Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

• Jack Thorne: “I was allergic to moving - the doctor said, ‘This might be forever.’”

  Growing up in Bristol, acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Jack Thorne was a shy, politically driven kid who believed he could change the world- first through politics, then acting, before discovering that storytelling was where his voice truly belonged.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the Emmy and BAFTA-winning creator of This Is England, His Dark Materials, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child and Adolescence to trace Jack’s journey from a lonely teenager to one of the most prolific writers of his generation. They talk about ambition, failure, neurodiversity, and the years of illness that left Jack literally allergic to movement, and how that experience shaped his empathy, activism and craft.This conversation reveals a writer driven not by fame, but by purpose- to make television and theatre more inclusive, more truthful, and more alive to the lives of those too often left out of the story.Find out more about television series The Hack here

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• Cor Hutton: The Quadruple Amputee Who Found Her Feet

  In 2013, businesswoman and mum Cor Hutton was given just a five percent chance of survival after contracting pneumonia that developed into sepsis. She pulled through, but lost both hands and her legs below the knee.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien speaks to Cor about her extraordinary journey- from relearning how to live as a quadruple amputee to becoming the first person in Scotland to receive a double hand transplant. They discuss her founding of the charity Finding Your Feet, the physical and emotional resilience behind her recovery, and the mountains- literal and metaphorical- she has climbed since.Powerful, moving and often laced with humour, this conversation reveals Cor not just as a survivor, but as a campaigner, mother and relentless optimist- someone who proves that lives can be rebuilt and transformed, no matter how impossible the odds.Right now, too many people are facing their toughest challenges - alone. Families living with life-limiting illness. People struggling with their mental health. Those trapped in abuse or unable to afford the basics. They need help. And they need it now. At Global’s Make Some Noise, we’re funding vital projects in communities right across the UK, small charities working on the front line of these challenges - but we can’t do it without you. Every day without funding means someone goes without support. Your donation could mean a safe place to turn, a vital phone call answered, a life changed. Help us to make sure no one faces life’s toughest challenges alone. You can donate by textTo donate £30, £20, or £10, text GIVE30, GIVE20 or GIVE10 to 70766100% of your donation will go to Global’s Make Some Noise16 and over only. Please seek bill payer’s permission. Standard network charges may applyFull Ts&Cs are at makesomenoise.com

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• Jamie Oliver: “I’d gone from being skint to having a lot of money, I felt like a fake.”

  Before he became one of the world’s best-known chefs, Jamie Oliver was a dyslexic kid growing up in his parents’ pub in rural Essex, learning the value of hard work, fresh food, and family.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Jamie to trace his journey from peeling veg at his parents’ pub to fronting The Naked Chef, reshaping school dinners, and building - then losing - a restaurant empire. They talk about the resilience required to recover from failure, his uncompromising campaigns on child health, and why he still feels driven to “stir the pot” when government policy falls short.Candid, emotional and often surprising, this conversation goes beyond the celebrity image to reveal Jamie as a father, activist and creative obsessive- a man who sees food not just as sustenance, but as a way to change lives.Find out more about Jamie Oliver’s Eat Yourself Healthy here

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• Leo Varadkar: Former Prime Minister of Ireland on Power and Letting Go

  Before becoming Ireland’s youngest Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar was a Dublin GP with bold ambitions and a belief that politics could be a kind of medicine for society.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the former Prime Minister to explore his extraordinary rise from a mixed-heritage childhood in 1980s Ireland, to leading his country through Brexit battles, historic referendums and the turbulence of the pandemic. They discuss the unlikely path that took him from medical practice to the world stage, the emotional costs of leadership, and why he chose to step away at just 45 years old.Frank, reflective and often surprising, this is a conversation about resilience, identity, and what it really means to hold power in a changing IrelandFind out more about Leo Varadkar’s memoir Speaking My Mind here

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• Dr Richard Shepherd: Lessons from 23,000 Postmortems- including Hungerford, Hillsborough and Princess Diana

  Britain’s leading forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd has performed over 23,000 postmortems and given evidence in some of the most high-profile cases of our time, from Hungerford to Hillsborough, from Princess Diana to David Kelly. But his fascination with death began much earlier, when his mother died suddenly from heart disease and he was left with questions no one could answer.In this episode of Full Disclosure, Dr Shepherd tells James O’Brien how that childhood loss set him on the path to forensic medicine, how his father’s emotional openness shaped him, and how a book brought into school by a friend gave him his first glimpse of a profession that would define his life. He reflects on the leap from observing to performing autopsies, the responsibility of telling the truth in court, and the lasting emotional toll of cases that never leave you.Candid, unflinching and deeply human, Dr Shepherd shares how a lifetime spent uncovering the truth about death has shaped the way he lives.Find out more about Dr Richard Shepherd Time of Death tour here

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