Sir John Major, British Prime Minister from 1992 - 1997, is our guest today. In this deeply interesting, personal and touching conversation, Sir John talks to Gyles about his childhood in South London and about his unusual and inspiring family. Sir John's background is unconventional. His father had been a successful music hall artiste, and was a great storyteller, much older than the fathers of John's friends. His mother had been a balletic dancer, and was an extremely kind and selfless wife and parent. Both of them were role models to John; his love and admiration for them shine through in this conversation, and will move you. Sir John talks about their extremely humble home and lifestyle - the family fell into hard times and were poor - and about the anger he felt at his family becoming a subject of ridicule by the press in later years. Sir John talks about how he got into politics, about what he believes is missing from today's Westminster scene, and about how he met and married Norma.

We're extremely grateful to Sir John for speaking to us with such candour, and for his delightful company, and hope you enjoy this. It really is worth your time.

Sir John Major's book, My Old Man, which Gyles mentions, is available here.

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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 astonish you. In this remarkable episode, Jung tells Gyles the story of her family - and through that, the story of China over the past 100 years. This episode takes us from the tale of her grandmother, who grew up in pre-Communist China and was subjected to the cruel custom of foot binding, to her mother and father, who were committed Communists but who were eventually denounced and imprisoned by the Party, and eventually to Jung's own story, her move to the UK, and her fears for the future - which she tells brilliantly in her new book 'Fly Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China'.

Jung's latest book is out now and available now from here. It is riveting, and highly recommended.

For this week only, Rosebud are collaborating with Project Everyone as part of the "Be Hope" movement - and we've asked Jung a special question about hope at the end of the episode. And you'll definitely want to listen to to the end of this one! Cue the music.

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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 moment she began working her way up through the TV industry, Julia had led a stressful, action-packed and "high cortisol" life. Was this one of the contributing factors in her breast cancer diagnosis of 2021? Understandably, the discovery of her cancer led Julia to reassess her lifestyle, and ultimately to research and write the book she's talking about today. She tells Gyles about the things we can all do to increase our health and longevity: from simple steps such as making sure we spend time in the open air to breathing more deeply, to more radical ideas like walking backwards and using a copper tongue scraper.

This is also a Rosebud chat - so we also hear about Julia's early memories, her family, and her schooldays.

We hope you enjoy this fascinating chat. Julia's book, "Hack Yourself Healthy", is available to buy here.

Rosebud's new Facebook group "Rosebud Reflections" is up and running, you can find it here. It's a place to meet, discuss and digest all things Rosebud. Have fun!

Rosebud's new website is also live and is a thing of beauty - it's www.rosebudpodcast.co.uk - click here to go straight there!

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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 stand-up, writer, actor and TV star Alan Davies is virtually unedited - because it's unmissable. In it, Alan tells Gyles about the two most significant, and devastating, events of his childhood: the death of his mother when he was only six years old, and the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his father after she died. And he tells Gyles about how he has healed and gone on to have his own family, and experience unconditional love with his own children. This is a very sad, at times upsetting, episode, but also one full of hope, laughter and insight. It is well worth your time, and please get in touch with hello@rosebudpodcast.com with any thoughts you have on the themes Alan and Gyles discuss here.

Alan Davies is on tour in the UK, Australia and elsewhere - get tickets here. His new book, White Male Stand-Up is also available now.

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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 Beard. Mary tells Gyles about her country childhood in Shropshire, playing on a disused railway track and trying to memorise Jane Eyre by heart. She talks about her interesting parents - a headmistress and a "raffish" historical buildings architect, and about the alarming visits up ladders into church belfries she made with her dad. She talks about Cambridge, sexism, and discusses interesting questions such as 'how to think' with Gyles. She talks about her early relationships with men and she describes the chain of events which led to her being raped in Italy as a student. She talks about the challenges of being a public intellectual, and about her aversion to risk aversion!

As you can tell, this is a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion. Enjoy this.

NB this episode contains some discussion of a rape, which is not graphic, but you may want to be mindful of this if listening with children.

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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 recorded in front of an audience, at the Concert Artists' Association in Covent Garden, London. Dame Judi treats us to some more stories from her amazing career. She tells Gyles about working with Tommy Steele, Johnny Depp and Clint Eastwood. She tells Gyles about having Eric Morecambe over for lunch. She talks about Macbeth and Twelfth Night and gives us some speeches from those plays - which will stop you in your tracks.

We're extremely lucky to hear from this legendary actress once more. And we're extremely lucky to have been able to give you Rosebud for the past two years!

Enjoy this.

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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 uniquely talented writer and actor, both on stage and screen - from Cranford, to the RSC, to The Killing of Sister George on Broadway, to Upstairs, Downstairs and The House of Eliot (which she co-created), to Mrs Dalloway (for which she wrote the screenplay). And this is one of our most entertaining interviews yet, with stories from Dame Eileen's long life and career . From her early years in Tottenham, when a gypsy going door-to-door prophesied that the three year-old Eileen would be a world-famous dancer, to her career as a child performer playing the working men's clubs, to her school days in Edmonton - the anecdotes from Eileen's life are brilliantly told. We then hear about her days at drama school, her friendship with Sir Alec Guinness and a couple of very funny stories from her working life.

This is a fitting end to a fabulous two years for our podcast. We're very proud of the show we've created, and of our community of listeners - we're grateful to each and every one of you for your emails, your ears, your reviews, and your time. Thank you so much for being here with us! And thank you to Dame Eileen for this special conversation. Here's to many more years of Rosebud to come. Enjoy this.

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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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