Last Word

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

Matthew Bannister on American TV host Phil Donahue – pioneer of the daytime talk show.

Countess Diana Phipps Sternberg, the Czech born interior designer who was at the centre of a vibrant social scene in London during the swinging 60s.

Professor Mary Gibby OBE, the botanist who specialised in the study and classification of ferns.

Toumani Diabaté, the Malian musician known around the world for his virtuoso kora playing.

Interviewee: Bill Brioux Interviewee: Michael Žantovský Interviewee: Jess Barrett Interviewee: Suntou Susso

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used: The Phil Donahue show, Radio Ident, WLWD, Dayton Ohio, 1968; Phil Donahue interview, Television Academy Interviews YouTube, uploaded 06/06/2011; Phil Donahue interview on his career and becoming a dad, Today, NBC, 23/10/2024; Phil Donahue on literacy and education, ABC News, Uploaded 20/09/2024; The Phil Donahue Show, Marlo Thomas, 1977, Marlo Thomas YouTube Channel, uploaded, 21/09/2012; The Czech Republic, 1989's Velvet Revolution, BBC World Service, 07/12/1999; Czechoslovakia (1948), YouTube uploaded 13/04/2014; Gardner 4VT in narrowboat Swan, Myk Askin YouTube channel, uploaded 19/04/2010;Toumani Diabaté interview, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 05/06/2014; Toumani Diabaté interview, BBC Radio 3, 29/05/2021;

Kirsty Lang on

Susan Wojcicki, the first woman to lead a major company in Silicon Valley.

Lord Colwyn, a jazz loving politician who cared passionately about improving the nation’s teeth.

Sir Ernest Hall, a piano playing entrepreneur, who oversaw the regeneration of a former textile mill in Halifax.

Mísia, the musician who found international acclaim by bringing a modern twist to traditional Portuguese Fado music.

Interviewee: Mike Isaac Interviewee: Lady Colwyn Interviewee: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath Interviewee: Jeremy Hall Interviewee: Carmo Cruz

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Susan Wojcicki on Studio 1.0, Bloomberg Technology, YouTube upload 15/11/2016; Susan Wojcicki, Leadership Live with David Rubenstein, YouTube uploaded 28/05/2020; Susan Wojcicki, Washington Post, YouTube uploaded 18/06/2020; Susan Wojcicki, CNN Business, YouTube uploaded 04/05/2017; The Secret Life of The Third Baron Colwyn, BBC Radio 4, 24/05/1979; Lord Colwyn, House Of Lords Dental Care debate, Parliament TV 01/02/2018; Lord Hall speech, Live Music, House of Lords, Parliament TV, 27/01/2012; Westminster Special: The Ballot for the Last Hereditaries, BBC Radio 4, 05/11/1999; Sir Ernest Hall, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 26/04/1998; Sir Ernest Hall, Private Passions, BBC Radio 3, 18/09/2005; Sir Ernest Hall – Busoni Piano Concerto op.39 – Prologo e Introito, Sir Ernest Hall YouTube channel, Sheffield Symphony Orchestra - Halifax Choral Society - John Langstaff, uploaded 30/10/2022; Mísia interview, Showcase: Misia - Exploring emotions with Fado, TRT World, YouTube uploaded 09/06/2016;

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Fellowes, who was private secretary to Queen Elizabeth during the 1990s.

Professor Helen Whitwell, the forensic pathologist who inspired the central character in the TV series “Silent Witness”.

David Power, the Irish businessman who co-founded one of the world’s biggest gambling companies – Paddy Power.

Irène Schweizer, the pianist and feminist who made a big impact in the male-dominated world of jazz.

Interviewee: Hugo Vickers Interviewee: Katy Thorne KC Interviewee: Nigel McCrery Interviewee: Paddy Power Interviewee: Kevin Le Gendre Interviewee: Maggie Nicols

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used: Queen Elizabeth speech, PM, BBC Radio 4, 24/11/1992; Windsor Castle news report, BBC News 20/11/1992; Prime Minister John Major, House of Commons, Separation of Prince and Princess of Wales, 09/12/1992; Death of Diana, Princess of Wales, News Bulletin, BBC Radio, 31/08/1997; Silent Witness Theme (Silencium), Silent Witness, BBC ONE, John Harle; Paddy Power advert, YouTube upload 05/05/2013; Camden Jazz Festival, London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Directed by Barry Guy, 01/07/1991; Irène Schweizer, Schaffhauser Jazz festival, uploaded to YouTube 18/July/2016;

John Wilson on

Edna O’Brien, one of Ireland’s greatest writers. In a career spanning over 60 years she wrote 17 novels and many short stories, plays and essays.

