It's a big day for Rosebud, as it's our 50th episode. No, we can't quite believe it either! We started Rosebud in September 2023 with Dame Judi Dench, and so we wanted to bring you another theatrical dame for our 50th show. And so it's with pride that we give you one of our greatest actresses, and an old friend of Gyles's, Dame Maureen Lipman. Maureen tells Gyles about her childhood, growing up in a close Jewish family in Hull. Maureen's mother used to encourage her to perform for her friends when they came over for drinks, and Maureen's gift for making people laugh was born. Maureen and Gyles talk about her drama school days, and the early part of her career, with Laurence Olivier at The National Theatre, at the RSC, and in film, in Up The Junction. They talk about the start of her relationship with Jack Rosenthal, whom she eventually married, and about what happened when Hugh Jackman announced, on stage, that he was too sick to do a Saturday matinee of Oklahoma. This episode is full of funny stories, revelations, and impressions.

We recorded this live at The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, South-West London.

At the end of the show there's a special treat, which is a remix of the legendary Rosebud themetune.

Enjoy this.

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