Afleveringen
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Cressida Cowell is on of the most beloved children's authors, selling millions and millions of books worldwide, including 'How to train your dragon' which is now a global film franchise too.
In this episode of Full Disclosure with James O'Brien, Cressida tells us about her loving childhood with summers spent on Little Colonsay in the Inner Hebridies - a small, inhabited island that her environmentalist dad bought. From boarding school to sixth form, she charts back through her love or reading and illustrating to the struggles, and sometimes lack of, that she faced to become a successful author.
A self-proclaimed misfit at school who struggle with concentration and organisation, Cressida tells james how she felt powerless as a child and loved reading stories with strong female heroes - something she strives for in her writing.
But school never held her back, and with some good fortune of meeting the right people at the right time, Cressida discusses how she got her big break, 'How To Train Your Dragon' didn't become an instant hit, but a cult one and how Hiccup came to be.
Find out more about Cressida Cowell and her new book How To Train Your Dragon School: Fight of the Flamestrike here.
Full Disclosure is a Global Production
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After Andy Burnham's landslide win against Nigel Farage's Reform party in Makerfield, we thought you'd love to hear his interview with James O'Brien again, first released in 2022
Dubbed 'King of the North' at the height of the pandemic, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham speaks to James about why he sees the country of his birth as containing 'two Englands'. After growing up in a catholic Labour family in Aintree, Burnham went on to study at Cambridge but did not fit in. He tells James why.
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This episode includes discussion of sensitive topics, including addiction, that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening, and feel free to pause or step away if you need to.
DJ Fat Tony has spent a lifetime turning chaos into charisma. Long before he became one of the most recognisable figures in British nightlife, he was a kid from Battersea learning, far too young, how to protect himself, how to perform, and how to survive. His childhood wasn’t without love or colour - he speaks warmly about his glamorous, indulgent mother, his complex but protective father, and the freedom and style that shaped him - but it was also marked by abuse, secrecy and the sense that he had to grow up far too quickly.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with DJ Fat Tony to trace the path from those early years to the centre of London’s club culture. Tony reflects on sneaking into nightlife as a teenager, finding his people on the King’s Road, and building a reputation not through technical brilliance but through instinct, energy and an unerring ear for what moved people.
He speaks candidly about trauma, addiction, identity and the masks he wore to stay in control, as well as the extraordinary highs of a life lived at full volume - from the golden age of clubbing to the friendships, fame and excess that came with it. Tony opens up about recovery, honesty and the hard work of building a life that no longer depends on performance or escape.
It’s a funny, moving and often startling conversation about survival, reinvention and what it means to finally feel at home in yourself.
Find out more about Recover Me by DJ Fat Tony here
Additional support:
If you've been affected by anything you've heard in this episode, please take a moment to read the resources listed: We Are With You, Change Grow Live, Turning Point
Full Disclosure is a Global Production
Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Nina Conti has built a career out of saying the unsayable, turning ventriloquism, improvisation and audience interaction into something far stranger, deeper and more daring than anyone expected. From early struggles with shyness and self-doubt to creating a completely original form of performance, Nina’s work has always lived somewhere between chaos and control, invention and instinct.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Nina to explore the unusual path that led her from an acting dynasty and an uneasy start in the profession to becoming one of the most distinctive live performers in Britain.
Nina reflects on growing up in the shadow of famous parents, her complicated relationship with acting, and the influence of the late Ken Campbell, whose mentorship helped unlock the ventriloquism that would ultimately become her artistic home. She explains how improvisation, risk and an appetite for the unexpected shaped her work, and why putting words into other people’s mouths became the key to finding her own voice.
They also discuss performance, shyness, subversion, film-making and the strange alchemy of making something feel alive in the moment. Along the way, Nina reveals how a career that could easily have taken a more conventional route was instead built on accidents, instincts and a willingness to follow the more interesting door.
