Being an addict is a difficult thing for anybody to navigate - but Hunter Biden’s struggles with addiction were put under worldwide scrutiny when his father, Joe Biden, was running for president. Now he’s taking control of his own narrative with the publication of a brutally honest memoir. In it, he opens up about the tragedy that has befallen the Biden family - from the car crash that killed Hunter’s mother and sister, to the loss of his brother, Beau to cancer in 2015. In this powerful...

Bestselling author Vex King has made it his goal to make talking about trauma accessible to everyone. After a difficult start in life, he now uses his immensely popular Instagram account and self-help books to try to give others the tools that helped him on his own path to self-acceptance. He tells Bryony how Bruce Lee played a surprising role in his journey towards self love, why positive thinking isn't just "woo-woo", and the secret to collectively healing after Covid.  Read Bryony's...

Can anyone light up a room like Stacey Solomon? She's brought joy to millions by sharing her positivity and beautiful family on her incredibly popular Instagram account. So it might be a surprise to many that she, like a lot of us, has had her own battles with her mental health. Stacey joins Bryony just after a recording of Loose Women to discuss why she's come to terms with her anxiety, the lingering guilt she feels after postnatal depression, and how she uses crafting as meditation. Plus,...

Winning the Booker Prize is a serious coup for any writer, but for author Douglas Stuart the achievement is personal as well as professional: successfully channeling childhood trauma into art. The result is his debut novel, Shuggie Bain, which follows the childhood of a young boy, Shuggie, and his alcoholic mother, Agnes, and was loosely based on Douglas' own life growing up in Glasgow. Douglas joins Bryony from his home in New York to discuss why representation drives his desire to write,...

In a sea of beauty hacks, home inspo and brunch snaps, Bryony Gordon's first guest of this new series of Mad World might seem an unlikely Instagram star. But artist Charlie Mackesy’s poignant and heartfelt illustrations have taken the platform by storm - and have earned him over a million followers. His debut book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, is billed as a vehicle for ‘hope in uncertain times’, and after a year of true uncertainty, he tells The Telegraph's Bryony Gordon that...

Jane Gordon is a celebrated journalist and author, and she's also... Bryony's mum.  She talks to Bryony about surviving lockdown on her own, why life drawing keeps her feeling young and the importance of making time to call your loved ones. And in proof that all parents are as embarrassing as each other, she manages to fit in a fair bit of that too. Jane Gordon - The day I realised I was living a lie - and wasn't immune to the ageing...

Getting to the end of some days in lockdown can feel like an Olympic effort, even for gold medallist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. She tells Bryony why the lockdown could help more people realise that even the smallest forms of exercise still count, why it's okay to live in lycra, and how even she struggles to get out of bed sometimes.  Jessica's fitness app, @wearejennis, also posts short workouts on their Instagram page.  Watch Bryony in Conspiracy theories, panic buying and scapegoats:...

Therapist Donna Lancaster helps people come to terms with loss. She tells Bryony why it's okay to be mourning your old way of life and why she's running grief workshops to help people cope. Donna shares some of those tips with us, but says there's one battle she's yet to conquer - not eating a packet of Rolos in one sitting. For information about Donna's grief events, follow @thebridgeretreat on Instagram. If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch the documentary about the Bridge Retreat...

Daisy May Cooper is taking the time to reflect on a busy year. After the third series of her hit show, This Country recently came to an end, she found herself facing the loss of a close friend. She tells Bryony why lockdown has brought her some much needed time to grieve. Plus, Daisy opens up about how growing up in poverty pushed her towards success, and why she'll be celebrating when nurseries reopen.  To find out more or seek help around...

Bake-off star, Nadiya Hussain is learning that it's okay not to be okay. But social isolation isn't always easy for those who suffer with anxiety, and Nadiya tells Bryony Gordon why she's struggling in lockdown. She opens up about the "hamster wheel" in her head, why she wishes she could live in the present and what she's most looking forward to at the end of it all. Read more about Nadiya's relationship with anxiety:...

Infection prevention nurse Natalie Mounter and mental health nurse Katy Lowe know what it's like to face a pandemic.  In the first episode of this brand new mini-series of Mad World, they tell Bryony Gordon how working in Sierra Leone during the 2014 Ebola outbreak taught them the importance of team support, avoiding burnout and why they feel the burden of being 'superheroes'. Read more from Bryony: https://bit.ly/2X6zXwj Get 30 days' free access to the...

