Last Word

Dame Penelope Keith became a household name for her performances in two classic TV comedy shows of the 1970s and early 80s: The Good Life and To The Manor Born. We share her story through her own words, with interviews from the BBC Archives.

David Hencke was an award-winning investigative journalist who worked for the Guardian newspaper for over thirty years. His scoops brought to light wrongdoing in many spheres of public life. His friend and colleague Francis Beckett reveals where his drive to uncover the truth came from.

The solitary nun, Sister Maggie Ross, born Martha Reeves, extolled the virtues of silence. A renowned theologian, she spent part of her time in the wilderness of Alaska with a tamed raven. Her bishop protector, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, pays tribute.

Marion Fossett was an Irish contortionist, and Eurovision hopeful, who became a fourth generation circus performer by joining the family business. She started young, brought in to the circus ring as an 18 month old baby, by an elephant. Marion became one of the industry’s few ringmistresses. Her niece, Sonya Fossett, takes us inside the world of Fossett's Circus.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive: BBC One, Wogan, 13.09.1985; BBC Radio 4, In Conversation… with Penelope Keith, 28.10.1999; BBC One, The Heaven and Earth Show, 24.08.2003; BBC One, The Good Life: "Silly, but it's fun”, 26.12.1977; BBC One, The Good Life: “A Tug of the Forelock”, 24.09.1976; BBC Four, Penelope Keith Remembers To The Manor Born, 02.01.2024; BBC One, To The Manor Born: “Grantleigh”, 30.09.1979; BBC News, 20.10.1994; BBC Two, Westminster Daily, 26.10.1994; BBC News, 23.12.1998; BBC Two, Limits of Freedom: “Who Is Big Brother?”, 10.10.1983; BBC Radio 4, Museum of Curiosity, 26.03.2008; The Gilded Thread with Irene O’Brien, 23.05.2023

A giant of American economics, former US Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, was an economic pioneer who shaped the modern American economy and believed in free markets and light touch regulation. A world financial crisis after he left the job, however, forced him to question some of his economic assumptions. We hear from Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders.

Tulsi Vagjiani survived the plane crash which killed her family, but it left her with burns over much of her body. She went on to be a legendary camapigner for better treatment for people who have visible differences. Phil Gorf from Changing Faces and broadcaster model and fellow campaigner Katie Piper pay tribute to her work.

French sailor Charlie Dalin, smashed the record in the non-stop round-the-world Vendée Globe race. It was only afterwards that he revealed that he had taken part in the gruelling competition with a rare cancer. We hear from friend and Vendée Globe competitor Pip Hare.

Teddie Beverley was the last surviving member of the original girl group, The Beverley Sisters. The trio found huge fame in the 1950s, with hits such as I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Teddie's daughter Sasha Felix tells us how they became the highest-paid female entertainers in the UK, and why some of their tracks were banned from the airwaves.

Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards

Archive: Beverley Sisters: London Plus, BBC, 04/02/1985; Legends: The Beverley Sisters – Tickled Pink, BBC Two, 31/12/2010; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 05/03/2022; Changing Faces: Visible Hate campaign, YouTube, 23/01/2020; Changing Faces: Our ambassador Tulsi on our #IAmNotYourVillain campaign, YouTube, 14/10/2021; Charlie Dalin: Vendée Globe, 14/01/2025; Alan Greenspan, Capitalism, Newsnight, BBC One, 01/10/2007; Alan Greenspan, Newsnight, BBC One, 01/10/2007; Evan meets Alan, BBC Radio 4, 23/10/2013

Lord Roy Hattersley, the former Deputy Leader of the Labour party. He was born and brought up in Sheffield. In his book A Yorkshire Boyhood, he confessed to being passionate about three things: Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, Yorkshire County Cricket and socialist politics. His friend and colleague, Lord Kinnock, pays tribute.

Daphne Hamilton-Fairley, spoke out for tolerance after her husband was killed by an IRA bomb. He had inspired her to become a speech therapist and after his death she set up one of the first specialist schools for dyslexia and other special educational needs. She named it Fairley House, after her husband. Her daughter Diana Hamilton-Fairley shares her memories.

Roger Cook was the intrepid investigative journalist who pioneered the technique known as “doorstepping” - challenging those he suspected of wrongdoing face to face with the camera or tape recorder running. First on Radio 4’s consumer affairs programme Checkpoint and then on ITV’s The Cook Report he took on criminals and fraudsters on behalf of listeners and viewers. Matthew talks to his colleague Tim Tate.

Sterling Betancourt was a pioneer of steel pan music from Trinidad and Tobago. He was one of the first to bring the instrument to Britain in the 1950s and went on to play a big role in the early days of the Notting Hill Carnival. Sterling’s wife Beatrice Elokbi tells his story.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ribika Moktan Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive: BBC Midlands Today, 23/02/94; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 31/01/1986; Labour Party Conference 1983 , BBC News , 2.10.1983; Newsnight, BBC Two, 19/04/1981; Tony Livesey, 5 Live, 24/01/2012; PM, BBC Radio 4, 23/10/1975; Tonight, BBC One, 17/12/1975; Forty Minutes: Women in Black, BBC 2, 21/04/1988; Nationwide, BBC One, 29/11/1982; David Hockney, Desert Island Discs, 07/02/1972; The 1951 Festival of Britain: A Brave New World, BBC Four, 24/09/2011; Steel Pan Alley, Radio 4, 6/12/2003

For thirty years, Kanya King was a champion of Black music. She was the founder and guiding light of the Music of Black Origin Awards, the ‘MOBOs’. Launched in 1996, the awards became a highly successful annual event.

Sir Alex Younger was one of the longest serving chiefs of the Secret Intelligence Service MI6. He held the role known as “C” from 2014 to 2020. In that time, he headed the security operation to protect the 2012 Olympics and led Britain’s response to the Salisbury Novichok poisoning.

Diane Carlson Evans served as a nurse with the US Army during the Vietnam War and led the campaign for a memorial to the women who had served alongside her.

And Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian graphic novelist and film maker who created Persepolis, a story of growing up in 1980s Iran. The book, that was designed to make western readers reflect on the humanity of Iranian people, sold millions of copies around the world before being made into an Oscar nominated film in 2007.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, 26/02/2020; Trevor Nelson, Rhythm Nation, BBC Radio 1, 9/11/1997; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 4/10/2014; BBC News at 10 05/03/2018; Today Programme: Theresa May Guest Editor, 31/12/2025; Newscast, 30/09/21; Start the Week, Radio 4, 09/12/2024; PERSEPOLIS | Official Trailer; BBC News at 10, 28/09/2022; Woman’s Hour, Radio 4, 30/12/2003; Front Row, Radio 4, 19/03/24

Larry King teamed up with his wife Billie Jean King to start the women’s professional tennis circuit in the USA.

Baroness Ramsay was MI6 Head of Station in Helsinki during the Cold War and then became a leading figure in Labour politics.

Caroline Marland transformed the financial fortunes of The Guardian newspaper as a senior executive in the 1980s and 90s.

Valie Export challenged centuries of misuse of the female body from male artists by exhibiting her own form for controversial performances.

Archive used: Women’s Tennis Association, 03/2024; VisNews, 01/05/1981; BBC News, 12/09/1985; Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game, BBC Two, 08/05/2024; BBC Parliament, 02/12/2015; The Money Programme, BBC Two, 14/02/1988; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 01/06/2000

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Josie Hardy Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Matthew Bannister on

Clarence B Jones the American lawyer and civil rights campaigner who helped Martin Luther King to write his famous I Have A Dream speech.

Judith Chalmers, the TV and radio presenter best known for her globetrotting holiday series Wish You Were Here.

Dr Anna Ritchie, the archaeologist who excavated some of Orkney’s most revealing ancient sites.

And Frank Land, one of the prime movers in the development of the world’s first business computer - at the Lyons catering company.

Interviewee: Mark Durden Smith Interviewee: Matt Ritchie Interviewee: Georgina Ferry

Producer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Josie Hardy Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive used: Martin Luther King March on Washington, SOUND ARCHIVE Reference: 28322, 28/08/1963; BBC News special, BBC News, 28/08/2020; Wish you were Here…? Thames TV, ITV, 10/01/1978. From YouTube upload ThamesTv, 8/08/2020; Wish you were there, BBC Archive, 28/03/1966; Tracks of My Years, BBC Radio 2, 28/09/2017; Smillie’s People: Judith Chalmers, BBC 1, 20/01/1997; Pebble Mill, BBC 1, 14/05/1993; Gardeners’ Question Time: Matt Biggs’ House, BBC Radio 4, 27/08/2023; The House the Picts Built, BBC, 28/08/1974; Around Scotland: The Scots, BBC1 Scotland, 10/03/1977; Around Scotland: Early History: The First People, 17/09/1979; LEO celebration Part 2 - Panel Discussion with Frank Land, Georgina Ferry, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Centre for Computing History and the LEO Computers Society (partnership project), 18/05/2023; BBC Oral History Collection - Interview with Judith Chalmers, John Escolme History of the BBC, 26/03/1982;

Kirsty Lang on Michael Pennington, the Shakespearean actor who preferred a life on stage to the glamour of Hollywood. For Dame Judi Dench, he was her 'Mr Plum', she recalls his life.

Cynthia Shange defied apartheid to become the first Black woman to represent South Africa at Miss World.

Scott Hastings the rugby legend, who was once Scotland’s most capped player. He went on to become a well-known commentator and campaigner for mental health charities, following the death of his wife after her long battle with depression.

And Beverley Martyn, the singer songwriter, a star of the British folk scene, who was signed by Beatles producer George Martin aged 16, but her career was not a smooth ride.

Please note this programme references suicide. Support and information is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Interviewee: Dame Judi Dench Interviewee: Nonhle Thema Interviewee: John Beattie Interviewee: Joe Boyd

Producer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive: Miss World 1972. BBC TV, 01 Dec 1972; Bob Harris Sunday : Beverley Martyn plays live, BBC Radio 2, 27th April 2014; Five Nations, Rugby Union, Scotland v England, 17th March 1990; Scrum V, Live Pro12: 2016/2017, Edinburgh v Blues, 24th Feb 2017; BBC News Breakfast, 21st Dec 2020; Richard II, writer William Shakespeare, dir Gregory Doran, Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Gift of Gorgon, writer Peter Shaffer, dir Peter Hall, RSC, 1993; Henry V, dir Michael Bogdanov, The English Shakespeare Company in The War of the Roses, Produced by John Paul Chapple and Andy Ward, A Portman Classics production in association with Contracts International and Windmill Lane Productions, 1990

The virtuoso pianist, Ruth Slenczynska was the last living student of Sergei Rachmaninoff. She began performing at the age of four, and was once reputed to be the greatest child prodigy since Mozart.

From the Australian outback to the forefront of British science, Dame Bridget Ogilvie was the daughter of sheep farmers who went on to help make the UK a leader in biomedical research.

Labour MP, Tony Worthington, survived a violent ambush in Somaliland and played a role in the Northern Ireland peace talks.

Crown prosecutor, Russel Tyner KC, was a pioneer in the prosecution of cyber-crime.

Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Lowri Morgan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive: BBC News, 12/01/2019; BBC, Hunting the Lorry Killers, 03/11/202; BBC, Eureka, 08/01/1997; BBC, Newsnight, 25/10/1999; BBC, Current Account, 16/10/1979; BBC, Reporting Scotland, 11/02/1994; BBC, Newsline, 06/05/1997; BBC, Panorama, 18/03/2003

Dr Ittai Gradel, the Danish antiquities dealer who uncovered the theft of hundreds of artefacts from the British Museum. Katie Razzall recalls how he helped her report the story.

Dame Shirley Porter, the Conservative leader of Westminster Council who had a spectacular fall from grace over the 'homes for votes' scandal.

Professor Nigel Dunnett, the horticulturalist and garden designer, known for his ambitious public planting displays at the Olympic Park in East London and the moat of the Tower of London. His friend and fellow gardener Arit Anderson pays tribute.

Maria Nieves Rego, the dancer who took the tango from Argentina to the rest of the world.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive: BBC One, News at Ten, 16/08/2023; BBC Radio 4, Front Row, 11/09/2023; BBC Parliament, House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, 23/10/2023; BBC Radio 4, Shadow World: Thief at the British Museum 31/05/2024; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs, 28/04/1991; BBC, Radio 4, The Report, 10/05/1996; BBC One, News at Six, 05/07/2004; BBC Radio 4, Costing the Earth: Where Have all our Gardens Gone?, 29/09/2015; The Man from Atlanta, 23/08/1982; Our Last Tango: Official Trailer, Uploaded to YouTube, 31/05/2016

Xia De-hong, inspired her daughter Jung Chang to write the best selling book Wild Swans about her trials and tribulations at the hands of the Chinese government.

Lord Hunt, the meteorologist and former Director General and Chief Executive of the Met Office, who was an expert in turbulence.

Joan Burstein, ran the influential Browns boutique in London’s South Molton Street, backing the careers of many leading designers.

Bill Leader, the recording engineer who captured all the leading performers of the folk revival of the 1960s and 70s.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive: Tomorrow's World, BBC One,18/11/1965; You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, 27/06/2005; My Life in Seven Charms, with Annoushka Ducas MBE, 27/05/2021; Joan Burstein Browns 50 Testimonial, Browns Fashion (Uploaded to Youtube - 22 Oct 2020); Best of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, BBC Two, Uploaded to Youtube

Matthew Bannister on Andy Kershaw, the radio DJ who championed world music, traversing the globe to bring new and eclectic sounds to a mainstream audience. For a time he was roadie to Billy Bragg who recalls their life on the road together. Dame Averil Cameron, the leading historian who re-shaped our understanding of the Byzantine empire. Her friend, Professor Mary Beard, pays tribute. Dr Judith Rapoport, the child psychiatrist who challenged received wisdom about obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. And the zoologist, author, artist and TV presenter Desmond Morris, best known for his provocative 1967 bestselling book The Naked Ape.

Producer: Catherine Powell Assisstant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive Michael Parkinson, BBC 1, 06/10/69; Michael Parkinson, BBC 1, 07/11/81; The Evolution of The Naked Ape: Archive on 4, BBC Radio 4 18/04/2026; The Likely Lads, BBC 2; The Time of Your Life, BBC 1, 06/08/85; Timewatch: Verdict on the Shroud, BBC 2, 27/07/88; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 11/05/90; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 24/09/95; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 16/03/98; The Hermit Kingdom (North Korea), BBC Radio 3, 28/12/03; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 08/10/04; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 11/03/07; Judith Rapoport on Dimensional Research in Mental Illness, YouTube, 25/06/13; "Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia" With Judith Rapoport, M.D., YouTube, 12/09/13; A History of the World in 100 Objects : The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD) : Hinton St Mary Mosaic, BBC Radio 4, 11/03/21;

Matthew Bannister on

The Indian singer Asha Bhosle who soundtracked countless Bollywood films and collaborated with Boy George, Michael Stipe and Damon Albarn.

Sir Neil Cossons, a leading light in the development of the UK’s museums.

Professor Harold Ellis, the respected surgeon whose long career began at the same time as the foundation of the NHS.

Daphne Selfe, the elegant model who was rediscovered in her seventies and transformed the image of older people in fashion.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Colin Paterson

Archive: Ironbridge Gorge Museum, BBC News, 01 Jan 1930; Network East, BBC Two, 22 Aug 1987; The Courage to Fail: Nerves of Steel, BBC Two, 02 Nov 1987; Talk of the 80's: Neil Cossons, BBC Two, 21 Dec 1989; Everywoman, BBC World Service, 16 Dec 2002; PM, BBC Radio 4, 02 Jul 2008; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 26 Dec 2009; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 16 May 2013; Evening News, BBC London, 03 Jul 2018

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Craig Reedie, the sports administrator who led London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics and went on to become President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Lord Coe pays tribute.

Bronwen Naish, the musician who devoted her life to promoting the joys of the double bass.

Geoff Yeadon, the world record breaking cave diver from Yorkshire.

And Margareta Magnusson, best known as the author of the book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive: Daytime Live, BBC One, 21/01/1988; Edinburgh Festival Fringe, YouTube Upload, Browen Naish, 01/09/2020; Bartholomew, YouTube Upload, Bronwen Naish, 04/09/2020; Wogan, BBC One, 01/07/1985; A Visit with Bronwen Naish, Bass-Talk with Hagen and Heyes, YouTube Upload, 25/02/2024; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 09/01/2018 Conversation Piece, BBC Radio 4, 07/05/1982; Behind the Ears, BBC Radio 3, 15/06/2025; BBC Look North, BBC, June 1983; BBC News, BBC, 06/06/2005; Newsnight, BBC One, 21/07/2016; Mixed Zone interview of Sir Craig Reedie – The ANOC Awards 2022; BBC News, BBC, 06/07/2005; The Daily Politics, BBC 2, 14/01/2003

John Wilson on

Robert Fox the producer who had a career that spanned theatre, film and television. We have tributes from Colin Firth, Rupert Everett and Robert’s brother, the actor Edward Fox.

