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
Martin Aitchison, Sir Mota Singh QC, William Trevor, Ruth Gruber, David Mancuso
November 25, 2016 16:54 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBKate Silverton on: Martin Aitchison who worked with Barnes Wallis on the bouncing bomb but made his name illustrating the Peter and Jane ladybird books. Sir Mota Singh, the Kenyan born Barrister who became Britain's first ethnic minority judge making headlines worldwide as the first judge in 300 years not to wear the horse hair wig William Trevor - one of Ireland's greatest writers - a novelist, playwright and short story writer, his work was compared with Chekhov Ruth Gruber, journalist...
Robert Vaughn, Sir Sigmund Sternberg, Carolyn Hardy OBE, Ewen Whitaker, Claude 'Curly' Putman
November 18, 2016 16:42 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Robert Vaughn - the actor who made his name as Napoleon Solo in "The Man From Uncle" TV series and also appeared in films like "The Magnificent Seven", "Bullitt" and "The Towering Inferno". Ewen Whitaker, the self taught astronomer who became an expert on the geography of the moon and helped direct Apollo 12 to its landing site. Carolyn Hardy, who turned the National Gardens Scheme into a stand alone charity and was vice chairman of the Royal Horticultural Society. ...
Leonard Cohen, Lt Col Robert Montgomery MC, Janet Reno, Sir Jimmy Young
November 11, 2016 16:42 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The singer, songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen. He was accused of depressing a generation, but many found his songs inspiring. Lieutenant Colonel Bob Montgomery - the explosives expert who played a leading role in a daring Commando raid on the port of Saint Nazaire during the second world war. Janet Reno - the US Attorney General General under President Bill Clinton - she dealt with many controversial issues, including the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky scandals. Sir...
Tom Hayden, Valerie Hunter Gordon, Carole Blake, Anne Pashley
November 04, 2016 16:56 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on American political activist Tom Hayden. He once said that people only knew four words about him: "Sixties, Radical, Jane and Fonda". He led anti Vietnam war protests and was married to the Hollywood star. Valerie Hunter Gordon who invented the disposable nappy. Her prototypes were made from old wartime parachutes. Literary agent Carole Blake who wrote a best selling guide for aspiring novelists. And Anne Pashley, who won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics, then be...
Raine, Countess Spencer, James "Jimmy" Perry, Stylianos Pattakos, Howard Davies, Bobby Vee
October 28, 2016 16:25 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on Raine Countess Spencer. The daughter of Barbara Cartland and step mother of Princess Diana who nicknamed her "Acid Raine". Jimmy Perry who drew on his own life to co-write classic TV comedies including Dad's Army and Hi De Hi. General Stylianos Pattakos, a leading figure in the military junta that took power in Greece in 1967. The theatre director Howard Davies, acclaimed for his productions of twentieth century American classics and for the premiere of Les Liaison...
Jean Alexander, Trinh Thi Ngo, Ian Mercer, Joseph Harmatz, Joan Marie Johnson
October 21, 2016 15:50 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on Jean Alexander - the actress best known for playing Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street. Trinh Thi Ngo. Nicknamed Hanoi Hannah, she broadcast propaganda to American GIs during the Vietnam war. Ian Mercer the naturalist who became the first Dartmoor National Park officer and the first Chief Executive of the Countryside Council for Wales. Joseph Harmatz, part of a group of Jewish vigilantes who set out to murder millions of Germans just after the second world war. And Jo...
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Dario Fo, Jean Bloxam, Andrew Vicari, Don Buchla
October 14, 2016 15:58 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The world's longest reigning monarch - King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The Nobel prize winning playwright and satirist Dario Fo. Griff Rhys Jones pays tribute. The pioneering racing driver Jean Bloxam She took on the men - and often beat them. Andrew Vicari, the painter from Port Talbot in Wales who made millions through commissions from the Saudi Royal family. And the musician Don Buchla who invented the first modern synthesiser in 1963. Producer: Neil George...
