On this episode of More Rosebud we meet the celebrated biographer and journalist Roger Lewis, "a bundle of nerves and rage and disappointment". Roger is the author of several acclaimed biographies, including Erotic Vagrancy, about Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. In this extremely funny and fascinating episode, Roger tells Gyles about his childhood in South Wales: he was the precocious eldest son of an affluent family of butchers and farmers. He talks about his university days, how he studied under John Bayley, and how he became a writer. Woven through this life story are interesting discussions of memory and recollection, and of the self and identity, and of Roger’s unconventional approach to writing biography. This episode is well worth your time, and Roger's unstinting honesty as he talks about himself and others will stop you in your tracks and make you laugh. Enjoy this.

At the end of this episode Gyles and Harriet have an exciting announcement about the Rosebud Family, the new subscription service we're launching in the new year 2026. More details coming soon!

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Gyles talks to the writer, psychotherapist and agony aunt Philippa Perry. And this is a fascinating conversation about family dynamics, the salience of childhood experience, and how small adjustments in the way we speak to children can make a big difference to their self-esteem. It's also about how Philippa's own emotionally cold childhood - via Swiss finishing school and private detective work - led her to become one of the UK's best selling writers on psychotherapy. Her books "The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read" and "The Book You Want Everyone You Love to Read" have sold millions of copies worldwide. Philippa is also well known as the wife of the artist and Rosebud alumnus Grayson Perry, and she tells Gyles about their first date and about why their relationship works so well.

Philippa's Substack is well worth reading and subscribing to here.

Enjoy this!

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Lee Mack is one of the funniest and most successful British comedians working today; and if you're a fan of Would I Lie To You? then you'll no doubt know, and love, his work. In this fascinating and in-depth conversation we find out the roots of Lee's talent for making people laugh. He tells Gyles about his childhood, growing up above pubs in the North West, in a family atmosphere that was full of parties, jokes and fun, and never touched on anything serious. That changed when his parents suddenly separated, and Lee started a new school and found that the best way to fit in was to be the class clown. We hear about the year he spent working at the stables where they'd trained Red Rum, and his talent for darts. We hear about meeting his wife and his first standup gig. This is a rare podcast appearance from Lee: thank you to him for his honesty, openness and for all the funny stories.

Lee hosts the 1% Club, which is on ITV on Saturdays. He created, writes, and stars in, Not Going Out, which is one of Harriet's favourite shows, and is well worth a watch and is available on BBC iPlayer. And, of course, he is a team captain on Would I Lie To You? and is brilliant at it.

Enjoy this.

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On Armistice Day, we bring you an episode of Rosebud which opens at the Garden of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, where Gyles meets veteran and double amputee turned skydiver Al Hodgson. We then take you to Salisbury, and an interview with Sir Nicholas Soames, himself a former soldier who later became a longstanding Conservative member of parliament, recorded live at Godolphin School in aid of the Edward Heath Charitable Foundation. Sir Nicholas talks to Gyles about his remarkable family: his grandfather was Sir Winston Churchill. We hear what Churchill was like as a grandfather and family man, about his unusual daily routine, and about his immense courage. We hear about Clementine Churchill, and about Sir Nicholas's parents - Christopher and Mary Soames, and their distinguished careers. This is a fascinating episode about a great family who were so central to the history of Britain in the twentieth century.

Sir Edward Heath's former home in Salisbury Cathedral Close, Arundells, is open to the public and is well worth a visit.

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Petula Clark has been famous since she was a child, when she was discovered on a wartime BBC radio show, and she has been on the radio, film and television ever since. In this episode she talks to Gyles about her remarkable and long career, about what it was like to grow up as a child star and about her complex relationship with her father. She talks about finding fame in France, and about Downtown, Don't Sleep in the Subway and working with Fred Astaire. She talks about her mother's early death from tuberculosis, and the death last year of her husband, Claude Wolff. This is a fascinating, poignant and intriguing conversation with one of our most enduring stars.

Petula Clark's new book, "Is That You, Petula?" is out now and available here.

Thank you Petula for taking the time to talk to us at Rosebud. Cue the music.

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