Since the last series, the world really has become a bit… mad. Bryony Gordon returns for a mini series to help guide you through these unprecedented times. She'll sit down with household names, frontline healthcare workers and mental health staff to remind you that even when you’re isolating, you are not alone. Expect honesty, practical advice, and maybe even a little bit of cheer.

To mark the New Year, we wanted to give you a taster of our newest podcast. It’s called If I Can Do It - and if you liked Mad World, we think you’ll like this too.   In each episode, Bryony talks to someone whose life-story can put a bit of spring in your step. From an Oscar-winning filmmaker to a feminist icon-in-the-making - these are people who have overcome big obstacles on the road to success, and who have some powerful advice to share with the rest of us.   Up first is Mel B.   In...

Writer and feminist activist Scarlett Curtis speaks to Bryony Gordon in this special World Mental Health Day edition of the show. Scarlett opens up about her struggles with PTSD following major surgery, and how both her writing and her activist work help her cope with her own mental health on a day-to-day basis. Caution advised: strong language throughout. Visit www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld for more.

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE CEO and founding member of Mental Health First Aid England, Poppy Jaman OBE speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the tenth and final episode of the second series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.   Poppy details her struggles with prejudice and racism growing up in Portsmouth in the 80s, and how these experiences spurred her on in both life and career.

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE Cook and food writer, Melissa Hemsley, speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the ninth episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Melissa discusses how she's been dealing with her father's death from cancer three years ago, as well as how she manages her own relationship with food, having struggled with it in her pre-teenage years.

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE & ADULT THEMES Comedienne and social media star, Bella Younger, speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the eighth episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Better known as 'Deliciously Stella', her remarkable rise to fame saw Bella become an overnight Instagram sensation and ultimately resulted in a mental breakdown and treatment at the Priory; all whilst trying to pull...

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE  Former professional boxer Frank Bruno speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the seventh episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Having competed for over a decade, Frank's illustrious boxing career saw him win 40 off his 45 professional fights; but some of his biggest battles were to come from outside the ring. Frank opens up to Bryony about how it felt to suffer a mental...

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE  Reality TV star Rebekah Vardy speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the sixth episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Wife of England and Leicester City football player Jamie, Rebekah discusses her recent trials and tribulations as a campmate on 'I'm A Celebrity', as well as her struggles with post-natal depression and managing her own mental health as a mother of four. 

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE  Television and radio presenter Fearne Cotton speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the fifth episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Well-known as a mental health ambassador, Fearne talks to Bryony about how she manages her own issues alongside her young family and career.

STRONG CAUTION ADVISED - SOME LISTENERS COULD FIND THIS PODCAST VERY DISTRESSING AS IT INCLUDES GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILD RAPE British concert pianist James Rhodes speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the fourth episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  James discusses in harrowing detail how he was raped as a child and discusses how he copes with his mental health issues arising from those events.

This week 18 year-old Jade and her mother Claire speak to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the third episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Jade features in the BBC Two documentary 'Girls on the Edge', due to air on Thursday 22nd February, detailing young people's experiences of the mental health system in this country. 

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE & ADULT THEMES Professional photographer and nephew of Sir Paul McCartney, Sonny speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the second episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Having lost his lower left leg in a road traffic accident in 2016 Sonny speaks to Bryony about the highs, lows and how his humour alongside the support of friends and family has helped his through.

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE & ADULT THEMES President of Mind and all-round national treasure Stephen Fry speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in the first episode of the brand new series of Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences.  Recorded at The Arts Club, Dover Street, London, in association with the mental health charity Mind, Stephen speaks very candidly about his own mental health, how he manages it in the limelight and world of...

CAUTION ADVISED - STRONG LANGUAGE Mental health campaigner and new-mother Sue Baker speaks to the Telegraph’s Bryony Gordon in a special edition of her podcast, Mad World, where she interviews guests about their mental health experiences. During the discussion, Sue talks about the remarkable part that mental health has played in her life and how she is dealing with a terminal illness diagnosis.