Sir Neville Marriner, Father Gabriele Amorth, Beryl Crockford, Professor Louis Herman, Rod Temperton
October 07, 2016 15:49 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Sir Neville Marriner the conductor who founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and led them to become the world's most recorded orchestra. Father Gabriele Amorth, the Catholic Church's leading exorcist who said he'd tackled over a hundred cases of demonic possession. Beryl Crockford, one of the first two British women to become rowing world champions. Professor Louis Herman the American psychologist who caused a sensation by communicating with dolphins. Rod ...
Shimon Peres, Nathalie Evans, Arnold Palmer, Bill Mollison, Jean Shepard
September 30, 2016 15:58 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatthew Bannister on Shimon Peres, the Israeli elder statesman who was twice Prime Minister of his country and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in negotiating the Oslo Accord with the Palestinians. Nathalie Evans who co founded the Twycross Zoo and provided the chimps for the PG Tips TV adverts. Arnold Palmer, the legendary golfer who won 91 professional titles and was followed by fans known as "Arnie's Army". Bill Mollison, the Australian author and lecturer who was known as the ...
Edward Albee, James Cronin, Caroline Thomson OBE, Sir Frederick Holliday, Charmian Carr
September 23, 2016 15:46 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatthew Bannister on American playwright Edward Albee, who won three Pullitzer prizes but not for his best known work "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Physicist James Cronin who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the asymmetry between matter and anti matter. Health administrator Caroline Thomson, who persuaded the people of the Scottish Highlands to confront the challenges of HIV and AIDS. Zoologist and academic Sir Frederick Holliday. He was vice chancellor of Durham University and ...
Barry Myers, Eileen Younghusband, Robin Spark, Keith McDougall, Prince Buster
September 16, 2016 15:49 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBMatthew Bannister on Barry Myers who directed some of the best known commercials of the 1970s and 80s, including ads for Hovis, Olympus Cameras and Cadbury's Flake. Eileen Younghusband, who worked as a filter officer during the Second World War, spotting the approaching aircraft and V2 rockets launched against Britain by the Nazis. The Edinburgh based artist Robin Spark, who had a troubled relationship with his mother, the writer Muriel Spark. Keith MacDougall, the Norfolk countryman wh...
The Right Rev David Jenkins, Dame Margaret Anstee, Islam Karimov, Richard Neville
September 09, 2016 15:58 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on The Bishop of Durham the Right Reverend David Jenkins. A respected theologian, he was noted for his controversial views. The diplomat Dame Margaret Anstee who overcame sex discrimination to hold senior roles at the United Nations. She led relief missions at many of the world's major trouble spots. . The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov who faced international condemnation for his violent treatment of his opponents. And Richard Neville who edited the 1960s count...
Joao Havelange, Sonia Rykiel, Gene Wilder, Toots Thielemans
September 02, 2016 15:57 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatthew Bannister on João Havelange, the President of the international football federation, FIFA, who stepped down amid allegations of corruption. The French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel who broke the conventions of haute couture to produce wearable clothes for women on the go. Gene Wilder, the comedy film actor best known for his roles as Willy Wonka in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and in Mel Brooks films like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. And Toots Thielemans, the ja...
Sir Antony Jay, Donald Henderson, Tom Cholmondeley, Patsy Wright-Warren CBE, Lord Rix
August 26, 2016 15:48 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBJulian Worricker on.... The co-writer of 'Yes Minister' and 'Yes Prime Minister' - Sir Antony Jay.... Donald Henderson, American epidemiologist, who led the WHO's campaign to eradicate smallpox.... The aristocrat Tom Cholmondeley, who divided opinion in his native Kenya after he shot dead two black men on his ranch.... Nursing leader, Patsy Wright-Warren, who went on to travel the world for the Ryder-Cheshire Foundation..... and the entertainer and actor, Brian Rix, who was one of the c...
