David Baddiel joins Gyles this week to tell his unconventional family story. David paints a vivid picture of his childhood home in Dollis Hill, north-west London, and of the unusual people in it: his parents, and two brothers. His father, a frustrated scientist who ended up selling Dinky cars in an antiques market, was angry, disappointed, and hilarious. His mother was aspirational, cultured, with an extremely high sex drive. (This episode contains discussions of sex and relationships, and swear words, and is for 18+ listeners only). Their story is remarkable, sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, and, in the end, very moving.

David's Channel 4 series, David Baddiel: Cat Man starts on Friday 16 January at 8pm. It's about David's love of cats, which started in childhood. His book, My Family is well worth reading, and is available here.

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Dominic West, one of the talented British actors who has had success both at home and in Hollywood, is our guest today. His breakout role was in the cult U.S. gritty crime drama The Wire, in which he played the detective, Jimmy McNulty, so convincingly that many American viewers were shocked to find out he was a Brit.

In this conversation, Dominic tells Gyles about his Yorkshire childhood: he is one of seven children and grew up on the moors just outside Sheffield. He reminisces about his parents, the brilliant way they coped with the logistics of having such a big family, and their talents outside the home. He talks about his schooldays; the intense homesickness he felt when he went to Eton, and his feelings of alienation and "grief" at finding himself down south and far from home. He talks about finding his feet at that school, through drama. He talks about going to Italy, Edinburgh and Paris. He tells Gyles about going to university in Dublin and about what he learnt at clown school. He talks about playing Fred West and how he approaches his work.

Thank you Dominic for this warm and wise conversation.

If you love Rosebud, you can join the Rosebud Family by visiting www.patreon.com/rosebud. It's £4.99 + VAT a month and you'll get ad-free episodes and bonus shows with Gyles and Harriet.

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