From The Vault: Dawn French

From The Vault: Dawn French

From the dislocated, sun soaked childhood of an RAF family to a life spent shaping British comedy, Dawn French’s story is one of resilience, warmth and hard won self knowledge. In this generous conversation with James O’Brien, recorded five years ago, she reflects on the moves that defined her early years, the confidence gifted to her by loving parents, and the shock of losing her father just as adulthood was beginning. She recalls her time at boarding school in Plymouth, the drama teacher who changed her life, and the year she spent in New York after winning a fiercely competitive debating scholarship.

Dawn speaks openly about stumbling into comedy by accident, her early days at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and the moment living with Jennifer Saunders set the course for their four-decade partnership. She revisits the wild beginnings of The Comic Strip, moonlighting as a teacher by day and performing in a smoky Soho club by night.

Along the way, she discusses the unusual pressures of fame, the introversion that sits behind the jazz hands, and the fierce, uncomplicated love that shaped her as both daughter and mother. Warm, candid and often very funny, this episode offers an intimate portrait of a national treasure who remains thoughtful, grounded and endlessly generous in spirit.

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Full Disclosure 2025: The Year Reviewed

Full Disclosure 2025: The Year Reviewed

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Martin Shaw: The Professionals was a monster that swallowed my career

Martin Shaw: The Professionals was a monster that swallowed my career

From bomb sites in postwar Birmingham to the centre of British stage and screen, Martin Shaw’s life has been shaped by curiosity, kindness and a refusal to play the part he was expected to play.In thi...

19 Dec 20251h 1min

Sir Gareth Southgate: There were days I didn’t want to get out from under the duvet

Sir Gareth Southgate: There were days I didn’t want to get out from under the duvet

From missing the most famous penalty in English football to leading the national team into a new era, Gareth Southgate’s story is one of quiet resilience, modern leadership and emotional intelligence ...

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Jan Ravens: “I lived with a nameless dread”

Jan Ravens: “I lived with a nameless dread”

Jan Ravens, the acclaimed impressionist at the heart of Dead Ringers, grew up learning to change the mood of a room long before she ever changed her voice on stage. In this conversation with James O B...

5 Dec 20251h 2min

Hal Cruttenden: Divorce blew my mind- it hits harder than losing parents

Hal Cruttenden: Divorce blew my mind- it hits harder than losing parents

Before he became one of the most recognisable storytellers on the comedy circuit, Hal Cruttenden was a shy kid from West London who spent years trying to be what he thought others wanted him to be. He...

28 Nov 20251h 4min

Stephen Mangan: When Mum died, I knew I couldn’t waste life being a lawyer- I had to act

Stephen Mangan: When Mum died, I knew I couldn’t waste life being a lawyer- I had to act

Before he became one of Britain’s most familiar faces, Stephen Mangan was a bookish North London boy from an Irish working-class family- the son of a builder and a barmaid- who won a scholarship to a ...

21 Nov 20251h

Toby Jones: I never wanted to feel desperate about acting

Toby Jones: I never wanted to feel desperate about acting

From Truman Capote to Mr Bates, Toby Jones has built a career on disappearing- an actor whose transformations are so complete they can seem alchemical. But behind that versatility lies a story of inhe...

14 Nov 20251h 4min

John Lloyd: Blackadder, Spitting Image, QI and a life in search of meaning

John Lloyd: Blackadder, Spitting Image, QI and a life in search of meaning

As the creative mind behind Blackadder, Spitting Image, Not the Nine O’Clock News and QI, John Lloyd has quietly shaped British comedy for more than forty years. In this episode of Full Disclosure, he...

7 Nov 20251h 3min

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