Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Sebastian Faulks

Novelist Sebastian Faulks has the rare quality of being both literary and popular. He’s best known for his historical novels set in France, and in particular, Birdsong, adapted for the screen and starring Eddie Redmayne. Now for the first time Faulks has ventured into the future - but not very far - setting his latest novel from 2030, beginning with an experiment at an IVF clinic which challenges ethical boundaries. His 16th novel, The Seventh Son is out now.

54 min

Mark Gatiss

Few of us realise the dreams we have as 8-year-olds, but actor, screenwriter and director Mark Gatiss, obsessed with horror, Dr Who and Sherlock Holmes as a child, has managed to incorporate his early passions into his professional life. Now a grown-up with an astonishing catalogue of work, Gatiss no longer pursues the macabre with adolescent fervour, but a darkness continues to run through even the most camp and comedic additions to his oeuvre. From December 2023 he'll be starring in The Motive and the Cue at the Noel Coward Theatre whilst directing The Unfriend at Wyndham’s Theatre next door. Tickets available now.

61 min

Dawn Butler

Dawn Butler was the first black woman to speak at the despatch box in the House of Commons. But as a young person it had not once occurred to her to go into politics. In this episode, Dawn explains how an injustice she experienced at primary school triggered a series of events, encouraging her to confront wrongs where she sees them, even within her own ranks. Her book, A Purposeful Life is out now.

63 min

Polly Toynbee

When Polly Toynbee arrived at The Observer in the late 1960s, she quickly concluded that she'd make a poor news reporter. Hailing from a long line of well-heeled and highly educated liberals and social reformers, Polly surmised that she didn't know enough about the country she'd grown up in. Since then, Polly has worked in factories, hospitals and care homes, shedding light on the nature of work and class. Now regarded as one of the country’s best journalists, her latest book, An Uneasy Inheritance: My Family and Other Radicals tracks her genealogy and takes a deep dive into what it means to be privileged in Britain.

62 min

Dale Vince

Environmentalist Dale Vince was appalled to learn, as a child, that many adults don't enjoy going to work. Rejecting convention, he decided to hit the road, becoming a New Age traveller - living off the land in alternative communities around England. It's not the obvious starting point for somebody who'd go on to build a company worth £100m.

63 min

Best of Full Disclosure

After a brief summer hiatus, James brings you some of the most extraordinary moments you might not have heard from Full Disclosure. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode featuring a fascinating guest James has always wanted to speak to.

67 min

Shaparak Khorsandi

Comedian and author Shaparak Khorsandi speaks to James about being diagnosed with ADHD in her forties, her Iranian background and ambitions to become a psychotherapist. Her book, Scatter Brain, is out now.

63 min

Alan Titchmarsh

He's one of the nation's favourite broadcasters, but when Alan Titchmarsh was a young lad, his parents worried about him. Disliking secondary school and leaving with one O-Level in art, Titchmarsh, to his father's dismay, journeyed closer towards his first love: gardening. He speaks to James about his lengthy career in television, radio and print and describes the surreality of being recognised everywhere after starring in the hit garden makeover series, Ground Force.

60 min

Rob Rinder

Broadcaster, criminal barrister, columnist and now novelist, Rob Rinder is too curious a person to stay in one place for long. He speaks to James about how he fell out of love with the law as well his first novel, The Trial, which draws upon his real life experience of the British legal system and the cases he's worked on.

71 min

Wendell Pierce

Wendell Pierce was on the verge of quitting acting after he graduated from Juilliard - but decided to "give it a year". Four decades on, he's one of the most celebrated character actors working today. Wendell speaks to James about his childhood in New Orleans, his big break in The Wire and the new series of his hit thriller series, Jack Ryan.Please be advised that this episode contains a highly offensive term.  

61 min

Dexter Fletcher

After 50 years in TV, film and theatre, James O'Brien sits down with one of his heroes, actor turned big-time director, Dexter Fletcher to discuss the lows and soaring highs of his life and career.

66 min

Joan Bakewell

She was made a peer in 2011, but Dame Joan Bakewell regards herself first and foremost as a journalist and writer. From a very young age, Joan developed a passion for reading, leading to a discovery of 'an internal life'. She speaks to James about her disciplinarian mother, the enormous freedom she had making television in the 1970s and her philosophy.

