Last Word
473 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago -Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently
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Episodes
Sir Harold Evans, Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, Alan Minter, Helen Taylor-Thompson
October 06, 2020 15:48 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBJulian Worricker on: The campaigning journalist and editor, Sir Harold Evans, voted the greatest of all time by his peers.... Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, US Supreme Court Justice, who served in that role for 27 years and became something of a judicial celebrity.... The charity worker Helen Taylor-Thompson, who co-founded Europe's first AIDS hospice at a time of great hostility towards those with the disease.... And the boxer, Alan Minter, who became the undisputed middleweight champion of the w...
Juliette Greco, Bob Gore, Dame Georgina Mace, Jiri Menzel
October 02, 2020 15:00 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBPictured: Juliette Greco Julian Worricker on the French singer and actor, Juliette Greco, who rose to fame on the famous Left Bank in Paris after the war.... Bob Gore who revolutionised outdoor clothing with his invention of the waterproof fabric, Gore-Tex.... The ecologist Dame Georgina Mace, who changed the way threatened species were classified and reshaped worldwide conservation policies.... And the Czech director, Jiri Menzel, who won an Oscar for his 1966 film 'Closely Observed Tra...
Sir Terence Conran, Dame Diana Rigg CBE, Shere Hite, Toots Hibbert
September 18, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Sir Terence Conran Matthew Bannister on: Sir Terence Conran, the designer and businessman who transformed the UK’s approach to home décor and eating out. Dame Diana Rigg, the actor who combined a critically acclaimed stage career with stardom on TV and film. Shere Hite, who wrote the Hite Report which changed attitudes to female sexuality. Toots Hibbert, the Jamaican singer often called “the man who invented reggae". Interviewed guest: Deyan Sudjic OBE Interviewed guest: Mic...
Stuart King, Comrade Duch, Deirdre Le Faye, David Bryant CBE
September 11, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Stuart King Julian Worricker on: Stuart King, who co-founded a humanitarian charity which involved perilous flights to southern Africa in light aircraft straight after the war.... The Khmer Rouge executioner, known as Comrade Duch, found guilty of some of the worst atrocities carried out by that regime in Cambodia.... Deirdre Le Faye, a scholar and professor, whose knowledge of the life and works of Jane Austen has been described as 'unparalleled'..... And the man with the...
Chadwick Boseman, Sir Kenneth Robinson, Lord Renton of Mount Harry, Doreen Davies
September 04, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Chadwick Boseman Matthew Bannister on Chadwick Boseman, whose portrayal of the King of the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda in the movie Black Panther made him a global star. Sir Kenneth Robinson, the charismatic education expert whose TED talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” has been viewed online more than 67 million times. Lord Renton, the Tory politician who was Chief Whip when Margaret Thatcher was forced to step down as leader. Doreen Davies, who presided over the musi...
Dr James Partridge OBE, Sally Jacobs, Angela Buxton, Philip Horniblow OBE
August 28, 2020 15:22 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Dr James Partridge OBE (c) Paul Chambers Photography Julian Worricker on: The theatre designer, Sally Jacobs, whose work included a groundbreaking production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set in a white box on stage…. James Partridge, whose life was transformed by facial burns suffered in a car accident, and who went on to campaign for equal treatment for all, irrespective of appearance…. The tennis player Angela Buxton, who faced discrimination in the sport because of her J...
Julian Bream CBE, Elizabeth Ward OBE, Chris Graham-Bell, Stuart Christie
August 21, 2020 17:15 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Julian Bream Matthew Bannister on Julian Bream, said by many to be the greatest classical guitarist of all time. Elizabeth Ward, who campaigned for the introduction of the kidney donor card after her son went through three transplants. Chris Graham-Bell, the founding publisher of the Gay Times magazine. Stuart Christie, the anarchist who was involved in a plot to blow up the Spanish dictator General Franco. Interviewed guest: Lord Michael Berkeley CBE Interviewed guest: And...
