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 Pushkin, and the second son of David, the late Marquess of Milford Haven, who was Prince Philip's best man at his wedding to Princess Elizabeth in 1947. Lord Ivar tells Gyles about his complex and fascinating lineage, and he also tells him about growing up in a grand house "like Downton Abbey", surrounded by servants and with a mother who was lazy, uninterested in her children and too posh to pack her own suitcase. He talks about the death of his father when he was only 7, and about his relationship with his Great Uncle, Louis Mountbatten, who was eventually assassinated in 1979. Ivar talks about his schooldays and tells Gyles some great stories about holidaying with Queen Elizabeth II. He talks about his sexuality, about meeting and marrying his wife, and about how he eventually gained the courage to come out as gay and begin a new life with his now husband, James Coyle. And he talks about appearing on the US version of the Traitors!

This is a fascinating snapshot of life in the English aristocracy, and an honest account of coming out as gay when you're a member of one of the most famous families in the world.

Enjoy this.

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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 conversation, Su tells Gyles about her childhood in Nottingham, how she got the bug for performing when she was still in the infants and used to go to school dressed in wild outfits that made her look like a morris dancer. He hears about her parents, Don and Hilda, how her father liked to garden in his shirt and tie and their impressive work ethic. He hears about Su's first boyfriend, her first professional role and her first meeting with the Queen. And he hears about Hi-de-Hi and how Su sometimes answers the front door as Peggy. This is a unique conversation with one of the true originals of British showbiz.

Su is currently on a nationwide tour called "Still Fully Charged". Tickets and info available from supollardlive.com.

Enjoy this.

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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 times - moving and shocking conversation, Anthony tells Gyles about his young life and upbringing, which is extraordinary. Born to wealthy parents into a very large home of extreme privilege, Horowitz's childhood was cold, lonely and lacking in love and affection. His father was critical and prone to cruelty, his mother was stifled. The teachers at his prep school were brutal and abusive. So it's not surprising that Anthony looks back at this childhood with ambivalence, anger and regret, and that it's found its way into many of his books.

Anthony also tells Gyles about how he found his voice as a writer, about meeting his wife, Jill Green, and their brilliant partnership, and about his hatred of writers' routines.

Enjoy this.

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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 Poland to Siberia by the Russians in 1939 - Mel's grandfather was shot, but her grandmother, dad and aunts made an extraordinary journey and eventually reached London, where Mel's father settled and met her mother. It's a fascinating, moving and sometimes shocking tale, and a very special edition of Rosebud. Mel also talks about meeting Sue Perkins at Cambridge, about being flashed at in Italy, and about her love of walking holidays.

Mel Giedroyc is the host of the brilliant Where There's a Will There's a Wake podcast, in which guests plan their perfect funeral and talk about the manner in which they're going to meet their maker. It's a surprisingly uplifting podcast about death and is highly recommended.

Enjoy this.

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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 Major, was the UK's last governor in Hong Kong, and then Chancellor of Oxford University. It's Chris Patten, Lord Patten of Barnes. In this episode, Chris tells Gyles about his childhood, growing up in the west of London in a happy and loving Irish family with a jazz-musician father. He tells Gyles about working for Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher, about Hong Kong and about his pride at having been involved in the Irish peace process. He talks about Trump and his fears for the future.

At the start of this episode, we also have a surprise: Rosebud's shortest ever interview! Plus a listener email and more chat from Gyles and Harriet.

Enjoy this.

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Richard Osman: writer, presenter, producer, creator and podcaster. From Pointless, to House of Games, to Thursday Murder Club and The Rest is Entertainment - the range, volume and success of Osman's work is impressive. So how did this shy boy who liked to stand outside things, observe and who has "weird brain gifts" become such an on and off-screen talent? Richard talks to Gyles about his early years - how his happy childhood spent holidaying with families from the street was disrupted by his father leaving the family when Richard was only nine. He talks about his struggles with his eyesight, and how that and his height made him feel separate, and different. He talks about his amazing mum, and how she coped as a single parent. Richard talks about how much he loves TV, and about how much he loves his wife, Ingrid Oliver. And he tells Gyles about seeking help for his food addiction.

This is a fascinating episode full of wisdom and honesty.

It was recorded at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London.

