Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

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, which begins in a council flat in East London and ends at the highest level of government. Wes tells Gyles about his unusual family - his mum, whose parents had both been in prison; his dad, whose father - Bill Streeting - was a formative influence on Wes. He talks about his school days, how he was introduced to the church at primary school and always had 'main character energy'. He talks about going to Cambridge, coming out, and ambition. Wes also talks about his current role and his plans for the future.

Enjoy this.
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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 Heseltine - one of the so-called "big Beasts" of the British political scene at the end of the twentieth century. Heseltine was a prominent cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher, Deputy Prime Minister under John Major, and is now a member of the House of Lords. In fact, he's been a significant figure in British politics for half a century. Michael speaks to Gyles about his childhood, growing up in the Swansea in a loving family. He talks about his love of nature - of gardening, birdwatching, and about how he founded the "Tit Club" at school. He talks about his early entrepreneurial drive - selling lemonade to fellow pupils, charging his dad to clear his garden, and how this later developed into early adult success in business. This business acumen led Heseltine to become a politician of rare efficiency - known for his skill at cost-cutting and fixing big issues. He talks about his relationship with Thatcher, his experience regenerating the Docklands of East London and Liverpool, and how he met and married his wife, Anne.

This episode was recorded live at the Concert Artistes' Association in London. Our thanks to them.
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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 most loved British films of all time, Withnail and I, Richard talks to Gyles about his extraordinary childhood. Born to good-looking parents in the ex-pat community in then-Swaziland, Richard's young life was full of Enid Blyton, barbecues and Pelham puppets - but things changed when his mother left the family and his father descended into alcoholism. What follows is a story full of shocks and surprises - including adultery, attempted murder and estrangement - and is well worth listening to. Richard also tells Gyles about his move to London, how he broke into acting, and how he met and married his wife, Joan Washington. And he talks about how he has coped since Joan's death in 2021.

Many thanks to Richard for this fascinating conversation.

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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 presents from Harriet. We hear about Gyles's birthday plans - he likes to be busy on his birthday - and he's spending the day dressed as Henry Fielding, wearing a wig and britches. We then hear some more from Gyles's diaries, in which young Gyles puts on a gala show at The Oxford Playhouse, is given a gift by Barbara Cartland, and meets Bob Monkhouse. Enjoy this, diary fans!

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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 extraordinary story; about her father, who left the family when she was only six years old, leaving the children and their mother in poverty, insecurity and sometimes squalor. About her mother, who was abused by two men - first by her husband, and then by a neighbour who seemed to be offering help and support, but who actually wanted sex. Naz tells Gyles about being sent away to Pakistan as a 13 year-old, and forced into an arranged marriage with her first cousin. She talks about the concept of 'izzat', or honour, which runs so deeply through this traditional and conservative community. She talks about the dramatic events that happened when her mother finally snapped, and gave her abuser a fatal dinner which changed everything.

This is a shocking story about the vulnerabilty, bravery and strength of women.

Naz Shah's book, 'Honoured: Survival, Strength and My Path to Politics' is out now, and available here.

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