Hawa Abdi, Clive Ponting, President Lee Teng-hui, Richard Brooke
August 14, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on Hawa Abdi, the Somali doctor who set up a clinic for pregnant women at her home that eventually became a sanctuary for thousands during violence in the country. Clive Ponting, the civil servant who leaked details of the sinking of the Argentine cruiser the General Belgrano during the Falklands War, but was acquitted of breaching the Official Secrets Act. Lee Teng-hui, the first democratically elected President of Taiwan. Richard Brooke, the mountaineer who played a l...
John Hume, Stan Mellor MBE, Paulette Wilson, Sir Alan Parker
August 07, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: John Hume Matthew Bannister on: John Hume, the politician widely credited with driving through the Northern Ireland peace process. Stan Mellor, who became the first jump jockey to ride one thousand winners. Paulette Wilson, who was wrongly threatened with deportation and went on to campaign for justice for others affected by the Windrush scandal. And the film director Sir Alan Parker, who brought us 'Bugsy Malone', 'Fame' and 'Midnight Express'. His friend and colleague Lord P...
Stuart Wheeler, Josephine Cox, Miloš Jakeš, Peter Green
July 31, 2020 16:17 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Stuart Wheeler Matthew Bannister on Stuart Wheeler, the spread betting tycoon who used his millions to fund anti-EU political parties and campaigns. Josephine Cox, the multi-million selling author whose novels often drew on her working class childhood in Blackburn. Miloš Jakeš, the General Secretary of the Czech Communist Party at the time of the Velvet Revolution. Peter Green, the revered guitarist who founded Fleetwood Mac, but later suffered severe mental health problems. ...
John Lewis, Tony Elliott CBE, Wendy Cooling, Dr Alan Howard
July 24, 2020 15:00 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBMatthew Bannister on John Lewis, the leading American civil rights campaigner who was beaten and imprisoned in the 1960s when he marched with Martin Luther King and later served as a Congressman. Tony Elliott CBE, who founded the listings magazine Time Out and oversaw its transformation into a global brand. Wendy Cooling, the former teacher who, through the Bookstart scheme, gave millions of babies and toddlers their first books. Dr Alan Howard, the nutritionist who came up with the ...
Jack Charlton, Zindzi Mandela, Charles Webb, Ida Haendel
July 17, 2020 15:46 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Jack Charlton Matthew Bannister on The footballer Jack Charlton, who went from a pit village in Northumberland to become a Leeds United stalwart and member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team – and then a successful manager of the Republic of Ireland. Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela who was an anti-apartheid activist and later South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark. Charles Webb, the author of the novel The Graduate which became a classic film starri...
Ennio Morricone, Sir Everton Weekes, Baroness Maddock, Earl Cameron CBE
July 10, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Ennio Morricone Matthew Bannister on: Ennio Morricone, the Italian composer best known for his scores for films like The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and The Mission, but keen to be remembered also for his avant garde classical works. Sir Everton Weekes, the outstanding batsman who played a key role in West Indian cricket’s success in the 1940s and 50s. Baroness Maddock, the Liberal Democrat politician who won a stunning victory in the Christchurch by-election in 1993. Earl Came...
Milton Glaser, Terry Dicks, Professor Tom Arie, Else Blangsted
July 03, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Milton Glaser Matthew Bannister on The graphic designer Milton Glaser who came up with the iconic “I heart New York” logo – but didn’t make a penny from it. Terry Dicks, the controversial right wing Tory MP who went out of his way to challenge political correctness. Professor Tom Arie, the psychiatrist who helped to transform mental health treatment for older people. Else Blangsted, the Hollywood music editor whose own life story reads like the script for a dramatic film. Int...
Sir Ian Holm, Jean Kennedy Smith, Felicity Bryan MBE, Lily Lian
June 26, 2020 15:00 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBPictured: Sir Ian Holm Matthew Bannister on Sir Ian Holm, the respected actor best known for playing Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings films and for his interpretation of Shakespeare and Pinter. Jean Kennedy Smith, the last survivor of nine children of Joseph Kennedy. She was US ambassador to Dublin at a significant time in the Northern Ireland peace process. Felicity Bryan the literary agent who steered the careers of many leading writers, including James Naughtie who pays trib...