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One of our most interesting, versatile and talented actors is Gyles's guest today: Sir Gary Oldman. In this very special, intimate and extensive conversation, Gary tells Gyles about his childhood in New Cross Gate in South London, growing up in a council flat with his sisters and his mum - his father left the family home when Gary was seven. He tells Gyles about his happy childhood, dressing up as a homemade batman and playing cricket in the streets with his friends. He tells Gyles about discovering the Greenwich Young People's Theatre and applying for drama school, and about getting his Equity card. He talks about Joe Orton, Paul McCartney, Malcolm McDowell and why he'll never play Hitler. Gary also talks about the perpetual feelings of insecurity which drive him. This is a fascinating conversation with a wonderful actor and we're thrilled to be able to give Rosebud listeners the chance to hear it. Enjoy this.

This podcast was recorded at Gyles's house.

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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 about her childhood, their mother (Julia Lennon, née Stanley) and what it was like to grow up alongside a future pop icon. John Lennon and Julia Baird's family was big, and complicated - their mother, Julia, was one of five girls. She met John Lennon's father, Alf Lennon, in the park when she was just 14, and the pair courted, and later married. John was born in 1940, but Alf got a job in the merchant navy and from then on was seldom home. After that, Julia had three more daughters with two different partners, but her family did not approve and John was taken to live with his aunt, Mimi. However, John and his mother never stopped seeing each other, and never stopped loving each other - and this is the story Julia Baird tells to Gyles in this episode. She also tells Gyles about John's success, about the band's rehearsals in her mum's kitchen, about John and Cynthia, and about going to see the Beatles play in Liverpool and the early days of Beatlemania.

This really is a must for any John Lennon fans who want to know more about his childhood.

Julia Baird's book Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon is available here. Tickets to Live Odyssey, an immersive exhibition about British music and featuring a new John Lennon exhibition, are available here.

This episode was recorded at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London. Thank you very much to everyone there!

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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, his indomitable mother, his wicked granny, and how he was fired from his job at the local cricket ground for his entrepreneurial afternoon tea scheme. He tells Gyles about his university days, about meeting his wife, Mary, and about meeting the Beatles. He talks about his career as an MP, how he almost became bankcrupt and started writing novels. And, of course, he talks about going to prison for perjury and the lessons that experience taught him. Plus he talks about Margaret Thatcher and the qualities that made her such a successful politician. This is a fascinating interview about a truly fascinating life.

Jeffrey's new book, An Eye for an Eye, is out now.

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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 start off with a visit from the writer/performer Tama Matheson, who brought Beethoven to life so brilliantly on an episode of More Rosebud a couple of weeks ago. Tama tells Gyles and Harriet about his forthcoming show about Beethoven: 'I Shall Hear in Heaven', on 6 and 8 August, tickets are available from www.operahollandpark.com.

Then we get into Gyles's diaries. In this episode, Gyles visits Texas and Louisiana, and is shocked by the racial inequality he sees all around him. He goes to San Francisco and LA, and is intrigued by the hippies. And he eventually flies home, where he is greeted by a new baby niece and Sally, his girlfriend. Gyles tells Harriet about his x-rated, secret diary, and about his thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey.

Enjoy this!

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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 Bridlington Business Day this year. Piers talks to Gyles about his childhood, growing up above a country pub in Sussex, about his schooldays being a "buffoon", and about how peach brandy helped to secure him a job editing the News of the World. PIers talks about Meghan Markle, his thoughts on "woke", and his chequered relationship with Donald Trump. He talks, briefly, about phone hacking and the importance of safeguarding free speech.

This is a frank and sometimes provocative conversation with someone who has been at the centre of the media landscape since the 1990s.

This interview was recorded at Bridlington Spa and was a keynote speech at the Bridlington Business Day.

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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. Gyles continues his travels around the USA - he finishes his teaching job in Baltimore, and begins travelling around the US, going to Washington DC, New York City and Canada - where he visits Expo '67. Gyles tells Harriet about his wealthy ancestor, the great Dr. Benjamin Brandreth, inventor of "Brandreth's Pills" and creator of the family fortune. This leads Gyles and Harriet to come up with their own invention... stay tuned to find out what it is! Enjoy this episode, have a lovely sunny day wherever you are - and please email us at hello@rosebudpodcast.com if you want to tell us about your younger days. Or about anything else, for that matter!

Recorded at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House on Park Lane in London.

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