Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

Monty Don

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest is the utterly wonderful Monty Don, and this is one of our warmest, richest, most delightful and most touching episodes yet - full o...

More Rosebud - Jean Campbell

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is the model and podcast host Jean Campbell, who talks to Gyles about her wild Scottish childhood and about her experience of living w...

Tom Allen

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is the comedian, author, actor and presenter Tom Allen. And this is a truly charming edition of Rosebud. Tom tells Gyles about his chi...

More Rosebud - Gyles's Diaries episode 37

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another riveting edition of Gyles's diaries, which give a unique perspective on life in Britain in the second half of the twentieth cent...

Wes Streeting MP

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Gyles meets the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP. Gyles hears about Wes's remarkable life story so far...

More Rosebud - Michael Heseltine

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We've got two political interviews for you on Rosebud this week, and this is the first. In the week of his 93rd birthday, Gyles is talking to Lord Hes...

Richard E Grant

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We at Rosebud are thrilled about today's guest, and we know you will be too: it's Richard E Grant. Actor, writer, influencer and star of one of the mo...

More Rosebud - Gyles's Diaries episode 36

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We've reached the end of 1973 in Gyles's diaries. But we begin this episode in 2026, celebrating Gyles and Michèle's birthdays, and they unwrap their...

Naz Shah

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March, and our guest is the Labour Member of Parliament for Bradford West, Naz Shah. Naz tells Gyles her ex...

More Rosebud - Dame Mary Archer

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of our Rosebuds in the week of International Women's Day, Gyles meets Dame Mary Archer, the scientist and former Chairs of Addenbrooke's ...

Justin Welby

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gyles talks the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and as this is a Rosebud conversation, we begin by hearing about Justin's fascinating f...

More Rosebud - Royal Special

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is a one-off episode, in which Gyles and Harriet discuss the British royal family and their future, in light of the recent scandal surrounding An...

More Rosebud Special - Kenneth Williams at 100, with David Benson

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this special edition of Rosebud, we celebrate the late, great, self-proclaimed cult that is Kenneth Williams. One of the greatest British entertain...

Julian Fellowes

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Fellowes, the creator and writer of Downton Abbey, Gosford Park, The Gilded Age - among other brilliant television series and movies - is our g...

More Rosebud - Gyles's Diaries episode 35

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's 1973, and Gyles is still working hard: putting on his star-studded son-et-lumières, appearing on Opportunity Knocks and... getting married. Yes,...

Rosebud at Valentine's: Leslie Caron

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gyles meets one of his teenage idols: the French-born ballet dancer and film star Leslie Caron. In this conversation, Caron tells Gyles about her chil...

More Rosebud - Love Letters

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's almost Valentine's Day - Gyles's favourite day of the year (the old romantic...) - and we've got a special episode for you: all about love letter...

Sir Derek Jacobi

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gyles has been an admirer of this guest since the 1960s: it's the great actor, Sir Derek Jacobi. Ever since he was recruited into Sir Laurence Olivier...

More Rosebud - Antony Penrose: growing up with Lee Miller

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is an extraordinary edition of Rosebud - from the first memory to the last, it is peppered with legendary names, great artists and wild stories. ...

Sir Ed Davey

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Joining Gyles on this episode of Rosebud is the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey. But this isn't a conversation about politics, it's abou...

More Rosebud - Gyles's Diaries, episode 34

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

1972 comes to a close, and Gyles is still building his unique portfolio career: touring the country dressed as Snoopy one minute, being the star colum...

Dame Siân Phillips

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dame Siân Phillips transports Gyles back to her childhood in Wales in the 1930s and 40s, where she grew up in a Welsh-speaking mining village, of whi...

Rosebud: The Winnie-the-Pooh special

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Last Sunday, 18th January, was Winnie-the-Pooh Day. It was the birthday of its creator, the author A A Milne. And Winnie-the-Pooh, his most famous boo...

David Baddiel

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

David Baddiel joins Gyles this week to tell his unconventional family story. David paints a vivid picture of his childhood home in Dollis Hill, north-...

More Rosebud - Gyles's Diaries, episode 33

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Another entertaining edition of Gyles's diaries for you, from 1972, in which: Gyles is upstaged by a man playing the spoons in Dorset, complains about...

