Podcast Episodes

From The Vault: Dawn French

Season 2 Episode 248

From the dislocated, sun soaked childhood of an RAF family to a life spent shaping British comedy, Dawn French’s story is one of resilience, warmth and hard won self knowledge. In this generous conve…

Published on 7 hours ago

Full Disclosure 2025: The Year Reviewed

Season 2 Episode 250

A Boxing Day reflection on a standout year of Full Disclosure. James O’Brien revisits key guests and conversations from 2025, offering perspective on the ideas, stories and people that shaped the pod…

Published on 1 week ago

Martin Shaw: The Professionals was a monster that swallowed my career

Season 2 Episode 247

From bomb sites in postwar Birmingham to the centre of British stage and screen, Martin Shaw’s life has been shaped by curiosity, kindness and a refusal to play the part he was expected to play.

In th…

Published on 2 weeks ago

Sir Gareth Southgate: There were days I didn’t want to get out from under the duvet

Season 2 Episode 248

From missing the most famous penalty in English football to leading the national team into a new era, Gareth Southgate’s story is one of quiet resilience, modern leadership and emotional intelligence…

Published on 3 weeks ago

Jan Ravens: “I lived with a nameless dread”

Season 2 Episode 251

Jan Ravens, the acclaimed impressionist at the heart of Dead Ringers, grew up learning to change the mood of a room long before she ever changed her voice on stage. In this conversation with James O …

Published on 4 weeks ago

Hal Cruttenden: Divorce blew my mind- it hits harder than losing parents

Season 2 Episode 245

Before he became one of the most recognisable storytellers on the comedy circuit, Hal Cruttenden was a shy kid from West London who spent years trying to be what he thought others wanted him to be. H…

Published on 1 month ago

Stephen Mangan: When Mum died, I knew I couldn’t waste life being a lawyer- I had to act

Season 2 Episode 244

Before he became one of Britain’s most familiar faces, Stephen Mangan was a bookish North London boy from an Irish working-class family- the son of a builder and a barmaid- who won a scholarship to a…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Toby Jones: I never wanted to feel desperate about acting

Season 2 Episode 245

From Truman Capote to Mr Bates, Toby Jones has built a career on disappearing- an actor whose transformations are so complete they can seem alchemical. But behind that versatility lies a story of inh…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

John Lloyd: Blackadder, Spitting Image, QI and a life in search of meaning

Season 2 Episode 246

As the creative mind behind Blackadder, Spitting Image, Not the Nine O’Clock News and QI, John Lloyd has quietly shaped British comedy for more than forty years. In this episode of Full Disclosure, h…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Jimmy Wales: The man who built Wikipedia

Season 2 Episode 245

Long before it became one of the most visited websites on Earth, Wikipedia began as a radical idea from a curious boy in Huntsville, Alabama. Raised by a father who managed a grocery store and a moth…

Published on 2 months ago