Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

From calling out billionaires at Davos to challenging institutions that would rather stay comfortable, Rutger Bregman has built a career around one simple question: what are we actually doing with our lives? In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien sits down with the historian and author of Moral Ambition to talk about purpose, power and the quiet pressure to go along with things we know...

From the intensity of life as one of the most recognisable children on the planet to the creative freedom he has carved out as an adult, Daniel Radcliffe’s story is one of curiosity, discipline and quiet resilience. In this conversation with James O’Brien, recorded six years ago, Daniel reflects on the unusual contours of a childhood spent on film sets, the luck and judgement that helped him grow...

From the dislocated, sun soaked childhood of an RAF family to a life spent shaping British comedy, Dawn French’s story is one of resilience, warmth and hard won self knowledge. In this generous conversation with James O’Brien, recorded five years ago, she reflects on the moves that defined her early years, the confidence gifted to her by loving parents, and the shock of losing her father just as a...

A Boxing Day reflection on a standout year of Full Disclosure. James O’Brien revisits key guests and conversations from 2025, offering perspective on the ideas, stories and people that shaped the podcast over the past twelve months. With sincere thanks to everyone who has listened, shared and stayed curious, your company makes these conversations possible. We’ll be back in the new year with even b...

From bomb sites in postwar Birmingham to the centre of British stage and screen, Martin Shaw’s life has been shaped by curiosity, kindness and a refusal to play the part he was expected to play. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien sits down with one of Britain’s most enduring actors to trace the journey behind the performances. Shaw reflects on growing up with parents marked by war...

From missing the most famous penalty in English football to leading the national team into a new era, Gareth Southgate’s story is one of quiet resilience, modern leadership and emotional intelligence forged under relentless public pressure. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien sits down with Gareth to trace the long road that shaped him. From being an introverted, late-developing you...

Jan Ravens, the acclaimed impressionist at the heart of Dead Ringers , grew up learning to change the mood of a room long before she ever changed her voice on stage. In this conversation with James O Brien, she reflects on a childhood shaped by humour, instability and her father’s illness, and how those early pressures sharpened the instincts that later defined her career. She traces the journey f...

Before he became one of the most recognisable storytellers on the comedy circuit, Hal Cruttenden was a shy kid from West London who spent years trying to be what he thought others wanted him to be. He trained as an actor, chased approval, and tried to outrun a gnawing sense that something in his life was not quite aligned. It took heartbreak, therapy, and a very honest look at himself to turn that...

Before he became one of Britain’s most familiar faces, Stephen Mangan was a bookish North London boy from an Irish working-class family- the son of a builder and a barmaid- who won a scholarship to a boarding school his parents didn’t want him to attend. From there to Cambridge, to RADA, and to the West End, his path looks polished. But behind it lies grief, grit, and a fierce curiosity about the...

From Truman Capote to Mr Bates, Toby Jones has built a career on disappearing- an actor whose transformations are so complete they can seem alchemical. But behind that versatility lies a story of inheritance, self-doubt and quiet rebellion. The son of two actors, Toby grew up watching his father’s unpredictable career and vowing never to feel so exposed to fate. Yet the pull of performance, and th...

As the creative mind behind Blackadder , Spitting Image , Not the Nine O’Clock News and QI , John Lloyd has quietly shaped British comedy for more than forty years. In this episode of Full Disclosure , he sits down with James O’Brien to look back on the work that defined his career-and the questions that have driven him ever since. Lloyd reflects on his peripatetic naval childhood, his years at Ca...

Long before it became one of the most visited websites on Earth, Wikipedia began as a radical idea from a curious boy in Huntsville, Alabama. Raised by a father who managed a grocery store and a mother and grandmother who ran a tiny, Montessori-inspired school where “each one teach one” was the guiding principle, Wales grew up surrounded by early computers, space rockets and encyclopaedias bought...

