On this episode of More Rosebud we meet the celebrated biographer and journalist Roger Lewis, "a bundle of nerves and rage and disappointment". Roger is the author of several acclaimed biographies, including Erotic Vagrancy, about Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. In this extremely funny and fascinating episode, Roger tells Gyles about his childhood in South Wales: he was the precocious eldest son of an affluent family of butchers and farmers. He talks about his university days, how he studied under John Bayley, and how he became a writer. Woven through this life story are interesting discussions of memory and recollection, and of the self and identity, and of Roger’s unconventional approach to writing biography. This episode is well worth your time, and Roger's unstinting honesty as he talks about himself and others will stop you in your tracks and make you laugh. Enjoy this.

At the end of this episode Gyles and Harriet have an exciting announcement about the Rosebud Family, the new subscription service we're launching in the new year 2026. More details coming soon!

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