Stockard Channing: Which moment embarrassed you most?

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.

Recorded Stockard Channing said elsewhere, not written here

Fifteen years ago, I totally forgot my lines on stage and was mortified. We skipped two pages of dialogue and took three minutes off the play – to the delight of the audience!

The Q&A, The Guardian, 8 August 2026 source ↗

Others on this question

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Omid Djalili British stand-up comedian and actor

Sending a text meant for my wife to Dara O'Briain by mistake, revealing myself to be a control freak.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 August 2010 source ↗

Adam Lambert American singer

I don’t embarrass easily: I’m kinda shameless.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 February 2023 source ↗

Seann Walsh

At school, I got my head stuck in a balustrade on the stairs at lunchtime. I had pupils laughing at me, parents laughing at me, teachers laughing at me and eventually, at the end of the day, the fire brigade laughing at me.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 31 January 2026 source ↗

John Simm English musician and actor

Going to pieces while meeting John Squire, the lead guitarist of the Stone Roses, backstage after a gig. I completely lost the ability to speak. I told him I had the same guitars as he’d just used on stage, and when he asked me which ones, the words completely went out of my head and there was a huge pause, and then his wife tapped his shoulder and he wandered off.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 March 2023 source ↗