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.
He’s best known for his forensic select committee cross examination of cabinet ministers but the Labour MP for Rhondda lived multiple lives before reaching parliament in 2001. Originally a member of the Conservative Association at Oxford, Chris Bryant went on to become a priest before quitting and becoming a Hackney Labour councillor. In this remarkable and warm episode of Full Disclosure he speaks to James about his sexuality, religious beliefs and the state of politics under Prime Minister Johnson.
Hey James O'Brien listeners, here’s a brand new podcast we think you’d like, called The Followers. Shelagh Fogarty began her LBC career as a guest presenter in 2014, and her balanced and calm presenting style soon earned her a permanent role. Heartbreakingly, it was this calm approach which led to the most harrowing ordeal of Shelagh's life, when a man stalked her for nearly 2 years. In 2017, Shelagh began to notice the same face appearing in crowds, on the tube, outside her work. She dismissed it at first, but then the appearances became more and more frequent and noticeable - he was there when she met friends, when she travelled across London, at her local train station, and even when he followed her home?The Followers is a 5-part LBC podcast series where Shelagh talks about the disturbing stages she went through during her stalking: dismissing it, fearing it, and feeling powerless as she was forced to live a limited life. The podcast also included conversations with experts and...
In 1997 Chris Patten walked away as the final British governor of Hong Kong in a symbol of Britain's continual imperial decline. Having taken the blame for Margaret Thatcher's hated poll tax, he was ousted as the Conservative MP for Bath in the 1992 general election and has been described by The Observer as 'the best Tory Prime Minister we never had'. His book, The Hong Kong Diaries has been published by Penguin to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover.
When he was elected as the MP for Ilford North in 2015, Wes Streeting achieved the biggest swing towards Labour from the Conservatives in the general election. Despite growing up in relative poverty and having family members in prison, Streeting attended Cambridge University and went on to become President of the National Union of Students. He credits his varied upbringing with being able to bring people over to his side and believes in engaging the world where he finds it rather than how he wishes it was. He is now the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
Known best for playing Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Simon Callow is a critically acclaimed actor, writer and director. Raised by a host of eccentric and strong-minded women, he eventually found his feet at the National Theatre at the Old Vic under the tenure of Sir Laurence Olivier - much to his mother's displeasure. Tickets for his latest show, the award-winning musical, Anything Goes, are available at anythinggoesmusical.co.uk (June 2022 - September 2022).
He’s known mostly to his younger fans for playing Ben Harper in the decade-long running sitcom, My Family and to an older audience as the eponymous Marxist in Citizen Smith. In this episode of Full Disclosure James is joined by the BAFTA and Olivier award-winning actor Robert Lindsay who discusses moving from humble beginnings in the Derbyshire industrial town of Ilkeston to being accepted at the highly selective and prestigious drama school, RADA, where his dramatic career began.
An unusual episode of Full Disclosure: one in which the identity of our guest is not revealed. No name, no gender, no details about where they grew up or went to school. The Secret Barrister is a criminal lawyer, best-selling author and Twitter stalwart. Their latest book, Nothing but the Truth attempts to establish why the public at large thinks what it does about justice and explores why a young Secret Barrister was so ready to believe the prevailing stereotypes about lefty lawyers and liberal judges.
Irish comedian Ed Byrne was born in County Dublin and attended a school run by the Christian Brothers Catholic order. It was so badly managed that he had to leave. After one year away, he was back again, finding the local alternative even worse. Whilst not admitting it at the time, Byrne felt that comedy was always his calling. Tickets for his latest show, If I’m Honest… are available at edbyrne.com
Hoards of men would troop past Andy Hamilton's window every Saturday on the street he grew up on in Fulham. Minutes away from Stamford Bridge, and despite being by his own admission a 'sickly child', he was eventually allowed to attend a Chelsea game at the age of 5. Best known as a comedian and game show panelist, Hamilton also co-wrote the much-loved and award-winning sitcom, Outnumbered. His novel, Longhand was published last year and tickets for his 2022 tour are available now.