Find out more about Nina Conti’s live shows here
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Russell T Davies has spent a career changing what British television can be, moving from children’s drama to fearless queer storytelling and one of the nation’s most enduring cultural institutions, Doctor Who. Whether reinventing Saturday night television, capturing the emotional truth of the AIDS crisis in It’s a Sin, or turning the anxieties of modern Britain into gripping drama in Years and Years and his new series Tip Toe, his work has consistently shaped the conversation as well as entertained millions.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Russell to explore the childhood in Swansea that first formed him: a home full of books, teachers and respect for television, a huge comprehensive school where he learned to keep his head down, and the youth theatre that gave him both his tribe and his future.
Russell reflects on the early obsession with Doctor Who, the long road into writing, and the Manchester years that changed everything, professionally and personally. He talks about finding his voice through queer characters, the shock of Queer as Folk becoming a cultural flashpoint, and why television has always felt like the natural home for the stories he wants to tell.
They also discuss politics, backlash, imagination, gay identity and the darker mood shaping modern Britain. Along the way, Russell explains why storytelling is a form of witness, why no childhood is too happy to produce serious art, and how the obsessions of youth can become the work of a lifetime.
Watch Tip Toe on Channel 4 from May 31st here
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Fern Britton spent decades in Britain’s living rooms, mastering the art of making live television feel warm, effortless and intimate, even when life behind the scenes was at times anything but. From breakfast TV and Ready Steady Cook to bestselling novels and a new chapter in Cornwall, Fern’s career has been defined by reinvention, resilience and an instinctive understanding of how to connect.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Fern to explore the winding path that took her from regional television to the very centre of British daytime broadcasting, and from household-name presenter to successful novelist.
Fern reflects on the strange chemistry of live television, the professional confidence that grew alongside public recognition, and the moments when success came at a personal cost. She talks about the reality of working in some of TV’s biggest shows, the complicated dynamics behind the camera, and the scrutiny that followed her when private struggles became public spectacle.
They also discuss friendship, ageing, writing, fame and the pull of Cornwall - a place that has long offered Fern both escape and inspiration. Along the way, she reveals how a career that often looked carefully planned was in fact built by saying yes, trusting her instincts and learning, time and again, how to begin again.
Find out more about A Cornish Legacy by Fern Britton here
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He is one of Britain’s most high-energy comics, but Russell Kane’s story begins far from the world he now inhabits: on a council estate, in a home shaped by discipline, class tension and a rigid idea of masculinity. What followed was not a straight line to success, but a series of reinventions powered by anger, ambition and the discovery that books could open doors his upbringing never knew existed.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Russell to explore how a bright, restless boy from Enfield became a comic, writer, broadcaster and storyteller with an insatiable appetite for reinvention.
Russell looks back on a childhood dominated by his father’s force of personality, a school life in which fitting in often mattered more than applying himself, and the moment everything changed: a late awakening to education that sent him hurtling towards A-levels, university and a career in advertising. He explains how that same momentum eventually pulled him towards stand-up, where the risk of failure became part of the thrill.
They discuss class, reading and the seductive force of self-improvement; the emotional legacy of being loved but not always understood; the tension between public success and private insecurity; and why children’s books, biohacking and Shakespeare all make sense within Russell Kane’s ever-expanding world.
Funny, frank and full of nervous energy, this is a conversation about family, class, ambition and the lifelong process of working out who you are.
Find out more about When Brian Met Terry by Russell Kane here
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Before she became one of Britain’s most trusted psychotherapists and writers, Philippa Perry had already lived many different lives: boarding school child, dyslexic misfit, debt collector, McDonald’s manager, art student, Samaritan volunteer and a blooming therapist.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Philippa to trace the winding path behind her public voice on relationships, parenting and emotional life - from a childhood shaped by emotional restraint, class anxiety and the sense of never quite being seen, to the books, ideas and experiences that helped her begin to understand herself.
Philippa reflects on growing up in a materially comfortable but emotionally limited world, being sent away to boarding school, and the long-lasting effects of feeling misunderstood both at home and at school. She describes how reading, work and sheer curiosity opened up new ways of seeing people- and how her early jobs, from tracing debtors in Oxford to managing staff at McDonald’s, taught her as much about human nature as any formal training.
They discuss class, confidence and social mobility; the hidden damage of criticism and the transformative power of kindness; why so many therapists are trying to make sense of their own lives; and how motherhood changed Philippa’s understanding of what a child needs in order to feel safe, known and loved.
