Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

Today Gyles speaks to a remarkable person: Sir Grayson Perry. Artist, presenter, thinker and fashion icon, Perry is a unique figure who has led an unusual life. Grayson was born and brought up in Chelmsford, but his father left the family when Grayson was only four years old, and his mother married the local milkman - a Tom Jones lookalike with an unpredictable temper. Grayson talks to Gyles about the effect this lonely and unsettled childhood had on him: this is a moving episode. Gyles also asks Grayson about his transvestism and about his art. We hope you enjoy this very interesting edition of Rosebud. Grayson Perry is on tour nationwide this autumn, and tickets are available at https://www.fane.co.uk/grayson-perry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode you join Gyles and Harriet at the Oldie of the Year lunch, where Harriet asks some of the guests at the event for their first memories. Including memories from Radio 4 legend John Humphrys, children's writer Dame Jacqueline Wilson, choreographer Arlene Philips, actress Nanette Newman and 102 year-old skydiver Manette Baillie. Plus some chat from Gyles and Harriet and one of your emails, about synaesthesia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gyles really enjoyed meeting this week's guest, Ed Balls, because he enjoyed bonding over their shared experience of Westminster. And the political gossip and insight in this chat is fascinating - from a very funny behind-the-scenes account of the famous dinner at Granita in Islington at which Tony Blair and Gordon Brown thrashed out their leadership in 1997; to a description of what it's like to lose a seat as an MP (like being at your own funeral, apparently). But there's much more than politics, here. This is also the fascinating story of Ed himself, his humble Norfolk beginnings, his academic success, his early journalistic career, his marriage to fellow Labour Party high-flier, Yvette Cooper, and why it's best to lean in to a mid-life crisis. We hope you enjoy this week's brilliant edition, and thank you very much to Ed for your time, warmth and fabulous company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back, diary fans, with another instalment from Gyles's diary. This one starts in the 1964 summer holidays, Gyles is 16, and he's off on a road trip with his Canadian cousin Johnnie. Gyles is not impressed. In the autumn it's time for the General Election and, at Bedales, the school mock election, in which Gyles is running as the Conservative candidate. He's also appearing as Isaac Newton in the school play, taking over the school magazine, and getting his O-level results. As usual, there's never a dull moment. This episode also features an extended chat from Gyles and Harriet at the start, and a couple of your emails. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dame Kristin Scott Thomas is one of our best, most distinctive, and most watchable actresses, and we're delighted that she's our guest on Rosebud today. Dame Kristin tells Gyles about her childhood, which was at times idyllic but was coloured by the tragic deaths of both her father and step-father. She talks about her impressive and highly talented mother, who brought up five children in the midst of loss. She talks about her move to Paris as a teenager, how she met and married her first husband, and how important her new French family became to her. She talks about her career, working with Prince, how she was cast in The English Patient and her work on stage in The Audience and Elektra. Kristin's life is fascinating, and this is a fascinating, and moving, episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In another special episode dedicated to the how, what and why of memory, Gyles talks to his long-time friend and colleague Professor Brett Kahr. Professor Kahr is a practising psychotherapist and an expert on Sigmund Freud, the father of psychotherapy and the inventor of the "talking cure". In this fascinating conversation, Gyles and Prof. Kahr take a detailed look at the power of childhood memories, particularly traumatic ones, to effect our adult lives, and the benefits to be had from examining them and learning from them. Brett also tells Gyles about Freud himself, how he developed his ideas and how he escaped the Nazis and came to London. Gyles talks to Brett about some of the memories we've heard from our guests on Rosebud, and Brett talks about some of the common themes which come up in psychoanalysis - such as dreams and sex. This is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation, we hope you enjoy it. Professor Kahr's book: Coffee with Freud, is available from major bookshops online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gyles is talking to one of his favourite comedians in today's Rosebud - Josh Widdicombe. Josh tells Gyles about his early days growing up in Devon; about his charismatic father, his clever mum, and his chain-smoking grandmother who lived next-door and delighted him with tales of her acting days. Gyles hears about Josh's youthful obsessions: pop culture, TV, Plymouth Argyle and marbles, and about how they inspired Josh's later career as a comedian and writer. He hears about Josh's university days and how he started to do stand-up. Finally, Josh opens up about his struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, and talks about the things that helped him to feel better. Josh is on tour from September 2025, and tickets are available now at www.joshwiddicombe.com. Thank you to Josh for such a warm, open and funny conversation. Enjoy this! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've another action-packed episode of Gyles's teenage diary for you, diary fans. The young Brandreth continues to busy himself on multiple fronts - with drama, journalism and politics. As his form teacher says in his report: "Gyles appears to be a person of boundless energy and enthusiasm..." But all is not entirely plain-sailing in this episode, as Gyles gets involved in a scandal at school and learns a painful lesson, with the help of his extremely understanding teachers. If you're enjoying the diaries but haven't heard them all, you can go back to the start - they're all marked chronologically and begin with episode 1. We'll be back with more diaries in two weeks' time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosebud is thrilled to present to you one of the truly great Hollywood actresses of her generation: Sigourney Weaver. Known for her groundbreaking performances as Ripley in Ridley Scott's Alien movies, Sigourney redefined what women could do in the movies. Sigourney talks to Gyles about her fascinating parents - her father, Pat Weaver, was a leading US television executive who pioneered morning television, and her mother, the English actress Elizabeth Inglis. She tells Gyles how she came by her name, and about her first kiss, and how she struggled to get used to her height. She talks about beginning acting at Stanford and later Yale, and how her confidence was knocked by her Yale tutors. She talks about working with Woody Allen and on the set of Alien. Halfway through the show, Sigourney and Gyles are joined by a special guest - an Oscar-winning British actress who Sigourney has loved since she was a child. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tariq Ali is one of the most famous and recognisable figures of the revolutionary student movements of the 1960s. In his distinctive red Aquascutum mac he led marches, gave speeches and galvanised opposition to the Vietnam War and other big issues of the time. Born in Lahore just before Partition, he grew up in a prominent family of politicians and became interested in radical politics from a young age. At only 16 he organised his first strike, among the latrine-wallahs in the hill station where his family holidayed. At 18 he was sent to Oxford University, where he became president of the Union and impressed people with his brilliance at public speaking and debating. He tells Gyles about all this and about some of the amazing people he met along the way - including Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Marlon Brando and Malcolm X. If you aren't familiar with Tariq Ali's story, this is really worth listening to for a fascinating insight into the radical and optimistic days of the late 60s and early 70s, when anything seemed possible. Tariq's memoir, You Can't Please All, is out now, published by Verso.https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/authors/ali-tariq?srsltid=AfmBOorNoyy2ZaKtYHa5Zay30ii1E1ieQJ76ERKTHvDgvfIEB9t-zreO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.