Mary Rand MBE, the first British woman to win an Olympic athletics gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Sir Tony Hoare, one of the world’s leading computer software designers who developed algorithms and languages which have become industry standards.

Biruté Galdikas, the primatologist and conservationist whose years of studying orangutans in their natural habitat helped understand and protect the primates.

Interviewee: Edward Fox Interviewee: Rupert Everett Interviewee: Colin Firth Interviewee: Wendy Sly Interviewee: Professor Bill Roscoe Interviewee: Professor Erin Vogel

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Another Country movie promo, Another Country Trailer, 1984, director Marek Kanievska, writer Julian Mitchell, Goldcrest Films International,, YouTube Uploaded by Sundance Now, 04/10/2017; Another Country, Queen’s Theatre, directed by Stuart Burge, written by Julian Mitchell, 1982, broadcast on Newsnight, BBC Two, 02/03/1982; Mary Rand at the 1964 Olympics, BBC Sound Archive, commentary by David Coleman, 1964 Tokyo Olympics, 14/01/1964; An Interview with Tony Hoare, ACM 1980 A.M. Turing Award Recipient, Interviewer: Cliff Jones, Newcastle University, 24/11/2015, uploaded to Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) YouTube channel on 25/10/2016; Biruté Galdikas interview, Good Morning, BBC One, 15/02/1995; Biruté Galdikas, Great Apes Documentary, BBC Two, 29/02/1976; Biruté Galdikas interview, Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4, 16/02/1995;

Matthew Bannister on

The Woman’s Hour presenter Dame Jenni Murray. Mark Steel joins us to recall her triumphant debut as a stand-up comedian.

Len Deighton who created “anti-James Bond” novels including The Ipcress File, Billion Dollar Brain and Horse Under Water.

Lynda Hale, the footballer who battled against sexism to play in the first official England women’s international in 1972.

Jurgen Habermas, the German philosopher who came up with the influential concept of “the public sphere”.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive: Jurgen Habermas interview, YouTube Upload, Davidmeme, 1/02/2007; Jürgen Habermas Interview, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs (Georgetown University), 10/2011; Scotland v England, BBC News, 18/11/1972; South Today, BBC, 29/07/2025; South Today, BBC, 18/07/2022; Nationwide, BBC, 17/11/1972; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 19/06/1976 The Lively Arts: Len Deighton, BBC Two, 18/12/1977; The Truth About Len Deighton, BBC Four, 01/08/2007; The Ipcress File, BBC Radio 4, 04/01/2015; Pebble Mill, BBC One, 13/05/1993; South Today, BBC (via TV Ark), 20/10/1983; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 19/01/1987; Comic Relief, BBC, 09/03/2011 BBC News, BBC, 21/12/2006; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 01/10/2020

Matthew Bannister on

Yanar Mohammed who campaigned for women’s rights in Iraq and set up a secret network of shelters for those fleeing abusive relationships. She was shot dead on 2nd March.

Phil Woolas, a key figure in the New Labour project who became MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.

Professor Robin Weiss, the eminent virologist who carried out important work to understand HIV.

Jane Lapotaire, the classical actor who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Edith Piaf.

Interviewee: Nawal Al-Maghafi Interviewee: Nick Jones Interviewee: Jonathan Weber Interviewee: Zoë Wanamaker

Producer: Ribika Moktan Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Outlook, BBC World Service, 09/05/2005; News 1800, BBC Radio 4, 14/12/2003; BBC News, 1/04/1992; BBC News, 02/05/1997; Daily Politics: 2010 Election, Debates: The Immigration Debate, 4/05/2010; BBC News at Ten, BBC, 07/05/2009; BBC News at One, 09/12/2010; BBC News, 21/11/1986; Frontiers, BBC Radio 4, 24/02/1996; Piaf, playwright Pam Gems, director Howard Davies, production by Royal Shakespeare Company, broadcast on Arena: Theatre, BBC 12/02/1979; The 35th Annual Tony Awards, dir Clark Jones, Producer Alexander H. Cohen, produced and written by Hildy Parks, A Bentwood Television Production, CBS, 07/06/1981; Desert island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 22/08/1986; Richard II, dir Gregory Dean, The Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Woman's Hour, Radio 4, 24/04/2003

Matthew Bannister on

Paul Conroy, the photojournalist who worked extensively in war zones in the Middle East and the Balkans. He was with the Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin when she was killed in Syria.

Kenith Trodd, the TV producer best known for his work with Dennis Potter on series like Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective. Stephen Poliakoff pays tribute.

Astrid Llewellyn who skippered the first all-female crew to take part in a Tall Ships Race.

Jo Purvis, the DJ who promoted LGBTQ+ ballroom dancing events in the 1970s and 1980s.

Interviewee: Stephen Poliakoff Interviewee: Tim Llewellyn Interviewee: Toni Krause Interviewee: Peter Flockhart

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used:

Paul Conroy interview, Music on the Front Line, Music Matters, BBC Radio 3, 03/05/2025; Paul Conroy: My Escape from Homs, Outlook, BBC World Service, 22/01/2013; Caught on a Train, Play for Today, Playhouse, Director: Peter Duffell, Writer: Stephen Poliakoff , BBC Two, 31/10/1980; The Ballroom of Romance, Play for Today, Playhouse, Director: Pat O'Connor, Writer: William Trevor, BBC Two, 05/11/1982; Pennies From Heaven, Episode 4: Better Think Twice, Director: Piers Haggard, Writer: Dennis Potter, BBC One, 28/03/1978; The Singing Detective, BBC Promo, 1991; The Singing Detective, Night Waves, BBC Radio 3, 16/06/2014; Sunday Feature: Dennis Potter - With Aggressive Affection, BBC Radio 3, 04/08/2015; Astrid Llewellyn interview and actuality, The Tall Ships Race 1974, BBC Television, 07/08/1974; Jo Purvis interview, Purvette, taken from the film ondon. Director: Alex Eisenberg, Courtesy of Alex Eisenberg, 2024;

Matthew Bannister on

Neil Sedaka the prolific songwriter who had Sixties hits with Oh Carol and Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen and made a Seventies comeback with Solitaire and Love Will Keep Us Together. Graham Gouldman pays tribute.

Drusilla Beyfus, the journalist best known for her books on etiquette. Her daughter Alexandra Shulman shares her memories.

Professor Dame Carole Jordan, the leading astronomer who was an authority on the coronae of the sun and cool stars.

And Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran for over thirty years who was killed in an air strike.

Interviewee: Nazila Fathi Interviewee: Lisa Verrico Interviewee: Graham Gouldman Interviewee: Professor Mike Lockwood Interviewee: Alexandra Shulman

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Revolution In Iran, BBC News, 11/02/1979; The death of Ayatolla Khomeni, BBC News, 04/06/1989; Iran street protests, BBC News, 1999 and 2009; Protests in Iran, BBC News, 29/06/2023; BBC News report, 01/03/2026; Neil Sedaka: King of Song, BBC Four, 28/10/2018; The Sky at Night: Exploring the ultraviolet sky, BBC 1, 07/05/1989; Drusilla Beyfus, recorded by Susan Irvine, 08/08/2018; Drusilla Beyfus interview, Castle in the Country, BBC Two, 18/03/2005; Drusilla Beyfus interview, Eight for Eight fifteen, BBC Radio 4, 12/06/1988;

Matthew Bannister on

Martyn Butler who was a central figure in the UK’s early response to HIV and AIDS. He was a co-founder of the Terrence Higgins Trust and gave his own home phone number as a helpline.

Allan Massie, the Scottish author and critic whose hero was Sir Walter Scott. Sir Ian Rankin pays tribute.

Professor Nicola Fear, the epidemiologist who studied the effects on military personnel of serving in the Iraq War and Afghanistan.

Willie Colón, the American trombonist who was inspired by his Puerto Rican heritage to create salsa music.

Interviewee: Tony Whitehead Interviewee: Sir Ian Rankin Interviewee: Professor Sir Simon Wessely Interviewee: Garth Cartwright

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Martyn Butler seminar recording, Terrence Higgins Trust, THT YouTube channel, uploaded 26/06/2022; Terrence Higgins Trust actuality recording, Week In Week Out, BBC Wales, 29/10/1985; News report, BBC News, 08/01/1987; Advert: Iceberg, Department of Health and Social Security, Dir Nicolas Roeg, Voiceover: John Hurt, 1987; Allan Massie, The Book Programme: First Novels, BBC Two, 11/02/1978; Allan Massie interview, France Politics, Writers Revealed, BBC Radio 4, 06/07/1992; Allan Massie interview, General Election Report, BBC News, 10/04/1997; Nicola Fear, The Fear Factor: life as a military epidemiologist, King's College London, uploaded to YouTube on 23/04/2018; Iraq War news report, BBC News, 31/03/2009; Afghanistan News Report, BBC News, 27/10/2014; Willie Colon interview, Latin Music USA, BBC Four, 05/02/2010;

Kirsty Lang on

Reverend Jesse Jackson the leading American civil rights campaigner.

Diane Munday who fought to make abortion legal and co-founded the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

Philippe Gaulier whose internationally renowned clown school which helped to shape the careers of many leading actors.

Lady Jean Wilson who travelled the world building a charity that cured millions of avoidable blindness

Interviewee: Lord Woolley of Woodford Interviewee: Sally Phillips Interviewee: Cal McCrystal Interviewee: Caroline Harper Interviewee: Andrew Copson

Producer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Editor: Glyn Tansley

Matthew Bannister on:

Meredith Hooper, the prolific author who wrote several books about Antarctica. We have a tribute from her son, the Oscar winning film director Tom Hooper.

David Young, the American lawyer who was in charge of a team known as “The Plumbers” who tried to stop leaks of sensitive information from the Nixon White House.

Dorothy Solomon, the manager and agent who steered the careers of The Dubliners, The Bachelors and many other stars of the 1960s and 70s. Sharon Osbourne pays tribute.

Derek Kelly, the Essex farmer who revived the fortunes of the Bronze turkey - with a little help from Delia Smith.

Interviewee: Tom Hooper Interviewee: Suannah Young Interviewee: Giles Alston Interviewee: Sharon Osbourne Interviewee: Dec Cluskey Interviewee: Paul Kelly

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Meredith Hooper interview, Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4, 20/08/2007; Meredith Hooper interview, Excess Baggage, BBC Radio 4, 04/02/2012; Tom Hooper, Best Director announcement and acceptance speech, OSCARS, 03/03/2011; Daniel Ellsberg interview, 1971 press conference, BBC Archive Facebook channel, uploaded 05/04/2016; Watergate Special News Report, CBS News, 04/11/1973; Derek Kelly, Delia Smith’s Christmas, BBC TWO, 22/11/1990;

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Nicholas White, whose research on tropical diseases saved millions of lives.

Lord Wallace, the Liberal Democrat who served in the Scottish and Westminster parliaments and was Deputy to three First Ministers.

Professor Deborah Cameron who studied the use of language from a feminist perspective.

Sly Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer who played on hundreds of hit records and teamed up with bass player Robbie Shakespeare to form “The Riddim Twins”.

Interviewee: Professor Nicholas Day Interviewee: Lord McConnell Interviewee: Professor Miriam Meyerhoff Interviewee: Jazzie B Interviewee: Kevin Le Gendre

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used:

Nick White: Improving the treatment of infectious diseases, Mahidol Oxford Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok, Thailand, Tropical Medicine Oxford YouTube Channel, uploaded 08/03/2024; Professor Nick White: malaria, Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) interview, University of Oxford YouTube channel, uploaded 26 Jan 2012; Nicholas White, “Malaria Defeating The Curse”, Horizon, BBC Two, 05/06/2005; Nick White, Fatal Latitudes, BBC Two, 23/02/1993; Jim Wallace, Scottish Devolution Referendum, Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland 1997; Coalition, Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland 14/05/1999; Jim Wallace, Acting first minister clip, FMQs, Scottish Parliament, 15/11/2001; Jim Wallace interview, Stark Talk, BBC Radio Scotland, 09/06/2000; Deborah Cameron interview, Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 31/10/2025; Deborah Cameron interview, Speak Up, BBC Radio 4, 02/08/2024;

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Mark Tully who reported on India for the BBC for decades, covering some of the most significant events in the country’s recent history.

Dame Gillian Wagner who campaigned to raise the standards of residential care in the UK.

Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose work paved the way for the development of GPS.

Richard Larn OBE, the diver who was one of the UK’s leading experts on shipwrecks.

Interviewee: Sarah Tully Interviewee: Qurban Ali Interviewee: Lucy McCarraher Interviewee: Carolyn West Oglesby Interviewee: Steve Roue

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Colin Paterson

Archive used: Mark Tully interview with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Outlook, BBC World Service, 1975; Mark Tully interview, Desert Islands Discs, BBC Radio 4, 15/06/2003; Mark Tully news analysis, BBC World Report, 12/07/1971; Mark Tully report from Bhopal, BBC News, 04/12/1984; Mark Tully report from Ayodhya, BBC News, 06/12/1992; Mark Tully presenting, Something Understood, BBC Radio 4, 30/07/2000; Gillian Wagner, The Barnardo Family, BBC Radio 4, 23/04/1979; Gillian Wagner interview, Scene on Six, BBC News NI, 15/10/1981; Gillian Wagner, The Flower of the Flock, BBC Radio 4, 31/07/1981; Dr Gladys West interview, Today, BBC Radio 4, 31/12/2022; Gladys West interview, PBS News Hour, PBS, 20/01/2026; Hannah Fry: The Secret Genius of Everyday Life, BBC Two, 17/11/2022; Richard Larn interview, BBC News at One, 19/08/2010; Richard Larn , Richard Larn, Shipwrecks, Countryfile, BBC One, 25/02/2007; Richard Larn interview, The Mullion Pin Wreck, BBC, 07/08/1975; The Raising of the Mary Rose, BBC Radio 4, 10/10/1982; Richard Larn, Divers Midweek, 29/08/1974;

Matthew Bannister on

Molly Burkett, who devoted her life - and her home - to rescuing thousands of injured birds and animals. At times these included a killer whale, a pigmy hippopotamus and a beer drinking crow.

Sir James Munby, the respected judge who was President of the Family Division and was instrumental in opening it up to greater public scrutiny.

Edith Flanigen, the chemist who invented molecular sieves or zeolites which have made a critical impact on the petroleum refining industry.

Aldrich Ames, who was one of the United States’ most damaging double agents. We hear from the CIA officer who unmasked him.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive: Torrey Canyon: The Toxic Tide, BBC Radio 4, 28/02/2007; Superpets – That’s Life!, BBC One, 24/12/1977; The Saturday Picture Show, BBC One, 17/08/1985; BBC Look North, BBC One, 16/02/1988; BBC Look North, BBC One, 12/06/2001; Match of the Day (Theme Tune), BBC TV; Our Dementia Choir Sings Again with Vicky McClure, BBC One, 10/10/2022; The World at One, BBC Radio 4, 03/08/2017; BBC News at Six, BBC One, 03/08/2017; Panorama: The Million Dollar Spy, BBC One, 20/02/1995; Storyville: Valentino – The Last Emperor, BBC Four, 07/07/2011

Matthew Bannister on

Claudette Colvin the American civil rights campaigner who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, nine months before Rosa Parks’ celebrated protest.

Ian Balding, the racehorse trainer who saddled many winners for Queen Elizabeth II.

Gerry Gable, the anti-fascist activist and co-founder of Searchlight magazine, who wasn’t afraid to break the law in his relentless pursuit of the far right.

Juliet Robertson, the Scottish educationalist who was a passionate advocate for outdoor teaching.

And a tribute to Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir from Don Felder of The Eagles.

Interviewee: Brough Scott Interviewee: Andy Bell Interviewee: Don Felder Interviewee: David Cameron

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jazz George Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Claudette Colvin interview, Outlook, BBC World Service, 23/02/2018; The Epsom Derby, Commentary, BBC One, 02/06/1971; Ian Balding interview, A View from the Boundary, BBC Radio 4, 26/07/2003; Gerry Gable, Witness History, BBC World Service, 12/10/2021; The Light and The Darkness War - documentary, BBC Radio 4, 16/03/1995; Life, Death and the Outdoors with Juliet Robertson, Scotland Outdoors, BBC Radio Scotland, 24/09/2025;

Matthew Bannister on

The colourful life of artist, fashion editor, sex columnist and bonkbuster author Molly Parkin. Her daughter shares the highs and lows of living with Molly.