Before he was Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones or the commanding presence of The Jewel in the Crown , Charles Dance was a boy from Worcestershire whose father died when he was three and whose mother built a new life for the family, remarried to their lodger. A childhood marked by loss, a stammer and humble beginnings gave little hint of the commanding actor he would become. In this episode of Fu...

Before Pointless , Classic FM and comedy stardom, Alexander Armstrong was a restless kid growing up in rural Northumberland- lonely at boarding school, obsessed with music, and quietly desperate to perform. In this revealing conversation with James O’Brien, he opens up about the bruises and eccentricities of his childhood, the teachers who changed everything, and the nights at Cambridge that set h...

Growing up in Bristol, acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Jack Thorne was a shy, politically driven kid who believed he could change the world- first through politics, then acting, before discovering that storytelling was where his voice truly belonged. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien sits down with the Emmy and BAFTA-winning creator of This Is England , His Dark Materials ,...

In 2013, businesswoman and mum Cor Hutton was given just a five percent chance of survival after contracting pneumonia that developed into sepsis. She pulled through, but lost both hands and her legs below the knee. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien speaks to Cor about her extraordinary journey- from relearning how to live as a quadruple amputee to becoming the first person in Sco...

Before he became one of the world’s best-known chefs, Jamie Oliver was a dyslexic kid growing up in his parents’ pub in rural Essex, learning the value of hard work, fresh food, and family. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien sits down with Jamie to trace his journey from peeling veg at his parents’ pub to fronting The Naked Chef , reshaping school dinners, and building - then losin...

Before becoming Ireland’s youngest Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar was a Dublin GP with bold ambitions and a belief that politics could be a kind of medicine for society. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien sits down with the former Prime Minister to explore his extraordinary rise from a mixed-heritage childhood in 1980s Ireland, to leading his country through Brexit battles, historic refer...

Britain’s leading forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd has performed over 23,000 postmortems and given evidence in some of the most high-profile cases of our time, from Hungerford to Hillsborough, from Princess Diana to David Kelly. But his fascination with death began much earlier, when his mother died suddenly from heart disease and he was left with questions no one could answer. In this epi...

Actor, comedian and bestselling author Arabella Weir grew up in a family that prized intellect and appearances but struggled to offer love. In this episode of Full Disclosure , she tells James O’Brien how an unsettled childhood shaped her fearless streak, her need to perform, and her instinct to turn pain into comedy. From the brutal remarks of her mother to the liberating chaos of Camden School f...

Natalie Haynes has never been easy to categorise. A stand-up comedian turned broadcaster and best-selling author, she has built a career out of making the ancient world vivid, funny and urgent. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien talks with the presenter of Stand Up for the Classics about her unusual path from Birmingham bookshops to the Edinburgh Fringe, and from Radio 4 to re-imag...

From a childhood in Dundee marked by loss, poverty and resilience, to becoming one of the most respected actors of his generation, Brian Cox’s life and career have been defined by an unrelenting pursuit of truth on and off stage. In this in-depth conversation with James O’Brien, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner reflects on the death of his father at eight years old, the formative influence of his...

From a childhood in Oxford shaped by unconditional love, Jewish heritage and a keen sense of curiosity, to a career spanning stage, screen, voice work and bestselling memoir, Miriam Margolyes’ life has been anything but ordinary. In this candid conversation with James O’Brien, the beloved actor reflects on the security of her early years, the sting of antisemitism, and the moment she first felt at...

Cariad Lloyd never set out to become the voice of modern grief, but after losing her father at just fifteen, the silence around death stayed with her. In this episode of Full Disclosure , James O’Brien speaks with the actor, comedian and creator of Griefcast podcast about how turning her personal loss into public conversation has transformed both her life and others'. Together they explore the ten...

From a shifting childhood split between Wolverhampton, rural Ireland and London, to fronting one of the most distinctive and uncompromising bands of the 1980s, Kevin Rowland’s life has been defined by defiance, vision and resilience. In this in-depth conversation with James O’Brien, the Dexys Midnight Runners frontman reflects on the lasting impact of a father’s harsh words, the struggle to find h...