Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

When Lisa Faulkner received an invitation for a routine mammogram, she nearly put it off. A further scan and biopsy revealed early-stage breast cancer - a diagnosis that brought back painful memories of losing her mother to cancer when Lisa was just 16. Treatment was successful, but the experience changed how she sees the future.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Lisa to trace the extraordinary path from a childhood shaped by family parties, home cooking and long summers with her grandparents, to becoming an international model, actor and, eventually, one of th...

Gary Kemp grew up in working-class Islington, in a home where little was owned outright but love, curiosity and ambition were abundant. Encouraged by a father who took him to libraries, London landmarks and the local baths, Gary found a guitar under the Christmas tree and soon discovered that writing songs gave him a way to imagine a life beyond the one he knew.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Gary to trace the journey from an outside loo in north London to Spandau Ballet, global success and a parallel career in...

When Charlie Higson was 18, his mother died, his father moved to Hawaii and he decided to become someone else entirely. He dyed his hair, renamed himself Switch and threw himself into the punk scene in Norwich, where a chance friendship with Paul Whitehouse would eventually help change the face of British comedy. None of it was planned.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Charlie to trace the remarkable journey from a shy, bookish childhood to punk rock, The Fast Show and, eventually, James Bond. Charlie recalls the devastating loss of his mo...

This episode includes discussion of sensitive topics, including addiction and alcoholism, that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening, and feel free to pause or step away if you need to.

John Robins has spent much of his life making people laugh. But behind the award-winning stand-up, broadcasting and podcasts was a relationship with alcohol that he spent years trying to understand, manage and ultimately escape.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with John to trace the experiences that shaped him, from a childhood marked by anxiety an...

Eric Idle has spent a lifetime finding the funny side of almost everything. Long before he became one of the defining voices of British comedy, he was a boy shaped by loss, separation and a brutal education. His father died when Eric was just two years old, and at seven he was sent to boarding school in Wolverhampton, where discipline could be violent and laughter became something more than entertainment - it was a way of surviving.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Eric to trace the remarkable journey from a po...

Tony Hadley went from borrowing £20 in the pub while appearing on Top of the Pops to fronting one of the biggest bands in the world. Then came the fallings-out, a bruising court battle and a journey from packed arenas back to playing small clubs. Through it all, one thing never changed: he refused to give up.

Tony joins James O’Brien to tell the extraordinary story of Spandau Ballet - from a working-class childhood in Islington and the school band that started it all, to the flamboyant world of the Blitz Club and the birth of the New...

He famously argued that liberal democracy marked the end of history. Now, with war, populism and authoritarianism reshaping the world, Francis Fukuyama asks whether liberal democracy can still win.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien speaks to the political scientist and author about the ideas, accidents and encounters that shaped his life. Fukuyama reflects on growing up in a highly intellectual family, his early immersion in philosophy, and why a formative period in Paris led him away from literary theory and towards the realities of international politics.

They discuss the collapse of th...

Jay Rayner has eaten some of the best meals in the world - and written some of Britain’s most memorable restaurant reviews. But the story behind the critic is even richer.

In this candid conversation, Jay joins James O’Brien to talk about the unlikely path from a famously unconventional childhood to becoming one of Britain’s most recognisable writers and broadcasters. There are school expulsions, tabloid diary columns, high-stakes investigations, celebrity encounters and the restaurant review that became an international news story.

Jay reflects on growing up with his mother, agony aunt Claire Rayner...

From watching Tony Blair win a landslide from inside his living room to imagining a world where Hitler won the war, Robert Harris has made a career out of getting closer to power than most.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien meets the bestselling author behind Fatherland, Pompeii, The Ghost and Conclave. Robert recalls his working-class Nottinghamshire childhood, a mischievous school newspaper, nearly being sent down from Cambridge, and the leap from BBC journalist to one of Britain’s most successful novelists.

He reveals what it was really like inside New Labour’s 1997...

Alexei Sayle has spent a lifetime finding humour in anger, absurdity and the systems that shape us. Raised in Liverpool by fiercely committed communist parents, his childhood was filled with politics, protest marches and unusual cultural influences - from Soviet cinema to family trips behind the Iron Curtain.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the comedian, writer and actor to trace the path from a rebellious schoolboy and struggling art student to the incendiary force at the heart of alternative comedy. Alexei recalls discovering his voice at the Comedy Store, forging li...

Before she became the creator behind Chicken Shop Date, Amelia Dimoldenberg was a relentlessly ambitious child from Marylebone, dreaming of editing Vogue, joining S Club Juniors and taking to the stage in Cats.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Amelia to trace the unlikely journey from a youth magazine in North West London to one of the most distinctive interview formats of a generation.

