Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

We're really delighted that Sue Perkins is our guest on Rosebud this week, and this is a special conversation. Gyles and Sue have known and worked with each other for years on shows like Radio 4's Just a Minute, which Sue now hosts, so this conversation about Sue's first memories, family history, childhood and student days is intimate, honest, and at times very moving. Sue tells Gyles about her childhood, growing up in a close but slightly sheltered family in south London. She tells Gyles about being left-handed, about playing the flute and about her first boyfriend. She talks about how she defied her teachers' predictions by getting a place at Cambridge, and about the life-changing friends she made there. She talks about coming out and about finding herself. Thank you very much to Sue for your warmth, your wit and for your wonderful stories. Cue the music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's More Rosebud is an unexpected April treat from the great comedian Harry Hill. You'll know Harry from his brilliant TV shows like TV Burp and Alien Fun Capsule or his podcast Are We There Yet? but you won't know about his incredible life. In this episode Harry tells Gyles his scarcely believable story - and what a story. Growing up in his dad's circus in North Kent, Harry tells a tale of dodgy doctors, depressed elephants, nefarious clowns and men with gills. We've all been there. Enjoy this special episode of More Rosebud with Harry Hill. Harry Hill is on a nationwide tour now, tickets available here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Gyles speaks to a remarkable person: Sir Grayson Perry. Artist, presenter, thinker and fashion icon, Perry is a unique figure who has led an unusual life. Grayson was born and brought up in Chelmsford, but his father left the family when Grayson was only four years old, and his mother married the local milkman - a Tom Jones lookalike with an unpredictable temper. Grayson talks to Gyles about the effect this lonely and unsettled childhood had on him: this is a moving episode. Gyles also asks Grayson about his transvestism and about his art. We hope you enjoy this very interesting edition of Rosebud. Grayson Perry is on tour nationwide this autumn, and tickets are available at https://www.fane.co.uk/grayson-perry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode you join Gyles and Harriet at the Oldie of the Year lunch, where Harriet asks some of the guests at the event for their first memories. Including memories from Radio 4 legend John Humphrys, children's writer Dame Jacqueline Wilson, choreographer Arlene Philips, actress Nanette Newman and 102 year-old skydiver Manette Baillie. Plus some chat from Gyles and Harriet and one of your emails, about synaesthesia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gyles really enjoyed meeting this week's guest, Ed Balls, because he enjoyed bonding over their shared experience of Westminster. And the political gossip and insight in this chat is fascinating - from a very funny behind-the-scenes account of the famous dinner at Granita in Islington at which Tony Blair and Gordon Brown thrashed out their leadership in 1997; to a description of what it's like to lose a seat as an MP (like being at your own funeral, apparently). But there's much more than politics, here. This is also the fascinating story of Ed himself, his humble Norfolk beginnings, his academic success, his early journalistic career, his marriage to fellow Labour Party high-flier, Yvette Cooper, and why it's best to lean in to a mid-life crisis. We hope you enjoy this week's brilliant edition, and thank you very much to Ed for your time, warmth and fabulous company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back, diary fans, with another instalment from Gyles's diary. This one starts in the 1964 summer holidays, Gyles is 16, and he's off on a road trip with his Canadian cousin Johnnie. Gyles is not impressed. In the autumn it's time for the General Election and, at Bedales, the school mock election, in which Gyles is running as the Conservative candidate. He's also appearing as Isaac Newton in the school play, taking over the school magazine, and getting his O-level results. As usual, there's never a dull moment. This episode also features an extended chat from Gyles and Harriet at the start, and a couple of your emails. