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"I really need a future. What happened to me is so dark and so depressing that I've got to believe in something."
On Boxing Day 2022, Hanif Kureishi's life changed forever. The acclaimed novelist and playwright had a fall that left him paralysed, a single, shattering moment that split his life in two. In this episode, Hanif tells James about the life he lived before the accident and what's happened since.
Hanif has written about this extraordinary experience in his new book, Shattered, a deeply personal account of the accident and its profound aftermath. Shattered is available to buy now.
This episode contains offensive language and sensitive topic discussions including racism. Listener discretion is advised.
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One of Britainâs most celebrated French chefs, Michel Roux Jr is restaurant royalty. Born into the legendary Roux family, his father and uncle, Albert and Michel Roux Snr founded Le Gavroche, the first British restaurant to earn three Michelin stars.
Determined to follow in their footsteps, Michel left school at 16 to begin a pastry apprenticeship in Paris and later trained under the legendary Alain Chapel. Despite his fatherâs attempts to bring him into the family business, Michel initially resisted working at Le Gavroche. When he finally joined, it proved to be extremely tough but rewarding. In this episode, Michel talks about growing up at Fairlawne - grand country estate, the pressures of living up to his family's legacy and why he's left behind his "angry chef" persona.
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"I wasnât driven by being famous, I was driven by being successful. I wanted to be recognised by my peers, people who I considered âposh actorsââ.
Award-winning actor and bestselling author, Sir David White, is better known by his stage name David Jason. His career has spanned over 50 years, and is best known for his iconic roles Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses and Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost.
His childhood dream of becoming an actor was âcrushedâ by his father, who couldnât afford to support his acting career after his brother was accepted to RADA. David spent years as an electrician, whilst learning his craft in amateur theatre. In this episode David talks about his passion for performance, the heartbreak of losing a role in Dadâs Army and why heâs addicted to making audiences laugh.
His latest memoir This Time Next Year is out now.
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"I'm that lucky guy who found his hobby and was able to turn it into a job."
William Dalrymple is a multi-award winning and bestselling historian. Growing up on the Dalrymple family estate in North Berwick, with an almost Edwardian childhood, William was sent off to Ampleforth College at just eight years old. It was there that his passion for history grew and he spent his free time on archaeological digs and getting lost in history books.
William has gone on to turn that childhood fascination into an incredible career. He has written numerous bestselling books including White Mughals and The Last Mughals. His latest book The Golden Road is out now.
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Graeme Park is a legendary DJ and one of the founders of the UK's house music movement. Best known for his nine-year residency at Manchester's iconic superclub, The Hacienda, Graeme's journey into DJing was far from planned. In fact, he stumbled into it almost by accident. However, his passion for sharing the music he loved had a huge impact on the dance scene of the 80s and 90s, influencing a generation of club-goers, including sixteen year old James O'Brien.
Today, Graeme continues to perform to fans old and new around the world. He also DJs alongside the Manchester Camerata Orchestra as part of the Hacienda Classical shows, which have been touring the UK since 2016 and even opened the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2017.
You can find out more details about Graeme's upcoming gigs on thisisgraemepark.com
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"Britain is nowhere near as bad as America but let's not get complacent about the risk."
Jon Sopel is a journalist, broadcaster and author who launched the hugely successful The News Agents podcast with Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall in August 2022. Previously, he was the BBCâs North America Editor, covering U.S. elections including Donald Trumpâs presidency. He is the author of several books including: If Only They Didnât Speak English and A Year at the Circus: Inside Trumpâs White House. His latest book: Strangeland is out now.
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James is back with another incredible guest from the Full Disclosure vault. Angela Rayner is a politician you simply canât ignore, Her story is as inspiring as it is unlikely. She grew up in poverty in Stockport, left school at 16, pregnant and without a single qualification to her name. And yet through sheer grit, sheâs fought her way up to become Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
Angela joined James on Full Disclosure back in 2021. She talks about everything from her chaotic childhood to how she raised her own children out of poverty and her remarkable rise in politics. If you havenât heard it yet, itâs a brilliant conversation with one of the most vibrant voices in British politics and if you have, itâs well worth another listenâŠ
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James revisits one of the most memorable episodes of Full Disclosure with none other than the current Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
Sir Keirâs journey to Downing Street was far from straightforward. In fact, for a long time his life was headed in a completely different direction. He joined James for a live recording of Full Disclosure back in 2022, when he was still Leader of the Opposition.