Bishop Edward Daly, Ahmed Zewail, Suzanne Wright, Duke of Westminster, Ivo Pitanguy
August 12, 2016 15:58 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatthew Bannister on the Bishop of Derry Edward Daly. He was famously photographed waving a bloodstained white handkerchief as he tended to a young man shot by the army on Bloody Sunday. The Egyptian born chemist Ahmed Zewail who won the Nobel prize for his work on revealing the minute details of chemical reactions. Suzanne Wright who raised millions of dollars for research into autism after her grandson was diagnosed with the condition. The Duke of Westminster, one of the UK's wealthi...
Luc Hoffmann, Sylvia Peters, Joe Powell, William Smethurst, Sandy Pearlman
August 05, 2016 15:49 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBMatthew Bannister on Luc Hoffmann, the Swiss conservationist who co-founded the World Wildlife Fund and fought to save endangered species and wetlands. Sylvia Peters, one of the best known faces on BBC television in the 1950s. The film stuntman Joe Powell who took part in many death defying exploits. The editor of the Archers William Smethurst who introduced the characters of Eddie Grundy and Nigel Pargetter. And Sandy Pearlman, rock manager and producer who created the Blue Oyster Cu...
Gary S Paxton, Sally Beauman, Thomas Sutherland, Frank Dickens, Marni Nixon
July 29, 2016 15:50 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on Thomas Sutherland the Scottish-born American professor who was held hostage for more than six years in Lebanon. We hear from his fellow hostage Terry Anderson. The singer, songwriter and producer Gary S Paxton. He brought us the Monster Mash and thousands of other songs and lived up to his nickname "His Weirdness" Sally Beauman, who was given a reported million pound advance for her best selling novel Destiny, but transcended the bonk buster genre. Frank Dickens, t...
Sydney Schanberg, Beatrice de Cardi, Lord Evans of Temple Guiting, Alvin Toffler, Jimmy Gilbert
July 22, 2016 15:50 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The American journalist Sydney Schanberg who won the Pulitzer prize for his reporting on Cambodia. His story was turned into the film "The Killing Fields". The archaeologist Beatrice de Cardi, once described as "a cross between Miss Marple and Indiana Jones". The publisher Lord Evans of Temple Guiting, who, as Matthew Evans, led Faber and Faber to great success. His friend Melvyn Bragg pays tribute. The futurist Alvin Toffler best known for his 1970 book "Future Sho...
Abdul Sattar Edhi, Professor Suzanne Corkin, Bernardo Provenzano, Garry Marshall
July 22, 2016 15:48 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Abdul Sattar Edhi. Known as Pakistan's "Angel of Mercy", he built up a foundation which brought healthcare, orphanages and women's shelters to the poorest people in his country. Dr. Suzanne Corkin - the neuroscientist who spent years studying a patient known as "H.M." An operation on his brain had left him with profound amnesia. Bernardo Provenzano - the Sicilian mafia boss nicknamed "The Tractor" because he mowed down all his enemies. And Garry Marshall the comed...
Caroline Aherne, Elie Wiesel, Sir Geoffrey Hill, Lord Mayhew, Michael Cimino
July 08, 2016 15:46 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The comedian Caroline Aherne who created Mrs Merton and the Royle family and struggled with the pressures of fame. Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel. Described by President Obama as "one of the great moral voices of our time", he won the Nobel Peace Prize. The poet Sir Geoffrey Hill whose work focused on English history, landscape and religion. The Conservative politician Lord Mayhew. As Northern Ireland Secretary under John Major, he laid the foundations fo...
Amjad Sabri, Lorna Kelly, Jerome Bruner, Bob Holman, Scotty Moore
July 01, 2016 15:57 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBMatthew Bannister on The Pakistani qawwali singer Amjad Sabri. A huge star in his homeland, he was shot dead in his car in Karachi. The auctioneer Lorna Kelly who turned her back on a glittering New York lifestyle to work with Mother Teresa. The psychologist Jerome Bruner whose work brought new insight into how children learn. Bob Holman who gave up his academic career to live and work with people on housing estates. And Scotty Moore who played guitar on many of Elvis Presley's bigges...
