Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

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 generation Irish immigrant leading an industrial dispute. James speaks to the man wielding the rhetorical scalpel about his political views and life before his rise to public prominence.

29 Jul 20221h 1min

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.

7 Jul 202258min

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.

30 Jun 20221h 7min

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.

23 Jun 20221h 6min

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.

16 Jun 20221h 6min

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).

9 Jun 20221h 5min

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.

26 Mai 20221h 7min

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.

19 Mai 202253min