Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Content warning: this episode contains descriptions of racial violence, racial slurs and suicidal feelings. By the time Matthew Collins was 15 years old, he was enthralled by the far-right and had joined the National Front. But after one particularly violent incident in South East London, Collins began passing on his secrets to the other side. Now an activist for the anti-fascist organisation, Hop...

The internment of Japanese Americans across the U.S. during World War II is not an obvious subject on which to develop a musical, however it is exactly what George Takei, Star Trek legend and social media icon has done. Now in his mid-eighties, Takei brings a show inspired by events from his own childhood to London’s Charing Cross Theatre. Tickets for ‘George Takei’s Allegiance’ are available now...

Back in the day when she was best known as Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street, Tracy Brabin did not shy away from national politics, appearing in Labour campaigns and using her stardom to generate interest in the political project. But it was the tragedy and brutal murder of her friend Jo Cox in Tracy's hometown which catapulted her into the Commons. Now the first Mayor of West Yorkshire, she s...

From union General Secretary, to Home Secretary to award-winning writer. By his own admission, Alan Johnson has lived a charmed life. He speaks to James about his tricky early years and political heroes. His book, One of Our Ministers is Missing is his latest spy thriller.

A quick glance at Lisa Nandy's family tree shows that politics runs through her veins, but when she first arrived in the House of Commons it wasn't an easy transition. She speaks to James about her life growing up in Manchester, her political ambitions and a very embarrassing job interview. Her book, How We Build a Country That Works is out now.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa's pursuit of the truth has landed her in trouble with the most powerful man in her motherland: President Duterte of the Philippines. Ressa has racked up over 100 hours of potential prison time and multiple warrants for arrest. Her book, How to Stand Up to a Dictator is a story told from the frontline of the digital war, mapping networks of disinformation rangin...

Dr Gabor Maté is one of the world's most revered physicians, specialising in addiciton, trauma, ADHD, stress and childhood development. As a young person, strangers would stop him in the street to remark upon his frightened-looking demeanour. Dr Maté believes he inherited trauma from his mother, a Hungarian Jewish woman trying to escape the Nazis. His book, The Myth of Normal is his first book in...

He’s most famous for his role in HBO’s Succession, playing Logan Roy, the ruthless, capitalist, pater familias at the top of media conglomerate, Waystar Royco. But the actor Brian Cox has lived on both ends of the wealth gap and his latest passion project, How the Other Half Live is a two-part television show exploring money itself. He speaks to James about his own upbringing and how it shaped him...

Ever since he arrived on our screens in the early noughties, illusionist Derren Brown’s dramatic television stunts routinely generated controversy, with complaints originating from sources as diverse as the GMB union, church groups and on one occasion, the police. But they were never upheld. Derren speaks to James about the humanity at the heart of his craft and what led him to it. His latest stag...

How does a shy little boy go on to perform to arenas brimming with thousands of screaming fans? Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet fame speaks to James about how his life was transformed by a local drama school teacher and how it led him to the dizzying heights of rockstar fame. Martin's book, Ticket to the World is a celebration of 80s culture from one man at the centre of it all.

Hey listener, we’ve got a new LBC podcast that we think you’d like called Sweeney Talks with old-school reporter, John Sweeney. John is trouble. He's taken on Vladimir Putin, challenged Donald Trump, and after months of uncovering hard truths in Ukraine, he’s back. John is never silent about what he’s experienced. Sweeney talks, and in this podcast, so do his guests. John speaks to people like him...

Adrian Chiles has graced our television screens for over two decades. On this episode of Full Disclosure he discusses the pressures of being in the public eye, his Brummie background and his difficulties with alcohol. His latest book, The Good Drinker is out now.

Noel Fitzpatrick is the face of Channel 4's hugely popular factual series, The Supervet. As well as a being a vet Noel has worked as an actor, appearing in Heartbeat and The Bill in the early 2000s. He speaks to James about his life and love for animals. He also speaks bravely to James about his experience of being sexually abused as a child.

Since she was 14 years old Sara Pascoe knew she wanted to be famous. Her passion for performing was realised after being sent to drama classes as punishment for a chaotic house party Sara hosted. The multi award-winning comedian's brand new and biggest live tour to date, Success Story runs from November 2022 - April 2023.

At one of the highest and most remote locations in England sits Swaledale hill farm where Amanda Owen tends to her thousand sheep and nine children. Despite having no agricultural blood, she has become the most famous farmer in the country, starring in Channel 5’s highest rated factual series, Our Yorkshire Farm. She is now the author of five Sunday Times Bestselling books, that latest of which, C...

Moments of high drama in Britain's recent history are punctuated by the voice of one man. For nearly half a century, broadcaster David Dimbleby has led us through the shifting sands of general elections, referendums and royal deaths. He speaks to James about the magic of those moments as well as BBC impartiality and bedtime reading. His autobiography, Keep Talking: A Broadcasting Life is out now.

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.

When he graduated with a master's degree from the University of East Anglia, Ian McEwan did his level best not to have a job. He is now recognised as one of the finest British writers of his generation. Born in Aldershot, McEwan spent his childhood crossing continents wherever his father, an army officer. was posted. His latest novel, Lessons is his most autobiographical yet.

When Emily Maitlis started reporting from Hong Kong as a young journalist, by her own admission, she wasn't very good. Since then she has interviewed some of the most powerful people in the world and her 2019 interview with Prince Andrew dropped a bombshell which led to the Duke of York having to give up his royal duties. She now presents The News Agents, a Global Player Original podcast.

John Cleese is one of Britain's most celebrated cultural icons. The actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer is best known for Monty Python and for playing Basil in Fawlty Towers, co-written with his first wife, Connie Booth. With a career spanning over half a century, Cleese realised he could make people laugh before he'd reached his teenage years.

Some of us manage to embody a youthful playfulness throughout our lives and the writer, broadcaster and academic, Michael Rosen is probably one of the best examples. He is one of Britain's best-known and most-loved authors, continuing to write books and poems which capture the imagination of children and adults alike. His latest book, Goldilocks and the Three Crocodiles is out on 15th September.

For 23 years Figen Murray worked as a counsellor helping people to get back on track so that they could lead happier, healthier lives. But on the 22nd of May 2017 her life as she new it changed forever. Figen's son, Martyn Hett was one of the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena bombing. Remarkably Figen decided to forgive his killer. She now campaigns for better security in public places, has...

In what would turn out to be the first of many media interviews, Brian Cox hopped off the plane from Geneva and found himself on Jeremy Paxman’s sofa arguing the case for the Large Hadron Collider against the UK’s most senior scientist. It was the beginning of a broadcasting career which has led to him being described as the natural successor to David Attenborough. He speaks to James about what so...

Mick Lynch has been hitting the headlines from the picket throughout the summer and makes batting off stereotypical lines of questioning from the right-wing media commentariat look like a blood sport. One interviewer accused him of seeing himself as an evil criminal terrorist mastermind. But ultimately the RMT's General Secretary describes himself as a working class, good natured, second generatio...

Miriam has worked with some of the best in the business and in some great films such as the 1990s film Romeo and Juliet. Many of you of course will know her as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films. Her autobiography, This Much is True is now out in paperback. I sat down for a lovely chat this week with Miriam about her life, career and being outspoken at times.