60 min

Mark Steel

A master at throwing interviewers off his own scent, comedian Mark Steel got so bored of being asked the same questions that he started making things up. Swerving his traps, James speaks to Mark about his totally real but fantastical sounding family background and new tour.

63 min

Alastair Campbell

Self-confessed workaholic Alastair Campbell can't help but feel that he's not doing enough. He's written 18 books, is editor at large of The New European newspaper and his podcast, The Rest is Politics, co-hosted with Rory Stewart, is usually ranked top of the UK charts. But Alastair promised his mum that he'd never go back to the political front line. Alastair's latest tome, But What Can I Do?, seeks to empower its readers to make their own difference.

66 min

Evie Meg

Evie Meg, AKA thistrippyhippie has over 16 million followers on TikTok, making her one of the most prominent online disability advocates. Conversely, one of Evie's conditions, PANDAS, is little-known and often misunderstood. For Mental Health Awareness Week, Evie speaks to James about how her life is impacted by PANDAS and Tourette's syndrome, shedding light on how the boundaries between physical and psychological health are often blurred.

56 min

Introducing: Unprecedented

Brexit, Covid, Partygate, lockdowns, leaks, the war in Ukraine, a cost-of-living crisis and the scandals that plagued our politics. Guto Harri was in the room when the big decisions were made. In this podcast, expect unprecedented access behind the shiny black door of Number 10 Downing Street, during one of the most chaotic periods in British political history.  Guto was Boris Johnson’s Communications Chief. When he first walked over the Number 10 threshold, things weren’t normal. A set of circumstances, scandals and chaos that will never be repeated. It was unprecedented. Episode one out now on Global Player.

4 min

Jack Whitehall

His first stand-up gig was at the tender age of 16. It was not critically well received. But Jack Whitehall quickly became a firm favourite on our screens, dominating the television comedy circuit and starring in shows such as Fresh Meat and Bad Education. But his early success also had its problems. Jack speaks to James about how challenging it was finding his voice as well as his new UK tour, Settle Down.

61 min

Stephen Flynn

At 34 years old he's the SNP's youngest ever leader in Westminster, moving at breakneck speed from supermarket checkout boy to Rishi Sunak's political adversary at PMQs. With Nicola Sturgeon's shock resignation and continuing investigation into the party's finances, he picks up the mantle during a turbulent time for the independence movement. But Flynn seems cool and collected about the task ahead. He speaks to James about his background and explains how having a disability inadvertently led him to the Commons.

62 min

Liam Thomas

For more than a decade, Liam Thomas worked as an undercover detective in the Metropolitan Police’s Covert Surveillance Unit, mixing with dangerous criminals and eventually investigating corrupt officers within his own force. A self-styled keeper of secrets, Liam believes he and his profession are recruited in childhood. His book, The Buyer is a gripping, self-reflective memoir and dramatic account of what it means to be on the inside and the outside at the same time.

62 min

Jason Arday

On paper, a professorship at Cambridge is not an obvious outcome for a person who cannot read or write by the age of 18. It is also not what we might expect for an eleven-year-old boy who cannot speak. But after listening to Jason Arday's account of his early life, academic excellence sounds more like destiny. Now a sociologist at one of the world's most prestigious universities, Jason speaks to James about perseverance, love and the importance of the collective.

67 min

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Episodes

Sebastian Faulks

Mark Gatiss

Dawn Butler

Polly Toynbee

Dale Vince

Best of Full Disclosure

Shaparak Khorsandi

Alan Titchmarsh

Rob Rinder

Wendell Pierce

Dexter Fletcher

Joan Bakewell

Mark Steel

Alastair Campbell

Evie Meg

Introducing: Unprecedented

Jack Whitehall

Stephen Flynn

Liam Thomas

Jason Arday

The Dozen with Liam Tuffs

Anything Goes with James English

Olivia's House with Olivia Attwood

Radical with Amol Rajan

Episodes

Sebastian Faulks

Mark Gatiss

Dawn Butler

Polly Toynbee

Dale Vince

Best of Full Disclosure

Shaparak Khorsandi

Alan Titchmarsh

Rob Rinder

Wendell Pierce

Dexter Fletcher

Joan Bakewell

Mark Steel

Alastair Campbell

Evie Meg

Introducing: Unprecedented

Jack Whitehall

Stephen Flynn

Liam Thomas

Jason Arday

Similar podcasts

The Dozen with Liam Tuffs

Anything Goes with James English

Olivia's House with Olivia Attwood

Radical with Amol Rajan