Dr Sylvia Meek, Sam King MBE, Chips Moman, Ethel Bush GM, Harry Rabinowitz
June 24, 2016 15:53 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBMatthew Bannister on The parasitologist Sylvia Meek who led the fight to reduce deaths from malaria. Harry Rabinowitz who conducted the music for many films and TV series, including the English Patient and Upstairs Downstairs. Ethel Bush who was one of the two first policewomen to be awarded the George Medal for bravery. Sam King, the RAF veteran from Jamaica who later travelled to Britain on the Empire Windrush and became Mayor of Southwark. And Chips Moman, the record producer who w...
Sir Peter Shaffer, Sir Denys Wilkinson, Peggy Spencer and Muhammad Ali
June 17, 2016 15:55 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBJulian Worricker on: The playwright Sir Peter Shaffer, most famous for 'The Royal Hunt of the Sun, 'Equus' and 'Amadeus'... The physicist, Sir Denys Wilkinson, considered an expert on the electromagnetic properties of nuclear isotopes... The dancer, Peggy Spencer - also a choreographer, adjudicator and dance event organiser... And the man voted the sportsman of the last century, heavyweight boxer and civil rights campaigner, Muhammad Ali.
Jo Cox MP, Dave Swarbrick, Viktor Korchnoi, Wendy Leigh
June 17, 2016 15:54 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBReeta Chakrabarti on: The MP Jo Cox , who was brutally killed in the street, after meeting local people in the West Yorkshire constituency she represented The musician Dave Swarbrick, who found fame with the folk group Fairport Convention - and who celebrated the premature publication of his obituary by a newspaper, 17 years before his death. The chess player Viktor Korchnoi, a grandmaster of the international circuit, who defected from the Soviet Union and whose career became enmeshed in...
Carla Lane, Sir Denys Henderson, Jane Fawcett, Alan Devereux and Buster Cooper
June 03, 2016 15:54 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Carla Lane who wrote hit TV comedies including The Liver Birds, Bread and Butterflies. Wendy Craig pays tribute. The ICI Chairman Sir Denys Henderson, who fought off a takeover bid from Lord Hanson and split the company into two parts. Jane Fawcett, the former debutante who worked with the code-breakers at Bletchley Park and then fought to conserve many of Britain's greatest Victorian buildings. And Alan Devereux who for nearly fifty years played Sid Perks in the Ar...
Professor Robert McNeill Alexander, Reg Grundy, Sally Brampton, Tony Cozier, Madeleine LeBeau
May 20, 2016 15:53 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBMatthew Bannister on Professor Robert McNeill Alexander - the father of animal biomechanics, who revealed how fast dinosaurs could run. The Australian TV producer Reg Grundy who was behind a string of popular hits, including Neighbours, Wheel of Fortune and Prisoner Cell Block H. Sally Brampton, the founding editor of British Elle magazine who wrote a powerful book about her struggle with depression. And Tony Cozier, the West Indian cricket commentator who was a much loved member of th...
Gareth Gwenlan, Sir Harry Kroto, Michael 'Dandy Kim' Caborn-Waterfield, Lilly Dubowitz, Papa Wemba
May 13, 2016 15:55 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on Gareth Gwenlan the TV producer and Head of BBC Comedy behind a string of hits including Only Fools and Horses. Sir David Jason pays tribute. Sir Harry Kroto, the Nobel prize winning chemist who helped to discover new forms of carbon. Michael 'Dandy Kim' Caborn-Waterfield, the charming, well dressed scoundrel who started the Ann Summers chain of sex shops and was imprisoned in France for stealing thousands of pounds from the movie mogul Jack Warner. The paediatrician ...
Reverend Daniel Berrigan, Lord Walton of Detchant, Jenny Diski, Guy Woolfenden
May 06, 2016 15:40 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The Reverend Daniel Berrigan, the American Catholic priest who devoted his life to campaigning for peace. He was arrested many times for protests against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons. Jenny Diski who wrote celebrated novels, essays including her travelogue Skating to Antarctica and her latest memoir In Gratitude. Lord Walton, the eminent neurologist who wrote an influential paper on muscle diseases. And Guy Woolfenden, long serving musical director at the Roy...
