Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Gyles invites the brilliant comedian, actor and writer David Mitchell to look back at his early memories. This chat starts with David's childhood, and then broadens out into a wide-ranging discussion about history, the worst professional experiences Gyles and David have ever had and school dinners, via a heated debate about whether being a hairdresser is as stressful as being a chef and a bombshell about King Arthur. We'd love to hear what you think - please email us at hello@rosebudpodcast.com...

This week, Rob Brydon looks back on his childhood and adolescence in South Wales. From riding around on bikes pretending to be Starsky and Hutch, to his first electrifying stage kiss in the school play, to being rejected by Rada, bumping into Harold Pinter, and his friendship with Ronnie Corbett, this is an evocative, funny and fascinating interview peppered with impressions, famous names and great stories...

Geri Halliwell-Horner is a woman of many guises. She's been Ginger Spice, a hugely successful recording artiste and member of the world's biggest girl band. She's been a UN Goodwill Ambassador who met Nelson Mandela. She's been a heartthrob - who famously kissed Prince Charles when she first met him at The Royal Variety Performance. She is now a writer - her Rosie Frost series of novels for young adults have been bestsellers...

For our first episode of 2024 we have a very special guest: Sir Michael Palin. From his childhood in 1950s Sheffield, to getting drunk at boarding school, discovering his talent for writing and performing at Oxford University, meeting his wife Helen on holiday at 16 and of course the formation of Monty Python - Michael Palin has had a long and fascinating life. This is a an entertaining, fascinating and sometimes moving conversation, we hope you enjoy it! Learn more about your ad choices...