Dominic West

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dominic West, one of the talented British actors who has had success both at home and in Hollywood, is our guest today. His breakout role was in the c...

More Rosebud - Dame Joanna Lumley at the Henley Literary Festival

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's More Rosebud, and this episode is a conversation that took place at the Henley Literary Festival in 2025 between Gyles and Dame Joanna Lumley, ab...

New Year Rosebud - Thelma Ruby, still a star at 100

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We're starting 2026 with a remarkable person: an actress who is 100 years old, and still a bundle of enthusiasm, vibrancy and joy. It's Thelma Ruby, b...

More Rosebud - Gyles's Diary, episode 32

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for the very last Rosebud of 2025, and we're leaving you with another warm, wonderful and witty edition of Gyles's diaries. In this episode,...

Rosebud at Christmas - Matthew Horne

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you're British, the chances are that last Christmas you watched the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special. And Gyles's guest this Boxing Day is one of...

Rosebud at Christmas - Anna Lapwood

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have another Christmas treat for you today - an interview with the prodigious musical talent that is Anna Lapwood. Anna is the official organist of...

Rosebud at Christmas - Treat Episode - Murder at the Palace

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have an atmospheric Christmas treat for you this Sunday afternoon: it's Gyles reading 'Murder at the Palace', an original murder mystery story, set...

Rosebud at Christmas - Charles Dickens

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we get to meet and know an author who is synonymous with Christmas - Charles Dickens - brought to life in this episode by his great-great grands...

More Rosebud - Gyles's Diary, episode 31

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another entertaining chapter of Gyles's diaries, this time from the end of 1971 and beginning of 1972, with Gyles's wife Michele as our ...

Jimmy Carr

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A man who needs no introduction: comedian, writer and TV host Jimmy Carr. In this conversation we find out what makes Jimmy tick and hear about his or...

More Rosebud biography special with Roger Lewis

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of More Rosebud we meet the celebrated biographer, journalist and writer Roger Lewis, "a bundle of nerves and rage and disappointment"...

Tony Blackburn

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you're a fan of pop music, radio, or the legendary "Sounds of the 60s" show, then you'll know and love our guest today: Tony Blackburn. And Tony is...

Gyles's diary, episode 30

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we join Gyles on a research trip to the sex shops and shows of Copenhagen with Lord Longford, other members of the Pornography Commis...

Matthew Syed

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Syed - table tennis Olympian, writer, broadcaster, thinker and Rosebud fan - is our guest today. And this is a genuinely fascinating, and insp...

More Rosebud - Angela Rippon

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is the broadcaster Angela Rippon, who looks back at her childhood and almost 60 years in newspapers, television and radio. From her cl...

Philippa Perry

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gyles talks to the writer, psychotherapist and agony aunt Philippa Perry. And this is a fascinating conversation about family dynamics, the salience o...

Gyles's diary, episode 29

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's diary time, diary fans - yippee! In this episode, Gyles gets invited onto Lord Longford's famous committee to investigate pornography, and sex, o...

Lee Mack

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lee Mack is one of the funniest and most successful British comedians working today; and if you're a fan of Would I Lie To You? then you'll no doubt k...

Rosebud on Armistice Day: Sir Nicholas Soames, grandson of Churchill

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Armistice Day, we bring you an episode of Rosebud which opens at the Garden of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, where Gyles meets veteran and doub...

Petula Clark

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Petula Clark has been famous since she was a child, when she was discovered on a wartime BBC radio show, and she has been on the radio, film and telev...

Gyles's diary, episode 28

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Another great episode of diaries for you, featuring another special appearance from Michèle, Gyles's wife. In this episode we discuss whether you can...

Samuel West

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The actor Samuel West is our guest today, and we recorded this episode earlier this month, not long before his mother, Prunella Scales's death on 27 O...

Sebastian Faulks

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gyles speaks to the novelist and writer Sebastian Faulks, who tells him about his childhood growing up in Berkshire and his clear memories of being le...

Charles Spencer

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest is Charles Spencer: the writer, broadcaster, and heir to the Spencer family title and estate at Althorp, where his sister, Diana, is...

Gyles's diary, episode 27

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A momentous time for the young GDB in this week's diaries, as he prepares to take his finals and to leave Oxford. The three years have flown by, as th...