Lord Peston, Ruth Prideaux, Patricio Aylwin, Professor Sir David Mackay, Gareth Thomas
April 29, 2016 15:57 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The economist Lord Peston who advised the Labour governments of the 60s and 70s. His son Robert Peston and Lord Hattersley pay tribute. The women's cricket coach Ruth Prideaux who steered England to victory at the 1993 World Cup. The Chilean President Patricio Aylwin who is credited with restoring democracy after nearly 17 years of military dictatorship. The physicist Professor Sir David Mackay, known as 'the cleverest man in Cambridge' and a debunker of myths about...
Prince, Ray Fitzwalter, Victoria Wood, June Jolly, Phil Sayer
April 22, 2016 15:51 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on Rock superstar Prince - we recall his intimate gig for a handful of people here in Broadcasting House. Ray Fitzwalter the Editor of ITV's World In Action who championed investigative journalism. Victoria Wood - we have a tribute in song from the young comedian she inspired. The nurse June Jolly who transformed the treatment of children in hospital - she once brought a baby elephant and a lion on to the ward to entertain her patients. And - Mind The Gap - the voice ...
Arnold Wesker, Howard Marks, Peggy Fortnum, Merle Haggard and Rachel Johnson
April 15, 2016 15:53 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The playwright Sir Arnold Wesker whose work celebrated working class life, Howard Marks, the convicted cannabis smuggler and raconteur who became a folk hero to some. Peggy Fortnum, the children's book illustrator who brought Paddington Bear to life. The country singer Merle Haggard whose music was steeped in traditional redneck America. And Rachel Johnson, last surviving resident of the Scottish island of St Kilda which was evacuated in 1930.
Mother Angelica, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, DJ Derek, Doreen Massey and Joe Medicine Crow
April 08, 2016 16:05 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on The American broadcasting nun Mother Angelica who founded the Eternal Word Television Network and dispensed traditional Catholic advice to viewers. The German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, one of the principal architects of his country's re-unification. Derek Serpell-Morris, who gave up his job as an accountant to become DJ Derek, playing reggae and ska and claiming to be Britain's oldest DJ. Doreen Massey who changed the way we think about geography and...
Dame Zaha Hadid, Ronnie Corbett, General Meir Dagan, Joan Loraine, Gary Shandling
April 01, 2016 16:00 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBMatthew Bannister on The internationally acclaimed architect Dame Zaha Hadid, known to some as "the queen of the curve". Ronnie Corbett, whose partnership with Ronnie Barker made him one of the UK's best loved comedians. General Meir Dagan, head of the Israeli secret service Mossad when it was credited with carrying out the assassination of five Iranian nuclear scientists. Joan Loraine who created a much admired garden at Greencombe in Somerset And Gary Shandling who satirised the vanit...
Paul Daniels, Anita Brookner, Sylvia Anderson, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Cliff Michelmore
March 18, 2016 17:04 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatthew Bannister on Cliff Michelmore who brought a relaxed informality to presenting TV programmes like Tonight and 24 Hours, without losing intelligence or authority. Sylvia Anderson who - with her husband Gerry - produced TV puppet series like Thunderbirds and Stingray. She was also the voice of Lady Penelope. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the composer and former Master of the Queen's Music who made his home in a remote part of Orkney. The author Anita Brookner who won the Booker prize fo...
George Martin, Nancy Reagan, Ray Tomlinson, Gillian Avery
March 11, 2016 17:27 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBReeta Chakrabarti on Sir George Martin, the legendary music producer who oversaw the Beatles' phenomenal success. Nancy Reagan, the US First Lady, who went from actor to political wife, to campaigner against drug abuse. Ray Tomlinson, one of the pioneers of the internet, and a founder of the email system. And Gillian Avery, historian and award-winning author of children's literature.