Funny, searching and deeply moving, this is a conversation about childhood, reinvention, emotional survival and the lifelong work of becoming yourself.
Find out more about Shrink Solves Murder by Philippa Perry here
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Before she became the entrepreneur behind Kardashian-founded brands Good American and Skims, Emma Grede was a kid from Plaistow with severe dyslexia, few qualifications, and a fierce belief that she could build a bigger life for herself.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Emma to trace the story behind her remarkable rise- from helping raise her younger sisters in East London and struggling in a school system that never seemed to fit, to building a career in fashion through sheer audacity, instinct and relentless hard work.
Emma reflects on the work ethic she inherited from her mother, the unpaid placements and early setbacks that taught her how business really worked, and the confidence that drove her to knock on doors others were too intimidated to approach. She explains how she discovered her gift for negotiation, why relationships became the foundation of her success, and how those instincts helped her build businesses alongside the Kardashians that would go on to reshape modern fashion and culture.
They discuss class, ambition and social mobility; the difference between talent and opportunity; the myths we tell about success; and why Emma believes women need a more honest conversation about work, money and power.
Sharp, funny and full of hard-won insight, this is a conversation about ambition, reinvention and what it really takes to get to the top.
Find out more about START WITH YOURSELF: A New Vision for Work & Life by Emma Grede here
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Before he became known to millions as Jack Whitehall’s gloriously dry and impeccably mannered father, Michael Whitehall had already lived several lives: socially ambitious schoolboy, drifting young journalist, unlikely prep school teacher, theatrical agent and producer to some of the biggest names in British entertainment.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Michael to uncover the family story behind the public persona- a mother determined to climb the social ladder, a childhood shaped by love, embarrassment and aspiration, and the “disputable” mythology that surrounded the Whitehall name.
Michael reflects on being sent away to boarding school, the clever and comic ways he learned to survive there, and the early signs of the charm, wit and adaptability that would later define his career. He also looks back on a series of improbable early jobs, and the extraordinary good fortune that eventually led him into the world of agents, actors and television production.
They discuss class, performance and social mobility; the strange gap between being adjacent to fame and becoming famous yourself; and the warmth at the centre of Michael’s life, from his parents to Hillary, his children, and the now-beloved on-screen relationship with Jack.
Funny, perceptive and full of brilliant stories, this is a conversation about family, class, luck and a life spent moving between worlds.
Listen to The Wittering Whitehall’s podcast here
Find out more about Shark Infested Waters by Michael Whitehall here
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This episode includes discussion of sensitive topics, including addiction, that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening, and feel free to pause or step away if you need to.
From a privileged childhood in Surrey to the chaos of addiction, expulsion and eventual recovery, Marcus Brigstocke’s early life was far more turbulent than his public persona might suggest.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the comedian, writer and performer to explore the experiences that shaped him: boarding school at seven, a damaging relationship with food from childhood, and the compulsive behaviours that would later give way to alcohol, drugs and despair while he was still in his teens.
Marcus speaks with extraordinary candour about shame, survival and the long road to recovery, reflecting on the pain of being sent away so young, the sense of being trapped inside patterns he could neither control nor explain, and the intervention that ultimately saved his life before adulthood had properly begun.
They discuss the strange overlap between addiction and comedy, the instant feedback of making people laugh, and the role performance played in helping him endure what was happening offstage. Marcus also reflects on class, masculinity, recovery, parenthood and the double life of a stand-up- thick-skinned and vulnerable, commanding and needy, all at once.
Funny, forensic and deeply moving, this is a conversation about trauma, reinvention and the hard-won joy of becoming the person you might not have lived long enough to meet.
Additional support:
If you've been affected by anything you've heard in this episode, please take a moment to read the resources listed: We Are With You, Change Grow Live, Turning Point
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Full Disclosure is taking a short break over the Easter holidays, but we’ll be back very soon with a brand new episodes!
Until then, why not dip back into the archive and catch up on some of this year’s standout episodes, with guests including Jonathan Pryce, Sadiq Khan, Gary Lineker, Naz Shah and more.