Sir Keir talks about his childhood, the values that shaped him, his time as a human rights lawyer and how he handles the intense pressure and scrutiny of life in the public eye. Whether you're listening for the first time or revisiting the episode, this is a chance to gain real insight into the man now leading the country.
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Radio legend Tony Blackburn has spent the past 60 years entertaining listeners with his cheeky charm and passion for soul music.
His journey in broadcasting began in 1964 on the offshore pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London. Just three years later, he made history as the first DJ to be heard on BBC Radio 1, launching the station with his exciting new music show.
Tony quickly became a household name, hosting iconic shows like Top of the Pops, the Top 40 and Capital Gold's award-winning Breakfast Show. In 2015 he made history again, becoming the first person to receive two Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Radio Academy. Still going strong, he continues to entertain on the airwaves, with no plans to hang up his headphones just yet...
Tickets for his UK tour, Sounds of the Sixties, are available here.
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Jordan Stephens is a writer, musician and actor, best-known as one half of the hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks. His late teens and early twenties were a whirlwind of hit records, sold-out shows and wild parties, fuelled by a heady cocktail of drugs, drink, sex and chaos. It was fun until is wasn't.
In 2017, everything fell apart when Jordan cheated on his then-girlfriend, leading to a painful break up that left him heartbroken for the first time. Desperate to make sense of it all, Jordan set out on a journey of self-discovery, facing his emotions and slowly pieced himself back together. He opens up to James about his experience of heartbreak and why love is such an important, yet misunderstood, topic for young men today.
His new book, Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs is out now.
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"When I signed up to the police my friends said, 'Why on earth are you joining a corrupt and racist organisation?'"
Neil Basu joined the police force as uniformed officer in 1992. He rose through the ranks to become an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 2015, a role he held until 2021. Alongside this, he served as the UK's head of counter terrorism policing and Met assistant commissioner of specialist operations, working closely with MI5. During that time, he led investigations into 12 terror attacks, foiled 29 plots and charged three Russian state assassins in connection with the Salisbury Novichok poisonings.
In this rare and candid conversation, Neil doesn't hold back. He talks about the racism he's faced, the barriers he's had to break down and the tough leadership lessons he's learned throughout his career. But perhaps most powerfully, he explains why he firmly believes the Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist and why police chiefs must acknowledge it and apologise.
This episode is not suitable to those under 18 and contains sensitive topic discussions including racism and violence. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support, please see the suggested website links below.
HOPE not hate
SARI
Stop Hate UK
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Paul Sinha never really had a life plan and yet, somehow he's ended up with a career that's way beyond anything he could have imagined. He originally pursued a career in medicine, largely to keep his parents happy. But, whilst working as a junior doctor, he decided to give stand-up comedy a try. Now, he's not just a successful comedian but also a professional quizzer, best-known as one of the six Chasers on the ITV quiz show, The Chase.
He tells James what it was like to hide his sexuality at school, his unexpected break into comedy and the overwhelming sense of relief he felt when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019.
Paul's memoir One Sinha Lifetime is out now.
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Raised in an Irish Catholic family as one of nine siblings, Martin O'Neill was brought up with Gaelic football but he dreamt of becoming a professional English footballer. At 18, he was scouted by Nottingham Forest and quit his law degree to sign for the club. He went on to become an integral part of Brian Clough's legendary Nottingham Forest squad, winning back-to-back European Cups, and made history as the first Catholic player to captain Northern Ireland's national team.
After hanging up his boots, Martin achieved remarkable success as a manager, leading Celtic and Leicester City to major titles and taking the Republic of Ireland to the knockout stages of the 2016 Euros. He is now the chairman of the League Managers Association and co-hosts the Global podcast The Football Authorities with Clive Tyldesley. You can listen to The Football Authorities here: https://the-football-authorities.captivate.fm/
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A chance encounter with the director Lindsay Anderson changed Robin Askwith's life forever. It led to his first acting job, playing the schoolboy Keating in Anderson's film if.... which became one of the most popular British films of all time.
