The novel Slow Horses by Mick Herron tells the story of a team of disgraced MI5 agents assigned to a bureaucratic dumping ground known as Slough House. They’re, by all accounts, failures – demoted from top tier intelligence to basement busy work. That is, until a kidnapping case lands squarely on their dusty desks – thrusting the slow horses into fast paced espionage.

The irony? That book was rejected. For seven years. Then it was pitched as a television series – and rejected by multiple networks. 

To quote Slough House loser-in-chief Jackson Lamb: “They’re losers. But they’re my losers.”

Hope you’ll join us.

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Dawn Staley graduated high school National Player of the Year. She went on to become a two-time National College Player of the Year. She is a five-time WNBA All-Star, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and was the United States flag bearer at the 2004 Games. As a coach, she has won three NCAA titles, four National Coach of the Year titles, and the hall-of-famer coached Team USA to Olympic gold in 2020. Yet, Dawn Staley was told basketball was for boys. 

Hope you’ll join us.

The major source behind this episode is: "Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three" by Dawn Staley.

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For our first episode back, we bring you the stories of two bad guys. Breaking Bad guys – Bryan Cranston aka Walter White and Giancarlo Esposito aka Gus Fring. Both spent decades bouncing around Hollywood. Both faced major rejection. Both the least suspecting drug overlords of all time. 

ICYMI, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has a rejection story of his own. The pilot for Breaking Bad was rejected by Showtime, FX, TNT & HBO. Find our "Rejecting Breaking Bad" episode here.

Hope you’ll join us.

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Hello from our summer hiatus. We hope you’re soaking up the rays. Whether you're on the road, on the job or on the dock, we thought you might enjoy another team favourite. This week our director Callie shares how she first learned about this two-time Academy Award nominated actor in one of her all-time favourite shows. 

Adam Driver is known for his roles in films like Marriage Story, BlacKkKlansman and the Star Wars franchise as Kylo Ren. But before landing his breakout role on HBO's Girls, Driver was rejected from Julliard, turned his Lincoln Town Car around before he reached Los Angeles and was medically discharged from the Marines prior to deployment. Broke and struggling to find his way, Driver made a bold decision: to apply to Julliard again. 

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Each week on this series, we tell the stories of famous names who overcame debilitating career rejection. We’ve talked through the careers of actors, artists, authors, athletes and even one astronaut. But rejection affects us all. So we put out a call for listener rejection stories. Your stories.

They’re inspiring, they’re insightful, they’re remarkable. Take a listen.

P.S. We're on our summer hiatus starting this week – but – we'll be dropping some fun new Minis and listener faves from the past six years. Back into the regular season at the end of August. See you soon.

Tell us YOUR rejection story:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

Write to us: [email protected]

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In Part II of our "Rejecting Monty Python" episode, the Knights of the Round Table head west. Led Zeppelin enters the chat. Rabbis protest – and the Life of Monty Python is saved by a Beatle.

Hope you’ll join us.

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We DON'T regret to inform you that our show will be airing on the CBC this summer.

Find us on CBC Radio One & Sirius XM ch.169 for 10 weeks, beginning June 25th:

• Wednesdays at 11:30am (CBC & Sirius)
• Fridays at 4:00pm (Sirius)
• Sundays at 7:00pm (CBC & Sirius)
• Or stream us anytime on the CBC Listen app.

It's a CBC summer. Hope you'll join us.

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Lo! Upon the first breath of Monty Python’s Flying Circus o’er the enchanted waves of BBC One, scribes within the castle walls did trade many a curious whisper and scroll, to wit:

“This episode contained two really awful sketches.”

“The treatment of the national anthem is not amusing.”

 “Parts of this...are disgusting.”

And, “The death sequence was in appalling taste.”

Prithee, join us.

Tell us YOUR rejection story, and you may be featured in an upcoming episode:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

Write to us: [email protected]

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Today we bring you another favourite episode from our Apostrophe team. On the eve of The Truman Show's 27th anniversary, our sound engineer Geoff Devine explains why this timeless film is one of his all time favourites and why Carrey's stand up story stands out for him. Jim Carrey is Ace Ventura. He’s the Grinch. He’s Bruce Almighty. Need we say more? But in 1989, Carrey was getting routinely crucified on stage, rejected for parts and was nearly starving to death – living in a bachelor apartment with a baby basket on the floor. Then one day, he wrote himself a check for $10M for “acting services rendered” – dated five years in the future.

Tell us YOUR rejection story, and you may be featured in an upcoming episode:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

Write to us: [email protected]

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