Tony Warren, Louise Rennison, Lord Chorley, George Kennedy, John Chilton
March 04, 2016 17:17 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBReeta Chakrabarti on Tony Warren, who created the long-running TV soap Coronation Street, embedding a working-class north of England cast of characters in the national consciousness. Louise Rennison, comedian and author of young adult fiction, whose frank and funny books won her a loyal following amongst teenage girls. Lord Chorley, a parliamentarian and conservationist, whose many public roles included former chairman of the National Trust. George Kennedy, the versatile American character ...
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Edmonde Charles-Roux, Norman Hudis, Antonin Scalia, Harper Lee
February 19, 2016 16:53 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBMatthew Bannister on Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the United Nations Secretary General who had to deal with genocide in Rwanda and the war in the Balkans. Edmonde Charles-Roux, the former resistance fighter who became editor of French Vogue magazine. Norman Hudis, the screenwriter of many of the Carry On comedy films. And Antonin Scalia, the conservative US Supreme Court Justice.
Marvin Minsky, Margaret Forster, Peter Powell, Sir Brian Tovey, Joe Alaskey
February 12, 2016 16:53 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Professor Marvin Minsky - the computer scientist who carried out pioneering work on artificial intelligence. Margaret Forster who wrote novels like Georgy Girl and acclaimed biographies including a life of Daphne Du Maurier. Peter Powell who invented the stunt kite and turned it into a global business, before it all came crashing down. Sir Brian Tovey who was director of the Government Communications Head Quarters - GCHQ - when the government tried to introduce a ba...
Terry Wogan, Lord Lucan, Frank Finlay, Denise St Aubyn Hubbard, Maurice White
February 05, 2016 16:54 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Sir Terry Wogan - we have a tale of two cities: memories from his home town of Limerick and accolades from his fantasy town of Leicester. Lord Lucan, finally declared dead this week after disappearing in the 1970s. Mystery still surrounds his involvement in the murder of his children's nanny. The actor Frank Finlay, who often played darker characters. His Bouquet of Barbed Wire co-star Susan Penhaligon remembers him. Denise St Aubyn Hubbard who represented Britain ...
Lord Parkinson, Bill Mitchell, Paddy Doherty, Henry Worsley, Dr Gladys-Marie Fry
February 02, 2016 12:11 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBMatthew Bannister on The Conservative politician Lord Parkinson. He masterminded the 1983 election victory but was forced to resign when his affair with his secretary was revealed. Bill Mitchell, who lived and breathed the Yorkshire Dales, editing the Dalesman magazine and writing hundreds of books. Paddy Doherty, the Irish Republican activist who played a leading role in Derry's 1969 Battle of the Bogside. Henry Worsley, the former SAS soldier and explorer who died whilst attempting th...
Glenn Frey, Lord Weidenfeld, Jeanne Cordova, Haskell Wexler, Gilbert Kaplan.
January 22, 2016 17:37 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatthew Bannister on Glenn Frey - singer, guitarist and songwriter with The Eagles - who sold millions of albums in the 1970s. Lord Weidenfeld, the influential publisher, party giver and networker - and, in later life, rescuer of Christians from Syria and Iraq. The writer and activist Jeanne Cordova - a former nun who campaigned for lesbian rights. Haskell Wexler, the cinematographer who won an Oscar for the film "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?". And Gilbert Kaplan, the multi millionai...
David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Olwyn Hughes and Ed Stewart
January 15, 2016 17:07 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBMatthew Bannister on David Bowie, art expert, fashion icon and media manipulator. Alan Rickman, the actor most famous for playing villains from the Sheriff of Nottingham to Professor Snape. Olwyn Hughes, the sister of the poet Ted Hughes who fiercely guarded his literary legacy and that of his late wife Sylvia Plath. And Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, the Radio 1 and 2 DJ who presented Junior Choice.
Robert Stigwood, Patricia Torrens, Pierre Boulez, Lord Ezra, Natalie Cole
January 08, 2016 17:25 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Robert Stigwood, the impresario who managed Eric Clapton and The Bee Gees, produced Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita and the movies Saturday Night Fever and Grease. Patricia Torrens the first adviser on diet to the Department of Health. Pierre Boulez, the avant garde French composer and conductor who pioneered serialism and the use of electronics. Lord Ezra who was chairman of the National Coal Board in the 1970s. And Natalie Cole, the acclaimed singer who battled...