Kristina Gjerde, the maritime lawyer who fought to protect the high seas.

Michael Barton, the BBC executive who oversaw the expansion of English local radio

Eva Schloss, the holocaust survivor who became Anne Frank’s stepsister.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used Breakfast Time, BBC 1, 12/02/1986; Outlook, BBC World Service,27/01/2022; BBC Sound Archive, Murrow, Edward R, CBS Recording, 13/03/1938; BBC Sound Archive, Sinclair W.A.,19/05/1940; Learning about the Past to Make a Better Future, YouTube Upload, Anne Frank Trust UK, 24/03/2021; News – Gulf War special, BBC 1, 20/01/1991; Neighbours Shall Speak, BBC Archives; Archive on 4 : Close to Home - The Story of Local Radio, BBC Radio 4, 12/11/2017; The Time of your life – Molly Parkin, BBC 1, 08/06/1984; Molly Parkin – Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 13/05/2011; The Seven Ages of Man : Molly Parkin, BBC 2, 12/08/1996; Wogan, BBC 1, 03/12/1990; Dr Harriet Harden-Davies’ personal recording of Kristina Gjerde, 2024

Jon Kay on

The French actor Brigitte Bardot who starred in over 40 films in the 1950s and 60s before a career-change saw her give up the big screen to campaign for animal welfare

Sir Alec Reed who founded the UKs most successful recruitment agency and, through his philanthropy, raised millions for charity

Alwyn Crawshaw, the artist who encouraged millions to paint landscapes through his how-to books and TV programmes

Dame Shan Legge-Bourke who transformed the Glanusk estate in the Black Mountains and was for many years lady in waiting to Princess Anne

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Josie Hardy Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive The Lady of Glanusk: Winter, BBC Two Wales, 28/09/2006​; The Lady of Glanusk: Summer, BBC Two Wales, 14/09/2006​; The Lady of Glanusk: Autumn, BBC Two Wales, 21/09/2006​; The Lady of Glanusk: Spring, BBC Two Wales, 07/09/2006​; Reed Podcast, Sir Alec Reed at 91: A British Business Legend, Permission granted by James Reed; The Fast Show: The Last Fast Show Ever, BBC Two, 28/12/2000​; Daytime Live, BBC One, 16/03/1990​; …And God Created Woman (Official Trailer), 1956, Directed by Roger Vadim, Starring Brigitte Bardot, Curd Jürgens, Jean-Louis Trintignant​; Worldwide: France’s New-Look TV, BBC Two, 14/05/1975​; And God Created Bardot, BBC One, 28/09/1994​​; The World at One, BBC Radio 4, 25/04/1968​; Brigitte Bardot, BBC Archive, 01/11/1956

Jon Kay on

Fashion designer Antony Price who fused together the worlds of fashion and music in the 70s and 80s

Sister Stan Kennedy, the nun who founded one of Ireland’s largest homelessness charities

Ena Collymore Woodstock, the Jamaican barrister and magistrate who throughout her career broke many barriers for women

John Carey, the academic and former chief literary critic for The Times who took no prisoners with his reviews.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive Midweek: Professor John Carey, Benny Lewis, Eduardo Niebla, Lynn Ruth Miller, BBC Radio 4, 19/03/2014; The Verb (Week 10), BBC Radio 3, 13/03/2015; Meet the Author, BBC News, 20/03/2014; SAL Night 2020 – A Message From Sister Stan, Founder and President, Focus Ireland, YouTube, 16/10/2020; Redlight – Sr Stan Kennedy, YouTube (Immigration Council), 20/08/2018; Everyman: Ireland’s Hidden People, BBC One, 24/04/1988; Mary H.R.H. Princess Royal, BBC Archive, 26/06/1940; Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – Gone Christmas Fishing, BBC Two, 13/12/2020

Matthew Bannister on

Rob Reiner, the film director, screenwriter and actor behind pictures like “This Is Spinal Tap”, “Stand By Me” and “When Harry Met Sally”.

Stanley Baxter, the Scottish comedian best known for his impersonations of Hollywood stars and royalty. The actor Bill Paterson pays tribute.

And Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella, two best-selling novelists who, in their different ways, told stories of modern life and relationships.

Interviewee: Hadley Freeman Interviewee: Linda Evans Interviewee: Bill Paterson Interviewee: Brian Beacom Interviewee: Bill Scott-Kerr

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

CORRECTION: In this episode we mistakenly refer to Stanley Baxter being born in 1928. He was born in 1926.

Archive used: Rob Reiner interview, HardTalk, BBC News, 06/05/1998; All In The Family trailer, Tandem Productions, 1975; This is Spinal Tap, Sony Pictures Entrainment, uploaded to YouTube 31/07/2025; Stand By Me, Film Trailer, Castle Rock 1986, Dir: Rob Reiner; When Harry Met Sally, Official Film Trailer, 1989, Director: Rob Reiner; Joanna Trollope interview, BBC Four, 23/03/2014; Stanley Baxter: Compilation of Best Sketches and Impressions, BBC Scotland 1962; Stanley Baxter interview, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 02/02/1970; Stanley Baxter, Best of Show, BBC Television, 14/02/1961; Sophie Kinsella reads a second extract from her novel Mini Shopaholic, Transworld Books, uploaded to YouTube 08/09/2010; Confessions of a Shopaholic Trailer 2009, Touchstone Pictures, Director P.J. Hogan; Sophie Kinsella interview, Loose Ends, BBC Radio 4, 22/04/2013; Meet the Author: Sophie Kinsella, BBC News, 05/02/2017; Sophie Kinsella, Extract from book preview, What Does It Feel Like?, Read by Sally Phillips, Penguin Random House;

Matthew Bannister on

Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the zoologist who devoted his life to the study and conservation of African elephants.

Vera Weisfeld, the businesswoman whose chain of What Every Woman Wants stores offered fashion designs at bargain prices.

Frank Gehry, the architect best known for his flamboyant designs for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles

Martin Parr whose celebrated colourful photographs showed the messy details of British life.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used The Late Show, BBC Two, 11/11/1992; Imagine… Frank Gehry: The Architect Says "Why Can't I?", BBC Two, 25/08/2015​; The John Tusa Interview, BBC Three, 09/01/2005;​ The Simpsons – "The Seven-Beer Snitch", Created by Matt Groening, Directors: Matthew Nastuk, David Silverman; Writers: Bill Odenkirk, Daniel Chun; Production companies: Gracie Films, 20th Century Fox Television; 8/05/2025; This Cultural Life: Martin Parr, BBC Radio 4, 10/04/2023​; Britain in Focus: A Photographic History – Series 1 Episode 3, BBC Four, 21/01/2020​; I Am Martin Parr, BBC Four, 01/09/2025​; The Natural World: Ivory Wars, BBC Two, 01/09/2025​; Encounters with Animals: Last Stand in Eden, BBC Two, 08/10/1989​; Encounters with Animals, BBC Two, 15/08/1980​; Outlook, BBC World Service, 02/12/2010​; Millionaires, BBC One, 17/12/1990; Reporting Scotland 2019: What Everyone Wants, BBC One Scotland, 23/11/2019​; What Every Woman Wants had all the clothes for women at Christmas 1985, UK ADS Uploaded to YouTube 27/12/2023

Matthew Bannister has a star-studded cast on this week’s Last Word:

Sir David Hare pays tribute to his friend and fellow playwright Sir Tom Stoppard.

Boy George recalls the flamboyant fashion designer Pam Hogg.

Sir Mark Rylance gives an insight into the many talents of the actor, director and writer Jack Shepherd.

We also remember Yanxin He, one of the last surviving speakers in a village that spoke a secret language that helped women to share their suffering in a patriarchal society.

Interviewee: Sir David Hare Interviewee: Boy George Interviewee: Dr Tessa Hartmann Interviewee: Yehong Wei Interviewee: Sir Mark Rylance

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Tom Stoppard, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 12/01/1985; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Hamlet), Official Promo, Director: Tom Stoppard; MGM Studios, 1990; Tom Stoppard interview, BBC One 29/05/1977; Shakespeare In Love, Official Trailer, MiraMax pictures 1998, Directed: John Madden; Pam Hogg interview, Icons of Style, BBC Scotland, 16/03/2025; Pam Hogg interview, BBC Radio 2, 26/09/2012; Pam Hogg music track: Honeyland, pamhogg.com/music; He Yanxin, interview, Hidden Letters Official Trailer, Fish+Bear Pictures, Director: Violet Du Feng; Nushu: The secret Chinese language, BBC Culture, Video by Harriet Constable; Co-produced by Fiona Macdonald; 16/11/2022; Acting with...Jack Shepherd , BBC Two, 15/04/1996; In Lambeth, BBC Two, 04/07/1993; Written and Directed by Jack Shepherd; Play For Today: Through The Night, BBC One, 04/09/1977; Wycliff, ITV Official Trailer, IMDB; Season 1, Episode 1: The Four Jacks; Director: Ferdinand Fairfax;

Kirsty Lang on:

Jimmy Cliff, who took reggae music onto the global stage. His former record producer and founder of Island Records, Chris Blackwell pays tribute.

Charlotte Bingham, the writer who mined the experience of her upbringing and relationships to pen dozens of novels and screenplays.

Skye Gyngell, the Australian born chef whose devotion to fresh seasonal produce made a lasting impact on modern British cooking.

David Bellos, the award-winning literary translator who revelled in linguistic challenges.

Interviewee: Chris Blackwell Interviewee: Lloyd Bradley Interviewee: Candida Brady Interviewee: Thomasina Miers Interviewee: Rory O'Connell Interviewee: Alex Bellos

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Jimmy Cliff interview, The First Time, BBC Radio 6, 26/08/2012; The Harder They Come, Official Film Promo 1972, Director: Perry Henzell, International Films Inc; Charlotte Bingham, If I had A Million, BBC Television, 23/11/1968; Skye Gyngell interview, The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4, 09/09/2007; Skye Gyngell interview, The Conversation, Star Chef, BBC World Service, 23/07/2018; David Bellos, The Verb, BBC Radio 3, 16/09/2011

Matthew Bannister on:

Baroness Newlove, who turned a tragic event in her own life into a powerful campaign for victims’ rights.

Zoe Wicomb, the South Africa-born author whose novels are set against the backdrop of the apartheid regime.

Sir Geoffrey Bindman, the lawyer who helped to shape equality legislation, represented Labour politicians and fought many human rights cases.

Roland Paxton, the civil engineer who campaigned to preserve the Forth Bridge and other fine examples of historic engineering.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Colin Paterson

Archive used: Helen Newlove, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 22/07/2018; Helen Newlove, Baroness Newlove speech , House of Lords, 15/07/2010; Art Work by Zoe Wicomb, Reader, Janice Acquah , Commonwealth Stories, BBC Radio 3, 11/03/2014; Zoe Wicomb, The Book Café, BBC Radio Scotland, 14/03/2011; Zoe Wicomb, My Life in Five Books, Series 2 BBC Radio 4 Extra, 21/03/2015; Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC - Legal Seminar Preserving the Rule of Law, Uploaded to YouTube 20/05/2013; Sir Geoffrey Bindman interview, Phil Williams: Race Relations special, BBC Radio 5 Live, 07/12/2015; Hardtalk: Geoffrey Bindman, BBC News, 01/06/2000; Law Lords Ruling on Pinochet ruling, BBC News, 25/11/1998; Britain’s Lost Routes, Highland Cattle Droves, BBC One, 14/06/2012; Roland Paxton interview, Good Morning Scotland, BBC Radio Scotland, 01/02/2011; Union Chain Bridge news item, Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland, 17/04/2023.

Matthew Bannister on

James Watson who shared the Nobel Prize for identifying the structure of DNA, but was widely condemned later in life for his racist and sexist views.

Pauline Collins, the comic actor who triumphed in the role of Shirley Valentine on stage and screen. The play’s director Simon Callow pays tribute.

Judith Vidal-Hall, who edited the Index on Censorship magazine and campaigned for freedom of expression around the world

Dugald Ross, the crofter and palaeontologist from the Isle of Skye who discovered dinosaur footprints on the island as a schoolboy.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse G Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive: Witness History: Discovering the Secrets of DNA, BBC World Service, 25/04/2025; Archive on 4: DNA 60 Years On, BBC Radio 4, 30/10/2016; Interview with James Watson and Francis Crick, The Medical Television Centre, UT Southwestern, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre at Dallas, 16/05/1968; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 22/12/1989; Shirley Valentine, Paramount Pictures, 1989 (Producer: John Dark; Produced & directed by Lewis Gilbert; Written by Willy Russell); Upstairs Downstairs, ITV; Reporting Scotland 1830, BBC One Scotland, 11/06/2014; Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands: Northern Skye – A Land of Giants and Fairies, BBC Two, 26/04/2017; Out of Doors, BBC Radio Scotland, 07/08/2010; Newsnight, BBC Two, 20/02/2002; One Year On: 9/11, BBC One, 11/09/2002

Matthew Bannister on

Dick Cheney, the Republican politician who was Vice President under George W Bush and played key roles in both Gulf Wars.

Yvonne Brewster, the Jamaican-born director and actor who founded the Black British Theatre Company Talawa.

Mary ‘May’ McGee, the Irish woman who brought s successful legal challenge against the country’s ban on contraception.

Peter Watkins, the film maker whose powerful depiction of a nuclear attack on the UK was banned by the BBC

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: Dick Cheney interview, Oral Histories, C-Span, 19/12/2007; Dick Cheney, PBS, 04/11/2025; Dick Cheney, Operation Desert Storm press Conference, 17/01/1991; George W Bush names Vice President candidate and running mate, CNN, 25/07/2000; Yvonne, Brewster interview, Fighting Talk, BBC Two, 22/02/1991; Mary McGee interview, No Country For Women documentary series, directed by Anne Roper, RTE ONE, 19/06/2020; May McGee interview, Misneach, May & Séamus McGee, TG4 YouTube Channel, uploaded 20/09/2023; The World This Weekend, BBC Radio 4, 23/05/1971; Yvonne Brewster, Desert Island Discs, Radio 4, 01/04/2005; Peter Watkins interview, The Lively Arts, BBC Radio 3, 22/05/1966; The War Game, BBC, 1966, Dir: Peter Watkins; Culloden, 1964 trailer , director: Peter Watkins;

Matthew Bannister on

The actor Prunella Scales, best known for playing Sybil in the TV comedy Fawlty Towers. Her son Samuel West reflects on her long career and happy marriage to fellow actor Timothy West.

Gillian Tindall, the writer who pioneered the technique of exploring history through the portal of a particular house or area.

Roger Smith, who co-founded and ran the Great Outdoors Challenge, encouraging thousands to walk across Scotland.

Anthony Grey, the novelist and journalist who was held in solitary confinement for over two years by Red Guards during China’s Cultural Revolution.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

ARCHIVE USED: Great Canal Journeys Series 1 Episode 1, Channel 4, 10/03/2014; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 05/06/1992; Suppose I Lose It, BBC Radio 4, 16/05/2016; A Question of Attribution, BBC Two, 20/10/1991; Fawlty Towers: Series 1: The Hotel Inspectors, BBC Two, 10/10/1975; Fawlty Towers: Series 2: The Psychiatrist, BBC Two, 26/02/1979; Fawlty Towers: Series 2: Basil the Rat, BBC Two, 25/10/1979; Fawlty Towers: Series 1: The Builders, BBC Two, 26/09/1975; Fawlty Towers: Series 2: Communication Problems, BBC Two, 19/02/1979; BBC News, BBC Radio 4, 26/11/1968; Anthony Grey To Be Released: Mother Waits, BBC News, 03/10/1963; Anthony Grey Released: Mother Hears News, News, 04/10/1963; Radio Newsreel, BBC World Service, 12/10/1969; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 01/11/1969; Anthony Grey: One Man’s Freedom, One Pair of Eyes, BBC Two, 26/06/1971; Return to Peking, BBC Two, 12/12/1988; Voices from a French Village, BBC Radio 4, 29/05/1996; Robert Elms, BBC Radio London, 05/09/2016; Bricks and Mortals, BBC Radio 4, 18/05/2005; The Adventure Show, BBC Two Scotland, 03/08/2008; Scotland Outdoors - A Coast to Coast Backpack Challenge, Beekeeping in Kinross and the Capercaillie of Speyside, BBC Radio Scotland, 24/05/2025;

In this special edition of Last Word, Matthew Bannister talks to the actor Samuel West about his mother Prunella Scales.

Prunella died on the 27th October, aged 93.

