Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Jay Rayner has eaten some of the best meals in the world - and written some of Britain’s most memorable restaurant reviews. But the story behind the critic is even richer.
In this candid conversation, Jay joins James O’Brien to talk about the unlikely path from a famously unconventional childhood to becoming one of Britain’s most recognisable writers and broadcasters. There are school expulsions, tabloid diary columns, high-stakes investigations, celebrity encounters and the restaurant review that became an international news story.
Jay reflects on growing up with his mother, agony aunt Claire Rayner; discovering oysters at ten; and learning that food is a doorway into memory, class, politics and pleasure. He also reveals why he walked away from a fast-moving newspaper career, how he accidentally became The Observer’s restaurant critic, and why he still believes every great restaurant has a story to tell.
Along the way, Jay talks about his move to the Financial Times, his love of broadcasting and jazz, and why - after decades in journalism - he still cannot retire from the inside of his own head.
Find out more about Nights Out in the Kitchen by Jay Rayner here
Full Disclosure is a Global Production
Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

From watching Tony Blair win a landslide from inside his living room to imagining a world where Hitler won the war, Robert Harris has made a career out of getting closer to power than most.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien meets the bestselling author behind Fatherland, Pompeii, The Ghost and Conclave. Robert recalls his working-class Nottinghamshire childhood, a mischievous school newspaper, nearly being sent down from Cambridge, and the leap from BBC journalist to one of Britain’s most successful novelists.
He reveals what it was really like inside New Labour’s 1997 campaign, why his friendship with Tony Blair eventually fractured, and how the machinery of modern politics keeps reappearing in the ancient world.
From writer’s block in a leaking country house to Hollywood adaptations, Roman emperors and the art of turning history into a thriller, this is a fascinating conversation about ambition, access, reinvention and the addictive pull of power.
Find out more about Agrippa by Robert Harris here
Full Disclosure is a Global Production
Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Alexei Sayle has spent a lifetime finding humour in anger, absurdity and the systems that shape us. Raised in Liverpool by fiercely committed communist parents, his childhood was filled with politics, protest marches and unusual cultural influences - from Soviet cinema to family trips behind the Iron Curtain.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the comedian, writer and actor to trace the path from a rebellious schoolboy and struggling art student to the incendiary force at the heart of alternative comedy. Alexei recalls discovering his voice at the Comedy Store, forging lifelong friendships with Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer and the Comic Strip generation, and becoming known for a furious on-stage persona that often bore little resemblance to the man offstage.
He reflects on success, creative reinvention and the strange experience of falling out of fashion before returning to stand-up with a more personal, contemplative voice. Alexei also discusses his lifelong political activism, the ideals he inherited from his parents, and the tension between wanting to change the world and recognising the limits of protest.
It’s a funny, candid and deeply thoughtful conversation about comedy, conviction, reinvention and the complicated business of staying true to yourself.
Find out more about How I've Tried to Change the World: By Walking Down the Middle of the Street Shouting by Alexei Sayle here
Full Disclosure is a Global Production
Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Before she became the creator behind Chicken Shop Date, Amelia Dimoldenberg was a relentlessly ambitious child from Marylebone, dreaming of editing Vogue, joining S Club Juniors and taking to the stage in Cats.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Amelia to trace the unlikely journey from a youth magazine in North West London to one of the most distinctive interview formats of a generation.
Amelia reflects on growing up with a voraciously reading, politically engaged family; the confidence she found through school performances and extracurricular activities; and the teenage reinvention that left her temporarily without friends. She explains how The Cut magazine club introduced her to a new creative world, and how a throwaway conversation about the worst possible date location became the starting point for Chicken Shop Date.
They discuss the painstaking preparation, performance and editing behind the show’s deliberately awkward charm; the instinct that stopped Amelia signing away her intellectual property; and the turning points that took her from student project to interviewing stars including Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Lawrence and Cher.
Amelia also talks about Dimz Inc Academy, the initiative she created with Spiral Skills to help young people from underrepresented backgrounds access careers in digital media and production. Drawing on the opportunities she received as a teenager, she explains why practical experience, creative confidence and professional networks can make such a difference - particularly for young people facing barriers to work.
Funny, candid and full of creative insight, this is a conversation about ambition, originality and the hard work behind appearing effortlessly cool.
Find out more about Dimz Inc Academy here
Full Disclosure is a Global Production
Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Beloved TV doctor, children’s author and NHS paediatrician Dr Ranj Singh tells James O’Brien the extraordinary story behind the smile - from the collapse of the life he thought he was supposed to want, to the painful process of working out who he really was.
He speaks candidly about growing up in a traditional Indian family, the pressure to follow a respectable path, and the emotional cost of spending years trying to fit expectations. He recalls his sexuality being “outed” to his parents before he was ready, the heartbreak and confusion that followed, and the therapy that helped him understand his identity and start living more truthfully.
They also explore his career in medicine, his decision to step back after decades in the NHS, and the creative life he has built beyond the hospital ward. From children’s television to musical theatre, Dr Ranj reflects on chasing joy, embracing vulnerability, and why his real job - in whatever form it takes - is simply to make people feel better.
Find out more about Dr Ranj’s Human Body Encyclopedia here
Full Disclosure is a Global Production
Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/fulldisclosure Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee