Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

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Marina Litvinenko never wanted to be a public figure. Raised as an only child in an ordinary Soviet family, she dreamed of dancing professionally and found freedom, colour and possibility on the ballroom floor. But her life changed irrevocably when she met Alexander “Sasha” Litvinenko, a security officer whose growing alarm at corruption inside Russia’s intelligence services would eventually force them into exile.
In this special episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien speaks to Marina about her new memoir ‘A Life in Fragments: Our Love, His Murder, My Resistance’. She recalls growing up amid the shortages and double standards of the Soviet Union, meeting Sasha for the first time, and watching him become increasingly determined to expose the criminality and corruption he encountered within the state.
Marina describes the fear that followed Sasha’s public accusations against senior FSB figures, his imprisonment and their decision to seek safety in London with their son, Anatoly. Six years later, Sasha was poisoned with polonium-210 after a meeting in central London, dying on 23 November 2006.
What followed was Marina’s long, painful pursuit of the truth, with a nearly decade-long fight for a public inquiry into her husband’s death. Twenty years on from his poisoning, Marina reflects on the early failures to understand the threat Putin posed, the cost of complacency and why she has continued to speak out.
It is an extraordinary, intimate conversation about love, courage and resistance - and a widow’s determination to ensure that her husband’s name, and the truth of what happened to him, are never forgotten.
Find out more about ‘A Life in Fragments: Our Love, His Murder, My Resistance’ by Marina Litvinenko here.
Full Disclosure is a Global Production. Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ronni Ancona grew up in Troon as the daughter of a Royal Navy officer and a theatre designer, surrounded by golf courses, pantomimes and the smell of paint in her mother’s scenery workshops. Shy, awkward and often teased at school, she discovered early that making people laugh could be both a defence and a way of finding her place.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien meets the comedian, actor and impressionist to trace her unlikely journey from a Scottish school classroom to the forefront of British comedy. Ronni recalls finding her first acting role by accidentally walking into the wrong room, training as an art teacher, and nervously stepping onto the stand-up circuit at a time when female comedians were still a rarity.
She discusses winning the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year award, working alongside comics including Jo Brand, Jack Dee and Lee Evans, and the cultural moment that made The Big Impression such a phenomenon.
Along the way, she talks about acting in Last Tango in Halifax, EastEnders and the new film Think of England, as well as the comic chaos of meeting Nigella Lawson while impersonating her on live television.
It’s a funny, frank and affectionate conversation about confidence, class, comedy and creativity — and about learning to inhabit other people when you are still working out who you are yourself.
Find out more about Think of England here.
Full Disclosure is a Global Production. Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

When Lisa Faulkner received an invitation for a routine mammogram, she nearly put it off. A further scan and biopsy revealed early-stage breast cancer - a diagnosis that brought back painful memories of losing her mother to cancer when Lisa was just 16. Treatment was successful, but the experience changed how she sees the future.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Lisa to trace the extraordinary path from a childhood shaped by family parties, home cooking and long summers with her grandparents, to becoming an international model, actor and, eventually, one of the country’s best-loved food writers and television cooks.
Lisa reflects movingly on losing her mother, the quiet resilience of her father and sister, and the complex grief of being a teenager when the person you most need is suddenly gone. She remembers being scouted at a Tube station, travelling the world as a young model and landing her first major film role in The Lover before building an acting career in dramas including Dangerfield, Holby City and Spooks.
She also talks about winning Celebrity MasterChef, choosing to learn in professional kitchens, and writing the cookbook that connected her mother’s recipes with her daughter, Billie. Along the way, Lisa discusses adoption, overcoming her fear of the stage and why, after cancer, she is more determined than ever to make the most of what comes next.
It’s a warm, candid and life-affirming conversation about grief, reinvention, family and food - and about learning that it is possible to begin again, more than once.
Find out more about John and Lisa’s Weeknight Dinners by John Torode and Lisa Faulkner here.
Full Disclosure is a Global Production. Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Gary Kemp grew up in working-class Islington, in a home where little was owned outright but love, curiosity and ambition were abundant. Encouraged by a father who took him to libraries, London landmarks and the local baths, Gary found a guitar under the Christmas tree and soon discovered that writing songs gave him a way to imagine a life beyond the one he knew.
In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with Gary to trace the journey from an outside loo in north London to Spandau Ballet, global success and a parallel career in film, theatre and writing. He recalls the mentors who saw something in him early on and the formative experiences that helped turn a shy, bookish boy into a songwriter with enormous ambition.
Gary reflects on the thrill of discovering Bowie, punk and the Blitz Club scene, forming a band with his brother Martin and school friends, and finding themselves at the heart of the New Romantic movement. He tells James about the intense rivalry, pressure and possibility of the 1980s, the making of True, and what it felt like to see Spandau Ballet become one of the biggest bands in the world.
He also discusses his return to acting, from The Krays to The Bodyguard, and his enduring fascination with the cultural history of pop music. That fascination led to his latest book, 1967 - The World of Brian Epstein and the Beatles, which began with an extraordinary auction purchase - Brian Epstein’s personal address book from the final year of his life.
It’s a warm, funny and moving conversation about class, family, creative hunger and the people who give us permission to believe in ourselves.
Find out more about 1967 - The World of Brian Epstein and The Beatles by Gary Kemp here.
Full Disclosure is a Global Production. Listen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.