Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Full Disclosure is taking a short break over Christmas but don't worry, we'll be back at the end of January with a line up of exceptional guests. If you can't wait until then, why not catch up on some of the episodes you might have missed. It's been a vintage year with incredible guests including Rob Brydon, Sir David Jason, Sally Lindsay and lots more. Every episode of Full Disclosure is availabl...

As we take short break for Christmas – here's a selection of some of our favourite conversations from 2024. Full Disclosure will be back in the new year with more brilliant guests. In the meantime, why not listen back to your favourite episodes or catch up on the ones you might have missed. You can find them all on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks, as always, for listening.

Rob Brydon has done pretty much everything you can. From radio DJ & Voice over artists, hosting one of the UKs most loved panel shows to being the star of Gavin & Stacey and acting alongside Margot Robbie in smash-hit Barbie. Rob is a comic that has never lacked ambition, but his success came later in life, during one of his darkest personal moments. In this episode, James O'Brien goes bac...

Shaun Keaveny is one of the UKs most beloved broadcasters, having spent 11 years presenting one of the countries biggest music breakfast radio shows. His journey began upon leaving college, where he knew he wanted to work in a creative industry with a passion for writing skits, listening to the radio and playing music. Shaun soon got his first break at XFM London, presenting overnights to a minisc...

Alex James is the bass player in one of Britain's biggest bands, Blur. With millions of record sales and 2 sold-out nights at Wembley in 2023, he sits down with James O'Brien to discuss his early childhood, the emergence of Blur, cheese making and his brilliant new book 'Over the Rainbow'. With a self-confessed short attention span, Alex failed his A-Levels and was worrying what was next to for hi...

"As I grew up, I realised I had to look after myself because no one else was going to do it for me." Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey joined the House of Lords in 2004, becoming one of its first Black female members. But from the age of eight weeks old to eighteen years old, she moved between foster care placements and care homes in north London. In this episode, she tells James about her upbringing...

Dan Snow makes history exciting. Whether it’s through his award-winning documentaries, bestselling books, or popular podcast History Hit , he has a gift for bringing the past to life and showing us why it still matters today. Coming from a family of celebrated journalists—his father is broadcaster Peter Snow and his mother is Canadian journalist Ann MacMillan - Dan was immersed in storytelling fro...

For thirty-six year, James has been chasing this interview and now, he's finally secured it. Actor, writer and director Rupert Everett joins him to talk about the highs and lows of his extraordinary 40-year career in show business. Rupert discovered performing when he was a young boy and got a thrill from showing off in school plays at Ampleforth College - so much so, that he left school at 15 to...

Growing up on a Lake District farm that had been in his family for centuries, James Rebanks always knew his place in the world. School wasn't for him - he felt his teachers looked down on farming and his grandparents worried education might lure him away from the land. By the age of 15, he had left school with just two O-Levels to work full-time on the family farm. But in the evenings, a new world...

"I really need a future. What happened to me is so dark and so depressing that I've got to believe in something." On Boxing Day 2022, Hanif Kureishi's life changed forever. The acclaimed novelist and playwright had a fall that left him paralysed, a single, shattering moment that split his life in two. In this episode, Hanif tells James about the life he lived before the accident and what's happene...

One of Britain’s most celebrated French chefs, Michel Roux Jr is restaurant royalty. Born into the legendary Roux family, his father and uncle, Albert and Michel Roux Snr founded Le Gavroche, the first British restaurant to earn three Michelin stars. Determined to follow in their footsteps, Michel left school at 16 to begin a pastry apprenticeship in Paris and later trained under the legendary Ala...

"I wasn’t driven by being famous, I was driven by being successful. I wanted to be recognised by my peers, people who I considered ‘posh actors’”. Award-winning actor and bestselling author, Sir David White, is better known by his stage name David Jason. His career has spanned over 50 years, and is best known for his iconic roles Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses and Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost....