Dame Vera Lynn, Professor Geoffrey Burnstock, Larry Kramer, Pierre Nkurunziza
June 19, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Dame Vera Lynn Matthew Bannister on: Professor Geoffrey Burnstock, the eminent neurobiologist who identified the function of a neurotransmitter called ATP with important implications for the treatment of many conditions including strokes, cancer and cystic fibrosis. Larry Kramer, the outspoken gay rights campaigner who organised direct action to force the US government to confront the AIDS crisis. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of Burundi who used violence to hold on to po...
Christo Javacheff, Cathie Sabin OBE, Dorothy Wakely, Jonathan Whitehead
June 12, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Christo Javacheff Matthew Bannister on: The artist Christo Javacheff, best known for his extremely ambitious projects to wrap significant buildings and landscapes in fabric. They included the Reichstag in Berlin and the coastline of Australia. Cathie Sabin, who was the first woman to be President of the Lawn Tennis Association. Dorothy Wakely, who served as a Signals Planner with the Special Operations Executive during the second world war. Jonathan Whitehead, the versatile m...
Dr Stanley Ho, Roger Fellows, Margaret Meek Spencer, Mory Kanté
June 05, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Stanley Ho Julian Worricker on: The man praised by both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for being the architect of the national minimum wage, Roger Fellows…. One of Asia’s richest men - the gambling tycoon, Stanley Ho, who transformed the economy of Macau…. The educationist Margaret Meek Spencer, who influenced a generation of children and teachers by emphasising the joy of reading... And the musician who wrote and performed the first African single to sell a million copies around...
Margaret Maughan, John Cumming OBE, Jerry Givens, John Langdon, Eric Weissberg
May 29, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Margaret Maughan Julian Worricker on Britain’s first Paralympic gold medallist, Margaret Maughan; Tanni Grey-Thompson compares the games of 1960 and now…. The music promoter and producer, John Cumming, co-founder of the London Jazz Festival…. Jerry Givens, once a state executioner….but then a leading campaigner in the United States for the abolition of the death penalty…. And the comedy writer, John Langdon; his friend and colleague Rory Bremner, recalls some of his best lines…...
Lord Robert May of Oxford, Dr Judith Darmady OBE, Mark Barkan, Saroj Lal
May 22, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Lord Robert May of Oxford Matthew Bannister on Lord May, a former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government and President of the Royal Society. He developed the concept of the R value in tracking the spread of infectious diseases and laid down key principles for scientific advice to politicians. Judith Darmady, the paediatrician who travelled to Romania to help thousands of children who had been abandoned in so-called orphanages. Mark Barkan, the songwriter and record produ...
Little Richard, Dr Janet Carr OBE, Professor John Horton Conway, Florian Schneider
May 15, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The rock 'n' roll pioneer Little Richard, whose flamboyant performances and powerful vocal style influenced many who came after him. Janet Carr, the psychologist whose long-running study changed attitudes to people with Down’s Syndrome. John Horton Conway, the playful mathematician who invented the Game of Life. Florian Schneider, the co-founder of the mould-breaking German electronic band Kraftwerk. Interviewed guest: Geoff Barker Interviewed guest: Sally Carr Inte...
Catherine Hamlin, Irrfan Khan, Denis Goldberg, Ann Sayer
May 08, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Catherine Hamlin Matthew Bannister on Catherine Hamlin the obstetrician who, with her husband, set about tackling the devastating effects of obstetric fistulae in the women of Ethiopia. Irrfan Khan, the actor whose career brought stardom in both Indian and Hollywood films, like Jurassic World, Slumdog Millionaire and The Amazing Spiderman. The South African anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg who stood trial alongside Nelson Mandela. Anne Sayer, the long distance walker who...