Sir Kenneth Grange, the prolific designer whose works included the Kenwood Chef, the parking meter and the Intercity 125 train.

Groundbreaking Swedish rally driver Ewy Rosqvist.

The British blues musician John Mayall, the man who nurtured the young talents of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and many more.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Ewy Rosqvist: An Unexpected Champion, uploaded to Youtube/28 04/2019; Sound Effect of Ewy Driving at the 1964 Grand Prix, ” TOUGH MILES TO VICTORY ” 1964 ARGENTINA GRAND PRIX AUTO RACE BUENOS AIRES MERCEDES XD8687; Rhythm and Blues: John Mayall Father of the British Blues, Radio 2, 25/09/1986; John Mayall, Nicky Campbell Show, BBC Radio 1, 10/07/1990; John Mayall: 40 Years of the Blues, BBC Four, 03/09/2009; The Archers Omnibus, BBC Radio 4, 24/09/1955; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 11/09/2015; Free Thinking, BBC Radio 3; 04/11/2015; Edna O'Brien: Fearful... and Fearless, BBC Two HD, 01/08/2019; Country Girls, BBC Radio 4, 2015; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 01/01/2017; Front Row 2011 interview with Kenneth Grange, 18/17/2011; The Age of the Train, BBC Four, 15/09/2012;

Matthew Bannister on Dr Mildred Stahlman, the American paediatrician whose discovery helped to improve the outcomes of premature babies around the world.

Ray Reardon, the former miner and police officer who was a World Snooker Champion six times.

Val McIver, the Scottish local councillor who campaigned to set up the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Eddie Spence, who decorated elaborate wedding cakes for members of the royal family for decades.

Interviewee: Dr Meg Rush Interviewee: Martha Lott Interviewee: Ken Doherty Interviewee: Jen Mackenzie Interviewee: Dawn Pennington

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive used: Great Welsh Sporting Moments, BBC 2 Wales 17/12/2008; Ray Reardon: The Welsh Master, BBC 1 Wales 01/03/2022; Ray Reardon at 80, BBC 1 Wales,29/04/2012; Ray Reardon, BBC Two 19/04/1984; Highland University, Reporting Scotland, 19/04/1996; Insiders Inverness, BBC One Scotland, 18/10/1991; Radio Scotland News, 09/09/92; Installation of the first Chancellor of the University of the Highlands and Islands, music by students of the university and members of the Highland Youth Orchestra, via YouTube uploaded 27 /6/2012; The Royal Wedding, BBC Television, 20/11/1947; On the Eve of the Royal Wedding, BBC, Richard Dimbleby Thu 05 May 1960; Wedding of HRH The Prince of Wales & Lady Diana Spencer, BBC 29/07/1981; Silver Jubilee: A day of Celebration, BBC 2, 07/06/1977; Vic Minett BBC Radio CWR 23/02/2018

Matthew Bannister on Dr Ruth Westheimer who offered frank advice about sex on TV and radio.

Mike Corfield, the conservator who developed new methods of preserving archaeological artefacts in the places where they were discovered.

Shelley Duvall, the actor who worked closely with Robert Altman, played Wendy in The Shining and Michal Palin’s star-crossed lover in Time Bandits. Michael shares his memories.

Veronica Smith, who, as a young woman, was forced to give up her baby for adoption. She later founded the “Movement for an Adoption Apology”.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used Barry Normal on Shelley Duvall. Film 80, BBC1, 29/09/1980; The Shining, Official trailer, 1980; Director Stanley Kubrik; Based on a novel by Stephen King; Warner Bros; Time Bandits, 1980; Original Trailer, Handmade Films; "Late Night" with David Letterman, 27/09/1984; Popeye, 1980, Trailer; Director: Robert Altman; Writers: Jules Feiffer (screenplay), E.C. Segar (based on characters by); Stars: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Ray Walston; From 1981: Shelley Duvall talks working on 'The Shining', Interview with Gene Shalit on TODAY, 10/11/1981; BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, 10/08/2022; BBC Radio London: Forced adoption, Peabody and Tim Arthur, 26/02/2014

Matthew Bannister on

Dr Richard Taylor, the retired hospital consultant who became the independent MP for Wyre Forest.

Jack Rowell, the rugby coach who transformed the fortunes of Bath and took England to the World Cup semi-finals.

The artist Claudia Williams, who painted large scale canvases including images of women and children who lost their homes in the Welsh village of Tryweryn.