Amelia reflects on growing up with a voraciously reading, politically engaged family; the confidence she found through school performances and extracurricular activities; and the teenage re...

Beloved TV doctor, children’s author and NHS paediatrician Dr Ranj Singh tells James O’Brien the extraordinary story behind the smile - from the collapse of the life he thought he was supposed to want, to the painful process of working out who he really was.

He speaks candidly about growing up in a traditional Indian family, the pressure to follow a respectable path, and the emotional cost of spending years trying to fit expectations. He recalls his sexuality being “outed” to his parents before he was ready, the heartbreak and confusion that followed, and the therapy...

As the magnetic frontman of James, Tim Booth has spent more than four decades turning raw emotion into some of Britain’s most loved music - from Sit Down and Laid to a run of acclaimed new records.

Tim joins James O’Brien to trace the unlikely journey that led him to the band: a difficult childhood, the brutality of boarding school, a life-changing Patti Smith album and a chance encounter with three teenage musicians in a Manchester bar. Within days, he was on stage; before long, James were building a devoted following through their fiercely independent, impr...

From growing up on a Gloucester council estate to becoming one of Britain’s best-known culinary success stories, Tom Kerridge has built a career defined by resilience, risk and an enduring belief in people.

Tom joins James O’Brien to discuss his unlikely path into hospitality, from washing up in country house hotels to the intensity of London’s leading kitchens and the creation of The Hand and Flowers - the UK’s first pub to hold two Michelin stars. He reflects on the energy of professional kitchens, the mentors who shaped him, and why he believes being a...

What makes someone run towards places most people are desperate to escape?

Long before Ravi Singh became one of Britain’s most remarkable humanitarian figures, he was a child caught between worlds: born in Singapore, raised in a Punjabi village, and brought to Britain at 11, where he encountered racism, loss and dislocation almost as soon as he arrived. Years later, he would go on to found Khalsa Aid, the international relief organisation known for delivering aid in some of the most dangerous and devastated places on earth.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brie...

Full Disclosure is taking a short break, but we’ll be back very soon with brand new episodes.

Until then, why not dip back into the archive! There are some brilliant episodes to catch up on, including conversations with Jonathan Pryce, Billy Idol, Grace Dent, Sadiq Khan, Dawn French, Irvine Welsh, Hugh Laurie, Jon Ronson, David Harewood and Brian Cox. And that’s only scratching the surface!

Full Disclosure is a Global Production

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Baroness Beeban Kidron has lived several lives in one. Award winning filmmaker, Hollywood director, crossbench peer and one of the earliest and most persistent critics of Big Tech, she has spent years sounding the alarm about the digital world long before the rest of us caught up.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Beeban to trace the path from a radical North London childhood to the House of Lords, via Greenham Common, Hollywood and a career spent telling stories about power, exclusion and who gets heard. She reflects on the childhood op...

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...

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.

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 pr...

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 perf...

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 explo...

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 fr...

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, broadc...

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.

P...

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 th...

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...

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...

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 na...

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 cu...

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 a...

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 hi...

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...

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.

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...

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 wind...

James O'Brien listeners, we've got a new podcast we think you'll love.

Step inside sport’s greatest soap opera, Formula One, with a brand-new podcast Up To Speed. Hosted by Drive to Survive star Will Buxton, racing driver-turned-broadcaster Naomi Schiff, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, and F1 content creator Jolie Sharpe.

Expect razor-sharp reaction, behind-the-scenes insight, blockbuster interviews and answers to the questions you’ve always wanted to ask! With their deep knowledge, expert analysis and infectious love for racing, Will, Naomi, DC & Jolie dive into the stories that matter - on and off the...

From the son of a bus driver on a South London council estate to the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, Sadiq Khan’s story is inseparable from the story of modern London. But with that journey has come a decade at the sharpest end of British politics.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the Mayor of London to trace the path from a crowded flat in Tooting to City Hall. Khan reflects on his parents’ migration from Pakistan, the racism he experienced growing up, and the teachers who helped...

From a fractured childhood in Weymouth to the creation of one of Britain’s most distinctive ethical brands, Mark Constantine’s life has been shaped by loss, sensitivity and an intense drive to make sense of the world through the senses.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the co-founder and CEO of the British cosmetics retailer, LUSH. Expect a wide ranging and deeply personal conversation about abandonment, creativity and the long shadow of early experiences. Constantine traces his story from a family marked by absence and instability, through periods of homelessness and se...