Ronan O'Rahilly, Sir John Houghton CBE, Sue Davies OBE, Barbara Smoker
May 01, 2020 10:36 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBPictured: Ronan O’Rahilly Matthew Bannister on Ronan O’Rahilly, the Irish businessman who ran the pirate radio station Radio Caroline on a ship off the coast of Essex. Sir John Houghton, the atmospheric physicist who was Director of the Met Office and co-chair of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. Sue Davies, who founded and ran the Photographers' Gallery in London, supporting the careers of many leading photographers. Barbara Smoker, the outspoken atheist and anarchist who...
Dame Jocelyn Barrow DBE, Keith Critchlow, Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read, John Prine
April 24, 2020 15:30 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Dame Jocelyn Barrow Matthew Bannister on The artist, professor of architecture and expert on sacred geometry Keith Critchlow. He was a key figure in the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and advised on the design of Islamic-influenced buildings all over the world. Dame Jocelyn Barrow who was an educator and leading campaigner against racial discrimination. She was the first black woman to be a Governor of the BBC. Leonard 'Nipper' Read, the respected detective who doggedly pu...
Sir Stirling Moss OBE, Professor Margaret Burbidge, Mahmoud Jibril, Tim Brooke-Taylor OBE
April 17, 2020 12:04 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Sir Stirling Moss OBE Matthew Bannister on Sir Stirling Moss, the iconic British racing driver, noted for his courage and patriotism. Although he never won the world championship, he stormed to victory in many Formula 1 and sports car races. Professor Margaret Burbidge, the pioneering astronomer who carried out extensive work on quasars. Mahmoud Jibril, who became interim Prime Minister of Libya after the fall of Colonel Gaddafi. Tim Brooke-Taylor, the comic actor best kno...
Dr Bill Frankland MBE, John Tydeman OBE, The Marquess of Bath, Honor Blackman
April 10, 2020 15:10 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBPictured: Dr Bill Frankland Julian Worricker on: Dr Bill Frankland, who survived three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, studied under Alexander Fleming, and brought the pollen count into the public arena…. The radio drama producer, John Tydeman, whose work contributed to the success of Joe Orton and Sue Townsend…. Alexander Thynne, better known as the Marquess of Bath, an artist and aristocrat, whose home was the Longleat estate in Wiltshire…. And the actress, Honor Blackman, r...
Albert Uderzo, Valerie Pettit OBE, Reverend Joseph Lowery, Julie Felix
April 06, 2020 14:47 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Albert Uderzo Matthew Bannister on Valerie Pettit OBE, the senior MI6 officer in charge of the daring operation to get Soviet double agent Oleg Gordievsky out of Russia after his cover was blown. Albert Uderzo – the French cartoonist who created Asterix the Gaul. Reverend Joseph Lowery – the leading American civil rights activist who worked alongside Martin Luther King in the campaign for black equality. Julie Felix – the American-born singer who became known as the first lady...
Betty Williams, Dr Fuad Nahdi, Sol Kerzner, Kenny Rogers
March 27, 2020 16:12 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBPicture Betty Williams Matthew Bannister on: Fuad Nahdi, the journalist, commentator and campaigner named as one of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims. Sol Kerzner, the South African businessman who made a fortune from hotels and casinos and built the controversial Sun City resort under apartheid. Betty Williams, the office receptionist from Belfast who teamed up with Mairead Corrigan to campaign for peace and won the Nobel Peace Prize. Kenny Rogers, one of America’s greatest countr...
Michel Roux, Sammy McCarthy, Lilian Mohin, Roy Hudd
March 20, 2020 16:57 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Michel Roux Matthew Bannister on Michel Roux, the French chef who, with his brother Albert, transformed the British restaurant scene in the 1970s Sammy McCarthy, the British featherweight champion boxer who became an armed robber. Lilian Mohin, the lesbian feminist activist who co founded the OnlyWomen Press. Roy Hudd, the versatile entertainer whose career took him from the music hall stage to TV and radio stardom. Interviewed guest: William Sitwell Interviewed guest: John ...