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dame Kristin Scott Thomas is one of our best, most distinctive, and most watchable actresses, and we're delighted that she's our guest on Rosebud today. Dame Kristin tells Gyles about her childhood, which was at times idyllic but was coloured by the tragic deaths of both her father and step-father. She talks about her impressive and highly talented mother, who brought up five children in the midst of loss. She talks about her move to Paris as a teenager, how she met and married her first husband, and how important her new French family became to her. She talks about her career, working with Prince, how she was cast in The English Patient and her work on stage in The Audience and Elektra. Kristin's life is fascinating, and this is a fascinating, and moving, episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In another special episode dedicated to the how, what and why of memory, Gyles talks to his long-time friend and colleague Professor Brett Kahr. Professor Kahr is a practising psychotherapist and an expert on Sigmund Freud, the father of psychotherapy and the inventor of the "talking cure". In this fascinating conversation, Gyles and Prof. Kahr take a detailed look at the power of childhood memories, particularly traumatic ones, to effect our adult lives, and the benefits to be had from examining them and learning from them. Brett also tells Gyles about Freud himself, how he developed his ideas and how he escaped the Nazis and came to London. Gyles talks to Brett about some of the memories we've heard from our guests on Rosebud, and Brett talks about some of the common themes which come up in psychoanalysis - such as dreams and sex. This is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation, we hope you enjoy it. Professor Kahr's book: Coffee with Freud, is available from major bookshops online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gyles is talking to one of his favourite comedians in today's Rosebud - Josh Widdicombe. Josh tells Gyles about his early days growing up in Devon; about his charismatic father, his clever mum, and his chain-smoking grandmother who lived next-door and delighted him with tales of her acting days. Gyles hears about Josh's youthful obsessions: pop culture, TV, Plymouth Argyle and marbles, and about how they inspired Josh's later career as a comedian and writer. He hears about Josh's university days and how he started to do stand-up. Finally, Josh opens up about his struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, and talks about the things that helped him to feel better. Josh is on tour from September 2025, and tickets are available now at www.joshwiddicombe.com. Thank you to Josh for such a warm, open and funny conversation. Enjoy this! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've another action-packed episode of Gyles's teenage diary for you, diary fans. The young Brandreth continues to busy himself on multiple fronts - with drama, journalism and politics. As his form teacher says in his report: "Gyles appears to be a person of boundless energy and enthusiasm..." But all is not entirely plain-sailing in this episode, as Gyles gets involved in a scandal at school and learns a painful lesson, with the help of his extremely understanding teachers. If you're enjoying the diaries but haven't heard them all, you can go back to the start - they're all marked chronologically and begin with episode 1. We'll be back with more diaries in two weeks' time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosebud is thrilled to present to you one of the truly great Hollywood actresses of her generation: Sigourney Weaver. Known for her groundbreaking performances as Ripley in Ridley Scott's Alien movies, Sigourney redefined what women could do in the movies. Sigourney talks to Gyles about her fascinating parents - her father, Pat Weaver, was a leading US television executive who pioneered morning television, and her mother, the English actress Elizabeth Inglis. She tells Gyles how she came by her name, and about her first kiss, and how she struggled to get used to her height. She talks about beginning acting at Stanford and later Yale, and how her confidence was knocked by her Yale tutors. She talks about working with Woody Allen and on the set of Alien. Halfway through the show, Sigourney and Gyles are joined by a special guest - an Oscar-winning British actress who Sigourney has loved since she was a child. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tariq Ali is one of the most famous and recognisable figures of the revolutionary student movements of the 1960s. In his distinctive red Aquascutum mac he led marches, gave speeches and galvanised opposition to the Vietnam War and other big issues of the time. Born in Lahore just before Partition, he grew up in a prominent family of politicians and became interested in radical politics from a young age. At only 16 he organised his first strike, among the latrine-wallahs in the hill station where his family holidayed. At 18 he was sent to Oxford University, where he became president of the Union and impressed people with his brilliance at public speaking and debating. He tells Gyles about all this and about some of the amazing people he met along the way - including Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Marlon Brando and Malcolm X. If you aren't familiar with Tariq Ali's story, this is really worth listening to for a fascinating insight into the radical and optimistic days of the late 60s and early 70s, when anything seemed possible. Tariq's memoir, You Can't Please All, is out now, published by Verso.https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/authors/ali-tariq?srsltid=AfmBOorNoyy2ZaKtYHa5Zay30ii1E1ieQJ76ERKTHvDgvfIEB9t-zreO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir James Dyson talks to Gyles about his remarkable journey: from academic under-achiever to one of