Christophe Deloire, the French journalist who became director general of the organisation Reporters Without Borders.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used PILKINGTON CUP FINAL:BATH V LEICESTER, BBC2, 30/04/1989: England Vs NZ, BBC Sport, 1995; Hospital closure report, BBC News, 24/05/1995; Julian Assange, BBC Breakfast, 26.06.24; BBC Election coverage 2001; Fighting censorship with journalism: Christophe Deloire at TEDxLecce, Youtube, uploaded 03/06/2014; The World Tonight : The Russian journalist who protested on live TV, Radio 4, 06/10/2023; BBC News at One, BBC News, 17/03/2022; BBC Radio 5 live, 16/07/2016; Shipping Forecast, 27/11/2015; BBC Wales Today, 26/09/2013; Radio Wales Arts Show, 20/02/2010

Matthew Bannister on

Frank Duckworth, the statistician whose name will forever be associated with the Duckworth-Lewis method of calculating scores for rain affected cricket matches.

Leah Levin, who campaigned to overturn miscarriages of justice and gain reparations for victims of torture.

Professor Mary-Lou Pardue, the eminent biologist who fought against sexism at the American University, M.I.T.

Joss Naylor, the fell runner who broke the Lake District 24-hour record three times and ran the fastest known times on the Three Peaks and the Pennine Way.

Interviewee: Rob Eastaway Interviewee: Hans Thoolen Interviewee: Professor Susan Gerbi Interviewee: Professor Nancy Hopkins Interviewee: David Powell-Thompson

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Frank Duckworth interview, Broadcasting House, BBC Radio 4, 21/06/2021; England Test Match Special, West Indies v England, BBC ONE, 16/03/1968; England Cricket Sport Report, BBC Sport, 30/01/2005; Leah Levin keynote speech, Kingston University graduation ceremony, 2019; Leah Levin interview, London Plus News, BBC ONE South East, 11/10/1984; Leah Levin , BBC Breakfast Time, BBC ONE, 04/10/1985; A Conversation with Mary Lou Pardue, MIT Department of Biology, YouTube Upload, 24/08/2020; Joss Naylor profile, Countryfile, BBC ONE 30/07/2018; Joss Naylor interview, Farming Today, BBC Radio 4, 19/06/2021; Joss Naylor interview, Nationwide, BBC ONE, 1973; Joss Naylor interview Cherry Pit Spitting , BBC News, 02/07/1981;

Kirsty Lang on the Judge and cricketer Sir Oliver Popplewell. His godson Stephen Fry pays tribute.

The computer pioneer and transgender advocate Lynn Conway.

The music mogul and friend to the Fab Four Tony Bramwell.

One of France’s best loved singer song-writers Francoise Hardy.

Interviewee: Stephen Fry Interviewee: Charles Rogers Interviewee: Roag Best Interviewee: Laura Barton

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive used: Get Carman: The Trials of George Carman QC BBC 2 5th April 2002; The Today Programme BBC 15th May 1985; Michigan Engineering, University of Michigan 8 Oct 2014 uploaded from Youtube; Trans Activism Oral History Project, Chair in Transgender Studies, University of Victoria, Canada Feb 4th 2020; Radio Newsreel BBC World Service 31st October 1963; Dermot O’Leary show BBC Radio 2 17th August 2013; Sunny South Kensington – Donovan Epic 22nd October 1966; Songbird – Eva Cassidy Didgeridoo Records/ Hot Record 1998; My Generation – The Who Bruinswick Records/ Decca (US) 1965/6; Falling for Francoise, Producer: Alan Hall A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 4 2011.

Matthew Bannister on Nora Cortiñas, a founding member of Argentina’s “Mothers of the Disappeared” campaign group. Her son Gustavo was 24 when he was arrested by the country’s right-wing dictatorship. He was never seen again.

Belinda Bellville, the fashion designer who dressed every female member of the royal family apart from Queen Elizabeth. Her business partner David Sassoon shares his memories.

The poet John Burnside whose acclaimed work reflected his troubled childhood in Cowdenbeath and Corby.

Roger Corman, the American film director and producer known for his prolific output of low budget pictures.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Exhibition of Belinda Bellville dresses at Holkham Hall, BBC Norfolk, 17/04/2013; Princess Goes To Washington (1965). Pathe News, 21/11/1965; Wild Music, Radio 4, 29/12/2019; Belief: John Burnside, BBC Radio 3; 04/04/2012; The Little Shop Of Horrors (1960) Official Trailer; Masque Of The Red Death (1964) Trailer; Attack of the Crab Monsters Official Trailer; Viking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957) Trailer; It Conquered the World (1956) Theatrical Trailer; Horror Café, BBC 2, 15/09/1990; The Film Programme, BBC Radio 4, 30/05/2008;

Matthew Bannister on

Richard M Sherman who teamed up with his brother Robert to write some of Disney’s best loved songs.

