When struggling to invent the electric light bulb, Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed; I've simply found ten thousand ways that won't work."

In this series, five people from very different spheres of life reflect on what failure has taught them personally and explain what value those lessons have in their worlds.

As a teenager, Ed Smith told anyone who'd listen that he wanted to play cricket for England. He did - but only three times. In this programme, Ed meets the first ever professional sports psychologist, William Davies, and together they reflect on some key moments of sporting failure, and how the lessons learned on the sports field can transfer into real life.

Producer: Catherine Carr.
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4. Show less