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Max von Sydow, Professor Hannah Steinberg, Charles Portis
March 13, 2020 16:49 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBPictured: Javier Pérez de Cuéllar Matthew Bannister on The United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. The Peruvian diplomat faced major challenges including the Iran-Iraq war and the Falklands War. Max von Sydow the Swedish-born actor whose film roles ranged from Ingmar Bergman to James Bond and, more recently, Game of Thrones. Professor Hannah Steinberg - a pioneer of psychopharmacology - the study of the effects of drugs on the human mind. Charles Portis, the America...
Katherine Johnson, Nexhmije Hoxha, Sir Michael Berridge, Diana Serra Cary (Baby Peggy)
March 06, 2020 16:57 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Katherine Johnson Matthew Bannister on Nexhmije Hoxha, the wife of the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha. The couple ran a repressive Stalinist regime and she was known in the West as the Lady Macbeth of Albania. Katherine Johnson, the best known of a small group of African American mathematicians who carried out crucial calculations for the American space programme. Their story was told in the 2017 film "Hidden Figures". Sir Michael Berridge, whose pioneering research into the sa...
Hosni Mubarak, Andrew Weatherall, Mary Higgins Clark, John Bevan
February 28, 2020 16:51 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBMatthew Bannister on Andrew Weatherall, a hugely influential figure in the dance music scene of the 1990s, who revolutionised what a DJ could be and produced many hit albums and remixes. Radio 1's Annie Nightingale explains how he changed her life. President Hosni Mubarak who ruled Egypt for thirty years before being ousted by mass protests. The best selling mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark. Her fellow writers Harlan Coben and Alafair S. Burke pay tribute. John Bevan, the record break...
Heather Couper CBE, Leonard Woodley QC, Joseph Shabalala
February 21, 2020 16:54 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBPictured: Heather Couper Matthew Bannister on Heather Couper, the astronomer who used her engaging media appearances to enthuse a generation about space. We talk to her co-author and business partner Nigel Henbest. Leonard Woodley, the Trinidad-born barrister who played a leading role in many high profile race trials and became Britain's first Afro-Caribbean Queen's Counsel. Joseph Shabalala, the South African musician who founded the singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They became g...
Daniel arap Moi, Feng Huiyan, Professor Donald West, Colonel ‘Mad Mike’ Hoare
February 14, 2020 17:22 - 28 minutes - 26 MBPictured: Daniel arap Moi Julian Worricker on: Daniel arap Moi, who led Kenya for 24 years, but did so amidst corruption scandals and the repression of political opponents... The teacher Feng Huiyan, who taught millions of Chinese people how to speak English via textbooks and broadcasting... The pioneering criminologist and clinical scientist Donald West, who wrote a ground-breaking study of homosexuality in the 1950s... And the mercenary leader, known as 'Mad Mike' Hoare, who inspired...
Kirk Douglas, Terry Hands CBE, Hazel Murphy, Seamus Mallon
February 07, 2020 16:55 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Kirk Douglas Julian Worricker on: Terry Hands, long serving artistic director of the RSC, who co-founded the Liverpool Everyman theatre and revived the Clwyd theatre Cymru... The wine marketer, Hazel Murphy, who's credited with spearheading Australia's wine invasion of Europe.... The nationalist Northern Ireland politician, Seamus Mallon, whose negotiating skills helped secure the Good Friday Agreement... And the actor Kirk Douglas, whose career in film spanned seven decades, ...
Nicholas Parsons CBE, Mary Craig, Lord Maclennan of Rogart, Kobe Bryant
January 31, 2020 16:52 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBPictured: Nicholas Parsons Matthew Bannister on The Just A Minute host, TV presenter and actor Nicholas Parsons. Sheila Hancock and Tony Hawks pay tribute - in just a minute! Mary Craig who wrote the best selling book "Blessings" after struggling to care for her severely disabled son. Lord Maclennan of Rogart, formerly the MP for Caithness and Sutherland, who negotiated the merger between the SDP and the Liberal Party. Kobe Bryant, the LA Lakers basketball star, who gave himself the nic...