Professor Wendy James CBE, the anthropologist who studied the Uduk tribes of Sudan.

June Mendoza OBE, the portrait painter whose subjects included members of the Royal Family, Prime Ministers and celebrities.

Morgan Spurlock, the film maker best known for his Oscar nominated documentary about the fast food industry “Supersize Me”.

Interviewee: Brian Sibley Interviewee: Dr Douglas Johnson Interviewee: Anna Smith Interviewee: Kim Mackrell

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used: Richard Sherman, Outlook, BBC Radio 4, 29 Aug 2016; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Trailer, Dir: Ken Hughes, MGM, 1968; Mary Poppins trailer, Director: Robert Stevenson, Disney, 1964; Julie Andrews, Feed The Birds, Composer Sherman; Richard Sherman, The Film Programme, BBC Radio 4, 30 May 2008; Richard Sherman, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 26 Oct 2007; Richard Sherman, Soul Music, BBC Radio 4, 03 May 2016; It's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, Walt Disney; Richard Sherman interview, Empire Magazine, YouTube, uploaded 12 Aug 2013; Interview with Professor Wendy James, Apollo, University of Cambridge Repository, Dir: Alan Macfarlane, Edit: Sarah Harrison, dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/223956, 15 May 2009; Super Size Me, 2004, Writer/Director: Morgan Spurlock, Samuel Goldwyn Film, You Tube, uploaded 17 May 2024; Super Size Me, Official Movie Trailer, Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2004; Super Size Me 2, Official Trailer, Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2019; Morgan Spurlock interview, ABC News, YouTube uploaded, 19 Sept 2019; June Mendoza, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 08 Sept 1979; June Mendoza, Midweek, BBC Radio 4, 25 May 1988;

Matthew Bannister on

The Irish rugby star and businessman Sir Tony O’Reilly. He made billions but ended up bankrupt.

The hardline President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi.

Penny Simkin, who championed the role of birth doulas to help mothers during and after labour.

Professor Alasdair Geddes, the infectious diseases expert who diagnosed the world’s last ever case of smallpox – in Birmingham.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Penny Simkin, YouTube upload, PSfromPenny, 27/10/2009; Penny Simkin, YouTube upload, PSfromPenny, 22/03/2011; Today Programme, Radio 4, BBC, 20/05/2024; Newshour, BBC World Service, 20/05/2024; News report by Philip Hayton, Sound Archive, BBC Radio 4, 11/02/1979; Ebrahim Raisi interviewed by Lesley Stahl, CBS Interactive Inc., YouTube upload, 60 Minutes, 19/05/2024; BBC profile on Tony O’Reilly, 24/01/1975; Conversation Piece, Radio 4, 02/12/1985; People in profile, Radio Ulster, 06/09/1980; The Last Case of Smallpox in the UK, BBC News, 31/08/2016

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Shirley Conran, the journalist and author best known for her books “Superwoman” and “Lace”.

Baroness Doreen Massey, the educator and former director of the Family Planning Association

Beverly LaHaye the founder of Concerned Women of America who campaigned to stop the Equal Rights Amendment.

Steve Albini, the controversial musician who worked many influential albums including Nirvava’s “In Utero”.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: National Women’s Coalition for Life, National Cable Satellite Corporation, C-Span, 03/04/1992; Former President Trump Speaks at Concerned Women for America Summit, National Cable Satellite Corporation, C-Span, 15/09/2023; Beverly LaHaye, Concernedwomen.org, 23/02/2017; President Reagan's Remarks at Convention of Concerned Women for America, Reagan Library, YouTube upload, 28/11/2017; The PTL Club, The PTL Club – Heritage USA, YouTube upload, 12/08/2022; Woman's Hour, 07/11/2014; Woman's Hour, 02/08/2012; Graham Norton, BBC Radio 2, 14/07/2012; The Stephen McCauley Show, BBC Radio Ulster, 29/08/2022; House of Lords, parliament.tv, 24/04/2019; Baroness Massey Stories of Democracy, House of Lords, YouTube upload, 22/11/2012

Matthew Bannister on Anne Dagg, the Canadian biologist known as The Woman Who Loves Giraffes for her lifelong study of the animals.

Professor Ross Anderson, the computer scientist who was a leading expert on data protection and online security.

Reverend Cecil Murray, the pastor of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles who played a pivotal role during the riots of 1992.