If.... kickstarted Robin's incredible career that spans an extraordinary period of time. Over the past 50 years, he's appeared in everything from Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Canterbury Tales to the Confessions comedies to Inside No. 9, The Madame Blanc Mysteries and even a stint in pantomime that saw him batting bread rolls with Ian Botham. Now he's enjoying something of a renaissance moment. And boy, does he have some stories to tell...
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James Graham is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter for TV and film. His plays include Ink, This House and Dear England, about the struggles and successes of Englandâs former football manager Gareth Southgate. His acclaimed TV dramas include Quiz and Sherwood, set in the north Nottinghamshire village where he grew up.
James was born into the close-knit community of Kirkby-In-Ashfield and witnessed the deep and permanent divisions from the 1980s minersâ strikes. He wrote his first play whilst studying drama at the University of Hull and seeing his words come alive on stage inspired him to keep writing. Heâs gone on to establish himself as one of the most influential playwrights of his generation, taking inspiration from moments in history that illuminate a particular social or political anxiety of the moment and telling stories that help us make sense of the world.
His adaptation of Alan Bleasdale's TV drama, Boys From The Blackstuff, is currently playing at the West End's Garrick Theatre. Tickets are available at boysfromtheblackstuff.com
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"I had this inner feeling that something would happen to take me away from my mundane life".
The first twenty years of Russell Watson's life were very ordinary. He grew up in Salford, left school at 16 with almost no qualifications and joined the government's Youth Training Scheme. By the age of 20, he was working on the shop floor of a factory, making nuts and bolts.
He started singing in local pubs and working men's clubs after winning a local talent competition organised by Manchester Piccadilly Radio. It was tough, and Russell considered giving up - until one night in Wigan changed everything.
Russell has gone on to become one of the UK's most popular classical artists, selling over 7 million records and performing for notable figures including Pope John Paul II, members of the Royal Family and the Emperor of Japan. Tickets for his Magnificent Buildings concert tour are available at russellwatson.com
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When Joe Pasquale was just seven years old, his mum was involved in a car accident that left her with concussion and epilepsy. She struggled to look after Joe and his three siblings and became severely depressed. Determined to try and fix things, Joe made it his mission to make her laugh every single day.
Forty years on, he has become a staple in British comedy, bringing joy and laughter to millions. Tickets for his latest show, The New Normal, 40 Years of Cack! are available at joepasquale.com
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âIâm a Walter Mitty whoâs actually done it.â Growing up in a tenement on the outskirts of Glasgow, Midge Ure dreamt of being a rock star, even though it seemed impossible for a working-class kid like him. But he had something special.
At just 18, he got his first break as the guitarist for the pop band Slik and went on to be part of several influential bands in the 1970s and 80s, including Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy and Ultravox. Alongside Bob Geldof, he set up Band Aid, collaborating on the 1984 hit Do They Know It's Christmas? With a career spanning over 50 years, he has firmly established himself as a rock legend, making all his dreams come true.
Tickets for Midge Ure: Catalogue: The Hits Tour are available at midgeure.co.uk
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Nick Lowles is chief executive of HOPE not hate, the UK's largest anti-racism and anti-extremism movement. For the last 35 years, he has tirelessly fought against those who try to exploit frustrations, create divisions and pit groups against each other.
Nick began his involvement with the anti-fascist movement as a student volunteer. He then worked for the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight before founding HOPE not hate in 2004. In his first ever interview about his life, Nick tells James why he's dedicated his life to fighting extremism and what keeps him awake at night.
This episode is not suitable to those under 18 and contains sensitive topic discussions including racism and violence. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support, please see the suggested website links below.
HOPE not hate
SARI
Stop Hate UK
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Actor and writer Sally Lindsay has always loved the spotlight. She made her TV debut aged 7 when her school choir performed their No.1 single Thereâs No One Quite Like Grandma on Top of the Pops. But it wasnât until university that she realised she could make a career out of performing.
Sally's gone on to star in hit TV shows such as Phoenix Nights, Coronation Street, Mount Pleasant and her latest project, The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which she also writes and produces.
She tells James how she landed her first TV role in The Royale Family, the struggles that working-class actors face and what sheâs doing to tackle inequality in the industry.
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