From The Vault: Miriam Margolyes

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

Global

Society & Culture

4.6 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From a childhood in Oxford shaped by unconditional love, Jewish heritage and a keen sense of curiosity, to a career spanning stage, screen, voice work and bestselling memoir, Miriam Margolyes’ life has been anything but ordinary. In this candid conversation with James O’Brien, the beloved actor reflects on the security of her early years, the sting of antisemitism, and the moment she first felt at home on stage. She recalls her path from Cambridge Footlights to the BBC, the breakthrough of her one-woman show Dickens’ Women, and the global recognition that came with Harry Potter.

Margolyes speaks openly about her voracious appetite for people and stories, her refusal to shy away from controversy, and the enduring influence of her parents- from her mother’s theatrical aspirations to her father’s financial frankness. Along the way, she shares unvarnished memories of working with Hollywood greats, the exhilaration of live performance, and the friendships collected across decades in the public eye.

Frank, funny and utterly herself, this episode offers an unfiltered portrait of a national treasure who remains as curious, mischievous and compelling as ever.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Nothing beats a vibe holiday.
0:04.7	You and your mates, all in one place.
0:07.5	Chilling or partying in spots like Ibiza, Tenor reef and Ayanapa,
0:12.3	especially when you can save up to £300 for a group of six,
0:16.4	plus get an extra £100 off per booking with MyJet 2.
0:20.8	Book this summer now from London Luton Airport.
0:24.5	Vibe by Jetsu Holidays.
0:26.7	After an ACHO protected, subject to availability in conditions.
0:30.0	Despite humanity's ability to speak to people on the other side of the world,
0:34.0	it amazed you that you somehow couldn't make a connection without Wi-Fi.
0:38.1	Then came The Blackout and an awkward small talk date in person. And all the while, you were doing
0:45.5	some crafts. There's more to imagine when you listen. Fall in love with romantic comedies
0:52.3	on Audible, like the Return of Ruby Darling by Leon Slade.
0:56.7	Subscription required. See audible.co.uk for terms.
1:02.2	This is a global player original podcast.
1:14.6	Hello and welcome to full disclosure. A podcast project can see that... I'm only joking, I'm on holiday, which is why we're dipping back into the archives.
1:19.6	We've been doing this for six years now. Did you realise that?
1:22.6	2019 Full Disclosure launched. Gosh, we're getting old together.
1:26.6	And of course, some of the conversations
1:29.0	we've had with people from the worlds of politics, entertainment, literature, and beyond,
1:34.4	stick with you. I mean, for me, they all do in various different ways, but some, I think, merit
1:39.9	repetition or merit revisiting. So while I'm off sunning myself, I thought that I'd let you revisit a
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 18 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Global, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Global and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.