Sir David Hare

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sir David Hare is one of the UK's most prolific and successful playwrights, and in this episode he talks to Gyles first about theatre, about great act...

More Rosebud - we talk to Julia Samuel MBE about grief, bereavement and loss

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this long-awaited episode, Gyles (and Harriet) talk to the psychotherapist, writer and broadcaster Julia Samuel about bereavement. As regular Roseb...

Ben Elton

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Elton was instrumental in the transformation of British comedy that took place in the 1980s. His scripts for The Young Ones and Blackadder were fr...

Gyles's diary, episode 26

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We've got a very special guest joining Gyles and Harriet in this episode of the diaries - and this is a really fun edition of the podcast as a result....

Lee Child

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're excited to present the multi-million selling author and creator of Jack Reacher, Lee Child, as our guest today. And this is a brilliant episode....

More Rosebud - Lee Lawrence

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A moving and important true story is the subject of More Rosebud today, featuring the writer and social justice campaigner Lee Lawrence. Lee's mother,...

Sir John Major

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sir John Major, British Prime Minister from 1992 - 1997, is our guest today. In this deeply interesting, personal and touching conversation, Sir John ...

Gyles's diary, episode 25

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for the further adventures of the young Gyles Brandreth, as he continues his impressive career at Oxford - in this episode Gyles finally has t...

Jung Chang

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're honoured to have Jung Chang, the celebrated author of the international bestseller Wild Swans, as our Rosebud guest today - and her story will a...

More Rosebud - Julia Bradbury

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Julia Bradbury talks to Gyles about her life, upbringing and her new book "Hack Yourself Healthy". As Gyles finds out in this conversation, from the m...

Alan Davies

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might notice that this episode of Rosebud is slightly longer than usual - and that's because this story is so powerful. This conversation with the...

Gyles's diary, episode 24

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, we know it's secretly your favourite part of Rosebud... it's Gyles's diary! And we know we say this every time, but it's another corker. Gyles do...

Professor Dame Mary Beard

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is one of the UK's best known and best loved public intellectuals, the classicist and expert on Roman history Professor Dame Mary Bear...

The Rosebud Second Birthday Edition - Dame Judi Dench Returns

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Rosebud's second birthday, and we're celebrating with another conversation with our very first guest: Dame Judi Dench. This time, it's been recor...

Dame Eileen Atkins

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To end our second year of Rosebud, we have one of our most charming, talented and brilliant theatrical dames: Dame Eileen Atkins. Dame Eileen is a uni...

Gyles's diary, episode 23

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gyles is back at Oxford after the summer... with a bang, of course. His long-awaited pantomime, Cinderella, opens at the Playhouse, with Sir Michael R...

Melvyn Bragg

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have a broadcasting legend for you today on Rosebud, as Gyles interviews the creator and host of In Our Time and The South Bank Show, Melvyn Bragg,...

More Rosebud - Lord Ivar Mountbatten

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria, cousin of Prince Phillip, descendant of Russian Tsars and of...

Su Pollard

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The sun is out and our guest this week is a ray of sunshine. It's the unique British comic actress and fashion icon Su Pollard. In this brilliant conv...

Gyles's diary, episode 22

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Well, Gyles's diary continues to wow Harriet - and all our lovely listeners - and this week is no exception... Because at the height of the Cold War (...

Anthony Horowitz

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A best-selling novellist with a life story that reads like a best-selling novel... our guest this week is Anthony Horowitz. In this absorbing and - at...

More Rosebud Poetry Special: Roger McGough

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A special episode of More Rosebud today with a great poet, and filled with great poetry. Roger McGough tells Gyles about his striking first memories, ...

Kemi Badenoch

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kemi Badenoch is the Leader of the Conservative Party and the current Leader of the Opposition, a job often described as the toughest in British polit...

Gyles's diary, episode 21

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard to believe how much Gyles packs into his summer term at Oxford: he's filming with the BBC, he's casting his first Oxford University Dramatic...

Hi-de-Hi Holiday Special from Broadstairs, with Jeffrey Holland

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rosebud is off to the seaside, to the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs in Kent, where we meet the much-loved star of Hi-de-Hi and You Rang, M'Lord,...

