Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

It's Tuesday, so we have another delicious slice of Gyles's diaries for you. It's 1979, and his son Benet is learning to ride his pony, Tonka; Gyles is learning to drive at the ripe old age of 30, and Michele is giving birth to their third child: Aphra. Plus some fun Gyles and Harriet chat, a brilliant email from Gemma O'Connor about nerves and stage fright, and the usual brilliant observations about British life at the end of the 20th century from Gyles's diary. Enjoy this.

This week we're delighted to be bringing you another ground-breaking conversation between Gyles and one of the world's great composers: on this occasion, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In this episode, Gyles will find out about Tchaikovsky's first memory, the fragile and sensitive nature which gave him the nickname "child of glass", his early love of music, and his struggles to come to terms with his homosexuality. We find out about Tchaikovsky's musical education, his worldwide fame, and his tragic demise.  In this conversation, Tchaikovsky is brought to life by the writer and performer, Tama Matheson. What you are going to hear is a classic Rosebud interview, answered by Tama as if he were Tchaikovsky himself. Tama is a brilliiant writer/performer who has written and conceived a series of shows based on the lives of great artists - composers and poets - in which he brings these geniuses to life through performance, music, and meticulous research. Tama's show about the life of Tchaikovsky, Child of Glass, is at Opera Holland Park in London on the 13, 14 and 15 August. Tickets are available here.

We're thrilled to announce that our guest today is Dame Elaine Paige! So many of you have told us you'd love hear Elaine's Rosebud, and this conversation will not disappoint. In it, Elaine tells Gyles about her childhood, growing up in a maisonette on Barnet High Street with loving, talented parents who always gave her the right advice. She talks about her schooldays, and how she went to school for the social life... and she talks about being sent to theatre school and modelling gym slips and swimming costumes for M&S as a teenager. Dame Elaine tells Gyles about being in the film Oliver!, about getting naked in Hair and about being auditioned for Evita. She talks about Edith Piaf and the breakdown she had and how her mother and father helped her to recover. This is a wonderful edition of Rosebud, our thanks to Elaine Paige for her time, energy and infectious laughter. Elaine's album, "Miscellaneous Paige", is out now, and available here.

Our guest today is the DJ, music producer and drag artiste Jay Clarke AKA Jodie Harsh. In this conversation, Jay/Jodie talks to Gyles about their childhood in Canterbury, growing up as a young gay man in a close-knit family with a father who struggled to accept his son's sexuality. Gyles hears about escaping from the family home down the bathroom drainpipe and going up to London, secretly, to go underage clubbing at the Astoria. And thus Jay/Jodie burst onto London's gay scene - and the rest is history. Jodie Harsh was born, went on to become one of London's best known drag artistes, friends with stars such as Amy Winehouse and Kylie, and DJ for celebrity parties and Madonna. Perhaps not what you'd usually expect from Rosebud - this is a fascinating story of excess, club culture and the search for identity. It does contain mention of drink and drugs and some sexual references. Jodie's book, You Had To Be There is out now and available here.

We can't bring you an England World Cup Final in 2026 - much to our regret - but we CAN bring you a trip down memory lane with the greatest goal-scorer of our victory 60 years ago in 1966: because our guest today is Sir Geoff Hurst. In this conversation, Sir Geoff tells Gyles about his childhood, when football and cricket competed for his affections, and his footballing father encouraged his love of the game. He talks about his apprenticeship at West Ham under Ron Greenwood, who spotted his attacking ability and encouraged him to play as a centre-forward. He talks about meeting and playing alongside Bobby Moore as a teenager, and looking up to the natural leadership of the future England captain. He talks about being selected to play for England - by letter - and the culture in the team. He talks about meeting and marrying his wife, and the loss of their daughter, Claire, who died of a brain tumour at only 45.This is an unusually revealing conversation with one of the greats of the game and a fascinating reflection on the changing nature of football over the past 60 years.Sir Geoff Hurst is touring the UK with his "Last Man Standing" theatre show this autumn. Tickets are available here.

Gyles Brandreth's unique record of the late twentieth century continues, as he reads from the diaries he's kept since he was 10 years old. We're now reading from 1977 and 78. Gyles is forced to take the outrageous and unprecedented step of taking a day off a week, by his wife, Michele. He invents the Collins Academic Year Diary. He wears a novelty jumper for the first time ever. And he ponders the death of Elvis Presley. Plus chat with Gyles and Harriet about great British landmarks, dates, and being liked.Send us a postcard from your holidays! Address is to: Rosebud, JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London W1K 7TN. Enjoy this!

Our guest today is the writer, columnist and broadcaster Caitlin Moran. Caitlin talks to Gyles about her unusual childhood in Wolverhampton, homeschooled by a father who was a frustrated rock star and a mother who looked like Mick Jagger. She talks about her parents' sex life and her dreams of escaping the Midlands. Caitlin talks about winning her first journalism prize and writing her first novel at 16. She talks about starting smoking on her first day at Melody Maker and meeting her husband. She talks about having a miscarriage and motherhood. She talks about rewilding her garden and the power of nature to heal and delight. This is a brilliant conversation, full of entertainment, laughter, candour and insight. Our heartfelt thanks to Caitlin for it. Caitlin's new podcast is called Outsiding, and is out now. It's highly recommended.

We are delighted to have the actor Adrian Lester, currently in the West End as Cyrano de Bergerac, in the Rosebud chair today. Adrian talks to Gyles about his childhood in Birmingham, growing up in an effusive and loving family of Jamaican heritage, surrounded by aunties, cousins and grandparents. He talks about the formative experience of being a chorister in the cathedral choir, and of doing drama at the Midlands Arts Centre. He talks about going to RADA, doing Shakespeare with Cheek by Jowl and Peter Brook, and playing Cyrano. Finally, he talks about relationships and fatherhood. Our thanks to Adrian Lester for this fascinating conversation. Cyrano de Bergerac is at the Noel Coward Theatre in London. Tickets are available here.