Known for her work on stage and screen over many decades – Prunella was particularly renowned for her role as Sybil on Fawlty Towers. In addition to countless other roles, she appeared as Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution in the early 90s – earning a BAFTA nomination. In later life – as she began living with dementia – her hobby of canal boating alongside her husband – the actor Timothy West – was turned into a much loved series on Channel 4.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Editor: Glyn Tansley

Matthew Bannister on

The influential Kenyan politician Raila Odinga, who was detained for his pro-democracy campaigns, but went on to be the country’s Prime Minister.

Bill Colley, who designed and built traditional wooden racing boats.

Baroness Rosalind Howells of St Davids, who campaigned for racial equality and supported the family of Stephen Lawrence after his murder.

And Sister Marion Irvine, the American nun who took up marathon running in middle age and went on to break many records.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

ARCHIVE USED: Raila Odinga interview about his struggles in Kamiti, NTV Kenya YouTube channel uploaded 26/01/2020; Raila Odinga state funeral, BBC World Service, 17/10/2025; Raila Odinga profile, Reuters, BBC News Channel, 19/10/2025; Raila Odinga on anti-government protests in Kenya, BBC Africa, 27/03/23; The interview: Leader of the National Super Alliance, Kenya - Raila Odinga, BBC World Service, 07/02/2018; Bill Colley: The Last wooden racing boat builder, Real Time series, BBC News, 05/12/2013; The Boys in the Boat, Official Trailer, Warners Bros. UK and Ireland, Director George Clooney, Warner Bros YouTube Channel, uploaded 18/10/2023; The Boys in the Boat | Bill Colley Featurette, Amazon MGM Studio, YouTube channel, 23/11/2023; Rasalind Howells interview from the New Cross Fire report, Newsnight, BBC News, 15/01/2001; The Powerlist Interviews - Rosalind Howells, Powerful Media, YouTube Upload, 23/05/2018; BBC News report, New Cross Fire, 18/01/1981; BBC Newsroom South East, 1993; BBC Newsroom South East, 08/10/1997; National Theatre War Horse Trailer, Music Comp Adrian Sutton, Production National Theatre, YouTube uploaded 14/01/2016; Sister Marion Irvine interview, Silver Into Gold, Writer and Dir: Lynn Mueller, Publisher: Barr Films, Irwindale, CA, 1986;

Matthew Bannister on

Peter Gurney, the George Medal winning bomb disposal expert who regularly risked his life to defuse explosive devices, including the mortars that were fired at 10 Downing Street by the IRA in 1991.

Diane Keaton, the actor best known for her collaboration with Woody Allen in Annie Hall and Manhattan.

Peter Hall, the pioneering English winemaker from Sussex who turned his Breaky Bottom grapes into acclaimed sparkling wines.

Angela Bond, who saved the much-loved Bush Theatre in West London from closure. The director Josie Rourke and the writer Jack Thorne pay tribute.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used: BBC News, BBC, 07/02/1991; Newsnight, BBC, 26/10/1981; It’s My Story: The Long Walk, BBC Radio 4, 26/03/2012; The Food Programme: A Vintage Year for Homegrown Wine, BBC Radio 4, 22/11/2018; Food and Drink, BBC, 10/08/1982; Annie Hall, MGM, 1977; Cast: Diane Keaton; Director: Woody Allen; Producers: Fred T. Gallo, Robert Greenhut, Jack Rollins, Charles H. Joffe; Screenwriters: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 15/11/2011; Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 19/06/2017; Diane Keaton – Seems Like Old Times, Columbia Pictures, 1980

Matthew Bannister on

Patrick Bradley, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Dame Jilly Cooper, the best-selling author of the racy “Rutshire Chronicles”.

Sara Jane Moore, the political extremist who tried to assassinate US President Gerald Ford.

Dame Patricia Routledge, the actor best known for her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in the TV comedy Keeping Up Appearances.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: With Bennett: Patricia Routledge, BBC Radio Ulster FM, 01/05/2004; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 13/08/1999; Rivals, Walt Disney Studios, Disney Plus UK / Happy Prince, 25/09/2024; Mark Lawson Talks to Jilly Cooper, BBC4, 19/09/2006; In My Own Words: Jilly Cooper, BBC One, 30/09/2024; Hay Festival, BBC Arts, 31/08/2018; Riders, Anglia Films, ITV, 1993 (writer: Jilly Cooper, Charlotte Bingham, Terence Brady; dir: Gabrielle Beaumont), LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE, BBC One Scotland, 19/05/1989; Gerald Ford assassination attempt, YouTube; New Voices (RU) 2015/16: Time of Our Lives (Ep. 38), BBC Radio Ulster FM, 31/01/2016

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Jane Goodall, the primatologist and environmental campaigner who changed our understanding of animal behaviour. Chris Packham pays tribute.

Tony Harrison, the Yorkshire born poet who took his writing to new audiences through theatre and TV. Michael Rosen assesses his work.

Lord Menzies Campbell, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Danny Thompson, the upright bass player who blended folk and jazz and worked with musicians ranging from Kate Bush, Paul Weller to John Martyn and Donovan - who shares his memories.

Interviewee: Chris Packham Interviewee: Professor Ben Garrod Interviewee: Michael Rosen Interviewee: Magnus Linklater Interviewee: Donovan Interviewee: Jacqui McShee Interviewee: Martin Simpson

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used: Tony Harrison, Meriden, BBC World Service, 21/10/1992; The Mysteries, Cottesloe Theatre, The National Theatre, Channel 4 Television, Directed by Bill Bryden, Writer Tony Harrison,,1985; V by Tony Harrison reads short extract from the poem 'V'. BBC Radio 4, 21/01/2013; Menzies Campbell Elected Leader Of The Liberal Democrats, BBC News, 02/03/06; Menzies Campbell, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 17/10/2004; Menzies Campbell, Iraq War, BBC News, 24/02/2009; Danny Thompson plays bass, extract from, Pentangle - Blue Monk, Songs From The Two Brewers, ITV, Danny Thompson YouTube Channel, 08/05/1970;

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the architect who designed the international terminal at London’s Waterloo Station and the Eden Project.

John Stapleton, the TV presenter who fronted Watchdog with his wife and ITV’s breakfast and daytime shows. His friend Greg Dyke pays tribute.

Mary Elizabeth Dodd, the physiotherapist who pioneered new treatments for cystic fibrosis.

And the glamorous Italian film star Claudia Cardinale who was a muse for the directors Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.

Interviewee: Andrew Whalley Interviewee: Greg Dyke Interviewee: Professor Kevin Webb Interviewee: Rita Di Santo

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: The Late Show, BBC Television 01/02/1989 ; The Eden Project, BBC News 15/03/2001 ; Desert Island Discs – Nicholas Grimshaw , BBC radio 4 , 14/12/2003; John Stapleton in conversation , BBC Radio Wales 01/11/2013; John Stapleton, Argentina report; Newsnight, BBC Two, 13/04/1982 ; John Stapleton , report on Motorways, Nationwide, BBC One, 01/03/1976; The Time The Place, Central Television, ITV, 09/11/1992; John Stapleton, BBC Election 1987, 12/06/1987; Watchdog, BBC One, 11/01/1988 ; John Stapleton report, Panorama, The Class of 81, BBC One, 07/09/1981; Life File , BBC 12/02/1988; The Leopard, director: Luchino Visconti, from the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp 1963; Hardtalk - Claudia Cardinale , BBC 29/11/2011

Matthew Bannister on:

Robert Redford, the film star who believed his striking good looks could be a curse as well as a blessing.

Barbara Harvey, the mediaeval historian who revealed fascinating details of the lives of the monks of Westminster Abbey.

Rosa Roisinblit, one of Argentina’s Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo who finally tracked down the grandson who had been abducted at birth and given up for adoption.

And the Oscar winning film designer Stuart Craig who brought the Harry Potter world to life on the big screen. Director Chris Columbus pays tribute.

Interviewee: Chris Columbus Interviewee: Michael Feeney Callan Interviewee: Professor Joanna Innes Interviewee: Professor John Blair Interviewee: Amy Booth

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Trailer, 20th Century Studios Youtube Channel, uploaded 18/09/2015; Robert Redford interview, Parkinson, BBC Television, 1980; Barefoot in the Park film trailer, 1967, Paramount movies digital channel uploaded 10/10/2014; All the President's Men - Original Theatrical Trailer, Warner Brothers Rewind YouTube Channel uploaded 09/07/2014; Rosa Roisinblit interview, BBC Newsnight, 04/04/2013; Guillermo Pérez Roisinblit interview, 60 minutes, CBS News Television, 60mins Facebook channel uploaded 28/07/2025; Mother of plaza de mayo report, International Assignment, BBC Radio 4, 04/09/1981; Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Official Trailer, Harry Potter YouTube Channel, uploaded 24/09/2023; Stuart Craig interview, The One Show, 05/03/2012; Stuart Craig Interview, The Film Programme, BBC Radio 4, 09/11/2007;

John Wilson on:

The Duchess of Kent, who stepped back from royal duties to teach music in primary schools.

Giorgio Armani whose suit designs help define the look of the 1980s and beyond.

Valerie Pearlman who made legal history by being the first judge in the UK finish a trial via fax machine and video link from her hospital bed.

Rick Davies, who sold millions of records in the 70s and 80 as one of the two singers in the band Supertramp.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: The Royal Wedding: HRH Duke of Kent and Miss Katharine Worsley in York Minster, BBC, 08/06/1961; Real Story, BBC One, 15/03/2004; Royal Wedding, BBC Archives, 08/06/1961; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 21/12/1990; Ladies’ Singles, 1993 Wimbledon Championships, BBC Archives; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 21/12/1990; BBC Look North Hull, BBC, 06/09/2025; The Clothes Show, BBC; Rick Davies Interview, WLNG 92.1FM, “Lunch on the Deck”; Bark Out Loud Dogs Media, LLC – Supertramp Interview

John Wilson on

Joe Bugner, the heavyweight boxer who fought the titans of the sport from Henry Cooper, Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier.

Ann McManus, the writer for Coronation Street who went on to be one of the founders of Shed Productions that created hit drama series such as Bad Girls, Footballer Wives and Waterloo Road.

Angela Mortimer Barrett, the multiply Grand Slam winning tennis player – winner of the 1961 Wimbledon women’s singles championship.

And Frank Strang, the entrepreneur who bought a RAF radar station in Shetland and turned it into a space port.

Interviewee: Gareth A Davies Interviewee: Eileen Gallagher Interviewee: Debbie Jevans Interviewee: Chris Jones Interviewee: Scott Hammond

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used: Joe Bugner, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 11/06/1973; Battle of Britain Heavyweights, Cooper v Bugner, BBC, 16/03/1971; Ali v Bugner, World Championship Fight, BBC, 01/07/1975; Ann McManus interview, BBC Radio 4, Front Row, 08/03/2006; Coronation Street, Hayley tells Roy scene, Coronation Street YouTube channel, uploaded 07/02/2015; Bad Girls, Season 1 Episode 1 - Trailer, Bad Girls YouTube Channel, uploaded 18/06/2019; Bad Girls, ITV Promo, 1999; Angela Mortimer interview, 1961, BBC; Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship, BBC Radio, 1961; Frank Strang interview, BBC Radio Shetland, 17/07/2025; Frank Strang interview; Frank Strang obituary, BBC Radio Shetland, 13/08/2025;

John Wilson on: Broadcaster David Richardson who was for over 60 years a leading voice in the farming community Doris Lockhart Saatchi, the Art collector who along with her former husband Charles Saatchi transformed the UK art scene in the 80s and 90s Dame Annette Brooke who for 14 years was the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole Byron Rogers, the biographer and journalist who sought out and chronicled the lives of many eccentric characters

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive; BBC News, BBC, 02/07/2014; BBC News, BBC, 12/05/2013; BBC News, BBC, 05/04/2008; BBC News, BBC, 14/09/2008; Late Again, BBC Two, 14/03/1992; BBC News Ten, BBC, 07/10/2008; On Your Farm: A New Dawn for British Farming?, BBC, 24/07/2016; The Food Programme, BBC, 04/06/1976; Farming Today, BBC, 21/08/2025; Farming, BBC, 21/08/1977; The Last Human Cannonball (Episode 5), BBC Radio 4 Extra, 28/11/2009; Sara’s People, BBC Radio Wales, 01/01/2004

John Wilson on:

Actor Terence Stamp, the Oscar nominated 60s screen icon who went onto play many villains in his later film career

Baroness Stephanie Shirley, the pioneering computer scientist and founder of her own software company

Kay Dunbar who founded the Ways with Words literary festival which ran in Devon for 30 years

Eric Midwinter was one of the three co-founders of u3a to encourage continued learning in retirement

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Desert Island Discs, BBC, 12/03/2006; Billy Budd, Rank Film Distributors, 1962; Superman II, Warner Bros, 1980; Far from the Madding Crowd, Warner-Pathe Distributors, 1967; Front Row, BBC, 16/05/2013; Morning Live, BBC, 08/03/2022; HARDtalk, BBC, 07/03/2000; Spotlight, BBC News Plymouth, 11/07/2023; Spotlight, BBC News Plymouth, 02/09/1996; Archive on 4: Kindertransport, BBC, 09/2015; Lifespan, AS Choices, 16/08/1987; Armchair Discussions with u3a, u3a UK, n.d.; You and Yours, BBC, 12/12/2016

Matthew Bannister on

Jim Lovell, the astronaut who commanded the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.

Biddy Baxter, the editor who left an indelible stamp on the children’s TV show Blue Peter. Sarah Greene pays tribute.

Razia Jan, the Afghan/American who founded a school for girls in Afghanistan after 9/11.

Iris Williams, the Welsh born singer whose career took off after an appearance on Radio 2.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: The Festival of Politics, The Scottish Parliament, 2009; Jim Lovell on Apollo 13 Mission, permission granted by NASA Media Team; 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle – Apollo 13: Bonus 1. Jim Lovell, 14/04/2020; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 06/06/2014; Blue Peter, BBC One, 18/11/1963; The Things We Forgot to Remember, BBC Radio 4, 30/05/2005

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Stella Rimington, the first woman to be Director General of MI5, who made the service more open and accountable.

Sylvia Young, whose drama school turned out countless stars of stage, screen and music.

Sir Jamie McGrigor, the Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands, who introduced a bill to protect tartan.

And Joan Anderson the former model who brought the hula hoop to America.

Producer: Ben Mitchell

Archive: Al Murray’s Great British Spy Movies, BBC Four, 21/04/2015; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 28/07/2011; Newsround, BBC One, 25/02/1992; BBC News, BBC One, 16/07/1993; Stella Rimington: Security and Democracy – Is There a Conflict?, The Richard Dimbleby Lecture, BBC One, 12/06/1994; Death on the Rock, ITV (uploaded to YouTube), first broadcast 28/04/1988; BBC News, BBC One, 08/09/2001; EastEnders Feuds: The Beales vs The Mitchells, BBC Three, 18/05/2007; Doctor Who trailer – “Rose: I’ve got a choice”, BBC One (uploaded to YouTube), c.2005; BBC Radio Wales – Aled Jones, 06/06/2010; Through the Keyhole, BBC 1, 10/05/1999; Saving Our Salmon, BBC Two Scotland, 16/10/2018; The Radio Café, BBC Radio Scotland, 31/12/2008; Desert Island Discs: Allan Ahlberg, BBC Radio 4, 12/07/1980; Hula Girl (documentary), dir. Amy Hill & Chris Riess, Snap Pictures, 2018

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Cleo Laine, whose glorious voice was equally at home singing jazz, pop and classical music. Her daughter Jacqui Dankworth shares her memories.

Hulk Hogan, who spearheaded the transformation of American wrestling from niche activity to global phenomenon.

Professor Margaret Boden, whose expertise in cognitive science helped to shape the future of artificial intelligence.

Tom Lehrer, the American satirical songwriter and mathematician. We have a tribute from Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used First Lady of Jazz – Cleo Laine, BBC Radio 4 Extra, 30/10/2022; Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 28/05/2018; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 05/09/1997; Jonathan Ross Presents: Hulk Hogan, BBC One, 14/04/1994; Is Wrestling Fake? – Hulk Hogan, Pebble Mill, BBC One, 31/03/1993; WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event – Hulk Hogan vs. Big Boss Man (Steel Cage Match), 1989; Hulk Hogan B-Roll, Including Strongest Slam and Hall of Fame Speech, provided by WWE; The Life Scientific – Margaret Boden, BBC Radio 4; Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4, 02/06/1980; Parkinson, BBC One, 04/10/1980; Desert Island Discs: Tom Lehrer, BBC Radio 4, 12/07/1980

Matthew Bannister on

Ozzy Osbourne, the Black Sabbath lead singer known for his outrageous antics, many while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Jacqui Browne, the Thalidomide survivor who campaigned for the rights of disabled people in Ireland.