the world's most successful inventors and businessmen. Sir James takes us back to the start, when he was a schoolboy at Gresham's School in Norfolk, the son of a schoolteacher, until he was blindsided by the tragic death of his father when he was only nine. Was it this early bereavement that set him apart, and encouraged his desire to be independent, to be different? Or was it his love of the solitude of long-distance running, or his unusual talent for art and design? In this fascinating conversation, recorded at Dyson HQ in Wiltshire, Gyles goes behind the legendary inventions to the man and his beginnings. Thank you very much to Sir James for taking the time to record this with us, to to all the team at Dyson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the relationship turbulence of the first six months of the year (you can hear all about that in the last episode - episode 8), our hero, the 15 year-old Gyles, sensibly turns his attention away from romance and onto other things. The most pressing one being his upcoming performance in the school production of Twelfth Night. Can he follow the advice of his drama teacher and learn to act "from the inside out?" And stop putting on silly voices and being a ham? Meanwhile, there's major news on the international stage as President John F Kennedy is shot while riding in a motorcade through the centre of Dallas, Texas. Gyles, in his inimitable style, keeps us up to date with all this and more in another episode of his not-to-be-missed teenage diaries. Cue the music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Valentine's Day, and we at Rosebud knew we needed to find someone special, to spread the love to you, our gorgeous listeners: we needed to find our very own Rosebud Romeo. Someone debonair, someone handsome, someone with a talent for being in love... and who better than possibly the most charming actor of them all: Nigel Havers? Nigel talks to Gyles about his enchanted life. The son of an eminent lawyer, Nigel was sent to boarding school at 6, where he discovered his talent for acting. He went to the Arts Educational School as a teenager, and this is where the fun begins... this is a tale of girlfriends, the Rolling Stones, and meeting Margaret Thatcher. Enjoy this fun, frothy and fascinating episode, and happy Valentine's Day! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams give Rosebud a truly romantic Valentine's treat today, as they read the wartime letters of Lucy's parents: Celia Johnson, the great actress and star of Brief Encounter, and Peter Fleming, writer and older brother of Ian Fleming. The letters you hear in this episode were written from 1940 until VE Day, while Peter was away in Burma and India, working for Lord Wavell, and Celia was at home looking after their young son and becoming known as a film actress. In 1945 she plays the lead in Brief Encounter, one of the greatest British films ever made. These letters are so tender and evocative, and transport you to another time - one of bravery, decency and self-deprecation. Lucy and Simon are themselves married, and have been together for 40 years, and are both successful actors - Archers fans will, in particular, be very familiar with their voices! They talk to Gyles about their first memories, how they met, and tell Gyles the secret to a long and happy marriage. Lucy and Simon read these letters live on stage in their brilliant show, Posting Letters to the Moon, which is touring the UK now - tickets are available at https://www.postingletterstothemoon.com/tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Gatiss: actor, writer, producer, director and creator - this is someone who makes Gyles Brandreth look like an under-achiever! From The League of Gentlemen, to Doctor Who, Sherlock and the Christmas Ghost Stories, Mark has been behind some of the most distinctive and original television of recent times. He's also an actor - recently winning awards for his portrayal of Sir John Gielgud in Jack Thorne's The Motive and The Cue. And it goes without saying that he's a fascinating person, with a fascinating story to tell. In this episode, which was recorded live at The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, Mark talks to Gyles about his working class childhood, growing up opposite the local psychiatric hospital. He talks about his hatred of PE lessons, his early obsession with TV and how he became interested in horror. He talks about coming out to his parents and how he met the rest of the League of Gentlemen at drama school. With thanks to the team at The Orange Tree Theatre and to Mark Gatiss for this brilliant interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're in luck, diary fans, as this is one of the most enthralling episodes yet of Gyles's schoolboy diaries. It's the first half of 1963 and at school, Gyles is learning that relationships are complicated things, and that it's not usually OK to love two people at the same time. Outside school, the sexual revolution is beginning and Britain is gripped by the Profumo affair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Vanessa Feltz wows Gyles with some of the funniest stories he's ever heard