Richard Eyre: When were you most embarrassed?

The question

When were you most embarrassed?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Richard Eyre

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

When I was doing a masterclass at a theatre and I had to leave the stage because I was about to shit my pants.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 February 2026 source ↗

Others on this question

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Neil Gaiman Author of fiction, comics and screenplays

The idiocy of going to Skye from New Zealand in April 2020. All of a sudden, I’m turning on the news and hearing myself as an item. I have never been more mortified.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 October 2023 source ↗

Rory Stewart

Having somebody pull my judo trousers down at a competition when I was seven. And finding I wasn’t wearing any pants.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 January 2026 source ↗

Kathy Lette Australian-British author

Bumping into my male boss at a nudist beach.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 June 2024 source ↗

Imogen Poots

I once asked a young woman if she had ever heard of the musician Laura Marling, insinuating I knew Laura Marling, to which she replied: “I am Laura Marling.”

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 March 2024 source ↗