Professor Douglas Chamberlain, the cardiologist who pioneered the use of defibrillators by ambulance crews, saving many lives.

Connie Francis, the Italian American singer known for hits like “Who’s Sorry Now?”, “Stupid Cupid” and “Pretty Little Baby”

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: BBC South East Today, BBC One South East, 20/06/2025; Wogan, BBC One, 27/11/1989; Open House, BBC Radio 2, 02/05/1978; Medical Express, BBC One, 29/08/1979; God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, BBC Two, 29/12/2012; Black Sabbath Final Concert: Back to the Beginning – Ozzy Osbourne, Performance date: 05/07/2025, Villa Park, Birmingham, Universal Music Group / Mercury Studios, via BBC News, 22/07/2025; Conversations About Activism and Change, Episode 4, Damien Walshe, Independent Living Movement Ireland, 28/05/2020

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Blair the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Jennie Street who helped to rehabilitate people on her suburban farm.

Dr Anna Ornstein, a psychoanalyst and survivor of the Holocaust.

Muhammudu Buhari, the former President of Nigeria.

Interviewee: Sean O’Neill Interviewee: Anita Ollerenshaw Interviewee: Dr Sharone Ornstein Interviewee: Mayeni Jones

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: BBC Radio 4, 31/12/1983; BBC News, 05/01/1984; Newshour Extra, BBC, 03/04/2015; HardTalk, BBC, 21/01/2004; BBC News Africa, 26/02/2015; Library Hour: Lecture by Dr. Anna Ornstein, Chelmsford Telemedia, 11/02/2018; The Ian Blair Years, BBC, 15/06/2005; London Tube and Bus Bombings, BBC, 07/2005; BBC Look North: Jennie Street, 31/01/2014; Cavalcade, Glen Michael, STV

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Tebbit, who as Norman Tebbit was a member of Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, introducing trade union reform and privatisation.

Daphne Boden, the harpist who played for the Queen and taught for more than fifty years at the Royal College of Music.

James Leprino who built a multi-billion-dollar business by supplying cheese to pizza chains.

And the former Astronomer Royal, Sir Francis Graham-Smith, who helped to transform our understanding of the origins of the universe.

Interviewee: John Sergeant Interviewee: Lord Deben Interviewee: Geraldine McMahon Interviewee: Sally Pryce Interviewee: Chloe Sorvino Interviewee: Professor Andrew Lyne

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used: Lord Tebbit interview, A Life in Politics: Jo Coburn with leading politicians, BBC; Lord Tebbit, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 04/12/1992; Profile of Employment Secretary Norman Tebbit, BBC News, 26/01/1982; Norman Tebbit speech, Conservative Party Conference, BBC News, 1981; Brighton Bomb news report, BBC Television 12/10/1984; Lord Tebbit interview, BBC News, 24/09/2019; Daphne Boden interview, Meet the Stars, The Harp Channel, Uploaded to YouTube 25/06/2020; A Drive Through Time — A Leprino Foods Origin Story, Leprino Foods, https://vimeo.com/648650074, Vimeo uploaded 2024; Sir Francis Graham-Smith at 100, Science Cafe, BBC Radio Wales, 23/05/2023; Francis Graham-Smith appearance on The Sky at Night, BBC Television, 06/12/1992;

Matthew Bannister on Courtney Griffiths, one of the first black lawyers to become a Queen’s Counsel. Sara Venn, who turned unloved spaces in Bristol into community gardens growing food for low-income families. Nina Kuscik, the American marathon runner who broke down barriers to women participating in long distance running. Sergeant Mohammed Hussain, one of the last surviving Muslim veterans of the second world war. Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive used: BBC News: Courtenay Griffiths, April 2012; BBC Breakfast News: Courtenay Griffiths, April 2012; Hardtalk, BBC Two, Interviewer Tim Sebastian, 12/10/2002; Hardtalk, BBC Two, Interviewer Stephen Sackur, 19/11/2010; The Organic Gardening Podcast: Sara Venn, YouTube Upload, 24/01/2024; BBC Points West: Sara Venn, 27/04/2016; BBC Points West: Sara Venn, 01/05/2014; Nina Kuscik, Northeast Historic Film; BBC London: Mohammad Hussein, 10/11/2022; Southall to Cassino, BBC Two, 02/09/1989; Festival of Remembrance, BBC, 09/11/2024

Matthew Bannister on The TV director Michael Lachmann who made some of the most acclaimed documentaries about science. Professor Brian Cox and Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock pays tribute. Pik-sen Lim who became one of the most recognisable East Asian actors on British TV. Leon Krier, the master planner behind King Charles’s controversial Poundbury development. David “Syd” Lawrence, the fast bowler who was the first British-born black cricketer to play for England.

Interviewee: Professor Brian Cox Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock Sara Houghton Ben Pentreath Dean Wilson

Producer: Ribika Moktan

Archive used:

Wonders of the Solar System: Order out of Chaos, BBC 2, BBC Production, written & directed by Michael Lachmann, series producer Danielle Peck, A BBC/ Science Channel Co-Production, BBC MMXVI, 14/03/2010; Wonders of the Universe: Stardust, produced and dir by Michael Lachmann, Series Producer James Van Der Pool, BBC Production, A BBC/ Discover/ Science Channel Co-Production BBC MMXVI, BBC Two, 04/07/2011; The Sky at Night: Planet 9 from Outer Space, Series Producer Michael Lachmann, BBC Science Production London, BBC MMXVI, BBC 4, 14/02/2016, bbc.co.uk/skyatnight; Human Universe: A Place in Space Time, produced & directed by: Stephen Cooter & Michael Lachmann, BBC Production, A BBC/ Science Channel Co-Production, BBC 2, 02/11/2014; Emergency Ward 10, script by Tessa Diamond, Directed by Peter Sasdy, An ATV Production, ITV, 1957-1967; Mind Your Language, creator Vince Powell, directed by Stuart Allen, London Weekend Television, ITV, 1977-1986; Celebrating & Connecting BESEA Women in Film, TV & Theatre, YouTube Upload KakiLang, 27/04/2021; Doctor Who, Season 8; The Mind of Evil, Episode 1, Producer Barry Letts, directed by Timothy Combe, BBC TV, 1971; Jenny: The Doctor's Daughter - Volume 1, Neon Reign, June 2018, written by Christian Brassington, directed by director Barnaby Edwards, Big Finish Productions; Newsnight, BBC Two, 26/07/1985; BBC News, 10/02/1992; BBC Points West 19/11/2014; BBC News, 15/10/1991; Third Ear: Leon Krier, BBC Radio 3, 21/02/1992; What Revival?, BBC Radio 3, 03/06/1983

John Wilson on

Sir Godfrey “Geoff” Palmer, the scientist whose discovery of a new brewing method revolutionized the industry and saved them millions of pounds

Barbara Holdridge, the entrepreneur who co-founded a new record label that paved the way for the audiobook industry

Kim Woodburn, the reality TV Star who made gained popular recognition through the TV show How Clean Is Your House?

Sly Stone the American genre-bending musician who fronted the band Sly and the Family Stone.

Interviewee: Catherine Bisset Catrina Rose Matthew Rubery Arlene Hirschkowitz

Producer: Ribika Moktan

Details of help and support with pregnancy related issues are available at BBC Action Line. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1KhLYgXHRxyw67mkGRRXQ3R/information-and-support-pregnancy-related-issues

Archive used: Scientific, BBC Radio 4, 04/08/2015; Sunday Morning with Cathy Macdonald; Writers and Company, CBC, 24/11/2002; Child's Christmas in Wales, read by Dylan Thomas, Caedmon Audio, 02/1952 https://soundcloud.com/harperaudiopresents/childschristmasinwales ; The Connor Phillips Show, BBC Radio Ulster, 26/04/2024; How Clean is Your House?, S1 E1, Channel Four Television Corporation, dir Simon Bisset, series producer Steph Harris, A Talkbalk production, 2003; I’m a Celebrity Get me out of here 2009, YouTube Upload, 12/02/2015; An excerpt from Sly on the air at KSOL, courtesy of Arlene Hirschkowitz

Kirsty Lang on

Brian Wilson, the driving force behind The Beach Boys who were one of the most successful bands of the 1960s.

Fredrick Forsyth, the writer and former Mi6 agent who books included The Day of the Jackal and The Fourth Protocol.

Uriah Rennie who made history as the Premier League’s first black referee.

And the author Edmund White whose semi-autobiographical books A Boys Own Life and The Beautiful Room is Empty chronicled his experiences as a young gay man in America.

Interviewee: Charles Cumming Interviewee: Ashley Hickson-Lovence Interviewee: Colm Toibin

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used:

Brian Wilson interview, Today, BBC Radio 4, 2016; John Wilson interviews Brian Wilson , Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 21 Oct 2011; The Day of the Jackal, Film Promo, 1973; Freddie Forsyth interview, BBC Radio 4, Uriah Rennie interview, courtesy of Ashley Hickson-Lovence, recording date January 2019; Opening of Pride Park, Midland Today, BBC News, 13 August 1997; Sports report: Alan Shearer sent off, BBC News, 07/08/1999;

Kirsty Lang on

Wildlife conservationist Valmik Thapar who spent five decades trying to protect India’s tigers

Nancy Blaik, the driving force behind the creation of Scotland’s first children’s hospice

Norma Meras Swenson, the co-author of the influential book ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’

Doctor Stuart Farrimond who became a popular science writer after being diagnosed with a brain tumour

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Tony Livesey – Steffan Powell sitting in, BBC Radio 5 Live, 28/04/2025; Tiger Crisis: Update, BBC Two, 08/01/1997; Wild: The Natural World – The Tigers' Fortress, BBC Two, 29/10/2000; Wild: Search for Tigers, BBC Two, 19/10/2003; My Tiger Family, BBC Two, 12/08/2024; Life in a Children's Hospice, BBC Radio Scotland, 20/02/2006; Reporting Scotland, BBC One Scotland, 05/12/1994; Reporting Scotland, BBC One Scotland, 11/03/1996

Matthew Bannister on Alan Yentob, the BBC’s only Creative Director, who commissioned many successful TV programmes, was known as an impresario of talent and also presented Imagine.

Richard Garwin, the American physicist who developed the Hydrogen bomb, but then devoted his life to nuclear disarmament.

Dr. Joy Shaverien, the psychoanalyst who identified “boarding school syndrome” suffered by some who were sent away to school at an early age.

Dr Anne Merriman, the former nun who made it her life’s work to bring effective palliative care to Africa.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used ichard Garwin Interview, Voices of the Manhattan Project – Atomic Heritage Foundation, Los Alamos Historical Society, The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, 22/09/2018; Pride and Prejudice, Episode 2, BBC Four, Drama, Classic & Period; imagine...: Winter 2004 – Arthur Miller: Finishing the Picture, BBC; Desert Island Discs: Alan Yentob, BBC Radio 4, 08/10/1995; Cracked Actor: David Bowie, BBC, 04/04/2013; Boarding School Syndrome: In Conversation with Joy Schaverien, Interviewed by Joana de Waal, British Psychotherapy Foundation (bpf), YouTube Upload, 23/09/2019; Dr Anne Merriman Interviewed by Scott Murray, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 2023; orth West Tonight, BBC, 21/07/2009; Anne Merriman – Harvard University Talk; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 13/05/2011

Matthew Bannister on

Hannah Deacon who ran a successful campaign to allow her son – and many others – to be treated with cannabis after he was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy.

Andrew Norfolk, the journalist who exposed the Rotherham grooming gang scandal.

Dame June Clark, the President of the Royal College of Nursing who argued for more education to increase the skills of the nursing profession.

Martin Graham the businessman who built his own opera house in the Cotswolds so he could stage Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: No More Nightingale, BBC, 1991; One O’Clock News, BBC, 03/04/1989; Open Country, BBC Radio 4, 27/06/2019; The Longborough Ring 2024: Wagner – Der Ring des Nibelungen, Longborough Festival Opera, Music Director Anthony Negus, Director Amy Lane; Today, BBC Radio 4, 2013; Utopia: In Search of the Dream, BBC Four, 05/05/2020; Sportsday, BBC News 24, 15/09/2016; BBC Breakfast, BBC, 19/02/2018; This Morning: Should Medical Cannabis Be More Accessible, ITV, Uploaded to YouTube, 29/10/2018; Morning Live, BBC, 07/11/2022; The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4, 19/06/2018; ITV News, ITV, 19/06/2018; Wogan, BBC, 19/01/1990; Raising a Glass to Cheers, BBC Radio 4, 26/07/2012; Cheers, TV Programme, Produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions; Groomed for Sex, BBC Three, 06/12/2011; The Media Show, BBC Radio 4, 27/08/2014; Frontlines of Journalism, BBC Radio 4, 04/07/2023; Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, KV 543: Adagio. Allegro, Performed by Bruno Walter, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Siegfried, Act II Scene 3: Willkommen, Siegfried, Performed by Manfred Jung, Heinz Zednik, Bayreuther Festspielorchester, Conductor Pierre Boulez, Composed by Richard Wagner; Le nozze di Figaro, K.492, Act 3: Ricevete, o padroncina, Performed by Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, RIAS Kammerchor, Conductor Ferenc Fricsay, Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Das Rheingold, Scene 1: Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin lacht in den Grund, Performed by Norma Sharp, Ilse Gramatzki, Marga Schiml, Hermann Becht, Bayreuther Festspielorchester, Conductor Pierre Boulez, Composed by Richard Wagner

Matthew Bannister on:

Sir Tom Farmer, the Edinburgh born businessman who built up the tyre and exhaust company Kwik Fit.

Elaine Wynn, who worked with her husband Steve to create a casino empire in Las Vegas.

Sue Stapely, who transformed the way the legal profession communicates with the public and the media.

Joseph Nye, the American political analyst who came up with the concept of “soft power” in international relations

Interviewee: Michael Welch Interviewee: Douglas Fraser Interviewee: David Sanger Interviewee: David McNeill Interviewee: Christina Binkley

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Tom Farmer interview, Workwise Scotland, BBC Scotland, 03/02/1989; Tom Farmer, The House I Grew Up In, BBC Radio 4, 06/08/2008; Tom Farmer, First Light, BBC One, 22/11/2016; Joseph Nye On Soft Power, Foreign Policy Association, YouTube 22.02.2016; "Soft power" explained by the man who coined it, Council on Foreign Relations, uploaded to YouTube 09/05/2025; Joseph Nye on "The Future of Power", Harvard University, Centre for Public Leadership, uploaded to YouTube 04/02/2011; Doctor Who, Season 6, Episode 6, The Invasion, by Derrick Sherwin, Director: Douglas Camfied, BBC Television, 07/12/1968; An Interview with Sue Stapely, Fantom Films and Alex Moore, YouTube, uploaded 22/09/2021; PM, BBC, Radio 4, 31/03/1998; Coronation Street, Director: Michael Kerrigan, written by Tony Warren, Granada Television, ITV, 1998; The Archers, Omnibus Edition, BBC Radio 4, 21/07/1985; Mirage Resort Opens, 8 News Now, KLAS-TV, YouTube 13/07/2013; Elaine Wynn interview, KTVN Channel 13, YouTube, 03/11/2015; The Mirage Volcano erupts, 8 News Now - Las Vegas, YouTube 17/07/2024; Musings with Elaine Wynn, TheLifeYouCanSave.org, YouTube uploaded 27/09/2023;

Kirsty Lang on

The author Jane Gardam, whose works included The Queen of the Tambourine and Old Filth.

Sir Roger Birch, the former Chief Constable of Sussex Police who oversaw the investigation following the IRAs' Brighton bomb attack in 1984.

Mike Peters, the lead singer of the band The Alarm, whose own battle with cancer saw him become a campaigner and fundraiser for cancer treatment.

Professor Francoise Hampson, a lawyer who specialised in human rights in conflict zones.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Front Row, BBC Radio 4, Presenter Kirsty Lang, 16/09/2009; World Book Club, BBC World Service, 12/10/2017; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 20/10/2017; “Somebody” by Jane Gardam, Read by Gillian Bevan, BBC Radio 4, 06/03/2022; File on Four, BBC Radio 4; Witness History, BBC, 2015; Human Rights Map, BBC Two, 05/12/1998; Human Rights and Human Wrongs, John Simpson, BBC TV, 02/11/1994; BBC Breakfast News, 14/08/1990; I Write the Songs, Archive: Mike Peters, BBC Radio Wales, 31/12/2014; Value Judgements, BBC Radio Wales, 30/06/2006; Brighton Bomb Attack, BBC News, 12/10/2009; Drink Drive Crackdown, BBC News, 12/10/1984; Breakfast Time – Drink Driving at Christmas, BBC News, 14/03/2020

Matthew Bannister on

Virginia Giuffre, who waived her anonymity to accuse the billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell of sex abuse and trafficking.