Kris Hellenga, who was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 23 and set up the charity Coppafeel to encourage other young women to check their breasts.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used: Archive of Anne Dagg, The Woman who loves Giraffes, Pursuing Giraffe Adventures Inc, 2018; Newsnight, BBC Two, 01/07/1992; Newsnight, BBC Two, 11/02/2010; Ross Anderson Interviewed by Elisabetta Mori, Archives of IT, YouTube Upload, 20/03/2024; Digitalize in Stockholm ’22, DigitalFuturesHub, YouTube Upload, 28/10/22; USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, YouTube Upload 22/02/2021; BBC Radio Cornwall, 12/10/2021;

Matthew Bannister on an author, a campaigner, an Olympic medallist, a conductor

Matthew Bannister on

The American journalist Terry Anderson who was held captive in Lebanon for almost seven years. In an emotional interview, his daughter Sulome tells us how she followed in his footsteps as she tried to connect with a father she met for the first time when she was seven years old.

Lord Field who, the Labour MP Frank Field who campaigned tirelessly for welfare reform.

Trina Robbins the feminist cartoonist and writer who was the first woman to illustrate the Wonder Woman comics.

Ann Trevenen Jenkin the first woman Grand Bard of Cornwall and a founding member of the Cornish nationalist party Mebyon Kernow.

Interviewee: Sulome Anderson Interviewee: Ellin Stein Interviewee: Liam Halligan Interviewee: Loveday Jenkin

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive Used:

Sulome Anderson writes a letter to her father on his birthday, BBC News, 07/10/1991; Terry Anderson release, Live press conference, BBC News, 04/12/1991; Terry Anderson interview, BBC Radio 1, 01/01/2000; Terry Anderson on What It’s Like to Live as a Hezbollah Hostage, Slate. YouTube Channel uploaded, 17/11/2014; Trina Robbins, Meet Trina Robbins, the first woman to draw Wonder Woman for D.C. Comics, KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco, YouTube uploaded 30/03/2023; Frank Field MP interview, Straight Talk, BBC News, 19/06/2010; Frank Field, Profile, BBC Radio 4, 13/12/2014; Frank Field, Lent Talks, BBC Radio 4, 01/04/2009; Ann Trevenen Jenkin interviewed by Carmen Talbot for Dreadnought South West’s Rebellious Sounds Archive, 2019; Ann Trevenen Jenkin interview, Cornish March, BBC News, 21/06/1997;

Sulome Anderson first met her father – journalist Terry Anderson – at the American Embassy in Damascus. She was seven years old and he had just been released from nearly seven years as a hostage in Lebanon. She desperately wanted to build a relationship with him, even going so far as to become a war correspondent herself and tracking down and meeting one of his captors. But Terry’s traumatic experiences made the task very challenging. When she was nearly kidnapped in the Middle East herself, she became determined to break out of the “cycle of fascination with war” that had bedevilled the family. In this moving interview recorded shortly after Terry’s death she speaks candidly about the pressures they faced.

Presented by Matthew Banister Produced by Gareth Nelson-Davies and Eirian Jones

Matthew Bannister on:

Sir Paul Fox, the respected TV executive who commissioned some of the best loved programmes of the 1960s and 70s. We have a tribute from his former colleague Sir David Attenborough.

Lynne Reid Banks, the author best known for her novel “The L Shaped Room.”

Joan Hills, the artist who played a key role in the art world of the 1960s and, with her husband and two children, was part of the Boyle Family quartet.

Amnon Weinstein, the luthier who collected and restored violins which had been played in concentration camps during the Second World War.

Interviewee: Sir David Attenborough Interviewee: Gillon Stephenson Interviewee: Georgia Boyle Interviewee: Avshalom Weinstein Interviewee: Jaap Hamburger

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive Used: Sportsview, BBC Television, 27/01/1955; Roger Bannister 4 minute mile news report, BBC Archive Newsreel, 07/05/1954; Interview with Paul Fox, The Oral History of the BBC, connectedhistoriesofthebbc.org, 30/11/1984; Lynne Reid Banks interview with Rita Hayworth1956, On This Day, ITN Archive Facebook channel, uploaded 13/07/2022; L-Shaped Room, Official Trailer, 20th Century Fox, 1962, Dir: Bryan Forbes; Lynne Reid Banks interview, With Great Pleasure, BBC Radio 4, 24/09/1999; Reading extract, The Indian in the Cupboard, Episode 1, BBC Radio 4, 02/10/1986; Official Film Promo, Paramount Pictures, Dir: Frank Oz, 1995; Lynne Reid Banks talks about how her life would be different if she couldn't write, gconversations YouTube Channel, uploaded 25/10/2012; Joan Hills interview, The Boyle Family, BBC Four, 27/08/2003; Amnon Weinstein 2018, Alabama Holocaust Education Center, YouTube uploaded 02/06/2022; Violins of Hope, CBS Sunday Morning, YouTube uploaded 22/03/2024;