"I'm that lucky guy who found his hobby and was able to turn it into a job." William Dalrymple is a multi-award winning and bestselling historian. Growing up on the Dalrymple family estate in North Berwick, with an almost Edwardian childhood, William was sent off to Ampleforth College at just eight years old. It was there that his passion for history grew and he spent his free time on archaeo...

Graeme Park is a legendary DJ and one of the founders of the UK's house music movement. Best known for his nine-year residency at Manchester's iconic superclub, The Hacienda, Graeme's journey into DJing was far from planned. In fact, he stumbled into it almost by accident. However, his passion for sharing the music he loved had a huge impact on the dance scene of the 80s and 90s, influencing a gen...

"Britain is nowhere near as bad as America but let's not get complacent about the risk." Jon Sopel is a journalist, broadcaster and author who launched the hugely successful The News Agents podcast with Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall in August 2022. Previously, he was the BBC’s North America Editor, covering U.S. elections including Donald Trump’s presidency. He is the author of several books inc...

James is back with another incredible guest from the Full Disclosure vault. Angela Rayner is a politician you simply can’t ignore, Her story is as inspiring as it is unlikely. She grew up in poverty in Stockport, left school at 16, pregnant and without a single qualification to her name. And yet through sheer grit, she’s fought her way up to become Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Angela joined...

James revisits one of the most memorable episodes of Full Disclosure with none other than the current Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. Sir Keir’s journey to Downing Street was far from straightforward. In fact, for a long time his life was headed in a completely different direction. He joined James for a live recording of Full Disclosure back in 2022, when he was still Leader of the Opposition. S...

Radio legend Tony Blackburn has spent the past 60 years entertaining listeners with his cheeky charm and passion for soul music. His journey in broadcasting began in 1964 on the offshore pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London. Just three years later, he made history as the first DJ to be heard on BBC Radio 1, launching the station with his exciting new music show. Tony quickly became a ho...

Jordan Stephens is a writer, musician and actor, best-known as one half of the hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks. His late teens and early twenties were a whirlwind of hit records, sold-out shows and wild parties, fuelled by a heady cocktail of drugs, drink, sex and chaos. It was fun until is wasn't. In 2017, everything fell apart when Jordan cheated on his then-girlfriend, leading to a painful break up th...

"When I signed up to the police my friends said, 'Why on earth are you joining a corrupt and racist organisation?'" Neil Basu joined the police force as uniformed officer in 1992. He rose through the ranks to become an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 2015, a role he held until 2021. Alongside this, he served as the UK's head of counter terrorism policing and Met assistant comm...

Paul Sinha never really had a life plan and yet, somehow he's ended up with a career that's way beyond anything he could have imagined. He originally pursued a career in medicine, largely to keep his parents happy. But, whilst working as a junior doctor, he decided to give stand-up comedy a try. Now, he's not just a successful comedian but also a professional quizzer, best-known as one of the six...

Raised in an Irish Catholic family as one of nine siblings, Martin O'Neill was brought up with Gaelic football but he dreamt of becoming a professional English footballer. At 18, he was scouted by Nottingham Forest and quit his law degree to sign for the club. He went on to become an integral part of Brian Clough's legendary Nottingham Forest squad, winning back-to-back European Cups, and made his...

A chance encounter with the director Lindsay Anderson changed Robin Askwith's life forever. It led to his first acting job, playing the schoolboy Keating in Anderson's film if.... which became one of the most popular British films of all time. If.... kickstarted Robin's incredible career that spans an extraordinary period of time. Over the past 50 years, he's appeared in everything from Pier Paolo...

James Graham is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter for TV and film. His plays include Ink, This House  and  Dear England,  about the struggles and successes of England’s former football manager Gareth Southgate. His acclaimed TV dramas include  Quiz  and  Sherwood,  set in the north Nottinghamshire village where he grew up.  James was born int...

"I had this inner feeling that something would happen to take me away from my mundane life". The first twenty years of Russell Watson's life were very ordinary. He grew up in Salford, left school at 16 with almost no qualifications and joined the government's Youth Training Scheme. By the age of 20, he was working on the shop floor of a factory, making nuts and bolts. He started singing in local p...