Rosy Bremer, a leading campaigner against nuclear weapons at the women’s protest at Greenham Common airbase.

LJ Smith, author of the best-selling “Vampire Diaries” series of novels

And the influential folk and blues guitarist Wizz Jones. His friend Ralph McTell pays tribute.

If you have been affected by the issues reflected in tthis programme, you can visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Interviewee: Sean Coughlan Interviewee: Fran Vigay Interviewee: Julie Divola Interviewee: Ralph McTell

Archive used: The Prince and the Epstein Scandal, FKBH539N/02, Sixty Minutes: Greenham Common, BBC, 14/11/1983, BBC Wales, 17/06/1982, Rosy Bremer, interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu in 2019, Greenham Women Everywhere, https://greenhamwomeneverywhere.co.uk/ , Podbite 8. Singing, Greenham Women Everywhere, 17/12/2020 , LJ Smith interviewed by Matthew Peterson, The Author Hour radio show, 19/11/2009 https://theauthorhour.com/l-j-smith/ , The Vampire Diaries, Season 1; Episode 1, developed for TV by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, Production companies: Outerbanks Entertainment, Alloy Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, Warner Bros. Television, Outlook – BBC World Service. Sept 2014 , Tonight BBC 29/08/1960

Matthew Bannister on

Pope Francis, the first Latin American Pope who was noted for his humility and modest lifestyle.

Paddy Higson, the TV and film producer once described as “the mother of the Scottish film industry”. Jed Mercurio and Clare Grogan pay tribute.

And David Sassoon, the fashion designer who dressed royalty and film stars. Dame Zandra Rhodes tells us about his life.

Interviewee: David Willey Interviewee: Rogelio Pfirter Interviewee: Frances Higson Interviewee: Clare Grogan Interviewee: Jed Mercurio Interviewee: Dame Zandra Rhodes

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Pope Francis, St Peter's Basilica, Vatican, BBC News, 25/04/2025; Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio appears on balcony of St Peter's Basilica addressing large crowd after being elected Pope Francis, BBC News, 13/03/2013; Pope Francis visits Lesbos, Greece, BBC News, 05/12/2021; Pope Francis speech, BBC Parliament, 25/09/2015; Pope Francis Speech, BBC News, 29/07/2013; Pope Francis Speech, 21/04/2025; Pope Francis speech, BBC News, 24/04/2025; Gregory's Girl, Film Promo, Director: David Forsyth;, 1981; Paddy Higson interview, Singular Scots, BBC Radio 4, 05/09/1991; That Sinking Feeling, Film Promo, Director: Bill Forsyth, 1979; Cardiac Arrest, Series 1, Promo, BBC ONE, 21/04/1994;

Matthew Bannister on

Anne Scargill, who founded the Women Against Pit Closures group when her husband Arthur was leading the Miners Strike of the 1980s. The actor Maxine Peake pays tribute.

Ronnie Appleton who was Chief Crown Prosecutor for Northern Ireland during the height of the troubles.

Cecil Wright, the Jamaican born cricketer who made his mark playing alongside some of his countrymen in the Lancashire league.

Mario Vargas Llosa, the Nobel prize winning novelist who was a candidate for the Presidency of his native Peru.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: BBC Manchester, Cecil Wright at 70, BBC; BBC News, Cecil Wright Retires at 85, BBC; Not by The Playbook, BBC World Service, 07/09/2019; MERIDIAN, BBC, 09/07/1985; Made in Latin America: 2 – The Heirs of Conquest, BBC Two, 07/11/1989; Mario Vargas Llosa, BBC Radio 4, 30/10/1993; Eye of the Storm with Emma Barnett, BBC Radio 5 Live, 26/07/2018; Video Diaries: Major, the Miners and Me, BBC Two, 04/09/1993; BBC News, BBC One, 16/05/1984; BBC News, BBC One, 09/04/1993; Inside Ulster: Murders – Army; Funerals – I.R.A., BBC, 19/03/1988; Witness History, BBC World Service, 27/01/2025; Inside Ulster: Murders – Civilians (Multiple); Personalities, BBC, 29/09/1989

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Kalms, who turned his family’s camera shop into the multi-million-pound Dixons electronics chain.

Melissa Llewellyn-Davies, the anthropologist who made an acclaimed TV series about Kenya’s Masai tribe before turning her camera on the UK.

Rex Cowan, the lawyer who changed career to become one of the world’s most successful shipwreck hunters.

Wilma Finlay, who worked with her husband David to introduce what they saw as more ethical animal husbandry on their farm in the Scottish borders.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

**In this episode we mistakenly referred to the town of Forres being in Aberdeenshire. Forres is located in Moray

Archive: On Your Farm, “The Ethical Dairy”, BBC Radio 4, Interviewer Caz Graham, 03/02/2019; Escape to the Country, Series 21, Dumfries & Galloway, BBC One, Presenter Sonali Shah, 25/05/2021; Children Calling Home, BBC, 25/12/1942; Escape to Fulfilment, Rex Cowan: Wreck Hunter, BBC, 02/09/1971; BBC News, 10/04/1972; Retail Week Legends, 28/07/2016; Desert Island Discs, Sir Stanley Kalms, BBC Radio 4, 01/07/2001; Dixons Advert, ITV, late 1970s; BBC News, 22/11/1986; London Plus – Broadwater Farm Riot, BBC News Archive; Nurses: The Team on B6, BBC; Diary of a Maasai Village, BBC; Scenes from the Farm, Documentary, Broadwater Farm Estate, London, UK, 1988

Matthew Bannister on The Hollywood actor Val Kilmer, best known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever and The Doors. Jane Reed, the media executive who made Woman’s Own magazine a powerful voice for its readers at a time of changing roles for women in society. Sir Torquil Norman, who used the proceeds from the sale of his successful toy business to restore the fortunes of the Roundhouse Arts Centre in London. Dr Marika Sherwood, the Hungarian-born academic who wrote groundbreaking books on the history of black people in Britain.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Desert Island Discs – Sir Torquil Norman, 12/12/2010; Marika Sherwood, interviewed by Tayo Aluko, Dec 2023; Woman’s Hour, BBC, 25/02/2015; Top Gun, Paramount Pictures presents, A Tony Scott Film, A Don Simpson / Jerry Bruckheimer Production,1986; The Heaven and Earth Show, BBC 1, 16/01/2005; Top Secret!, Paramount Pictures, Kingsmere Properties, 1984; Batman Forever, Warner Bros. presents, A Tim Burton Production, A Joel Schumacher Film, Polygram Filmed Entertainment (PolyGram Pictures, produced in association with, 1995; Authors Series: Marika Sherwood, YouTube Upload by UCLA Bunch Center, 17/08/2016; Dr Marika Sherwood at Discover Black History: Beyond the Windrush, Daily Motion Upload by King Cipher Jewels, 31/08/2012; WORKING LUNCH, BC2, 11/07/2006; The Roundhouse - The People's Palace, BBC 4, 23/10/2016; The Editors, 09/07/1978; THE PERSUADERS: WOMEN'S OWN WEEKLIES, 07/01/1969; RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN ON THE THORN BIRDS, BBC1, 01/01/1984

Matthew Bannister on Oleg Gordievsky, the KGB agent who defected to Britain and became a valued source of secret intelligence during the 1970s and 80s.

Renee Goddard, the actress and TV commissioner who fled Nazi persecution only to be interned in Britain.

Professor Richard Fortey, the palaeontologist who used his expertise in trilobites to tell stories about the origins of life on earth. Bill Bryson pays tribute.

Sofia Gubaidulina, the composer whose large scale religious works attracted criticism from the Soviet authorities.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive: Friendly Enemy Aliens, BBC Radio 4, 1980; Kaleidoscope: Simon’s War, BBC Radio 4, 1984; Year of the Great Betrayal, BBC Radio 4, 1977; Reni and the Brownshirts, BBC Radio 4, 2002; Lisel, BBC Radio 4, 1955; Desert Island Discs : Oleg Gordievsky, Radio 4, 10/02/2008; In the Psychiatrist's Chair : Oleg Gordievsky, BBC Radio 4, 26/07/2015; BBC News, 15/12/1984; BBC News, 15/10/1990;

Matthew Bannister on:

Group Captain John Allman ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC , the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain during the second world war.

Dame Julie Kenny, the successful businesswoman from Rotherham who led the regeneration of one of Britain’s largest stately homes.

Tuppy Owens, who campaigned for greater openness about sex – and set up charities to help disabled people enjoy fulfilling relationships.

Dick McTaggart, the only Scottish boxer to win an Olympic gold medal. Described as a “legend” in the world of boxing.

Interviewee: Brian Hemingway Interviewee: Sarah McLeod Interviewee: Professor Claire De Than Interviewee: Ray Caulfield

Producer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan

Archive used: Over the Edge, BBC2, 15th October 1996, Outsiders: Disabled and Looking for Love, BBC3 30th March 2006, Victoria Derbyshire Show, BBC 19th February 2016. BBC News 15th September 2020. BBC News Northern Ireland 9th November 2023. “The Battle of Britain, with Ewan and Colin McGregor” BBC Two 11th July 2015. Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill 20th August 1940. “Hitler's Luftwaffe vs The RAF In The Battle Of Britain, Blitz Spirit” BBC Select YouTube Channel, Uploaded 20th September 2021. “Remembering the Battle of Britain” Reuters, 23rd June 2010. Jamie Veitch, Sheffield Live FM radio, 27th September 2019. Dame Julie Kenny, from the Wentworth Woodhouse Trust. BBC Radio Scotland, The Scottish Olympians, 8th August 2004. Tales of Gold: Jack Beresford, Dick McTaggart and Don Thompson, BBC1, 29/05/1992/

Kirsty Lang on: Athol Fugard, the playwright whose art became synonymous with exposing the inequities of the Apartheid regime in South Africa.

Janet Pharaoh, the dancer from Yorkshire who became the artistic director at the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

Alison Halford who rose through the ranks to become the first female Assistant Chief Constable. Johnny Green, the former roadie and tour manager for The Clash. His friend, the poet John Cooper Clarke pays tribute.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Athol Fugard interview, Third Ear, BBC Radio 3, 12/02/1991; Inside The Mind Of Athol Fugard: A Master Playwright's Journey, Tekweni, YouTube channel, uploaded 02/07/2018; Janet Pharaoh interview, Moulin Rouge: Yes We Can-Can! Dragonfly Film and Television, BBC TWO, 27/09/2023 and 04/10/2023; Moulin Rouge film promo, Director: Baz Luhrmann, 20th Century Fox; YouTube uploaded 2015; Alison Halford interview, BBC Radio Wales, 28/02/2002; Johnny Green interview, The Joy of 6: London Calling, BBC 6 Music, 03/11/2019; Johnny Green interview, A Riot of Our Own, Rock City Networks, Ben Pitchers Rock City Networks, YouTube uploaded, 03/04/2012; Johnny Green interview/actuality taken from ,Off The Page: Le Tour de France, BBC Radio 4, 24/06/2010; John Cooper Clarke Presents Clarkie’s Christmas Crackers, BBC Three, 19/12/2018;

Matthew Bannister on

Bill Dare, the writer and producer behind some of Radio 4’s best loved comedies, including “The Now Show” and “Dead Ringers”. Jan Ravens pays tribute.

Clint Hill, the American Secret Service agent who threw himself across President John F. Kennedy’s body after he was shot in Dallas.

Valérie André, the first woman General in the French military who was also a field surgeon and an accomplished helicopter rescue pilot.

And Gene Hackman, the Oscar winning actor best known for his roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven

John Wilson on:

Musician Roberta Flack, best known for The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly.

Dr David Hessayon, the author of a series of gardening books known as The Expert guides. His one word advice to keen gardeners was 'mulch'.

Keith Dewhurst whose work for television and stage included the National’s unconventional adaptation of Lark Rise to Candleford.

And Rose Hanks the motorcycle sidecar passenger who became the first woman to stand on the winner’s podium at the Isle of Man TT in 1968.

Producer: Ribika Moktan

Archive: Killing Me Softly: The Roberta Flack Story, BBC4, 13/06/2014; London Plus: Roberta Flack, BBC1 South East, 16/10/1984; The Albion Band, BBC 2, 17/09/1980; Pick of the Review: Artists and their Art,05/09/1972; Munich Air Disaster, BBC News, 06/02/1958; Isle of Man 1968 TT Race Produced as part of the “Stanley Schofield Sound Stories”, digitally remastered and provided by Duke Video https://www.dukevideo.com/prd9952/TT-1968-Audio-2-CD-Set; 1961 Sidecar TT - Isle of Man, Uploaded to YouTube by JZijlstra, 06/06/2012 https://www.youtube.com/@jilmer1; The 1965 Sidecar Race of the Year at Mallory Park, Duke Video, Uploaded to YouTube, 10/05/2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYut9uApeg4; TT 1967 Diamond Jubilee Audio CD by Duke video https://www.dukevideo.com/prd9932/TT-1967-Diamond-Jubilee-Audio-CD

John Wilson on Rick Buckley, the drummer in The Jam, one of the most popular and influential British bands of the 70s and 80s. Margaret Miles-Bramwell who founded Slimming World in response to what she saw as humiliation tactics by weight loss groups. World War Two fighter pilot Harry Stewart Jr, part of the all-African American Tuskegee Airmen who despite huge successes in aerial combat, faced discrimination and segregation on the ground. Maureen Halton, the biology lecturer who introduced and popularised the Frisbee in the UK.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Interview with WW2 Veteran Harry Stewart Jr” From: Friends of the National World War II Memorial, uploaded 21.02.2024; Red Tails (2012) HD Movie Trailer - Lucasfilm Official Trailer, Uploaded to Youtube by Rotten Tomatoes, 29.07.2011; Remembering the Tuskegee Airmen From: U.S. Department of the Interior; Slimming World podcast, Permission granted by Rebecca Robinson – Director of Comms at Slimming World; Rock On!, BBC Radio 1, 21.05.1977; THE JANICE FORSYTH SHOW: THE JANICE FORSYTH SHOW, BBC, 11.12.2017; Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker : Rick Buckler, BBC Radio 2, 06.02.2018

Matthew Bannister on

Nigel McCrery, the former police officer who created the popular TV series “Silent Witness” and “New Tricks”.

Andrée Dumon, who rescued many allied service men during the Second World War by escorting them along “The Comet Line” from Brussels to Paris.

Lord Elis-Thomas, the former leader of Plaid Cymru and the first Presiding Officer of the National Assembly.

Diana Melly, the author known for her unconventional marriage to the jazz singer and art expert George Melly.

Interviewee: William Ivory Interviewee: Dr Helen Fry Interviewee: Professor Laura McAllister Interviewee: Kezzie Moynihan

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Silent Witness, BBC Promo, 2005 & 2025; Nigel McCrery interview, Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 02/11/2024; Nigel McCrery interview, Midweek, BBC Radio 4, 04/11/2013; Nigel McCrery talks about the life of Professor Helen Whitwell, Last Word, BBC Radio 4, 09/08/2024; Silent Witness, Series 1 , Episode 1, BBC ONE, 22/02/1996, Directed by Harry Hook; New Tricks, Promo, BBC Studios, 08/08/2008; Andrée Dumon, a Comète escape line organiser and courier, interview, author: Martyn Cox; source: www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/andree-dumon/ ; Dafydd Ellis Thomas elected to the House of Commons, BBC News, 1974; Dafydd Elis Thomas Interview , Good Morning Wales, BBC Radio Wales, 20/06/1972; Dafydd Elis Thomas becomes President of Plaid Cymru and interview, Conference Report, BBC News, 28/10/1984; Presiding Officer address to the National Assembly for Wales, The Second Term, BBC News, 2003, Diana Melly interview, Last Word, BBC Radio 4. 06/07/2007; Diana Melly interview, Private Passions, BBC Radio 3, 15/01/2023;

Matthew Bannister on

Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who shot dead a burglar and started a national debate about the rights of householders to defend themselves.

Pete Wilkinson, the co-founder of Greenpeace UK, known for his high-profile direct-action campaigns.

Loretta Ford, who pioneered the role of nurse practitioner in American health care.

