Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

A Boxing Day reflection on a standout year of Full Disclosure. James O’Brien revisits key guests and conversations from 2025, offering perspective on the ideas, stories and people that shaped the podcast over the past twelve months. With sincere thanks to everyone who has listened, shared and stayed curious, your company makes these conversations possible. We’ll be back in the new year with even bigger guests and more in depth discussions.

From bomb sites in postwar Birmingham to the centre of British stage and screen, Martin Shaw’s life has been shaped by curiosity, kindness and a refusal to play the part he was expected to play.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with one of Britain’s most enduring actors to trace the journey behind the performances. Shaw reflects on growing up with parents marked by war and frustration, discovering storytelling at school, and the teachers who unlocked a sense of freedom, confidence and purpose. He talks about leaving security behind for drama school, confronting imposter syndrome, and the moment he realised that great acting is not about showing off but about listening.The conversation moves through a remarkable career. From early theatre work and transformative mentors, to working with Roman Polanski on Macbeth, sharing kitchens with Anthony Hopkins, and navigating the highs and costs of fame after The Professionals. Shaw speaks candidly about alcohol, masculinity, spiritual searching and the quiet anger that can linger beneath success. He also explains why kindness on set matters to him, how one encounter with a fan reframed his view of his own work, and why the stage has always remained his creative home.

From missing the most famous penalty in English football to leading the national team into a new era, Gareth Southgate’s story is one of quiet resilience, modern leadership and emotional intelligence forged under relentless public pressure.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Gareth to trace the long road that shaped him. From being an introverted, late-developing youngster released by Southampton, to captaining Crystal Palace, enduring searing public failure, and eventually becoming England manager. They talk candidly about masculinity in football, learning to lead without bluster, and why authenticity matters more than authority.Southgate reflects on the moments that changed him most. The heartbreak of rejection, the pressure of managing people older and wealthier than him, the lessons drawn from defeat, and the responsibility of becoming a role model far beyond the pitch. He explains how England became a mirror for modern Britain, why he wrote Dear England, and what leadership really looks like when things go wrong.Thoughtful, honest and quietly powerful, this conversation goes well beyond football. It is about growth, failure, emotional courage and the belief that leadership is something you learn, not something you pretend to be.Find out more about Dear England: Lessons in Leadership by Gareth Southgate here

Jan Ravens, the acclaimed impressionist at the heart of Dead Ringers, grew up learning to change the mood of a room long before she ever changed her voice on stage. In this conversation with James O Brien, she reflects on a childhood shaped by humour, instability and her father’s illness, and how those early pressures sharpened the instincts that later defined her career.She traces the journey from school impressions to Cambridge Footlights, becoming the first woman to direct its revue, and the leap from Carrott’s Lib to Spitting Image and beyond. Jan talks candidly about ambition, class, resilience and the unexpected power of comedy to steady you when life feels uncertain. It is an honest, warm and often very funny look at how she found her place in British satire.Find out more about Dead Ringers 25th Anniversary tour here

Before he became one of the most recognisable storytellers on the comedy circuit, Hal Cruttenden was a shy kid from West London who spent years trying to be what he thought others wanted him to be. He trained as an actor, chased approval, and tried to outrun a gnawing sense that something in his life was not quite aligned. It took heartbreak, therapy, and a very honest look at himself to turn that tension into the comedy voice audiences now know so well.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the stand up to trace the path from drama school hopeful to seasoned touring comic finding unexpected clarity in midlife. They talk about navigating divorce in the public eye, the strange elasticity of masculinity, and the way comedy can both hide and reveal the truth about who we are. Hal reflects on family, fear, and the moments when laughter becomes a lifeline rather than a performance.It is a conversation about reinvention, vulnerability and starting again. And at its heart is Hal’s realisation that the most powerful thing he has ever done on stage is simply tell the truth- however messy, painful or absurd it happens to be.Find out more about Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It here