Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Stephen Mangan: When Mum died, I knew I couldn’t waste life being a lawyer- I had to act


Listen Later

Before he became one of Britain’s most familiar faces, Stephen Mangan was a bookish North London boy from an Irish working-class family- the son of a builder and a barmaid- who won a scholarship to a boarding school his parents didn’t want him to attend. From there to Cambridge, to RADA, and to the West End, his path looks polished. But behind it lies grief, grit, and a fierce curiosity about the world that’s shaped every creative choice he’s made.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the actor, writer and presenter to trace Stephen’s journey from a bullied schoolboy to star of Green Wing, Episodes and The Split. They talk about losing both parents young, finding refuge in acting, and why he now writes children’s books with his sister, Anita- stories that rekindle the magic of reading he discovered as a boy with a book wedged between him and his dad at the dinner table.

It’s a conversation about loss, love, and laughter- and how Stephen’s career, from Cambridge plays to Hollywood sitcoms, has been guided not by fame, but by joy, curiosity, and the determination to make work that he’d genuinely want to watch, read, or share with his own children.

Find out more about Barrie Saves Christmas here

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Full Disclosure with James O'BrienBy Global

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

120 ratings


More shows like Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

View all
Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

1,987 Listeners

James O'Brien's Mystery Hour by Global

James O'Brien's Mystery Hour

129 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

354 Listeners

Where Politics Meets History by Global

Where Politics Meets History

74 Listeners

Cross Question with Iain Dale by LBC

Cross Question with Iain Dale

19 Listeners

Iain Dale's Book Club by Global

Iain Dale's Book Club

20 Listeners

The Nick Abbot Habit by LBC

The Nick Abbot Habit

32 Listeners

Eddie Mair - The Whole Show by Global

Eddie Mair - The Whole Show

4 Listeners

James O'Brien - The Whole Show by Global

James O'Brien - The Whole Show

228 Listeners

Iain Dale All Talk by Global

Iain Dale All Talk

34 Listeners

Nick Ferrari - The Whole Show by Global

Nick Ferrari - The Whole Show

19 Listeners

Iain Dale - The Whole Show by Global

Iain Dale - The Whole Show

10 Listeners

What Next? with Lionel Barber by Global

What Next? with Lionel Barber

3 Listeners

Sweeney Talks by Global

Sweeney Talks

221 Listeners

Clive Bull - The Whole Show by Global

Clive Bull - The Whole Show

0 Listeners

Common Ground with Nimco Ali by Global

Common Ground with Nimco Ali

0 Listeners

Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women by Global

Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women

27 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,161 Listeners

The News Agents by Global

The News Agents

1,053 Listeners

The Trawl by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

The Trawl

70 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

810 Listeners

The News Agents - USA by Global

The News Agents - USA

402 Listeners

The Rest Is Entertainment by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Entertainment

952 Listeners

The Louis Theroux Podcast by Spotify Studios

The Louis Theroux Podcast

519 Listeners

Brydon & by Rob Brydon | Wondery

Brydon &

74 Listeners

Radical with Amol Rajan by BBC Radio 4

Radical with Amol Rajan

47 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: US

2,251 Listeners

Money with David Buik and Michael Wilson by Global

Money with David Buik and Michael Wilson

0 Listeners

The Session with Tom Swarbrick by Global

The Session with Tom Swarbrick

3 Listeners

Unprecedented by Global

Unprecedented

7 Listeners

Clear The Air with Sadiq Khan by Global

Clear The Air with Sadiq Khan

3 Listeners

James O'Brien Daily by Global

James O'Brien Daily

22 Listeners

Help! My Child's Anxious by Global

Help! My Child's Anxious

3 Listeners