Full Disclosure 2025: The Year Reviewed

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0:32This is a Global Player original podcast.

0:40Hello, I'm James O 'Brien and this is Full Disclosure. I hope you had a lovely Christmas, whatever form it took, wherever you were, whatever you did, and that you're now settling into that period of the year that some people like to call betwixtmas. Long walks, of course, can often be enhanced by good company. and a good podcast can provide perfect company. This is also a perfect moment, therefore, to look back at the conversations that we've had throughout 2025 and revisit this astonishing collection of guests. I present the flipping thing, and yet when I see this list of names assembled in one place, I marvel at the quality, the breadth, the width, and the depth of guests that we have every year.

1:24But this was quite possibly the best. It began with a couple of visitors to the studio who help us make sense of these extraordinary moments that we're living through. Kenneth Roth, a doyen of human rights campaigners. In fact, he was campaigning for human rights before anybody really knew what the term even meant. He cut through an awful lot of the noise with uncommon perspicacity. Well, Christiane Amanpour, one of the finest foreign correspondents that our profession has ever produced, not only brought her trademark precision and moral compass to the conversation, but also set the scene for her own podcast, which, of course, you can listen to on Global Player.

2:06political figures more domestic political figures like amber rudd who joined us for a very frank conversation the kind of conversation you can only have with a politician who has stepped out of parliament particularly powerful on the cost the human cost of public life leo varadka former t-shock of course reflecting on leadership on identity on the shifting shape of europe and david lammy who was foreign secretary at the time but is justice secretary now providing a level of insight that very few serving politicians often contribute. We also encountered many extraordinary creative minds. Jack Thorne Joiders, just prolific, isn't he?

2:48The number of projects that he is attached to, involved with and responsible for can't be listed here. Ditto in many ways, Irving Welsh, an explorer, if you like, of the darker corners of the human condition, but a very tender artist and a lovely conversationalist. Alexander Armstrong, who I walk past pretty much every morning but didn't really know at all, revealed an unexpected seriousness beneath his trademark levity and wit. And Charles Dance, I hesitate to talk about favourites over the course of a year because we didn't have a single duff one, but sitting down with him was both a pleasure and a privilege.

3:27People reaching parts that perhaps other podcasts cannot reach with John Colshaw, Cariad Lloyd, Jan Ravens, Hal Cruttenden, Arabella Weir, John Lloyd, all professionally funny people, but all incredibly warm and honest and kind, I would say, in the studio and beyond. And then the conversations rooted in expertise, people who are really the very, very best at what they do, The fast bowler Jimmy Anderson brought out my inner schoolboy in ways that were borderline embarrassing. Similarly, Jamie Oliver always turns me into a spluttering fanboy. And Michael Lewis, the journalist and writer, I don't know, makes you feel a little bit inadequate as someone who may fit the same job description.

4:15Grace Dent, who, of course, has subsequently landed a particularly big gig, was as powerful as ever on the subjects of appetite, grief, love. And then two actors, Toby Jones and Stephen Mangan, providing really fascinating insights into their profession and the strange alchemy of what it is that they do. Cor Hutton joined us with, frankly, astonishing story of courage and humor. And that was one of the episodes that many of you got in touch to say had touched you particularly deeply. That's really one of the things Full Disclosure does best, in that we build an audience by talking to people who are very famous in some cases, quite famous in other cases, and not famous at all in some.

4:58But because the audience is there for the big names, we can introduce lesser-known names whose stories are at least as important and often even more impressive. speaking of which you get some unexpected tone shifts you get moments on the podcast that go a little deeper than perhaps anybody expected this year that would include laura bates jamila jamil graham fellows better known of course to um to to many radio listeners as john shuttleworth asha one of those talents who is often behind the scenes nice to see him stepping in front of the curtain kevin roland formerly of course of dex's midnight runners one of the most popular podcasts of the year and if you haven't listened to it yet when you do you'll work out why Richard Shepard, Jimmy Wales, John Ronson all of them bringing unique perspectives actually bringing particular truths and often vulnerabilities to the studio that have stayed with me and indeed many of you and so as you work your way through the mountain of cold roast potatoes and tackle the epic amounts of recycling that you have to do at this time of year I do hope that these conversations give you some of what they've given me, a space to pause, to think, some stories to hold on to, and countless reminders that we are all, in our various ways, just muddling through.

6:20over the next couple of weeks we'll be dipping into the vault and sharing some special episodes from a little further into the past that feel appropriate for this reflective part of the year so whether you're out on a crisp walk hiding from relatives or finally getting stuck into that post-christmas to-do list i hope that you will join us and thank you as ever just for listening for your company your curiosity and very often your kindness it really is a privilege to spend this time with you. I'm James O 'Brien. This is Full Disclosure, and I hope the week ahead brings you calm, clarity, and a smooth path into the year ahead.

7:19my kitchen backsplash. The crooked corners eye me and I'm haunted by more tiling questions than I thought possible. What kind of pro can fix a backsplash? Can I replace one cracked tile or should I replace them all? What? What if I just use Thumbtack? I can hire top-rated pros, read reviews, and compare prices with a tap. All on the app. Thumbtack knows homes. Download the app today. Hey, it's your ceiling vent, so I'm dripping. Could be the rain, could be the upstairs bathroom. Yikes. You could hire the guy your neighbor recommended, but I'm pretty sure that's just his cousin. Do we know if he's licensed, or does he just own a ladder?

8:01Listen to your home. Go with Thumbtack. Upload a photo or voice note, and we'll diagnose your project and match you with the right pro for the job. Thumbtack. We know homes. Hire the right pro today.