships and what happens in the diagnostic test.

This episode covers:

0’10 - What is ADHD?

1’20- Why I went for a diagnosis 

3’30 - How ADHD affects me

6’00 - What happens in the diagnosis test

12’00 - How ADHD might impact relationships (wife, children and work)

23'00 - Why it's important to get an official diagnosis

This episode contains detailed discussion around mental health and self-harm. If you or someone you know has been affected by anything you hear in this episode please speak to your GP.

Dame Kelly Holmes is a double Olympic Champion and one of the UK’s most popular athletes. She set the British records in the 800m and 1000m metres. Her memoir Unique has just been released - and it’s a beautifully brave and honest book; Kelly tells her story of coming out as gay in her 50s. This was one of my favourite interviews I've ever recorded. Kelly’s story is utterly inspirational. I know you will gain a lot from listening to this.

Grief - it’s something that we all will experience. In this episode Chip talks us through the grief cycle and I share my experiences of moving through each stage, including the painful denial I felt after losing my brother which lasted for a year.

This episode covers:

1’00 - What’s the grief process?

2’45 - Stage 1: Denial

7'00 - Stage 2: Bargaining

9’00 - Why you should tell your loved ones how you feel

11’40 - Stage 3: Anger

16’00 - Stage 4: Depression 

19’00 - Why I choose to use Mike’s death as a force for good

21’00 - Stage 5: Acceptance

Dean Forbes is one of the most successful black CEOs in the UK.

He’s the chief executive of Forterro, a tech Unicorn - a company worth over £1bn. He goes into struggling tech businesses, turns them around and gets huge exists - often in the billions. He’s also just been named the UK’s second most influential black person in the Powerlist 2024.

Dean’s story is incredible. He came from a working-class background, raised in Lewisham and his family were made homeless twice. He originally trained to become a professional footballer, but was forced to take a job in a call centre after being let go and amassing thousands in debt.

I absolutely loved my conversation with Dean - he's an utter inspiration.

I'd find it difficult to admit I'm burnt out. But reading the list of commons signs of burnout made me reflect on whether it's something I've experienced when building CleanCo. This episode is all about stress and burnout; what's the difference and simple ways you can reduce your stress.

In this episode:

1'00 - What is burnout?

4'00 - Why is it difficult to admit you're burnt out?

8'00 - How does stress manifest in different people?

10'00 - Ways to manage stress

11'00 - Why I now do Wim Hoff's breathing method

19'00 - Free ways to reduce stress if you're short of time

This episode contains detailed discussion around mental health. If you or someone you know has been affected by anything you hear in this episode please contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or speak to your GP.

James McVey is a musician, best known as the lead guitarist and songwriter of The Vamps, the hit boy band, with two-number 1 albums, multiple arena tours and their music has been streamed 6 billion times. 

Now James has released his first solo music, which came as an immense challenge after being forced to remain silent following surgery on his vocal chords. In this powerfully honest interview we talk about how James’ childhood shaped him, including overcoming bullying in his teens to issues around his body image.

After my incredible interview with Roman Kemp last week, I wanted to spend this week's bonus episode talking about men and their mental health. Why do men struggle to talk about what's bothering us? This episode is essential listening for all men, plus any girlfriends, wives, mothers and friends who want to find out how to support someone in their life who is struggling.

This episode covers:

1'20 - Why there's a stigma surrounding getting help

3'00 - Do all mental health issues stem from childhood trauma?

4'00 - Why are men reluctant to talk about their emotions?

6'20 - How does talking help?

10'10 - When is it time to go to therapy?

15'00 - Why do I parent my son differently to my daughter?

18'00 - Will the destigmatisation of ill-mental health lead to a weaker generation?

21'00 - How do you speak to someone who is struggling?

Holly Tucker is the Queen of small business. Over 20 years ago she co-founded Not On The High Street - one of the first online marketplaces to exist. She started the business in her 20s and she and her co-founder had to plead the local bank manager for a loan. Not On The High Street has since made over one billion pounds for small businesses on the platform. Holly stepped away from the company a few years back, and she's now launched Holly & Co - a marketplace founded by females, championing female founders and with female shoppers in mind. It's also an advice hub for entrepreneurs. I absolutely adored my conversation with Holly. We chatted about the importance of trusting your gut, how to find your purpose and the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when starting out.