Joe Tracini was only 18 months old when he first performed on stage with his Dad, Joe Pasquale. By the time he was 15 he was named as the most promising comedy act by Ken Dodd. Tracini then landed a role in Hollyoaks but his acting career was overwhelmed by a serious drug and alcohol addiction. Then in 2018 Tracini revealed that he had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and he started to make short films explaining the condition, drawing in a new crowd and taking on a new relevance during the coronavirus lockdowns. His book, Ten Things I Hate About Me is available on pre-sale. 

Anyone impacted by this story or feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.

Joe Tracini

Award-winning LBC presenter and best-selling author James O’Brien hosts a series of compelling conversations with fascinating people. These are revealing interviews with people who rarely give in-depth interviews, be it from politics, entertainment or news. Subscribe to get a new episode every Friday.

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In 2010 Caroline Lucas made history when she was elected as the MP for Brighton Pavilion, becoming the first Green Party candidate to enter Parliament. She has increased her majority at every election since and served as the Green leader twice. In her 14 years in Westminster, Caroline has used her platform to put environmental and equality issues on the political agenda. Her latest book, Another England sets out how we can reclaim England's national story from Brexit cheerleaders and the radical right.

Caroline Lucas: Being Britain's first and only Green MP

In 2011 Bassem Youssef was a little-known heart surgeon in Cairo. A year later, he was hosting his own political satire TV show, Al-Bernameg, drawing in 30 million weekly viewers as he made fun of the Egyptian regime. Bassem's comedy was groundbreaking but it proved too controversial to remain on air. In 2014 he was forced to move to United States, where he has since had to work to re-establish his career in a new language. Now, he's back in the news thanks to an explosive interview with Piers Morgan on the conflict in Gaza, which went viral.  Tickets for his latest tour, The Middle Beast, are available at livenation.co.uk

Bassem Youssef: Egypt's Jon Stewart on Palestine, the press and Piers Morgan

"The best ideas don't come from the boardroom, the best ideas come from the frontline."  James Timpson is the chief executive of Timpson, a family-run business known for its key cutting and watch repair services. James does business differently. His unconventional leadership style has raised eyebrows - but it works. Since taking over Timpson, he has grown the business to over 2,000 stores by developing new ideas, giving ex-prisoners a second chance and putting his employees first.  He has published a book packed with leadership advice for a happier, healthy workforce. The Happy Index: Lessons in Upside-Down Management is out now. 

James Timpson: The secrets to running a successful business and making money

Bryony Gordon is a bestselling author, mental health campaigner and founder of Mental Health Mates. She has been a columnist for the Telegraph for over twenty years where she has written honestly and openly about her experiences of mental illness and addictions. Her latest book, Mad Woman details her experiences of OCD, binge eating and the endless battle to stay sober. Bryony tells James about the realities of living with dark, intrusive thoughts and how exercise became her salvation. 

Bryony Gordon: My OCD made me think my family would die

Growing up, Justin Welby thought his home life was normal. It wasn't until he was a teenager that he realised being brought up by an abusive, alcoholic father was anything but. He found faith and the love of God as a student at Cambridge, bringing with it a sense of peace and security. He graduated and then spent 11 years working in the oil industry.  From such unlikely beginnings, Justin Welby’s faith became his life. He was ordained a priest in 1993 and has been the Archbishop of Canterbury since 2013. He tells James about his struggles growing up with an alcoholic father and why he speaks out on political issues like the Rwanda Bill.

Joe Tracini

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