Matthew Bannister on Professor Peter Higgs, the physicist who won the Nobel prize for explaining why the building blocks of the universe have mass. Trevor Griffiths, the playwright whose stage and TV dramas focused on left wing politics and social issues. We have a tribute from the actor Jack Shepherd. Hella Pick, the long serving Guardian foreign correspondent who enjoyed the company of many world leaders. Margaret Tynes, the African-American soprano who sang leading operatic roles and worked with Duke Ellington.

Interviewee: Roland Pease Interviewee: Dr Alan Walker Interviewee: Jack Shepherd Interviewee: Paul Allen Interviewee: Linda Christmas Interviewee: Michael Harper

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive used: BBC News at Six : 04/07/2012; BBC The Life Scientific 18/02/2014; Nobel Prize Announcement in Physics 2013, Youtube, 08/10/2013; All Good Men, Play for Today, BBC 1, 31/01/1974; Trevor Griffiths, BFI, YouTube Upload, 02/06/2017; Through the Night, Play for Today, BBC 1, 04/08/1977; Trevor Griffiths interviewed by Sir Tony Robinson, Showreel 88, BBC2, 26/12/1988; Hardtalk, BBC, 1997; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 16/11/2018; Aida - 'Ritorna vincitor' az I. felvonásból, 08/09/1962; Macbeth - 'Una macchia e qui tuttora' a IV. felvonásból (Gran Scena del Sonnambulismo / Alvajáró jelenet) 08/09/1962; A Drum Is a Woman, Pt. 1 by Duke Ellington, Margaret Tynes, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra; "Salome" excerpt, Spoleto, 1961

Photo: Lord Carrington

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Carrington, the Conservative Foreign Secretary who resigned after the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands.

Karen Finch, the textile conservator who restored the garments of Bonnie Prince Charlie and Marlene Dietrich among many others.

Claude Lanzmann, the French film maker best known for Shoah, the nine and a half hour documentary about the holocaust.

Harlan Ellison, the outspoken American science fiction writer who published 70 books, more than 400 short stories and countless essays.

Producer: Neil George.

Photo: Dame Gillian Lynne

Matthew Bannister on:

The choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne, best known for her work on Cats and the Phantom of the Opera.

Peter Firmin who, with his partner Oliver Postgate, created beloved children's TV characters like the Clangers, Noggin the Nog and Bagpuss.

Reinhard Hardegen the last surviving U boat ace who took part in attacks on the East Coast of America in 1942

and Alan Longmuir, founder member of the Bay City Rollers.

Archive clips from: Front Row, Radio 4, TX 2.7.2018.

Photo: Joe Jackson

Matthew Bannister on

Joe Jackson who drilled his children into becoming the Jackson Five, but was accused of abusive and violent behaviour by his most successful son, Michael.

Paul Lamplugh, whose daughter Suzy was abducted and never found. He worked with his wife to campaign for greater safety for women working alone.

Myrtle Allen, the chef who pioneered farm-to-table cooking at her family home in Ireland and became the country's first woman to win a Michelin star.

Daisy Kadibil whose one thousand two hundred mile walk across Australia inspired the film Rabbit-Proof Fence.

And Paddy Feeny who presented Top of the Form and sport on the BBC World Service for more than thirty years.

Archive clips from: Woman's Hour, Radio 4 17/04/2006; The Best Dishes Ever, BBC Two 18/02/2016; Saturday Kitchen Best Bites, BBC Two 23/03/2014; The Best Dishes Ever, BBC Two 18/02/2016; MasterChef, BBC One 07/07/1991; Rabbit-Proof Fence, BBC One 26/12/2008; Top of the Form, Radio 4 22/12/1981.

Photo: Maria Bueno

Matthew Bannister on

The conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky who brought Russian music to the UK - and British music to Russia.

Maria Bueno, the Brazilian tennis player who won Wimbledon three times.

Gena Turgel the holocaust survivor who married one of the British soldiers who liberated her.

Zhao Kangmin, the Chinese archaeologist who played an important role in the discovery of the Terracotta Army.

Leo Sarkisian the musicologist who travelled across Africa and brought back countless recordings for the Voice of America radio station.

