Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth – Details, episodes & analysis

This week, Gyles is joined by very special guest Sir David Jason, who talks about memories of his career: how he started out in his local theatre group in north London, and progressed through amateur dramatics, to rep, and finally to the West End and television. There are, of course, a few cameos and helping hands along the way: Brian Epstein, Humphrey Barclay, Ronnie Barker and John Sullivan, to name but a few. You'll know Sir David's television work, because it's legendary: Only Fools and Horses, Open All Hours and Touch of Frost are classics which will be watched for many years to come. But you may not know about his early work on the stage, or his humble roots as a mechanic and then an electrician, or about the impressions he did of his teacher at school, or about the crucial role Ronnie Barker played in getting his career off the ground.

This is a funny and touching conversation with one of the true legends of British stage and screen. Thank you to Sir David for your time, and wonderful stories.

Sir David's book, This Time Next Year, is out now in paperback, published by Penguin.

This episode was recorded at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House hotel in London, thank you to them.

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We've got something quite unique for you this week: an episode of More Rosebud, in which Gyles meets one of the greatest composers who ever lived : Ludwig Van Beethoven. In this fascinating conversation, Gyles will find out about Beethoven's first memory, his challenging childhood in which he was forced to play the piano by his drunken father, and his ascent to genius, both aided and hampered by his encroaching deafness.

In this conversation, Beethoven 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 Beethoven himself.

Tama is a brilliiant 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 amazing show about the life of Beethoven I Shall Hear In Heaven is at Opera Holland Park in London on the 6th and 8th August. Tickets are available here.

Tama's own website is here. The Moonlight Sonata at the end of the episode is played by Jason Gillham.

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It's the week of William Shakespeare's birthday, so Gyles has poetry on his mind... and we thought we'd celebrate with a special conversation recorded with Simon Armitage, who has been Poet Laureate since 2019. Gyles finds out about Simon's childhood and early days, when he played out on the moors with his friends, watched TV and read comics... long before he became turned on to poetry by reading Ted Hughes. Gyles hears about Simon's parents, his love of indy music, and his first career as a probation officer. Gyles and Simon talk about poetry, about Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney. We hope you enjoy this episode, and that it inspires you to read some poetry today - Simon's most recent book, Blossomise, it out now - it's a celebration of blossom and is well worth reading this springtime.

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Val McDermid tells Gyles her remarkable story. An only child from Kirkcaldy in Fife, the daughter of a welder and a shop assistant, Val became obsessed with books after being read to by her mother as a young child and, when the family moved opposite the town's Central Library, she read every book on the shelves. It was her favourite books - The Chalet School series - that inspired her to become a writer and to apply to Oxford University, despite the fact that she'd only ever been to England once, on a family holiday to Blackpool. Val also tells Gyles about the 3 months she spent in an isolation hospital when she was first born, forever effecting her relationship with her mum; about discovering her sexuality at university; and about her first career as a journalist. Val is now one of the best-selling crime writers in the world, and her latest book 'Past Lying', the latest in the Karen Pirie series, is out now.

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This week, Gyles talks to Elizabeth Day, host and creator of the hit podcasts How to Fail and Best Friend Therapy, and author of multiple best-selling fiction and non-fiction books, including Magpie, The Party and Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict, which is released in paperback in March 2024. Elizabeth tells Gyles about her childhood, spent near Derry in the north of Ireland; her unhappy years at boarding school; her first job as a 12 year-old newspaper columnist; and her experience of living in a tower block near St. Petersburg in Russia. And Gyles and Elizabeth reminisce about the first time they met, when Elizabeth was only 17. This is fascinating, frank, and warm conversation - thanks so much to Elizabeth for her time, energy and wonderful stories.

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It's the fifth of the Rosebud Dames, and in this episode Gyles is talking to Dame Jilly Cooper about her life and times. They talk about her childhood, when she was horse mad and wasn't even put off by being bitten by her first pony. They talk about her early days as an office worker, when she got fired from 22 jobs. They talk about leaving the manuscript for Riders on the bus. And they talk about the best ways to write a really good sex scene. This is an intimate chat between old friends: enjoy.

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Gyles's guest this week is the renowned evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins. At the end of the episode, Gyles asks Richard how he would like to be remembered: "A scientist, lover of the truth, and motivated by a desire to communicate truth to others". Because of that desire for truth, this episode is unflinching. It involves some challenging subject-matter: for example, both Gyles and Richard share their experiences of abuse at boarding school in the 40s and 50s. They also discuss Richard's childhood, some of which was spent in Kenya and Malawi, and how he started out on his career as a groundbreaking scientist and author.

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It's Valentine's week, and we're celebrating with our first ever Rosebud couple: Clare Balding and Alice Arnold. This is a truly romantic and life-affirming episode. You may have seen Clare and Alice on Celebrity Gogglebox, you'll certainly know Clare from her many appearances anchoring major sporting events, from the Olympics to Crufts, and Alice was for a long time the voice of the news on Radio 4's Today programme. Gyles talks to Clare and Alice about their first memories, but also about how they met, what they love about each other and the secrets to a long and happy marriage. Sit back, relax, and feel the love!

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Well, this episode has got it all: gripping stories, laughter, tears and a lot of singing. Gyles takes Lulu back to memories of her childhood in Glasgow, which was both happy and turbulent, but full of love and music. She remembers her early performances - as a very young girl at a street party for the Queen's coronation, and then as a 5 year-old, standing on a chair so she could reach the mic, in Blackpool. She tells Gyles about making it, about singing so loudly while recording "Shout" that she broke the microphone, and about meeting The Beatles. She talks about working with David Bowie, their close relationship and the lost recordings they made together, and we get an exclusive performance of her version of a David Bowie track. This is a fascinating and very entertaining episode, full of highs and lows. Thank you, Lulu.

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Dame Esther Rantzen is a tour de force: journalist, TV presenter and campaigner, her vision and dynamism brought about the nationwide helpline for children in distress, Childline. Through her massively popular consumer show That's Life, Esther was also responsible for campaigning for organ donation and introducing compulsory seatbelts for children, at the same time as showcasing viewers' faulty washing machines and laughing at misshapen vegetables. Recently, That's Life's incredible reunion of Sir Nicholas Winton with the children he had rescued from the Holocaust in Prague has been made the subject of the film One Life starring Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Gyles and Dame Esther spoke over Zoom, and the interview was recorded in two parts.

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