Episodes
-
Björn Ulvaeus is pop music royalty, a founder member of one the most successful pop groups in history - ABBA. So when Gyles was given the opportunity to interview him at a special event in Bridlington, the Rosebud team hotfooted it up there to record it. What you're going to hear is a very special, wide-ranging and fascinating conversation about Björn's life and his incredible career. Björn grew up in Västervik, a small coastal town on Sweden's east coast. It was a happy childhood, but he knew his future lay beyond the little town, and it turned out that his guitar was his escape route. In this interview, Björn tells Gyles about meeting Benny, how they clicked immediately and started to write songs together. He tells Gyles about their songwriting process, which is riveting. He talks about the night ABBA won Eurovision, and the difficult period that followed. He talks about the band's split, and about the effect of fame on his family. Gyles and Björn also - exclusively - reveal that they've been writing a song together. Will it ever see the light of day? You'll have to listen to find out...
Our thanks to the team at Bridlington Business Day. And our thanks to Björn Ulvaeus and Christina Sas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
This week's guest is the stand-up comedian, actor, marathon-runner and political activist Suzy Eddie Izzard. Suzy tells Gyles about her new name, and why she's relaxed about what people to choose to call her. She then takes Gyles back into her childhood, spent in Aden, Northern Ireland and South Wales, until the sudden death of her mother changed everything and Suzy and her brother were sent to boarding school.
Suzy talks about what made her want to perform, what gives her drive to take on new and greater challenges all the time; she and Gyles talk about street performing, and about Suzy's current, ground-breaking solo production of Hamlet (on at London's Riverside Studios in Hammersmith). Enjoy this fascinating episode of Rosebud.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Gyles gets together with comedian Chris McCausland to record a really special episode of Rosebud. Chris takes Gyles back to his childhood days, playing football and messing about in the streets of West Derby Village in Liverpool, part of a close-knit family and friendship group. Chris talks about the beginnings of the problems with his sight, which started in childhood, how this affected his schooling and could, at times, make him feel self-conscious. He and Gyles also talk about whether Chris's sight problems affect his memories - which is fascinating. Chris tells Gyles about getting into stand-up, his best friend, how he met and married his wife and his experiences of being a dad. This is a life-affirming, inspiring, profound and at times, moving, episode of Rosebud - as Gyles demonstrates at the very end of the interview! Our huge thanks so Chris for giving his warmth, wit and wonderful reminiscences to us.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Who is the cleverest person in Britain? When Gyles asked this question to readers of his columns last year, one name was mentioned more than any other; that of Martin Rees, Lord Rees of Ludlow, the Astronomer Royal. Lord Rees is one of the most distinguished scientists in the country, a former President of the Royal Society and a Cambridge fellow. He wrote the first papers on quasars (a type of black hole) and he, alongside other greats such as Dennis Sciama and Stephen Hawking, helped to develop our understanding of the origins of the universe. He is also, Gyles discovers, a man of incredible modesty who just got into science because "he wasn't much good at anything else".
This is a wide-ranging conversation which takes in not only Rees's childhood in Shropshire and early academic career, but also includes discussions of the big bang, the future of the earth, and what happens to scientists when they get old. Plus, there's a bombshell revelation about Sir Isaac Newton. This is one of our most profound and intelligent Rosebuds yet: which isn't surprising, given our guest. Thank you, Martin Rees.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Gyles and Alexander Armstrong reminisce about Alexander's idyllic childhood in Northumberland, the son of a country GP. They talk about his school years, when he was an 'odd little boy' who sang in the school choir and was obsessed with Gilbert and Sullivan. They discuss the joy of Evensong, and the delights of PG Wodehouse, and Gyles finds out what it was like to live on Imogen Stubbs's barge in Chiswick. This episode was recorded on a sunny day in May, and we hope you can feel the sunshine as you listen to it - enjoy.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Gyles meets the writer, clergyman and former member of the Communards Reverend Richard Coles. Together they talk about Richard's childhood, growing up as the musically gifted youngest son in a family of shoe manufacturers in Kettering, about how he discovered his sexuality and became part of London's gay scene in the 1980s, and about how he found his faith in the aftermath of the AIDS crisis. Gyles and Richard discuss the best way to pull a vicar, and whether a mental orgasm is better than a physical one. Thank you to Reverend Richard for his openness and for this wonderful conversation.
