In this profoundly candid 1991 broadcast of The Dini Petty Show, acclaimed British actress and two-time Academy Award nominee Lynn Redgrave sits down for an extraordinarily vulnerable exploration of her legendary acting dynasty. Speaking six years after the passing of her father, the monumental stage and screen titan Sir Michael Redgrave, Lynn steps completely out from the shadow of her family’s illustrious theatrical pedigree. She delivers a masterclass in emotional honesty, unpacking the heavy burden of public legacy versus private reality.
Guided by host Dini Petty’s empathetic interview style, Redgrave addresses the complex truth regarding her father’s private life. Sir Michael—a contemporary of Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud who was knighted in 1959—was bisexual during an era in Britain when same-sex relationships were strictly criminalized. In a staggering revelation, Lynn admits she remained entirely unaware of her father’s orientation until well into her adult life, when her husband finally broke the news to her. She reflects deeply on the agonizing emotional weight of reading her late father’s private diaries, contrasting his forced secrecy with the liberating modern era that allowed her contemporary, Sir Ian McKellen, to live openly. With heartbreaking clarity, she balances this by discussing her mother’s own extramarital romance, noting, “When you’re not loved, you shrivel up and die.”
The sprawling conversation also touches upon the lighter, serendipitous milestones of her early career, including working under the direction of the legendary Noël Coward. She shares a deeply human, mid-air encounter with comedy icon Gilda Radner, detailing a transatlantic flight where the two women ended up exchanging their deepest personal secrets. Turning her attention to her equally famous sister, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn navigates their complex sibling dynamic with wit and affection, teasingly referencing Vanessa’s fierce political activism while she herself chose to live in “wicked capitalist America,” all while promoting their upcoming television remake of the psychological classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Following Lynn Redgrave’s passing in May 2010, this long-lost broadcast serves as a monumental, deeply moving testament to an artist who possessed the immense courage to strip away decades of theatrical mystique in pursuit of absolute personal truth. Unseen since its original early-90s CTV airing, this master tape has been optimized and preserved via the official archive of The Dini Petty Show, protecting a vital chapter of entertainment and cultural history.
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