Tony Garnett, Joy Rainey, Professor Cuchlaine King, Terry Jones
January 24, 2020 16:50 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBPictured: Terry Jones Matthew Bannister on Tony Garnett, the TV and film producer whose tragic childhood inspired him to make influential films like Up The Junction, Cathy Come Home and Kes. Joy Rainey, the racing driver whose restricted growth meant she needed specially adapted cars. Professor Cuchlaine King, the geomorphologist known for her studies of beaches, coasts and glaciers. Terry Jones, best known as a member of the Monty Python team, but also a medieval historian of distincti...
Sir Roger Scruton FBA, FRSL, Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, Bobby Neame CBE, Elizabeth Sellars
January 17, 2020 16:52 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Sir Roger Scruton Matthew Bannister on Sir Roger Scruton, the leading conservative philosopher of his generation, known for his work on aesthetics. His outspoken views made him a controversial figure for some on the left. Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman who overthrew his father in a coup and transformed his country. Bobby Neame, the Chairman of Shepherd Neame - the country's oldest brewing company based in Kent. Elizabeth Sellars, the British actress who appeared alongside Hum...
General Qasem Soleimani, M.C. Beaton, George Laurer, Dr Sidney Holt
January 10, 2020 16:49 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBPictured: General Qasem Soleimani Matthew Bannister on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by an American drone strike. We try to uncover the motivation of the man who spread Iran's military influence throughout the Middle East. M.C. Beaton who wrote more than 250 books which sold in their millions, including romantic fiction and murder mysteries featuring PC Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. George Laurer, the American engineer who played a pivotal role in the invention o...
Neil Innes, Steve Sawyer, Sheila Mercier, Alasdair Gray
January 03, 2020 16:54 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBPictured: Neil Innes Matthew Bannister on Neil Innes, the talented musician who was a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, worked with Monty Python and satirised the Beatles. Roger McGough and Michael Palin pay tribute. Steve Sawyer, the Greenpeace activist who helped to evacuate the Pacific Islanders of the Rongelap Atoll after they were affected by nuclear testing. Sheila Mercier, the actress best known for playing Annie Sugden in the TV soap Emmerdale. Alasdair Gray, the Scottish ...
Andrew Graham-Yooll OBE, Andrea Newman, Peter Davis, Olly Croft OBE
December 27, 2019 16:44 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBJulian Worricker on: The journalist, Andrew Graham-Yooll OBE, who risked his life to tell the story of the so-called 'disappeared' in Argentina in the 1970s. The writer Andrea Newman, best known for 'Bouquet of Barbed Wire', the sexually charged family drama that pushed the boundaries of television. Ornithologist and conservationist, Peter Davis, who dedicated much of his working life to saving the red kite. And Olly Croft OBE who founded the British Darts Organisation, and is credited w...
Kenny Lynch OBE, Chris Moncrieff CBE, Kate Figes, Branko Lustig
December 20, 2019 16:50 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Kenny Lynch OBE Matthew Bannister on Chris Moncrieff, the journalist who covered parliament for the Press Association for more than 50 years. He even has a bar named after him in the House of Commons. Kate Figes, the writer who captured the nuances of human relationships in books like "Couples" and "Our Cheating Hearts". Branko Lustig, the holocaust survivor who won an Oscar as the producer of the film Schindler's List. Kenny Lynch, the singer from London's East End who descr...
David Bellamy, Nell Gifford, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Mariss Jansons
December 13, 2019 16:49 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: David Bellamy Matthew Bannister on David Bellamy, the botanist who became a household name through his popular TV programmes, but fell from prominence after describing man-made global warming as "poppycock". Nell Gifford, who founded and ran a circus company known for its retro styling and creativity. Yasuhiro Nakasone, the Japanese Prime Minister who formed a strong bond with US President Ronald Reagan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Mariss Jansons, the Latvian-born...