Listen now on Global Player, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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From a childhood in Islington to more than three decades on one of Britain’s biggest television shows, Natalie Cassidy’s life has unfolded in public for almost as long as she can remember.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the actor to trace a journey that began in a close-knit working-class family, took shape at the Anna Scher Theatre, and changed forever when she was cast in EastEnders at just ten years old.
Natalie reflects on growing up surrounded by adults, losing the privacy her parents had valued, and navigating fame before she was old enough to understand what it meant. She speaks movingly about family, grief and guilt, the loss of her mother at nineteen, and the grounding influence of the women who helped shape her, from Wendy Richard and Barbara Windsor to the incomparable June Brown.
They discuss the strange psychology of child stardom, the realities of soap acting, and the courage it took to step away from a role that had defined her for so long. Along the way, Natalie talks with warmth and honesty about money, motherhood, class, friendship, ambition and the need, now, to be brave enough to try something new.
Funny, candid and deeply perceptive, this is a conversation about identity, resilience and what it means to build a life when the whole country thinks it already knows who you are.
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For 25 years, Fast Food Nation has shaped the way we think about what we eat, how it is made, and who pays the price. Its author, Eric Schlosser, did more than expose the hidden realities behind the fast food industry. He revealed a much bigger story about corporate power, political influence and the human cost of profit.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the acclaimed investigative writer to mark the anniversary of the book that changed the conversation around food. Schlosser reflects on a childhood shaped by privilege, culture and intellectual curiosity, before explaining how early ambitions as a playwright and screenwriter eventually gave way to a career in long-form journalism.
They discuss the reporting behind Fast Food Nation, from slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants to boardrooms and lobbying operations, and why Schlosser came to see the industry as a lens through which to understand modern America. He explains how the story of fast food became a story about labour, inequality, deregulation and the alliance between government and big business.
The conversation also ranges across his wider body of work, including prisons, nuclear weapons and the enduring appeal of investigative writing that challenges power rather than flatters it. Thoughtful, unsparing and deeply timely, this is a conversation about journalism, capitalism and why the systems shaping our lives deserve much closer scrutiny.
Find out more about the 25th anniversary edition of Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser here
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From Le Caprice and The Ivy to The Wolseley and Brasserie Zédel, Jeremy King has helped define the way London eats, drinks and sees itself. His restaurants became institutions, attracting everyone from Princess Diana and Lucian Freud to generations of actors, artists, politicians and power players.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the legendary restaurateur to trace an extraordinary life behind some of the capital’s most iconic dining rooms. Jeremy reflects on a childhood shaped by shyness, social awkwardness and a lasting sense of being an outsider, before explaining how an early fascination with risk led him to make major life decisions according to the throw of a dice, including the choice that pulled him away from Cambridge University and into hospitality.
They discuss his first jobs in the restaurant world, the formative partnership with Chris Corbin, and the instincts that helped create some of London’s most celebrated establishments. Jeremy reveals why great restaurants are about far more than food, how atmosphere and service can transform a room, and why making people feel they belong matters just as much as what is on the plate.
From celebrity diners and royal visits to business setbacks, reinvention and the long-awaited reopening of Simpson’s, the conversation moves through the highs, the risks and the resilience behind a singular career. Warm, candid and full of hard won insight, this is a conversation about ambition, instinct and the subtle art of creating places people never forget.
Simpson's in The Strand
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From suburban England to the front lines of the punk revolution and the stadium stages of MTV era rock, Billy Idol has spent a lifetime reinventing what rebellion looks like.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the singer to trace an extraordinary life that began in a childhood split between England and the United States, moving between places and possibilities before music gave him a sense of direction. Idol reflects on growing up in a close knit family, the influence of his parents, and the early restlessness that would eventually pull him towards London at the moment punk was beginning to erupt.
They discuss the raw energy of the mid seventies scene and the formation of Generation X, when a group of young musicians with little formal training suddenly found themselves at the centre of a cultural explosion. Idol recalls the excitement of those early days, when punk felt less like a genre and more like a declaration that a new generation had something to say.
From there the conversation moves to New York, reinvention and the birth of the unmistakable Billy Idol persona that would come to dominate the early years of MTV. He reflects on fame, excess and survival, the uneasy balance between punk credibility and global success, and how rock and roll changed as the movement he came from entered the mainstream.