on Rosebud: from a first kiss with Pete Tong by the pool in Lanzarote, to an illicit encounter with a stranger who was bowled over by the magnificence of her bosom... this show is full of laughs and brilliant anecdotes. Vanessa takes Gyles two generations back in the Feltz family, to her grandparents and great grandparents in the tenements of the East End, and brings these extraordinary characters to life. She tells Gyles about her own childhood in the 'Beverley Hills of North London', and about her school days, when she was known as 'Vanessa the Undresser', and could do alluring things with a red woollen scarf. She talks to Gyles about her career and why it's important to teach your grandchildren how to make a human chain. Vanessa's autobiography, 'Vanessa Bares All' is out now. It's hugely entertaining, and well worth reading. Thanks so much to Vanessa for this brilliant interview, and for making Gyles laugh so much. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of More Rosebud, the hypnotist and self-help writer Paul McKenna talks to Gyles about a subject you may have heard about before on Rosebud: manifesting. Plus he also tells Gyles about his early life, how he became a hypnotist, and he shows Gyles some relaxation techniques. So beware, this episode may make you exceedingly relaxed! Make sure you aren't driving or operating machinery while listening. Paul's book, Power Manifesting, is out now. Cue the music! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been presenting the news on Channel 4 since 1998, but his career began long before that, when he was only a teenager. In fact, Gyles is a bit jealous when he finds out that Krishnan was even younger than him when he first appeared on TV! In this interview, Gyles also learns about the fascinating story of Krishnan's parents, how they met, and his father's inspirational journey from extreme poverty to NHS consultant. Krishnan talks about growing up in Lancashire in the 80s, his success at school and the racism in the playground, and then tells Gyles how he started to work as a journalist when he was only 18. He talks about his life now and his Strictly experience. This is a wide-ranging and stimulating conversation with someone who has been at the heart of British current affairs for a generation - thank you Krishnan for coming on Rosebud! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to part 7 of Gyles reading from the diaries he has kept since he was 10. Gyles is now 14, and a pupil at Bedales, a progressive Hampshire boarding school populated by many CND-supporting teachers and the children of liberal-minded, artistic parents. In this episode we hear about Gyles's summer holidays, spent on his own in Paris, learning French and staying in a boarding house. We hear about his success in the school production. We hear about his teachers - many of whom are "very CND" and some of whom are, shock horror, vegetarian. We hear Gyles's review of the best bits of 1962 and about the records he's enjoyed listening to that year. If you've only just discovered these episodes, you can either start here, or go back to episode 1 of the diaries and start at the beginning (when Gyles was at prep school). Enjoy this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're honoured to have the great Dame Penelope Wilton as our very special guest on Rosebud today, in a rare podcast interview for this distinguished and well-loved actress. Penelope talks to Gyles about her happy childhood, in and around Knightsbridge and Kensington in London - we find out about her interesting neighbours, Mr Onion and the one-armed colonel. She tells Gyles about her mother's illness and her unhappy time at boarding school. She talks about her drama school days, and her breakthrough role in Harold Pinter's classic play Betrayal at the National Theatre. She talks about the roles on TV which made her a household name: Ever Decreasing Circles and, more recently, Afterlife. We're delighted to give Rosebud listeners the chance to spend time with this delightful, talented performer. Enjoy this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny Baker tells Gyles his extraordinary rags to riches story - from a council house in Bermondsey to partying with Elton John and Rod Stewart. He tells Gyles about his extraordinary father, Spud Baker. He also talks about getting cancer, and about getting cancelled, and how he survived both by being a "natural born Pollyanna". This story is full of wit, charm, funny stories, and Danny's characteristic ebullience. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest today is a sporting legend, and one of cricket's all-time greats: Sir Vivian Richards. Sir Vivian talks to Gyles about his childhood in the close-knit community on the island of Antigua, the discipline and faith he was given by his parents, his early memories of practising his batting technique in his bedroom mirror and his dramatic first international match for Antigua. He tells Gyles how he made it to Somerset, about the racism he experienced and about his close friendship with Ian Botham. Sir Vivian is not only a legendary sportsman; you will meet in this interview a remarkable person: wise, humble and inspiring. Even if you don't know much about cricket, this interview is worth hearing. Sir Vivian describes life in Antigua and Barbuda in this interview, and you can find out more about those beautiful places by visiting this website: www.visitantiguabarbuda.com . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode 6 of Gyles reading from his schoolboy diaries. He's still at Bedales, and settling in - getting his newspaper delivered every morning, dining like a king at Sunday breakfast (soft white rolls with honey and marmite) and being entered into poetry reading competitions. He also carries on with his hobbies - theatre-going, reading and politics. We hope you enjoy these snapshots of a different time - if you've only just discovered these, go back to episode 1 of the diaries to hear it from the start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the start of a big new year of podcasts from Rosebud, and we're beginning with a real treat for you - an interview with one of Britain's most successful actors: Hugh Bonneville. During his ordinary childhood in a comfortable, middle class home in Blackheath, in which showing off was strongly discouraged, Hugh plundered the family dressing-up box and made his schoolfriends put on plays. At school he joined the drama club and eventually got a place in the National Youth Theatre. We find out about how Hugh got into the industry, but also about his parents, his first dog, and his interest in theology. With huge thanks to Hugh for his time, energy and wonderful stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the eve of the beginning of a brand new year, so we're asking the most fundamental question: what is happiness? How can we try to live a happy life? In this episode, which was recorded at a live event at Grosvenor House, Gyles talks about his book, 'The Seven Secrets of Happiness'. He describes his work with the psychiatrist Dr Antony Clare to find the seven things we each need to try and do to live a happy and fulfilled life. He also talks about mindfulness, the Queen and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. And we finally meet the Rosebud composer, Phil Lepherd. Don't miss this! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today it's time to put away the Christmas chocolates and instead feast on this Rosebud Selection Box. Forget the Celebrations, this is the Christmas treat you've been waiting for. It's a chance to catch up on the best bits of Rosebud so far, and to indulge in some funny, moving and fascinating moments from some of our favourite guests: including Dame Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Dame Mary Berry, Sir Michael Palin, David Mitchell, Stephen Fry, Dame Maureen Lipman, Miriam Margolyes, Dame Joanna Lumley, Sir Keir Starmer, Richard Ayoade, Prue Leith, Rick Stein, Clare Balding, Pam Ayres and Terry Pendry. If you know someone who you'd like to introduce to Rosebud - this could be the episode for them! Or if you'd just like to listen again to some of our most memorable moments - enjoy this... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Christmas Eve, the most magical day of the year, and we have an episode full of poetry and music for you. This features: Gyles reading a classic Christmas poem. Next is an interview with Igor Gudjalov, the amazing Grosvenor House pianist, and the premier of his 'Rosebud Christmas Rhapsody' on the piano. Then we have a moving conversation with the Very Reverend Dr Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark Cathedral, about his first memories, and he also gives us a Christmas reading. Finally it's Voxcetera, the chamber choir which includes Harriet the Rosebud producer, with their rendition of Winter Wonderland (arranged by Paul Ayres). We end with lots of Christmas thank yous, and, most importantly, we'd like to thank you, for listening. Happy Christmas to the whole Rosebud family! Thank you to Paul Ayres for allowing us to feature his arrangement of Winter Wonderland www.paulayres.co.uk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we tell you that today's guest brought a delicious coffee cake along to the Rosebud recording, you'll know it could only be one woman: Dame Mary Berry. In this wide-ranging and frequently very touching conversation, Gyles and Dame Mary talk about her life and times - from her childhood as a naughty schoolgirl nicknamed 'Scruffy' to her success as a cook, writer and educator. Gyles finds out about the inspirational teacher who encouraged Mary to start cooking, he hears about Mary's days starting out in her career, living in London with a flat full of girlfriends, and he tells Mary about his love for Bargain Hunt. Gyles also hears about some of the sad moments in Mary's life, and about being made a dame. This is a delicious, tender and deep conversation - just like one of Dame Mary's cakes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest on More Rosebud today is James Rebanks, sheep-farmer and writer of best-selling books 'The Shepherd's Life' and 'English Pastoral', as well as a brand new book 'The Place of Tides'. James has lived and worked on the Cumbrian Lakeland fells since