Eric Tomlinson, Elsie Tu, Peter Dickinson, Lillian Vernon and Lemmy
January 01, 2016 16:47 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBRecording engineer, Eric Tomlinson, who worked on the score for Star Wars and added music to Charlie Chaplin's silent films. Elsie Tu, social campaigner, legislator and educationalist in Hong Kong. Author, Peter Dickinson, who twice received the prestigious Carnegie medal for his work. Entrepreneur, Lillian Vernon, whose catalogue business was the first company owned by a woman to be listed on the US Stock Exchange. Motorhead frontman, Lemmy, who's credited with introducing punk sounds i...
Some of the most memorable lives of the past twelve months
December 29, 2015 17:03 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBMatthew Bannister and Economist Obituary Editor Ann Wroe recall some of the most memorable lives of 2015, including a diver, a scientist and a singer. Producer: Edwina Pitman.
Mick Murphy, Ahmed Chalabi, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Brajraj Mahapatra and Holly Woodlawn
December 18, 2015 16:48 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on The Irish cyclist, strong man and farm labourer Mick Murphy who won a famous victory in the 1958 round Ireland race. The Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi who boasted that he tricked the Americans into invading his country. The American soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs, who was the first black singer to appear at La Scala in Milan. Ther last surviving Indian king from the days of the British Raj. Brajraj Mahapatra ended his days in poverty. And Holly Woodlawn, the transge...
Marcus Klingberg, William McIlvanney, Setsuko Hara, Joel Elkes and John Peel
December 11, 2015 16:43 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on The Israeli chemical weapons expert Marcus Klingberg, who was revealed to have been spying for the Soviet Union. The Scottish writer William McIlvanney, best known for his Jack Laidlaw crime novels. Val McDermid pays tribute. Setsuko Hara, one of Japan's most popular film actresses. Joel Elkes, the pharmacologist who pioneered the use of drugs to treat schizophrenia. And John Peel, the anthropologist who studied Nigeria's Yoruba people.
General Sir Robert Ford, Hazel Adair, Jane Wardle, Gerry Byrne and P.F Sloan
December 04, 2015 16:51 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBMatthew Bannister on General Sir Robert Ford who was Commander Land Forces Northern Ireland at the time of the Bloody Sunday shootings. Hazel Adair, the TV scriptwriter behind hit series like Compact, Emergency Ward 10 and Crossroads. Professor Jane Wardle, the behavioural scientist who transformed our understanding of cancer screening and prevention. Gerry Byrne, the Liverpool left back who was part of the England World Cup winning squad in 1966. And PF Sloan, the enigmatic musici...
Peter Dimmock, Alix d'Unienville, Yolanda Sonnabend, Maggie Eales and George Barris
November 27, 2015 16:54 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBMatthew Bannister on TV pioneer Peter Dimmock. An accomplished presenter and also a BBC executive, he directed the coverage of the Queen's coronation in 1953. Also SOE agent Alix d'Unienville. In the days before D Day she was parachuted into occupied France with a suitcase containing forty million francs. Yolanda Sonnabend who designed some of the UK's best loved ballets Maggie Eales who rose from the secretarial pool at ITN to become the company's Foreign Editor. Jon Snow pays tribu...
Roy Dommett, Warren Mitchell, Allen Toussaint, Cynthia Payne and Jonah Lomu
November 20, 2015 16:48 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMatthew Bannister on Roy Dommett, one of the UK's leading rocket scientists who was also a well known morris dancer. Warren Mitchell, the actor best known for playing Alf Garnett in the TV sit com "Till Death Us Do Part" Allen Toussaint, the New Orleans producer and musician who worked with many of the great names in rock. Cynthia Payne, who ran a brothel at her home in Streatham where men exchanged luncheon vouchers for sex. And Jonah Lomu, the rugby player who won 63 caps for the...