Gyles's diary, episode 20

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's another cracking episode of Gyles's Oxford diaries... Gyles continues his illicit flirtation with his friend's wife, has a sad meeting with Sal, ...

Mel Giedroyc

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mel Giedroyc is Gyles's special guest on this episode; and she talks about her amazing family story. Her father and his family were taken from Eastern...

More Rosebud: Chris Patten, Lord Patten of Barnes

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's More Rosebud, and our guest today is a political heavyweight. He was a member of parliament and cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher and John...

Richard Osman

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Osman: writer, presenter, producer, creator and podcaster. From Pointless, to House of Games, to Thursday Murder Club and The Rest is Entertai...

Gyles's diary, episode 19

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Gyles's first term at New College, Oxford, and in this episode we hear about what happens when the busiest man at Bedales takes on university lif...

Sir Gary Oldman

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of our most interesting, versatile and talented actors is Gyles's guest today: Sir Gary Oldman. In this very special, intimate and extensive conve...

More Rosebud - Julia Baird

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's More Rosebud, and time for another guest with an unusual tale to tell. Julia Baird is the half-sister of John Lennon, and here she tells Gyles ab...

Jeffrey Archer

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeffrey Archer is one of the best-selling writers in the world, and he is our guest today. He talks to Gyles about his childhood in Weston-Super-Mare,...

Gyles's diary, episode 18

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A treat for fans of Gyles's diaries, as this week we've got another edition of the gap year diaries... so that's two in a row! In this episode, we sta...

Piers Morgan

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is an exclusive, and more or less uncensored, interview with the journalist and media powerhouse Piers Morgan, who Gyles spoke to live at the Bri...

Gyles's diary, episode 17

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Another bumper episode of Gyles's diaries, featuring lots of chat, more diaries, and a gorgeous listener email and poem from Alex and Isabella Porter....

Alison Steadman

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The brilliant actress Alison Steadman tells Gyles about her life and career. There are some really enchanting stories in this episode from her childho...

More Rosebud - Rose Boyt

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rose Boyt tells Gyles about her unconventional childhood, and about her experiences of being parented by - and painted by - her father Lucian Freud, t...

JoJo Siwa

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

JoJo Siwa is Rosebud's youngest ever guest - she's only 22 years old. But she's been famous since she was 9, and a megastar since she was 12, when her...

Gyles's diary, episode 16

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a fun episode of diaries, as we hear about the gap year travels not only of Gyles, but also of Harriet too. Because she has finally dug out an...

Sir David Jason

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Gyles is joined by very special guest Sir David Jason, who talks about memories of his career: how he started out in his local theatre grou...

More Rosebud - Brandreth meets Beethoven

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We've got something quite unique for you this week: an episode of More Rosebud, in which Gyles meets one of the greatest composers who ever lived : Lu...

Rosebud at Sissinghurst - Sarah Raven and Adam Nicolson

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Chelsea Flower Show in London this week, and at Rosebud we're celebrating - with this special episode recorded at one of the most beautiful garde...

Gyles's diary, episode 15

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The second half of 1966 - Marlene Dietrich, university interviews, and the final goodbyes.This is a roller-coaster episode of Gyles's diaries, which i...

Dame Penelope Keith

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you love British comedy, you'll know and admire our guest this week: Dame Penelope Keith. The characters she played - Margo Leadbetter and Audrey F...

More Rosebud - The Lost Coat Episode

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you're an avid Rosebud listener, you may remember a listener email we read out back in episode 5 of Gyles's diaries, from Harry Scoble. Harry wrote...

Sir David Suchet

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The great actor Sir David Suchet is Gyles's guest today: and this conversation gets behind Hercule Poirot - Sir David's most famous role - and delves...

Gyles's diary, episode 14: the first half of 1966 - A-levels, a trip to Paris, and the end of an era

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of Gyles's diary takes us up to the end of Gyles's final year at Bedales in the summer of 1966; so this really is the end of an era. And ...

Rachael Stirling

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is Rachael Stirling: the brilliant theatrical actress and one of the stars of BBC comedy Detectorists, who is currently on stage in Lo...

More Rosebud - Lynda La Plante

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lynda La Plante - the writer, producer and creator of landmark dramas Widows and Prime Suspect - is Gyles's guest today. Lynda is the powerhouse behi...