Marianne Faithfull, the singer and actress who came to fame in the 1960s and overcame drug addiction and ill health to continue performing.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: The World at One, BBC, 1985; Today, BBC, 1985; Sizewell Power Station Protest, 2009; What to do with nuclear waste?, TV Eye, 1981; GREENPEACE SHIP SUNK BY BOMB, BBC News, 1985; Close Up: Marianne Faithful – Keeping the Faith, BBC2 7th October 1999; Including a performance of “As Tears Go By – written by Mick Jagger Keith Richards & Andrew Loog Oldham on Decca record; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 28th May 1995; BBC news 23rd August 1999; Newsnight – 19th April 2000; BBC News 15th August 2023; Loretta Ford Documentary - University of Colorado College of Nursing, Sue Hagedorn and Seed Works, uploaded to Youtube 15 Nov 2019; This is your life 05 Jan 1998

Matthew Bannister on

The Reverend Don Cupitt, the controversial theologian whose TV series “The Sea of Faith” asked in what form - if any - is Christian faith possible for us today?

Phyllis Dalton, the Oscar winning costume designer who worked on classic films, including “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Doctor Zhivago” and “Oliver!”.

Cecile Richards, the American activist who campaigned for women’s right to have abortions.

Michael Longley, the Northern Irish poet whose subjects included love, war and the natural world.

Interviewee: Professor Catherine Pickstock Interviewee: Alexander Ballinger Interviewee: Laura Kusisto Interviewee: Paul Muldoon

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Sea of Faith, BBC TWO, 12/09/1984; Thinking Aloud: Religion, BBC TWO, 22/12/1985; Don Cupitt on the non-realist position on God, Podcast 20:, The Middle Way Society, YouTube 12/04/2014; Doctor Zhivago film promo, Warner Bros, 1965; Oliver! Film promo, (1968), Sony Pictures Entertainment, YouTube 07/10/2021; Phyllis Dalton, The British Entertainment History Project, www.historyproject.org.uk, 11/02/2000; Championing Choice, The Thread Documentary Series, Life Stories. 17/06/2022; Hundreds protest at Planned Parenthood, WPRI, YouTube 22/08/2015; Cecile Richards, Life Stories, YouTube uploaded 12/10/2022; Protesters outside Louisville's Planned Parenthood, Courier Journal, 22/08/2015; Letters to a Young Poet: Michael Longley, BBC Radio 3, 15/01/2014; Poet Michael Longley reads "Wounds" in UCD Library, University College Dublin Library, UCD YouTube Channel 16/08/2016; Michael Longley, "Ceasefire", The Arts Show, BBC TWO, 12/03/2014; Michael Longley interview, Where Poems Come From, BBC, 11/02/2024; Michael Longley, The Culture Cafe, BBC Radio 4, 18/02/2024

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Joan Plowright, one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation who was married to Laurence Olivier. Dame Judi Dench pays tribute.

Sir Jim Walker, who built up his family business from a small bakery in the North of Scotland to become a global food exporter.

Barbara Clegg, the first woman to write a story for Dr Who.

Denis Law – the Scottish born footballer who was part of Manchester United’s “Holy Trinity” alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best.

Producer: Ed Prendiville

Archive: Doctor Who : Season 20 : Enlightenment : Part 1, BBC1, 01.03.1983; Emergency Ward 10; 14.08.1959; THE DALES: BBC Radio, 27.10.1966; Jim Walker reflects on 125 years of Walker's Shortbread, Highlands News & Media, 2022; Nothing Like a Dame, BBC 2, 31.12.2021; In Touch : Dame Joan Plowright at Home, BBC Radio 4, 25.12.2018; Wogan, 10.12.1990; Private Passions : Sound Frontiers: Dame Joan Plowright, BBC Radio 3, 25.09.2016; Roots, BBC Radio 3, 29.02.1960; FOOTBALLERS LIVES, DENIS LAW, 21.03.2002; MORE THAN A GAME, BBC, 26.05.2001; MEMORY MATCHES: ENGLAND V SCOTLAND 1967; 15.04.1967; Sports Special, BBC,, 24.11.1979

Matthew Bannister on

The comedian and actor Tony Slattery. Sir Stephen Fry reflects on his friend’s talent – and struggle with addiction and poor mental health.

Dame Rosalind Savill, the respected director who brought new audiences to the Wallace Collection in London.

Paddy Hill, one of six men wrongly convicted of carrying out pub bombings in Birmingham in 1974.

Noreen Riols, who helped to train S.O.E. agents for undercover work during the Second World War

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Birmingham Six Case Reopens, BBC News, 1990; Release of the Birmingham Six, BBC News, 1991; Hard Talk, BBC, 2000; BBC Radio 4, 1974; Anti-IRA Marches, BBC News,1974; Whose Line Is It Anyway? Theme Tune composed by Philip Pope; Whose line is it Anyway?, Season6 Episode 6, A Hatrick Production, C4 Television Corporation; Whose line is it Anyway?, Season7 Episode 1, A Hatrick Production, C4 Television Corporation; The Cambridge Footlights Revue, 20/05/1982; STEPHEN FRY:THE SECRET LIFE OF THE MANIC DEPRESSIVE, 23/08/2007; What's the Matter with Tony Slattery, 05/06/2020!; Saturday Live, 31/08/2013; History: Secret Agent, 08/01/2001; Witness History, Secret Operations Executive. 05/09/2013; Masterclass Sèvres Porcelain, with Dame Rosalind Savill, Colnaghi Foundation, YouTube upload, 15/05/2020; The Wallace Collection, YouTube, upload, 01/10/2009; A Beautiful Thing: A Passion for Porcelain, BBC, 18/06/2013

Tony Slattery was known for his quick-witted improvisations on the popular Channel 4 show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, from 1988 onwards. He also played comedic and serious roles in films such as crime thriller The Crying Game, Peter's Friends and the dark comedy How to Get Ahead in Advertising.

Tony died on 14th January 2025.

For Last Word, Matthew Bannister talks to Sir Stephen Fry about his friend. Stephen and Tony met at Cambridge University and would go on to perform in the Footlights group together. They would remain lifelong friends.

In his thirties, Tony suffered a nervous breakdown and disappeared from public view for twenty years. He was addicted to cocaine and alcohol and in 2020 was the subject of a BBC documentary called “What’s the Matter With Tony Slattery” in which he tried to find out whether he was bipolar.

Presented by Matthew Bannister Produced by Ed Prendeville

Matthew Bannister on Jean-Marie Le Pen, who built up the French right wing National Front Party before being ejected from it by his daughter.

Catherine Brown, the food writer who championed traditional Scottish cuisine.

Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes, the parliamentarian who fought for consumer rights.

And the radio DJ Johnnie Walker, known for his passion for music and his rebellious attitude. Bob Harris pays tribute.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Birmingham Six Case Reopens, BBC News, 1990; Release of the Birmingham Six, BBC News, 1991; Hard Talk, BBC, 2000; BBC Radio 4, 1974; Anti-IRA Marches, BBC News, 1974; Sounds of the 70s with Bob Harris, BBC R2, 2024; Johnnie Walker, Radio Caroline, 1968; Johnnie Walker: Interview, BBC Radio 1 Vintage, 2017; Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker, BBC R2, 2024; Offshore Radio RSL and Johnnie Walker interview, Sky News, 1992; Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker - Walker & Walker: Johnnie & Tiggy, BBC R2, 2024; Johnnie Walker Show, Radio Caroline, 14/08/1967; Walker on Walker, BBC R2, 2025; Johnnie Walker on KSAN, 1976; Johnnie Walker Documentary on Pirate Stations; Radio Cafe, BBC Radio Scotland, 2009; Kitchen Cafe, BBC Radio Scotland, 2009; Catherine Brown, Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 2017; BBC World at One,1981; House of Lords, 2017; BBC West, 1974: Tomorrow’s World, BBC1, 1976; BBC News, 1989

Kirsty Lang on

Former US President Jimmy Carter whose time in office between 1976 and 1980 was beset by economic and diplomatic crises.

Caroline Miller OBE, the former Chief Executive of Birmingham Royal Ballet who commissioned bold and experimental productions to great acclaim.

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – considered to be the architect of the country’s economic liberalisation.

Children’s author and illustrator Jean Adamson, whose Topsy and Tim books sold over 25 million copies around the world.

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive: Outlook, BBC World Service, 1976; Jimmy Carter, BBC One, 1976; Jimmy Carter, Today, BBC Radio 4, 1976; Jimmy Carter sworn in as US President, BBC Radio Archive, 1977; Keeping Faith, BBC Radio 4, 1982; Chantry Dance Interviews Caroline Miller OBE, Chantry Dance, Uploaded to YouTube 12.06.2020; Analysis, BBC World Service, 2004; Walk The Talk with Dr Manmohan Singh, NDTV, Aired February 2004, Uploaded to YouTube 26.12.2024; BBC News, 1984; BBC News at Ten, 2008; BBC News at Six, 2008; PM Dr. Manmohan Singh's press conference, Sansad TV, Uploaded to YouTube 03.01.2014; Topsy and Tim's Christmas Eve, CBeebies, 2014

John Wilson on Nikki Giovanni, a leading poet in the 1960s Black Arts Movement who is hailed as one of the most important artist-intellectuals of the 20th century.

Gerd Heidemann, the German journalist who found himself at the centre of one of the greatest journalist scandals of the 20th century, the Hitler diaries hoax.

Cherry Hill, the award-winning model engineer who created detailed, functioning scaled-down models of Victorian traction engines.

Sir Richard Carew Pole, the aristocrat who was a driving force behind the creation of Cornwall's Eden Project and Tate St Ives.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Industrial Nation, BBC Two, 2003; Heidemann arrested, BBC News, 1983; Forged Hitler diaries, Newsnight, BBC Two, 1985; Nikki Giovanni, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 2024; Nihal Arthanayake: Sara Cox and Nikki Giovanni, BBC Radio 5 Live, 2024; Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, HBO, 2023; Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin: A Conversation, Soul!, 1971, Uploaded to Youtube 09.09.2022; The Black Woman, Stan Lathan, Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive, 1970, Uploaded to Youtube 30.09.2017; Nikki Giovanni Interviewed And Reads "Revolutionary Dreams"- February 1974, SMU Jones Film, Uploaded to Youtube 11.10.2023; Opening of the new Tate Gallery in St Ives, Cornwall, The Late Show, BBC, 1993; Prince of Wales officially opens new Tate Gallery in St Ives, Cornwall, BBC News, 1993; Upcoming opening of the Eden Project, BBC News, 2001; The Karen Hunter Show, SiriusXM Urban View (1993), Internet Archive, 12/05/2017

Matthew Bannister on

Baroness Wilkins who became a wheelchair user after an accident aged 19 and went on to present TV programmes on disability issues and to campaign for the rights of disabled people.

Charles Handy, the social philosopher and management theorist who predicted many changes to the world of work.

Renee Bornstein who, as a child, survived being imprisoned by the Nazis.

Tony Brignull, the acclaimed copywriter behind famous ads for Cinzano, Fiat Cars and Parker Pens.

Producer: Ed Prendiville

Archive: France Crumbles, AP Archive, Uploaded to Youtube 30.07.2015; Paris Liberated, British Pathe, 1944, Uploaded to Youtube 13.04.2014; My Family, The Holocaust and Me, BBC, 2020; To remember but not to hate, French Holocaust Survivor Rene Bornstein, Dr Les Glassman, 2023; The testimony of Renee Bornstein, survivor of the Holocaust, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, 2021; 1 minute to leave your mark, Arjo Creative Papers, 2012; Clarks Shoes, CPD, 1978; Birds Eye’s Beefburgers, CPD, 1978; Heineken, CPD, 1970; Cinzano advert, CPD, 1978-83; Creative Leads - Tony Brignull, Uploaded to Youtube 30.04.2019; House of Lords, Hansard, parlamentlive.tv, 25.06.2015; 24 Hours, BBC, 12/01/1971; Open Door: America – We can do that, BBC2, 30.03.1983; Open Door: America – We can do that, BBC2, 30.03.1983; We Won't Go Away, The MN Gov. Council on Developmental Disabilities, Uploaded to Youtube, 25.04.2014; Belief, BBC, 2003; Something Understood: Buying and Selling, BBC, 2009;

Matthew Bannister on Wolfgang Stange, the director and choreographer who founded the Amici Dance Theatre Company which integrates able bodied and disabled performers. Sir Ben Kingsley pays tribute. Lord Renfrew, the leading archaeologist who used scientific techniques to challenge the received wisdom in his chosen discipline. Julie Stevens, the actor who was also one of the earliest presenters of Play School. Johnny Ball shares his memories of working with her. And Mary McGee, the American motorsport pioneer who competed in both motorcycle and car racing.

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive: Cabbages and Kings: The Romans are Coming, BBC, 1972; Julie Steven’s Early Life, Rachel New, 2024; The All Star Record Breakers, BBC, 1976; The Avengers: Box of Tricks, ITV, 1963; The Avengers, ITV, 1963-4; Let’s Make a Musical: Salad Days, BBC, 1979; Star Turn, BBC Archive, 1977; Play Away, BBC, 1979; Play School, BBC, 1964; Play School, BBC, 1977; Chronicle: Lost Kings of the Desert, BBC, 1979; Young Scientists of the Year: Heat 2, BBC, 1979; Touching Earth, BBC, 1992; Web of Stories, 2017; Alan Macfarlane Archive, 2008

Matthew Bannister on

Vicky Stone, the film maker who travelled to the remotest parts of Africa to make her award winning wildlife documentaries.

Penny Chuter the medal winning rower who became coach of the GB team.

Clifton Wharton Junior, the first black chancellor of a primarily white US university, the first African American to run a Fortune 500 company and the first to become Deputy Secretary of State.

Peter Sinfield who wrote lyrics for King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Leo Sayer, Bucks Fizz and Celine Dion.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Art in the Board Room: Honoring the Wharton Legacy, Dr. Judith Stoddart, MSU Research, 1971; How America's Involvement In The Vietnam War Led To Protests | Our History, Our History, ITV, 1991; The Queen of Trees OFFICIAL, Narrated by Ian Holm, Deeble & Stone, Uploaded to Youtube, 3.05.2014; THE ELEPHANT QUEEN Official Trailer HD (2019) Documentary, Apple TV+ | Future Movies Starring : Chiwetel Ejiofor Directed By : Mark Deeble, Victoria Stone, Uploaded to Youtube 11.10.2019; Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble on The Elephant Queen, Apple TV+'s documentary feat Chiwetel Ejiofor The Upcoming. Interviewer: Ezelle Alblas Editor: Filippo L'Astorina, uploaded to Youtube, 11.11.2019; Wildlife on Two : Devilfish, BBC 1, 06.10.1991; Rowing Chat with Penny Chuter, Rowing Chat, 8.10.2017; Don't Call Me Shirley - Airplane! (9/10) Movie CLIP (1980); THE GREAT MATCH 1979:TERRY GRIFFITHS WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPION 23.04.2004

Matthew Bannister on

Madeleine Riffaud, the French resistance fighter who was tortured by the Gestapo, became a journalist and was embedded with the Vietcong in Vietnam.

Chris Topp, the blacksmith who restored ironwork at Buckingham Palace, York Minster and St Paul’s Cathedral.

Barbara Taylor Bradford, the best-selling author of A Woman of Substance and many other novels.

Dr Julian Litten, whose fascination for the rituals surrounding death led to him being called “England’s foremost funerary historian”.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive: General Charles De Gaulle speech, BBC Radio, 22/06/1940; Algerian War: 70 Years On, News Report actuality, France 24, 01/11/2024; Panorama: Vietnam: The Other World ,BBC Television, 31/03/1969; Barbara Taylor Bradford, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 11/07/2003; Reading: A Woman of Substance, HarperCollins Publishers UK SoundCloud Channel, Audio promo - Release date 25/10/2012; Barbara Taylor Bradford interview, Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 09/07/1999; Barbara Taylor Bradford interview, Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 30/11/2019; Reading: A Woman of Substance, HarperCollins Publishers UK SoundCloud Channel, Audio promo, Released date: 04/05/2017; BLACKSMITH'S CONTRACT: LOOK NORTH, BBC One North East & Cumbria, 14/07/1995; Reading the Past / Writing the Future - Chris Topp (Blacksmith), Uploaded to Youtube 14/05/2014; Songs of Praise: Rite of passage, Bereavement, BBC, 05/11/2002, Red Heaven Oral History Archive, Julian Litten talks with Dr Simon Machin, 14/03/2021; BBC News at One, BBC, 26/03/2015

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Prescott, the working-class lad who became Deputy Prime Minister.

Stephanie Collie, whose costume designs for “Peaky Blinders” and “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” inspired street fashion.

Dame Janet “Jinty” Nelson, the leading mediaeval historian who wrote an acclaimed biography of the Frankish King Charlemagne.