Our other big news is that this week is our sponsor Grosvenor House's 95th anniversary. To hear Gyles interview Stuart Bowery, the Manager of the hotel, all about Grosvenor House's fascinating history, go to https://grosvenorhousecasts.podbean.com/.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Gyles has fun talking to Katherine Ryan about her early memories and formative experiences, with added discussions about the rights and wrongs of plastic surgery, whether you should tell anecdotes during sex, and what, exactly, is phallic swagger. This is a frank, open, revealing and sometimes inspiring conversation that's possibly slightly more adult than our usual episodes. Katherine tells Gyles about her childhood in a Canadian industrial town, about her parents and their divorce, and about her student job waitressing at Hooters. Thank you to Katherine for this brilliant conversation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
This week, Gyles has John Cleese in the Rosebud hotseat. Gyles finds out about John's childhood, growing up in the Westcountry during the war, with a father whose surname was actually 'Cheese' and a mother who was suffering from post natal depression. John also shares stories about his school days, what it was like being the tallest boy in the form, and how he enjoyed being "subversive" at the back of the class and discovered his love of being funny. John also talks about Python, Fawlty Towers and his spiritual side. This is a fascinating, wide-ranging and sometimes hilarious conversation. Thank you, John.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Dermot O'Leary and Gyles know each other from the This Morning sofa, but here they get the chance to sit down for a proper in-depth conversation. Dermot tells Gyles about his childhood, growing up in a warm and loving Irish family, and about how important his heritage is to him. He talks about his first communion, his love of poetry and Gyles finds out whether he knows the facts of life. Dermot's latest children's book, Wings of Glory, is out in paperback now: it's an exciting adventure set in WWII, starring a heroic band of birds who fight in the Battle of Britain.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
In this episode Gyles talks to the Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer. This isn't a political interview, instead it's an in-depth and fascinating conversation about Keir's background and personal history. Keir reminisces about his childhood in a village in Surrey; he remembers cramped car journeys in a Ford Cortina with four kids and four dogs squeezed onto the back seat. He also describes the impact his mum's serious illness had on him, his father and on the rest of the family. This is, at times, a moving conversation. Gyles also hears about Keir's university days, about his love of football, and about his first encounter with his wife. Thanks to Keir for giving us his time and energy, and for sharing his stories. Enjoy this.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
21st April is the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, and in celebration of this we're giving you an interview with Merlin Holland, who has an unusual claim to fame. His mother, Thelma Besant, was the late Queen's beauty advisor - her personal makeup artiste - who was present at the Coronation in 1953, as was our guest (then a young boy). Merlin is also the grandson of the great poet, playwright and paragon of late Victorian decadence, Oscar Wilde. Merlin's story, and that of his family, is captivating. His father, Vyvyan Holland, was Wilde's youngest son, but the family were forced to change their name after the scandal of Wilde's trial and imprisonment for gross indecency. Thereafter their life is lived in the shadow of this terrible event. You may not have heard of Merlin Holland, but this episode will introduce you to a fascinating person, whose story is a piece of living history. Thank you to Merlin for bringing this story to life so vividly.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Gyles's guest this week is Dame Twiggy Lawson, and this episode is recorded live at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, Surrey. Twiggy shot to fame as a 16 year-old, when her headshots - showcasing her newly cropped hair, boyish looks and signature dark eye makeup - were spotted in a London hair salon. Within weeks her face was on the front page of the Express with the headline: "Twiggy: the face of '66". By 1967 she was globally famous, had been on the cover of Vogue in the US and Paris, and was synonymous with the revolutionary aesthetic of the 1960s. Gyles also finds out about Twiggy's illustrious acting career, her relationship with the cult director Ken Russell, her marriages, and her night out with Fred Astaire. Twiggy is an icon. Enjoy this.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
This week Gyles hears the reminiscences of the presenter, writer and painter Anneka Rice. Rice grew up in Surrey, the daughter of a builder and a frustrated housewife who went back to college and left 11 year-old Anneka to look after her baby sister and do the household chores. Anneka distracted herself by playing games with Action Men and dinky trucks - little did she know that these childhood fantasies would find their way into her adult life, when she donned a jumpsuit and travelled by helicopter in Treasure Hunt, and drove a truck with her name on it in Challenge Anneka. Anneka also tells Gyles about her regrets, why she took a break from the limelight, and about her love of rice pudding.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The actor, director, and Game Of Thrones star Charles Dance tells Gyles about his childhood, adolescence and the early years of his career: which are possibly not what you'd expect. Dance was born to working class parents in the Midlands, lost his father when he was only 3, and then moved to Plymouth where he developed a stammer. He didn't train to be an actor until later, and his training was unorthodox - he was taught by two eccentric old men in the midst of rural Devon, where ballet exercises were done by holding onto the towel rail in front of the Aga. Charles also talks to Gyles about the failure of his first marriage, about his first job, and his time in the school choir.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Gyles takes Rupert Everett back to his childhood and teenage years, and be warned: not only is this episode hilarious, but it's also slightly more adult than our other shows. And it is genuinely one of the funniest Rosebuds yet. The son of an Army Major, Rupert didn't do any of things his parents expected. He was obsessed with Julie Andrews, loved dressing up in his mother's clothes, and was the 'Mata Hari' of his prep school. This refusal to fit in carried on into adulthood, when, at 16 and a half, he became a doyenne of the gay scene in 1970's Earls Court, and wore diamante earrings and no shoes to drama school. In this frank and funny conversation with Gyles, Rupert also reminisces about some of the megastars he's known, including Orson Welles and Madonna. This episode of Rosebud is electric. Enjoy it.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices - Show more