Frank, reflective and full of energy, this is a conversation about rebellion, reinvention and the enduring power of rock and roll.
Billy Idol Should Be Dead documentary, coming to Sky Arts on 26th March
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This episode includes discussion of sensitive topics, including sexual assault and violence, that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening, and feel free to pause or step away if you need to.
At fifteen, Naz Shah was forced into a marriage thousands of miles from home. Years earlier, she had been sent from Bradford to rural Pakistan, pulled out of school and dropped into a life that felt a world away from the one she had known.
But the road that would eventually lead her to Westminster begins much earlier. It starts in a Bradford childhood shaped by poverty, upheaval and a mother trying desperately to hold her family together after being abandoned and left dangerously vulnerable.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Shah to explore the experiences that shaped her life. She recalls growing up amid instability, belongings packed into black bin liners, and the powerful expectations around honour and reputation that governed the choices available to women and girls.
As the conversation unfolds, Naz reflects on the moment her childhood ended and the shock that followed her return to Britain. A family crisis would eventually lead to her mother being imprisoned for killing the man who had controlled and abused her for years, a truth that emerged only gradually and changed the course of Naz’s life.
This is a conversation about survival, silence and the weight of honour. How does a girl who left school at twelve find her way to Parliament? And what happens when the story behind a family tragedy finally comes into the light?
Find out more about Honoured by Naz Shah here
Additional support:
If you've been affected by anything you've heard in this episode, please take a moment to read the resources listed: Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, Victim Support
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Gary Lineker took questions from the live Full Disclosure audience and nothing was off the table. He discusses the scrutiny that follows every World Cup, including the tournament in the United States, and considers whether sports broadcasters should speak out more in politically volatile times.
He also reflects on his own social media controversies, football’s growing tribalism, and whether today’s game might have suited him better than the heavy pitches and harder tackles of his playing days.
Candid, thoughtful and often wry, this is the unfiltered extra from a memorable live show.
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Gary Lineker has scored in World Cups, fronted the nation’s biggest football programme, and weathered a political firestorm that nearly ended it all. But at the height of his success, turning to a teammate after scoring four for England, his reaction was disbelief: “Why am I so f**ing lucky?”
In this live edition of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien charts the full arc of Lineker’s extraordinary career. From a market trader’s son in Leicester to Golden Boot winner and the face of Match of the Day, Gary reflects on self doubt, ambition, and the surreal reality of becoming a national institution.
He opens up about the brutal culture of tabloid scrutiny, the shock of discovering he had been followed by investigators, and the emotional weekend when the BBC stood him down- only for colleagues to walk out in solidarity. He explains why he refused to apologise when he believed he was right, the mistake that ultimately cost him his role, and why speaking out became unavoidable.
Funny, disarmingly honest, and unexpectedly vulnerable, this is Gary Lineker as you have never quite heard him before- on luck, loyalty, outrage, and starting again.
This episode was recorded at The Royal Geographical Society to raise money for charity Make Some Noise. You can find more information about the charity here
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From the bomb sites of post war South London to the stages of the Comedy Store and the studios of Radio 4, Arthur Smith’s life has been driven less by ambition than by curiosity. The son of a Second World War prisoner of war turned police officer, and a grammar school girl who filled the house with books and poetry, Arthur grew up in a home where humour and humanity went hand in hand.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the comedian to trace a journey that begins in Bermondsey and winds its way through the birth of alternative comedy, and the strange alchemy that turned a literature graduate into one of Britain’s most distinctive comic voices. Arthur reflects on discovering the thrill of laughter as a child playing Captain Hook, on being elected head boy, and on why poetry and stand up share more in common than most people realise.
They revisit the early days of the Comedy Store, the emergence of a new kind of comedy in the 1980s, and the moment television fame arrived via Grumpy Old Men. Arthur speaks candidly about the seductions of drink, the shock of acute pancreatitis, and how a brush with mortality reshaped his relationship with success. For Arthur, comedy has never been about domination or design, but about delight: finding the precise word, the perfect pause, the unexpected turn.
Find out more about Arthur Smith’s upcoming gigs here
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