he was a boy, and farms the same hillside at Matterdale as his family have for the past 600 years. In this conversation he tells Gyles about his boyhood, being inspired to read The Odyssey and Hemingway by his mum and headteacher, about dropping out of school and his rebellious teenagehood, and about how he went back to night school and ended up going to university as a mature student. He also tells Gyles about his love for his sheepdogs and his thoughts on the government's plan to introduce inheritance tax on family farms. Enjoy this episode with one of the most interesting writers working today, who is also a dedicated and passionate farmer. James's latest book, The Place of Tides, is out now published by Allen Lane at £22. Highly recommended, as are all of James's books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest Is History, is Gyles's guest this week. And, fittingly, this episode is full of history - Augustus, Napoleon III, Bram Stoker, Byron, Jesus and Cecil Beaton all get a mention. Yes, there's name-dropping of a historical kind. One of the interesting things about Rosebud is the distinctive ways in which our guests' childhoods reflect the adults they become, and Tom was thinking about history as soon as he started to read - and this episode exudes that.Tom isn't just one of the hosts of the world's biggest history podcast, he's also the writer of multiple best-selling history books, largely about the ancient world, which he's brought to life for a wide audience. His latest book, Pax, is out now. We hope you enjoy this interview with one of the best, brightest and most brilliant communicators around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another foray into Gyles's schoolboy diaries today, and this time it's the second half of 1961. In this chapter we find out what happens when Gyles starts at his new secondary school, Bedales, a pioneering liberal arts boarding school near Petersfield in Hampshire. How will Gyles cope with the ardous programme of 'outdoor work' which is part of his new timetable? Will he get a girlfriend? What will his new teachers make of him? Gyles and Harriet discuss all this and more... and they uncover the identity of a mysterious coat which has been at Gyles's house for over twenty years. Enjoy this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Boris Johnson is on the Rosebud couch, and Gyles tries to get him off the usual political topics and instead talking about where it all began. We find out about Boris's early years, spent fighting with his siblings and playing violent physical games in school playgrounds. We find out about his schooldays, his first crush and his parents' divorce. We also hear about what he got up to on his first night at No. 10, and about his deep admiration for the late Queen. This is Boris - as you've never heard him before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Rosebud is an enormously entertaining talk given by Gyles at the Henley Literary Festival. Ostensibly about Gyles's books - Prose and Cons, a History of the English Language in Just a Minute, and Breaking the Code: Gyles's diaries from his days as an MP - this talk is actually much more than that. In true Gyles style, it is full of amazing anecdotes, beginning with some brilliant stories about Dame Maggie Smith, who died the day before this talk was given. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this fun hour with the master raconteur. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Matthew Bourne's reimaginings of classic works like Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Carmen have become legendary, and have transformed our ideas of what dance, and what theatre, are capable of. In this in-depth conversation, Gyles finds out about Sir Matthew's origin story, from his childhood days putting on shows for the neighbours on his street, to his teenage years, spent autograph-hunting in London's West End with his best friend, Simon. Matthew also talks about his circuitous route to dance school and we find out about the current tour of Matthew's famous Swan Lake. Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is at The Lowry, Salford from 19 November until 30 November, ahead of the 8-week annual Christmas season at Sadler’s Wells from 3 December 2024 to 26 January 2025. It then goes on a UK tour for Spring 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another treat for you today, as Gyles carries on reading from his childhood diaries and discusses things with Harriet. In this chapter we join Gyles as he prepares to leave his prep school, Betteshanger, in Kent. Gyles performs in Twelfth Night, strikes up a friendship with the man who works the school boiler, becomes a prefect and spends his easter holidays being a waiter in a hotel in Bournemouth. Quite a busy schedule for someone who is only just 13! We hope you enjoy these diary episodes - we're getting a lot of great feedback - so I think you are! We're planning to carry on with the diary, in chronological order, on Tuesdays. If you'd like to write to us, please email [email protected]. We love hearing from you. And please remember to subscribe and to leave us a review