This week's guest is Charles Spencer: the writer, broadcaster, and heir to the Spencer family title and estate at Althorp, where his sister, Diana, is buried. In this unmissable conversation, Charles talks to Gyles about his childhood, the breakdown of his parents' marriage, and his mother's sudden and shocking departure from the family home. He talks about his three sisters, and his close relationship with Diana. He talks about his schooldays, and in particular his harrowing experience at Maidwell Hall prep school - this episode does include Charles's account of the corporal punishment that took place there and his own experience of serious sexual abuse by a staff member. He talks about his happier time at Eton. And finally, he talks about the eulogy he gave at Diana's funeral and the extraordinary effect it had. This is a fascinating, unflinching, and deeply moving conversation. Many thanks to Earl Spencer for being our guest on Rosebud.

Charles Spencer's book, A Very Private School, is available here

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Sir David Hare is one of the UK's most prolific and successful playwrights, and in this episode he talks to Gyles first about theatre, about great actors, and about the sensitivity necessary to writing drama; he also talks about his unusual childhood - his father was in the merchant navy and was rarely at home, his mother was resourceful and talented but also fearful and anxious. He talks about the teachers who helped inspire him to read and broaden his horizons. He talks about his relationship with the fashion designer Nicole Farhi, and about his new play Grace Pervades, which is about the Victorian actor Sir Henry Irving and his relationship with the great actress Ellen Terry. This is a wide-ranging conversation, bristling with honesty and self-awareness. Thank you Sir David for your time, energy and brilliant stories - we really were honoured to speak to you on Rosebud.

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In this long-awaited episode, Gyles (and Harriet) talk to the psychotherapist, writer and broadcaster Julia Samuel about bereavement. As regular Rosebud listeners will know, bereavement - whether in childhood or adulthood - is a recurring theme on the podcast, and we have received and shared many heartfelt and deeply moving emails from listeners who lost parents and family members when they were very young, and in difficult circumstances. We also know that we're listened to by lots of recent widows, and others who are grieving. This special episode is for you, and for anyone else who knows the pain of grief... which is probably most of us, let's be honest!

Julia Samuel is the founder of Child Bereavement UK, an experienced psychotherapist, and the writer of the best-selling book Grief Works (which is also an app and a podcast). She is one of the UK's foremost experts on bereavement and grief, the ways it affects us, and the ways we can heal and grow through it. In this long and fascinating conversation, she talks to Gyles about the importance of "jumping in the puddle" of grief, and not denying or ignoring it. She talks about the best ways to support someone who has lost a loved one. She talks about her own family history, and the way her family story, with its secrets and buried feelings, led her to work in this field. And the podcast ends with Julia talking to Harriet about her experience of the death of her mother, Patience, who took her own life when Harriet was 13. (This episode does contain references to suicide).

We would love to hear your thoughts and stories that arise from listening to this edition of Rosebud. Email us any time at hello@rosebudpodcast.com and Harriet will try her best to reply! You can also chat to fellow listeners on our Facebook page, Rosebud Reflections. Lots of people are sharing their stories on there.

Julia's book, Grief Works, is available here.

We're honoured to have Julia Samuel with us today. And we're honoured that you're listening to us. Cue the music...

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Ben Elton was instrumental in the transformation of British comedy that took place in the 1980s. His scripts for The Young Ones and Blackadder were fresh, anarchic, rude, clever and hilarious. The people that worked alongside Ben - Richard Curtis, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders - to name but a few - are legendary. In this episode of Rosebud, Ben talks to Gyles about his parents, his father's family story - they had escaped persecution in Germany at the start of the war - and how he became interested in comedy as a young boy. He talks about the process of writing Blackadder, which was sometimes tortuous, and what it felt like to be slated by the critics when We Will Rock You first opened in the West End.

Ben's autobiography, "What Have I Done?" is out now and available here.

Rosebud has a new website www.rosebudpodcast.co.uk and a new Facebook group - just search "Rosebud Reflections".

Enjoy this!

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We're excited to present the multi-million selling author and creator of Jack Reacher, Lee Child, as our guest today. And this is a brilliant episode. Lee is a master storyteller - painting a vivid picture of his childhood in Birmingham, his well-meaning but cold parents, his early forays into relationships with girls, and his days working at Granada Television. He also tells Gyles about his writing routine. This is a funny, fascinating and evocative episode with one of the best selling writers of all time.

If you're a Rosebud fan, you can join our new Facebook community: just search Rosebud Reflections on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/782397874458836.

You can also follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/therosebudpodcast/.

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A moving, unusual, and important episode of More Rosebud today, featuring the writer and social justice campaigner Lee Lawrence. Lee's mother, Cherry Groce, was wrongfully shot by a police officer in a dawn raid on their house in Brixton, south London, on the 28 September 1985 - 40 years ago this weekend. Cherry was paralysed in the incident, and spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair, until her death in 2011. Her son, Lee, was just 11 at the time, and witnessed everything. Lee then spent the rest of his teenage years caring for his mum, and most of his adult life fighting for a proper investigation into what went wrong during the planning and execution of the raid, and for an apology and some accountability from the metropolitan police. This is a gripping, shocking and sobering story.

Lee's books 'The Louder I Will Sing' and 'The Colour of Injustice' are highly recommended, and 'The Colour of Injustice' is available here.

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Sir John Major, British Prime Minister from 1992 - 1997, is our guest today. In this deeply interesting, personal and touching conversation, Sir John talks to Gyles about his childhood in South London and about his unusual and inspiring family. Sir John's background is unconventional. His father had been a successful music hall artiste, and was a great storyteller, much older than the fathers of John's friends. His mother had been a balletic dancer, and was an extremely kind and selfless wife and parent. Both of them were role models to John; his love and admiration for them shine through in this conversation, and will move you. Sir John talks about their extremely humble home and lifestyle - the family fell into hard times and were poor - and about the anger he felt at his family becoming a subject of ridicule by the press in later years. Sir John talks about how he got into politics, about what he believes is missing from today's Westminster scene, and about how he met and married Norma.

We're extremely grateful to Sir John for speaking to us with such candour, and for his delightful company, and hope you enjoy this. It really is worth your time.

Sir John Major's book, My Old Man, which Gyles mentions, is available here.

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