Interviewed guest: Robert Slotover Interviewed guest: Gerard McBurney Interviewed guest: Richard Evans Interviewed guest: Karen Pollock Interviewed guest: Paul Martin Interviewed guest: John Man Interviewed guest: Maria Margaronis

Archive clips from: Prom 31, BBC Proms 2007, Radio 3, 05/08/2007; Proms on One, BBC One, 04/09/1992; The Gloria Hunniford Show, Radio 2, 08/07/1991; Radio 1 Newsbeat, 13/04/1995; Remembrance Week, BBC One, 05/11/2012; The Time of Your Life, BBC TV, 30/07/1985; Origins: The Burial of China's First Emperor, Radio 4, 13/07/1980.

Photo: Leslie Grantham

Tina Daheley on Peter Mayer, the publisher who was given a fatwa for printing 'The Satanic Verses'. Professor Celia Brackenridge, the sports scientist who campaigned for child protection in sport. Anthony Bourdain, American TV chef and author of 'Kitchen Confidential'. Leslie Grantham, the actor better known as 'Dirty Den' in EastEnders. Singer Teddy Johnson, part of the double act with Pearl Carr, who represented the UK in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest.

Archive clips from: Kaleidoscope, Radio 4 20/10/1985; View at the Top, Radio 4 03/09/1985; Bookshelf, Radio 4 02/06/1985; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 05/05/2008; Front Row, Radio 4 14/08/2000; Midweek, Radio 4 23/01/2002; Book of the Week, Radio 4 23/01/2002; A Cook's Tour, Radio 4 Extra 25/11/2010; Kitchen Confidential, Radio 4 Extra 28/05/17; The Gloria Hunniford Show, Radio 2 08/07/1991; Desmond Carrington's Icons of the 50s, Radio 2 18/01/2011; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 09/04/1989.

Photo: Peter Stringfellow

Tina Daheley on the nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow, who introduced nude table dancing to Britain.

Graham Corbett, the first Chairman of Postcomm, and Eurotunnel's chief financial officer.

Kate Spade, American fashion designer who rose to fame with her range of handbags in the 1990s.

John Julius Norwich, aristocratic man of letters, historian, travel writer and broadcaster.

Eli Avivi, self-proclaimed president of the independent state of Achzivland in Israel.

Interviewed guest: Fiona Lafferty Interviewed guest: Anne Corbett Interviewed guest: Robert Peston Interviewed guest: Artemis Cooper Interviewed guest: Raffi Berg

Archive clips from: BBC Radio Sheffield, 2012; Archive Hour: Clubbin', 21/09/2002 Radio 4; God of the Week, 01/01/94 Radio 1; Richard Bacon: Peter Stringfellow and Adam Henson, 01/03/2011 5 Live; The Today Programme, 26/03/2001 Radio 4; The Today Programme, 03/10/02 Radio 4; Chronicle: The Fall of Constantinople, 25/11/1967 BBC TV; Round Britain Quiz, 20/09/93 Radio 4; Frogmore House: A Royal Retreat, 09/08/90 BBC TV; Desert Island Discs, 02/11/97 Radio 4.

Photo: Anne Coates OBE

Matthew Bannister on the prolific film editor Anne Coates, who worked on Laurence of Arabia, The Elephant Man and Fifty Shades of Grey.

John Ashdown-Hill, the historian who helped to discover the bones of Richard III under a Leicester car park.

Dr Davida Coady who travelled the world from Biafra to Honduras helping the sick and starving.

Ted Dabney - one half of the partnership that started the successful computer games company Atari

Brendan Ingle, the Sheffield based boxing trainer who developed the careers of Herol "Bomber" Graham and "Prince" Naseem Hamed.

Archive clips from: Back Row, Radio 4 15/12/00; Front Row, Radio 4 07/12/16; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 13/02/07; BBC News 24, 04/02/13; People's Century 1954: Living Longer, WGBH and BBC Worldwide 05/01/97; Newsnight, BBC Two 27/10/81; Sport on 4, Radio 4 04/03/95; World Championship Snooker, BBC Two 03/05/09.

Photo: Philip Roth

Julian Worricker on:

Beth Chatto, the gardener and writer regarded as one of the most influential horticulturists of the past 50 years

The multiple award-winning American novelist, Philip Roth...author of Portnoy's Complaint and American Pastoral

Doreen Simmons, who moved to Japan in her forties and became an authority on sumo wrestling

Britain's first Muslim judge, Khurshid Drabu, described as a pioneer in promoting community cohesion

And June Milne, writer, publisher, and trusted guardian of the works of independent Ghana's first leader, Kwame Nkrumah.

Archive clips from: The Cancer of Betrayal, 03/03/07 Radio 4; Woman's Hour, 18/08/08 Radio 4; Gardening Gurus, 30/01/00 Radio 4; Front Row, 27/06/11 Radio 4; The World Tonight, 15/07/05 Radio 4; Sumo wrestling commentary, NHK TV.

