Daily life

What keeps you awake at night?

196 answers answered between 2008 and 2026 one of 25 in The Q&A

Originally asked

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

A long-running fixed question in The Guardian's weekly Q&A questionnaire.

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On the record

Public figures who have answered a question like this elsewhere. Quoted from the source shown, not written for FLAPSS.

Omid Djalili British stand-up comedian and actor
Boothby Graffoe calling up to pester me into promoting his new album, available on Amazon and iTunes.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 August 2010 source ↗
Sinéad O'Connor Irish singer and songwriter
The possibility that my forensic accountant might not be mistaken about various people badly using me.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 June 2013 source ↗
Reece Shearsmith British actor, comedian and writer
Sometimes the overwhelming realisation that I will one day die; but mostly that ShortList man from the tube throwing stones at my window.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 August 2014 source ↗
The fact that at least 300,000 women die every year from pregnancy and childbirth-related issues that are largely preventable.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 May 2017 source ↗
Martin Freeman English actor
Thinking about all the worst possible things: losing people, dying, how am I going to die? All that sort of stuff. I stay awake thinking about furniture and shoes as well. It’s not all death.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 January 2019 source ↗
Laurence Fox English actor and activist
Worry about being self-employed. Nowadays, I don’t lose sleep over my divorce – I did for about a year.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 December 2019 source ↗
Ralf Little English actor, writer, former semi-professional footballer
Worry about work: it’s a precarious business being an actor.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 February 2020 source ↗
Daniel Mays British actor
The light in my neighbours’ kitchen because they still haven’t put a blind up.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 April 2020 source ↗

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