Frank Auerbach, one of the twentieth century’s finest artists. We speak to the art historian Catherine Lampert who sat for him every week for over forty years.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Matthew Bannister on the versatile actor Timothy West whose roles ranged from Shakespeare to soap operas. Sir Ian McKellen pays tribute.

Sir John Nott, the Conservative politician who was Defence Secretary at the time of the Falklands War.

June Spencer who played the matriarch of Ambridge, Peggy Wooley. She was the last original cast member.

Nadia Cattouse, who was born in what is now Belize. She signed up to serve Britain during the second world war and became a singer and advocate for the Windrush generation.

Interviewee: Sir Ian McKellen Interviewee: Jeremy Howe Interviewee: Sunny Ormonde Interviewee: Sir Michael Heseltine Interviewee: Sir Hugo Swire Interviewee: Mike Lindup

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive used: Arena “ Theatre The Prospect Before Us” BBC Two 20th April 1977; “The Tragedy of King Richard II” 30th July 1970; “Great Canal Journeys, Bristol and North Devon” Channel 4 Director Mike Taylor October 23rd 2016; “EastEnders” BBC One 17th November 2014; “Churchill & The General” BBC Two 23rd September 1979; The Archers BBC Radio 4 3rd November 2008/ 31st July 2022; Desert Island Discs 28th February 2022; Pick of the Week 14th August 2022; American Masters Digital Archive: “Nadia Cattouse Paul Robeson Here I stand”. 27th July 1998. American Archive of Public Broadcasting; BBC Radio: “Two of a Kind: Amid The Alien Corn. “ 26th November 1963; “Angels” BBC TV 24th November 1975

Matthew Bannister on

Quincy Jones, the music producer, composer and arranger who worked with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson.

Janey Godley, the comedian who used her challenging childhood and youth in Glasgow as material for her shows.

Lyudmila Trut, the Russian geneticist who dedicated her life to a revolutionary – and evolutionary - experiment investigating the domestication of silver foxes

Dr Paul Stephenson, who led the Bristol bus boycott to end race discrimination in employment.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Jeremy Vine : Live from Glasgow, Radio 2, 17.11.14; Janey, BBC Scotland, 14.05.24; JANEY GODLEY INTERVIEW, BBC 1 Scotland, 17.01.24; Janey Godley “The C bomb Shall We Start At The Beginning” BBC Radio Four, 01.06.23; Janey Godley Stand Up Specials, BBC Radio Four, 01.02.2023; BBC Points West, 18.07.14; BBC World Service, The Bus Boycott, 28.08.23; Windrush, BBC4, 24.06.08; Horizon: The Secret Life of the Dog, BBC 2, 06.10.2010

Matthew Bannister on Dick Pope, the cinematographer who worked closely with Director Mike Leigh on films like “Secrets and Lies” and “Mr Turner”. Mike pays tribute. Sister Sally Butler, the American nun who blew the whistle on historic child sex abuse in her New York parish. Professor Tim Darvill OBE, the archaeologist best known for his work on the history of Stonehenge. Patti McGee, the first woman professional skateboarder. We have a tribute from skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

Interviewee: Sir Roger Deakins Interviewee: Mike Leigh Interviewee: Fr Ron Lemmert Interviewee: Dr Miles Russell Interviewee: Hailey Villa Interviewee: Tony Hawk

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Life is Sweet, 1991, Film4 Trailer, Director, Mike Leigh. Film4 Production, released date in the UK 22/03/1991; Dick Pope in conversation with Roger Deakins on NAKED (Mike Leigh, 1993), Cinematographers on cinematography, YouTube channel 10/02/2022; 'Naked' Q & A with Dick Pope, British Society of Cinematographers, YouTube, uploaded 05/08/2022; Naked film promo, Director Mike Leigh, British Film Institute, BFI YouTube channel 8 Oct 2021; Mr Turner, Film Promo, Director Mike Leigh, eOne UK , eOne UK YouTube channel, 15/05/2014; America's Catholic Church In Crisis, Reporting Religion, BBC World Service, 29/03/2002; Sister Sally Butler interview, The National Catholic Reporter (NCR), NCROnline YouTube Channel 14/07/2017; Sister Sally Butler interview, A Matter of Conscience: Confronting Clergy Abuse, Director: John Michalczyk, Producer: Susan A. Michalczyk, Vimeo upload, Editor Gautam Chopra, 01/02/2015; The Standing Stones perform Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry, Dir: Dr Miles Russell. Patti McGee interview, The Mike Douglas Show, KYW-TV, NBC, 1965;

Matthew Bannister on

General Sir Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff at the time of the Iraq War.

Lily Ledbetter, whose campaign for equal pay led to an Act of Congress.

Safeya Binzagr, the pioneering Saudi Arabian artist whose career flourished despite the cultural restrictions on women in her society

Steve Piotrowski, the ornithologist who ringed 100,000 birds and helped to increase the barn owl population of Suffolk.

Interviewee: Lord Richards Interviewee: Noreen Farrell Interviewee: Melissa Gronlund Interviewee: Kathy Piotrowski

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Gen Mike Jackson interview, Six O’Clock News, BBC News, 14/06/1999; Gen Mike Jackson, BBC News, 07/03/2003; Lilly Ledbetter speech and interview, NPR, Uploaded 14/10/2024; Steve Piotrowski interview, BBC Radio Suffolk 19/10/2015; Spectrum: Out of Town , BBC One East, 16/04/1985; Wrens singing, BBC Sfx, May 1981; Atmospheres: Countryside (Barn Owl), BBC Sfx, June 1981; Birds: Robins, BBC Sfx, March 1986; BBC Radio Suffolk 19/10/15; Wood Pigeon, Tweet of the Day, 14/12/2023; Collared Dove, Tweet of the Day, 07/01/2024; Great Tits, A Guide to Garden Birds : Series 1 : Episode 2, 26/08/2008 ; Nightingale, BBC Sfx, May 1983; Swift Screaming Party, RSPB England, Facebook, 29/06/2024

Kirsty Lang on

Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland.

Ethel Kennedy, wife of Robert F Kennedy who went onto become a campaigner for Human Rights.

Ratan Tata, the businessman who led the Tata Group for more than two decades.

Fleur Adcock, the poet who's conversational, irreverent style made her one of the most popular voices in British poetry.

Interviewee: Brian Taylor Interviewee: Michael Posner Interviewee: Sameer Hashmi Interviewee: Deryn Rhys-Jones Interviewee: Neil Astley Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Alex Salmond, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 21/01/2011; Alex Salmond, BBC TV Promo, A Rebel's Journey, BBC One Scotland, 19/11/2014; Alex Salmond speech, SNP Conference, BBC News, 1990; Alex Salmond speech, Scotland Independence Referendum, BBC News, 2014; Ethel Kennedy campaign speech, Ethel, HBO Docs, 2012, Director: Rory Kennedy; JFK Assassination: Cronkite informs a shocked nation, CBS News, 22/11/1963; News actuality, WBZ Archives: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, CBS Boston YouTube channel uploaded 05/06/2018; Ethel Kennedy interview, NBC Nightly News,1988; Ethel Kennedy interview, Ethel, HBO Docs, 2012, Director: Rory Kennedy; Ratan Tata interview, The Documentary: The Gospel of Wealth, BBC World Service, 16/10/2019; Ratan Tata interview, Tata in the Global Market, BBC News India, 1997; Jaguar-Land Rover buyout, BBC News, 26/03/2008; Fleur Adcock reads: ‘Things’, ‘For a Five-Year-Old’, Snails, Courtesy BloodAxe Books, Uploaded, Bloodaxebooks.com on 01/10/2008; Fleur Adcock interview, Private Passions, BBC Radio 3, 17/05/2009;

John Wilson on Lord Ouseley, the co-founder of the anti-racism football campaign ‘Kick it Out’ and former Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality.

The landscape artist and printmaker Norman Ackroyd whose work celebrates some of the most remote and inhospitable areas of the UK.

Lore Segal, the author whose book ‘Other People’s Houses’ told the story of her fleeing the Nazis on a Kindertransport and being fostered in England.

The Grammy Award winning singer Cissy Houston was a leading light in gospel music and sung with a range of artists including Elvis, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and her daughter Whitney.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: BBC HardTalk Interview 05/02/2013, Notes on Water – Poppy Ackroyd ,Norman Ackroyd – Archipelago poem, BBC Front Row Norman Ackroyd interview with John Wilson 10/11/2016, Cissy Houston - Sweet Inspiration, PBS, 1987 Youtube upload, Whitney Houston interview with her mom Cissy, 1988 Youtube upload,Cissy Houston: The Sweet Inspirations, NVLP, 2009 Youtube upload, BBC Woman's Hour 30/06/18 Lore Segal Interview

John Wilson on

Kris Kristofferson, the singer, songwriter and actor who appeared with Barbra Streisand in ‘A Star is Born’

Camilla Carr, the aid worker who along with her partner was kidnapped and held hostage for 14 months in Chechnya.

Hassan Nasrallah, for over 30 years he was the leader of Lebanon’s militant Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah. The group was designated as a terror organisation by Israel, the US, UK and other countries.

María Benítez, a dancer, choreographer, and director. She was celebrated for her significant contributions to Spanish dance and flamenco.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: Maria Benitez: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, YouTube upload, Institute for Spanish Arts, 16/04/2012; ARTISODE 1.11, Maria Benitez, New Mexico PBS, YouTube upload, 07/12/2009; Radio 1 interview with Kris Kristofferson. 29/05/1978; BBC Hard Talk interview 11/01/00; A Star is Born, Warner Brothers, dir by Frank Pierson, 1967; Bob Dylan, The 30th Anniversary concert celebration, Columbia, 16/10/1992; The Late Late Show, Kris Kristofferson interview, 05/02/1993;

Matthew Bannister on

Peter Jay, who was economics editor at the Times and the BBC and also Britain’s Ambassador to the United States.

Ed Johnson, the CIA agent who played a key role in the Argo operation to smuggle US diplomats out of Iran – but kept his involvement secret until his death. His wife tells us she had no idea what his work involved.

Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, who made controversial changes aimed at bringing more visitors to the Victoria and Albert Museum

Deborah Roberts, the acclaimed soprano who co-founded the Brighton Early Music Festival.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive Norman Acgroyd, BBC, Artists in Print, 09/03/1981; Argo, Declassified Trailer, Warner Bros Entertainment, YouTube Upload 09/02/2013; BBC News, 09/1/1979; BBC News, 04/11/1979; BBC Desert Island Discs 20/10/1991; BBC Newsnight, 13/12/94; TV-am First Broadcast – Good Morning Britain (1983), Uploaded to Youtube “Things”, 9/02/19; That’s Life, BBC 1, 25/01/1981

Matthew Bannister on

Dr George Berci, the surgeon who pioneered the use of miniature cameras in operations to minimise cutting and accelerate patients’ recovery times.

Olga Craig, the respected journalist from Northern Ireland who reported from war zones and covered the aftermath of the bombing in Omagh.

Michaela Mabinty DePrince, the orphan from war-torn Sierra Leone who realised her dreams of becoming a ballerina.

Tony Strong, the scenic artist who worked with film directors like Stanley Kubrick, Ken Russell and Sir Ridley Scott.

Interviewee: Dr L Michael Brunt Interviewee: Sian James Interviewee: David Harrison Interviewee: Graham Strong

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Holocaust Survivor Talk: Dr. George Berci, Holocaust Museum LA, YouTube, uploaded 13/01/2022; 1956 Hungary Revolution news report, BBC Radio, World of Sound documentary, 13/11/1962; Omagh Bombing news report, BBC News, 15/08/1998; Michaela Mabinty DePrince, Outlook, BBC News, 29/08/2012; Tito Jackson of The Jackson 5 (Unreleased Full Interview); DJ Vlad TV, YouTube, uploaded, 26/01/2024; Tony Strong interview, ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ documentary, (2020) Coda Films, Director: Jonathan Blagrove , courtesy Graham Strong; The Boyfriend, Official film Promo, 1971, Director: Ken Russell; Live and Let Die, Official Film Promo, 1973 Director: Guy Hamilton; Legend, Official Film Promo, 1985, Director Ridley Scott;

Matthew Bannister on James Earl Jones, the versatile actor whose roles ranged from the voice of Darth Vader to Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare. Adrian Lester pays tribute. Dr. Helen Fisher, the biological anthropologist who researched the science behind romantic love. Sergio Mendes, who introduced the world to his unique style of Brazilian music. His friend Herb Alpert shares memories of creating classic albums together. Maureen Nicol who founded the National Housewives’ Register to bring together homemaking women for stimulating conversation.

Interviewee:- Adrian Lester Interviewee:- Dr Justin Garcia Interviewee:- Herb Alpert Interviewee:-Simon Nicols Interviewee:- Gill Wignall

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used:

Hardtalk 06/12/11; The Lion King, 1994, Directors Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff, Walt Disney Feature Animation; Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980, Director Irvin Kirshner, LucasFilm Ltd; BBC Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 18/03/2009; Episode 118: Helen Fisher - Understanding Why We Love, Keep Talking Podcast, YouTube upload 30/08/2024; The brain in Love – Helen Fisher, Ted Talk, YouTube Upload, 15/07/2008 ; The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum , BBC Radio 2, 27/07/2010; BBC, SERGIO MENDES AND BRASIL '77 12/03/1974; J to Z , BBCRadio 3, 16/07/2022; Maureen Nicol 60th Anniversary, NWR, 21/02/2020; Woman’s Hour, 19/08/1985

Matthew Bannister on

Claire Lomas MBE, who was paralysed from the chest down after a riding accident and went on to complete the London Marathon wearing a bionic suit.

Phil Swern, the music producer known as “The Collector” because he owned millions of records. Ken Bruce pays tribute.

Countess of Airlie, the American heiress who married into the aristocracy and became a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II.

Geoff Mumford, a pioneer of the craft beer movement who co-founded the Burton Bridge Brewery.

Interviewee: Natalie Hill Interviewee: Ken Bruce Interviewee: David Ogilvy Interviewee: Bruce Wilkinson Interviewee: Catherine Brown

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Claire Lomas interview, Lynette Fay Show, BBC Radio Ulster, 08/02/2023; Claire Lomas, London Marathon 2012, BBC News; Claire Lomas ‘Best of British’, Tonight, ITN, 2012, Producer: Natalie Hill; 'Bionic' woman Claire Lomas completes London Marathon, BBC News, 08/05/2012; Phil Swern: Capital, Radio 1 and 2 producer, Radio Moments – Conversations, David Lloyd Radio, Episode 72, audioboom.com/posts/7228726-phil-swern-capital-radio-1-and-2-producer, Published 09/04/2019; Great Lives, BBC Radio 4, 23/01/2024; New York in the 1920s (1961 documentary) , 20C History Project, Uploaded to YouTube 24/01/2013; Virginia Ogilvy interview, Countess of Airlie, Lordly Ladies, BBC Radio, 10/04/1969; Queen Mother attends Ogilvy-Ryan Wedding (1952), British Pathe, British Pathe YouTube, uploaded 13/04/2014; White House State Dinner, Honouring Her Majesty, C-Span, 07/05/2007; Geoff Mumford interview, Great British Railway Journeys, BBC Four, 16/01/2023; BBC Midlands Today, BBC News 25/06/1992; Geoff Mumford interview, BBC Midlands Today, BBC News, 24/03/1997;

Matthew Bannister on Mike Lynch, who was one of the UK’s most successful tech entrepreneurs.

Nell McCafferty, the Irish journalist and feminist campaigner who took part in the “contraceptive train” protest in 1971.

Ruth Colvin, who founded the American “Literacy Volunteers” organisation to help adults who couldn’t read or write

Sven-Göran Eriksson, the Swedish born football manager who became the first non-British coach of the England football team.

Interviewee: Suranga Chandratillake Interviewee: David Davis Interviewee: Susan McKay Interviewee: Judy Cheatham Interviewee: Henry Winter

Producers: Ben Mitchell and Ed Prendeville

Archive: Contraceptives From Belfast, RTE, 1971; Witness, BBC News, 03/12/2016; Ruth Colvin, All things considered, NPR, 10/12/2006; Ruth Colvin, Onondaga Historical Association, YouTube Upload, 07/07/2020; Ruth Colvin, Onondaga Historical Association, YouTube Upload, 01/12/2016; The Real Sven-Goran Eriksson, BBC Radio 5Live; Kammy & Ben's Proper Football Podcast, BBC, 18/11/2022; BBC News at Ten; 20/11/2012; PM, BBC Radio 4, 01/08/24; The Report, BBC Radio 4, 27/12/12