Matthew Bannister on

Baroness Jowell - the former Labour Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell - who led the campaign to bring the Olympic Games to London and supported the survivors of the 7/7 bombings.

Tom Wolfe, author of The Right Stuff and Bonfire of the Vanities and a pioneer of using literary techniques to tell factual stories.

Dennis Nilsen, who killed up to fifteen young men at his home in North London before dismembering their bodies. Kate Adie recalls covering the story for the BBC.

And Will Alsop, the maverick architect who won the Stirling Prize for designing the Peckham Library in South London.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister on

Bruce Tulloh, who ran across the United States in record time and became European 5,000 metres champion barefoot.

Emma Smith the author of an acclaimed novel based on her travels to India with Laurie Lee.

Professor Peter Waddington the sociologist who studied policing and came up with the technique of "kettling" to control street protests

The Dowager Countess of Harewood, an Australian former model whose affair with the married Earl caused a scandal in the 1960s.

And Ronald Chesney, half of the writing partnership that brought us the hit TV sitcoms The Rag Trade and On The Buses.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Martin of Springburn: the former House of Commons speaker Michael Martin. He resigned after MPs lost confidence in his handling of the row over their expenses.

Caroline Brown, the cellist who founded the Hanover Band to perform the works of Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert on period instruments.

Valerie Riches, who campaigned for traditional family values and against abortion.

Gustav Born, the pharmacologist who made significant discoveries about blood clotting.

Michael Anderson, the prolific film director best known for making The Dam Busters.

Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister on

Avicii, the Swedish DJ whose songs became anthems for millions of festival goers around the world. He was found dead aged 28 in Oman.

Dr. Ruth Nussenzweig the medical researcher who laid the foundations for the development of a vaccine for malaria.

Anita Shreve, the author of 18 novels, including The Pilot's Wife which sold more than three million copies.

Guy Playfair, the ghost hunter who investigated the controversial Enfield Poltergeist in the 1970s.

And Bob Bura, half of the animation team that brought us Trumpton, Camberwick Green and Chigley.

Matthew Bannister on

Barbara Bush, the first woman in history to see both her husband and son sworn in as President of the USA.

Milos Forman, the film director who made Amadeus and the multi Oscar winning One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

Dame Daphne Sheldrick who devoted her life to saving elephants orphaned by poachers and other Kenyan wild animals.

Livia Gollancz, the french horn player who took over the running of the family's successful publishing house from her father.

And Dale Winton who presented Pick of the Pops on radio and Supermarket Sweep on TV.

Producer: Neil George.

Photo: Gillian Ayres

Matthew Bannister on

The artist Gillian Ayres, known for her large, exuberant abstract paintings, which reflected her exuberant character.

General Efraín Ríos Montt, the Guatemalan dictator who was convicted of genocide against his own people.

David Cobham, the naturalist and film maker who brought Tarka the Otter to the screen.

Nikki Sievwright, the Sixties model who went on to serve in the Ulster Defence Regiment.

Fergus Anckorn, who used his skill as a magician to win food for his fellow inmates in Japanese prisoner of war camps.

Photo: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

Matthew Bannister on

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela who was one of the leading anti apartheid campaigners in South Africa, but also faced allegations of being involved in violence and fraud.

Drue Heinz, who used the money from her husband's canned food business to become a major supporter of writers and artists.

Ray Wilkins, the footballer who captained England and played for 12 different clubs including Chelsea and Manchester United.

Eric Bristow, five times world darts champion.

And Steven Bochco, the American TV writer and producer who brought us Hill Street Blues and LA Law.

Archive clips: Sport on Four, Radio 4 12/01/1985; Sporting Greats, BBC TV 30/03/1999; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 02/10/1986.

Photo: Zena Skinner

Julian Worricker on:

Charles P Lazarus, the founder of Toys 'R' Us - a store chain which, for decades, captured the hearts of consumers around the world

Brazilian political activist Marielle Franco, who grew up in the favelas and was elected to Rio city council

Landscape designer John Brookes, described as 'the man who made the modern garden'....

Zena Skinner, one of the most popular chefs on television in the 1960s and 70s

And convicted Nazi war criminal, Oskar Groning, who became known as the bookkeeper of Auschwitz

Archive clips from: AUSCHWITZ: THE NAZIS AND ‘THE FINAL SOLUTION’, BBC ONE 11/01/2005; GARDENER’S WORLD, BBC TWO; GARDENER’S QUESTION TIME, RADIO 4