Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

Our guest today is the model and podcast host Jean Campbell, who talks to Gyles about her wild Scottish childhood and about her experience of living with chronic pain as a result of hip dysplasia. Jean tells Gyles the dramatic story of how her hip condition was discovered - as a result of a serious skiing accident when she was a teenager. She talks about the long and arduous treatment she received, and her eventual decision to try and live with and manage the pain. And she talks about the brilliant podcast she hosts all about pain, which is called "I'm Fine", and is available to download here.This is a fascinating episode, and - particularly - if you have experienced long-term pain or ill-health, it's highly recommended listening. Our thanks to Jean Campbell for sharing her story on Rosebud. And our thanks to you for being our lovely, loyal listeners - our Rosebud Family!Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube here. Join The Rosebud Family here. And visit our website here.

Our guest today is the comedian, author, actor and presenter Tom Allen. And this is a truly charming edition of Rosebud. Tom tells Gyles about his childhood in suburban Bromley and opens up about what it was like to be an eccentric child who refused to follow the crowd and liked dressing up as an emperor. Gyles and Tom bond over some mutual passions, including Noel Coward and stationery. And Tom talks about coming out and his first kiss.Tom is currently in Titanique in the West End of London. His new novel, Common Decency, is out in May and is available to pre-order here.Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube here. Join The Rosebud Family here. And visit our website here.

It's time for another riveting edition of Gyles's diaries, which give a unique perspective on life in Britain in the second half of the twentieth century. We start with some chat from Gyles and Harriet about Lord Heseltine, and about the possibility - and the truth - of love at first sight. Next, it's time for the diaries; we've now reached 1974, and Gyles embarks enthusiastically on trying to book theatrical stars for his season at the Oxford Playhouse. But will Jeffrey Archer stump up the money Gyles needs to pay all this top-notch talent? Meanwhile, Gyles is hosting a late-night phone-in show on LBC. And there's a general election - can Gyles mobilise the youth vote in East Anglia to swing it for the Tories? There's never a dull moment in the life of GDB, and 1974 is no exception...Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube here. Join The Rosebud Family here. And visit our website here.

In this episode, Gyles meets the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP. Gyles hears about Wes's remarkable life story so far, which begins in a council flat in East London and ends at the highest level of government. Wes tells Gyles about his unusual family - his mum, whose parents had both been in prison; his dad, whose father - Bill Streeting - was a formative influence on Wes. He talks about his school days, how he was introduced to the church at primary school and always had 'main character energy'. He talks about going to Cambridge, coming out, and ambition. Wes also talks about his current role and his plans for the future.Enjoy this.

We've got two political interviews for you on Rosebud this week, and this is the first. In the week of his 93rd birthday, Gyles is talking to Lord Heseltine - one of the so-called "big Beasts" of the British political scene at the end of the twentieth century. Heseltine was a prominent cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher, Deputy Prime Minister under John Major, and is now a member of the House of Lords. In fact, he's been a significant figure in British politics for half a century. Michael speaks to Gyles about his childhood, growing up in the Swansea in a loving family. He talks about his love of nature - of gardening, birdwatching, and about how he founded the "Tit Club" at school. He talks about his early entrepreneurial drive - selling lemonade to fellow pupils, charging his dad to clear his garden, and how this later developed into early adult success in business. This business acumen led Heseltine to become a politician of rare efficiency - known for his skill at cost-cutting and fixing big issues. He talks about his relationship with Thatcher, his experience regenerating the Docklands of East London and Liverpool, and how he met and married his wife, Anne. This episode was recorded live at the Concert Artistes' Association in London. Our thanks to them.

We at Rosebud are thrilled about today's guest, and we know you will be too: it's Richard E Grant. Actor, writer, influencer and star of one of the most loved British films of all time, Withnail and I, Richard talks to Gyles about his extraordinary childhood. Born to good-looking parents in the ex-pat community in then-Swaziland, Richard's young life was full of Enid Blyton, barbecues and Pelham puppets - but things changed when his mother left the family and his father descended into alcoholism. What follows is a story full of shocks and surprises - including adultery, attempted murder and estrangement - and is well worth listening to. Richard also tells Gyles about his move to London, how he broke into acting, and how he met and married his wife, Joan Washington. And he talks about how he has coped since Joan's death in 2021.Many thanks to Richard for this fascinating conversation.Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube here. Join The Rosebud Family here. And visit our website here.

We've reached the end of 1973 in Gyles's diaries. But we begin this episode in 2026, celebrating Gyles and Michèle's birthdays, and they unwrap their presents from Harriet. We hear about Gyles's birthday plans - he likes to be busy on his birthday - and he's spending the day dressed as Henry Fielding, wearing a wig and britches. We then hear some more from Gyles's diaries, in which young Gyles puts on a gala show at The Oxford Playhouse, is given a gift by Barbara Cartland, and meets Bob Monkhouse. Enjoy this, diary fans!Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube here. Join The Rosebud Family here. And visit our website here.

It's International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March, and our guest is the Labour Member of Parliament for Bradford West, Naz Shah. Naz tells Gyles her extraordinary story; about her father, who left the family when she was only six years old, leaving the children and their mother in poverty, insecurity and sometimes squalor. About her mother, who was abused by two men - first by her husband, and then by a neighbour who seemed to be offering help and support, but who actually wanted sex. Naz tells Gyles about being sent away to Pakistan as a 13 year-old, and forced into an arranged marriage with her first cousin. She talks about the concept of 'izzat', or honour, which runs so deeply through this traditional and conservative community. She talks about the dramatic events that happened when her mother finally snapped, and gave her abuser a fatal dinner which changed everything.This is a shocking story about the vulnerabilty, bravery and strength of women.Naz Shah's book, 'Honoured: Survival, Strength and My Path to Politics' is out now, and available here.Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube here. Join The Rosebud Family here. And visit our website here.

In the first of our Rosebuds in the week of International Women's Day, Gyles meets Dame Mary Archer, the scientist and former Chairs of Addenbrooke's Hospitals Trust and the Science Museum Group, made a Dame for her service to the NHS. Gyles talks to Dame Mary about her childhood, nurtured by a father who was highly ambitious for his daughters, who gave her a lifelong love of music. They talk about her interest in science, which began at primary school, and she and Gyles discuss whether scientists think differently to other people. They talk about Mary's time at Oxford University, where she studied chemistry and met and married Jeffrey Archer - and Gyles asks Mary about their relationship, and what drew these two apparently very different characters to each other. Mary and Gyles talk about some of the challenges she and Jeffrey have faced as a couple and about Mary's career as a scientist, and in public life. This is a long and in-depth conversation which gives a different, scientific, perspective on life. It's fascinating. Our thanks to Dame Mary Archer. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube here. Join The Rosebud Family here. And visit our website here.