• From The Vault: Angela Rayner
    Sep 19 2024

    James is back with another incredible guest from the Full Disclosure vault. Angela Rayner is a politician you simply can’t 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, she’s 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 haven’t heard it yet, it’s a brilliant conversation with one of the most vibrant voices in British politics and if you have, it’s well worth another listen…

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • From The Vault: Sir Keir Starmer
    Sep 12 2024

    James revisits one of the most memorable episodes of Full Disclosure with none other than the current Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

    Sir Keir’s 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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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Tony Blackburn: Escaping school, life at sea and landing the biggest job in radio
    Sep 6 2024

    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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    59 mins
  • Jordan Stephens: Heartbreak, hitting rock bottom and finding my way back from self-destruction
    Aug 30 2024

    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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    58 mins
  • Former Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu: I spent a year in therapy to get over what happened in my career
    Aug 23 2024

    "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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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Paul Sinha: How I went from GP to award-winning comedian and Chaser
    Aug 15 2024

    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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    57 mins
  • Martin O'Neill: Trophies, titles and missing out on the FA Cup
    Aug 9 2024

    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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    1 hr
  • Robin Askwith: The legendary actor with a life you couldn't make up
    Aug 1 2024

    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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    58 mins