Bob Willis MBE, Gary Rhodes OBE, Dr Shuping Wang, Sir Stephen Cleobury CBE
December 06, 2019 16:45 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Bob Willis Matthew Bannister on Bob Willis, the former England cricket captain, who was seen as one of the finest fast bowlers of his generation. Gary Rhodes, the spiky-haired TV chef who won Michelin stars for his re-invention of classic British recipes. Shuping Wang, the Chinese doctor who lost her job and her marriage after blowing the whistle on a trade in blood products that was spreading HIV through Henan province. Sir Stephen Cleobury, the musical director of King's C...
Sir Jonathan Miller, Field Marshal Lord Bramall, Clive James AO, CBE
November 29, 2019 17:01 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBPictured: Jonathan Miller Matthew Bannister on Sir Jonathan Miller, who hated the term polymath - but undoubtedly was one. He came to fame in the satirical revue Beyond the Fringe, was a celebrated opera and theatre director and sometimes regretted his decision not to concentrate on his first calling as a doctor. Field Marshal Lord Bramall, the Chief of the Defence Staff who saw action in the D Day landings, predicted the threat of terrorism and was wrongly accused of sexual abuse late in...
Vladimir Bukovsky, Alison Prince, Keith Schellenberg, Robert Ponsonby
November 22, 2019 16:44 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBPictured: Vladimir Bukovsky Matthew Bannister on The Russian dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, a long term opponent of the Soviet regime who revealed the use of psychiatric hospitals as political prisons. Alison Prince, the children's writer who scripted Trumpton. Keith Schellenberg, the eccentric millionaire who was a bobsleigh champion and keen powerboat racer. He bought the Scottish Isle of Eigg - and was accused of treating his tenants badly. Robert Ponsonby, the BBC Controller of Music ...
Nik Powell OBE, James Le Mesurier OBE, Frank Dobson, Hazel Vincent Wallace OBE
November 15, 2019 16:44 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBPictured: Nik Powell Matthew Bannister on James Le Mesurier, the former British Army Officer who set up the organisation that trained the White Helmet volunteers who rescue people from bomb sites in Syria. Nik Powell, the businessman who helped Richard Branson to start Virgin Records and went on to produce a string of acclaimed British films. Frank Dobson, the Labour M.P. who became Health Secretary under Tony Blair and embarked on an ambitious hospital building programme. Hazel Vince...
Gay Byrne, Sadako Ogata, Robert Evans
November 08, 2019 16:52 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Gay Byrne Matthew Bannister on Gay Byrne, the Irish TV and radio presenter who occupied a unique place in the nation's culture and public life. He presented the Late Late Show for thirty-seven years, often causing controversy when he covered changing social issues. Sadako Ogata, the Japanese academic who served as UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the 1990s. She was noted for her fearless approach and for putting the refugee crisis on the political map. The current Commission...
Charles Jencks, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Irene Shubik, Raymond Leppard
November 01, 2019 16:44 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBPictured: Charles Jencks Matthew Bannister on The architectural historian Charles Jencks, who was known as the godfather of postmodernism. He also involved leading architects in designing cancer treatment centres named after his wife Maggie. Lord Foster pays tribute. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the fanatical leader of ISIS who was behind the killing and torture of thousands of victims. Irene Shubik, the TV producer who created "Rumpole of the Bailey" and "The Jewel in the Crown". Raymond L...
Alicia Alonso, Deborah Orr, Joyce Cansfield, Clora Bryant
October 25, 2019 15:52 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBPictured: Alicia Alonso Matthew Bannister on Alicia Alonso, the Cuban ballerina who went on dancing when her sight began to fail. She also set up the National Ballet Company of Cuba. Deborah Orr, the witty columnist who also edited the Guardian Weekend magazine. Joyce Cansfield, the British Scrabble champion and 1983 Brain of Mensa who set more than a thousand crossword puzzles for the Times. Clora Bryant, the American trumpeter who overcame sexism to forge a career in jazz. Intervie...