The actor Samuel West is our guest today, and we recorded this episode earlier this month, not long before his mother, Prunella Scales's death on 27 October, and not long after his father, Timothy West's memorial service in London (Timothy West died in November 2024). In this conversation, Sam talks about his parents, Timothy West and Prunella Scales, and what it was like to grow up immersed in the theatrical world. Timothy was often away on tour, and Sam talks about missing him - but being inspired by his work ethic and by the life of the classical touring actor. He talks about his mother's talent and about her famous portrayal of Sybil Fawlty. He talks about his own university days, and how winning a bottle of champagne in a first year drama competition was a turning point. He talks about Stanislavsky and the craft of acting. And finally he talks about his parents' love of barge holidays, and the joy their TV barging brought to so many. This episode is a celebration of a great theatrical family, and we're delighted and honoured that Sam recorded a Rosebud conversation with Gyles. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:45 Prunella Scales 05:35 The bond between his parents 07:05 First memories and childhood 13:20 Explaining Stanislavski’s method 15:58 How his parents met 17:00 Timothy West’s early career 23:05 Working with O’Toole & Oldman 31:00 The creation of Sybil Fawlty 33:30 School days 41:00 Krapp’s Last Tape project 51:15 Meeting his partner, Laura Wade 58:45 Canal journeys & philosophy #samwest #gylesbrandreth #rosebudpodcast #celebritybiography #prunellascalles #Faultytowers