Before Pointless, Classic FM and comedy stardom, Alexander Armstrong was a restless kid growing up in rural Northumberland- lonely at boarding school, obsessed with music, and quietly desperate to perform. In this revealing conversation with James O’Brien, he opens up about the bruises and eccentricities of his childhood, the teachers who changed everything, and the nights at Cambridge that set him on the path to Armstrong & Miller.

They talk about the shock of failure, the seduction of success, and why he’ll always be torn between the comfort of the choir stalls and the chaos of the comedy circuit.

Find out more about Evenfall: The Golden Linnet by Alexander Armstrong here

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

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.

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