on your podcast app, as that helps new listeners to find us. And keep on recommending us to any friends you think would also benefit from a bit of Rosebud in their life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we welcome the singers Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. Ball and Boe have been singing together for ten years, and are about to release their sixth album, but in this conversation Gyles takes them right back to the beginning. We hear about Alfie's childhood, growing up as the youngest in a family of nine in a council house in the north-west, about how he was discovered as he sang to himself at work as a mechanic, about his first girlfriend and the death of his father. Michael tells Gyles about his unhappy school days, his wild years at drama school in Guildford and the amazing first night of Les Mis at The Barbican. This is a warm, funny and sometimes touching conversation with two great musicians. 'Together at Home', Michael and Alfie's new album, is out now. Their UK arena tour is in March and April 2025, with a date at the O2 on April 13th 2025. Tickets are on sale now at livenation.co.uk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on More Rosebud Gyles talks to the American actress, singer-songwriter and star of Downton Abbey Elizabeth McGovern. In this conversation they talk about Elizabeth's childhood in a Bohemian and bookish household - first in Illinois and then in Los Angeles. They talk about the formative friendship of her adolescence. They talk about her sudden rise to fame: she was discovered as a teenager and cast in Robert Redford's Oscar-winning debut, Ordinary People; and they talk about the effect of fame on a young person. Gyles and Elizabeth also discuss how she met and married her British film-director husband, Simon Curtis, moved to London and started a family. And they talk about Downton, Elizabeth's music... and much more besides. Thank you, Elizabeth, for this fascinating conversation. Listeners who’d like to book tickets to Harriet’s choir’s Christmas concert on 6 December can do it at www.voxcetera.co.uk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we welcome the restaurateur, entrepreneur, cook, writer and judge of Great British Bake Off Prue Leith onto Rosebud. Prue tells Gyles about her childhood, growing up under apartheid in South Africa; she reveals how she joined the boy scouts, became president of the tree-climbing club, and confronted the headmistress at her religious school with a shocking revelation. She and Gyles talk about her year in Paris learning French, the lightbulb moment in which she discovered her love of food, and the early years of setting up her first restaurant in London. This is a fascinating conversation about a fascinating, and boldly lived, life. Prue's book 'Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom' is out now, published by Quarto, and is a great Christmas present. Thank you to Prue for this wonderful interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exciting news: it's time for the next instalment of Gyles's schoolboy diaries. In this episode, the young GB goes on his holidays, to Germany and then, unaccompanied, to Paris. We also hear about his attempts to smuggle a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover into his boarding school. P.S Harriet got a bit of ahead of herself and released this on a Monday instead of a Tuesday by mistake! Enjoy it a day early, your special Rosebud bonus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Titchmarsh has been gardening since he was a child, and in this special episode of Rosebud (recorded live in Salisbury in aid of Arundells, the former home of Sir Edward Heath) he tells Gyles about how he grew his first flowers from a packet of seeds bought at Woolworths. Alan also talks about leaving school at 15, his first kiss and the only lie he ever told. The episode ends with a treat: Alan reads one of his poems to Gyles and the audience. Alan Titchmarsh is one of our best-loved broadcasters, and this is a wonderful conversation. Enjoy this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of More Rosebud, we meet the bestselling writer and literary powerhouse Kate Mosse. Kate's historical novels have been global hits, and her much-loved classic Labyrinth is 20 next year. She talks to Gyles about her new book, The Map of Bones, the final novel in her series The Joubert Family Chronicles, which, it turns out, is set in a town in South Africa where Gyles once considered buying a house! But more than that, Gyles and Kate discuss Kate's first memories, her happy childhood growing up to loving and community-minded parents in a close family in West Sussex, where she still lives today. She tells Gyles about her first love, Greg, whom she later re-met on a train, and eventually married. She talks to Gyles about her love of being a granny, and how poleaxed she was by the sudden death of her mother. Thanks to Kate for this fascinating conversation. The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse is published on 10 Oct by Mantle (Pan Macmillan) and is available as a hardback, ebook and audio recording. Kate’s live one-woman stage show, Labyrinth, will be on tour in 2025. Dates and info can be found here: www.labyrinthlive2025.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are extremely lucky to welcome Timothy Spall onto Rosebud, in what is a rare podcast interview with the great man. Tim is one of our most distinctive, and distinguished, actors - a star of TV and films such as Auf Wiedersehn, Pet, Mr Turner, Harry Potter and Secrets and Lies. You may also have seen his recent Bafta-winning performance alongside fellow Rosebud alumni Anne Reid and Sheila Hancock in The Sixth Commandment. In this wide-ranging and evocative interview, Timothy takes Gyles back to his childhood in Clapham Junction and Battersea, South London. We get to know his family home, his nan, who lived upstairs, and his school friend Hairy Pierry. We find out how Timothy first fell in love with acting, in a school production, and delighted his mum by getting a place at RADA. And we find out how he met and married his wife, Shane. A huge thank you to Tim for sharing these wonderful memories with the Rosebud family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for episode two of Gyles's childhood diaries. It's 1960, he's eleven going on twelve, and still a pupil at boarding school in Kent. We hear about how Gyles met T.S. Eliot and got the Archbishop of Canterbury's autograph. We hear about his hatred of games and his sudden attack of appendicitis. We also hear about Gyles's English teacher, whose behaviour towards Gyles becomes increasingly inappropriate. Listeners should be aware that there is some discussion of issues relating to the sexual abuse of minors in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rick Stein is one of Britain's best-loved chefs. He's also a highly successful businessman, restaurateur, writer and TV presenter, who has single-handedly put Padstow on the map. HIs warm, down-to-earth manner and infectious curiosity about food have made him a star. What you may not know is that, surprise surprise, he and Gyles know each other - they were actually at Oxford University together in the 60s. But Rick's route to Oxford was highly unconventional, and in this conversation he tells Gyles about his lack of academic success, the death of his father, his two years spent travelling and "running away to sea" and his eventual return to university and subsequent start in the restaurant trade. Rick's new book, Rick Stein's Food Stories, is out now, published by BBC Books. It's inspired by Rick's travels around the UK and is a very nice Christmas present! Thank you to Rick for this great conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got a very different kind of guest this week. It’s Lisa Squire, the mother of Libby Squire, who was born on the 1st January 1998 and tragically lost her life on the 1st February 2019 in Hull, when she was a student at university. She was missing for seven agonising weeks, and her body was eventually washed up in the Humber estuary in March of 2019. It was later found that she had been raped and murdered.In this conversation, Lisa and Gyles remember Libby, and tell her story in full: the happy times, the unhappy times, and the tragic end of the story. Lisa is spearheading a campaign to highlight the importance of reporting non-contact sexual offences such as flashing and voyeurism, called ‘It Does Matter’, in partnership with Thames Valley Police. https://www.itdoesmatter.org.uk/There are some references to self-harm and to some sexual offences in this conversation with Lisa. Many thanks to Lisa for this wonderful conversation and for the memories of Libby. We dedicate this episode of Rosebud to the memory of Liberty Anna Squire, 1/1/98 - 1/2/2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dame Harriet Walter is one of the UK's most distinguished stage actresses, and an award-winning star of Ted Lasso and Succession. In this candid interview, she talks to Gyles about her parents' divorce, her teenage struggles with mental health, and her famous uncle, Christopher Lee. She describes her first experiences of acting at school, and how her headteacher spotted her talent and encouraged it. Make sure you listen to the end, to hear Harriet amaze Gyles with some Shakespeare. Harriet's brilliant book, 'She Speaks' is a daring and inventive collection of speeches for Shakespeare's female characters, imagining what they might have said if they'd had the chance. It's out now, published by Little, Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first of our episodes in which Gyles reads from his childhood diaries, and Gyles and Harriet discuss the events therein. In this episode, Gyles starts reading from the beginning: Tuesday 28th April 1959, his first day at Betteshanger School in Kent, and ends on 31st December 1959. How did Gyles settle into school? Did he get a part in the school play, Tom Sawyer? Did he like his teachers? And what were his top 10 TV shows of 1959? Listen to find out about all this and more. We'll continue with Gyles's diary in a couple of weeks' time, so you'll be able to follow the story along if you listen to the episodes in order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.