
Last Word
BBC
Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently
Location:
London, United Kingdom
Networks:
BBC
Description:
Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently
Language:
English
Episodes
Lord Tebbit, Daphne Boden, James Leprino, Sir Francis Graham-Smith
7/11/2025
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;
Duration:00:27:53
Courtney Griffiths KC, Sara Venn, Nina Kuscik, Mohammad Hussain
7/4/2025
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
Duration:00:27:50
Michael Lachmann, Pik-sen Lim, Leon Krier, David 'Syd' Lawrence
6/27/2025
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
Duration:00:27:50
Sir Geoff Palmer, Barbara Holdridge, Kim Woodburn, Sly Stone
6/20/2025
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
Duration:00:27:43
Brian Wilson, Frederick Forsyth, Uriah Rennie, Edmund White
6/13/2025
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;
Duration:00:27:52
Valmik Thapar, Nancy Blaik, Norma Meras Swenson, Dr Stuart Farrimond
6/6/2025
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
Duration:00:27:50
Alan Yentob, Richard Garwin, Dr Joy Schaverien, Anne Merriman
5/30/2025
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
Duration:00:27:58
Hannah Deacon, Andrew Norfolk, Dame June Clark, Martin Graham
5/23/2025
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
Duration:00:27:51
Sir Tom Farmer, Elaine Wynn, Sue Stapely, Joseph Nye
5/16/2025
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;
Duration:00:27:42
Jane Gardam, Sir Roger Birch, Mike Peters, Francoise Hampson
5/9/2025
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
Duration:00:27:53
Virginia Giuffre, Rosy Bremer, LJ Smith, Wizz Jones
5/2/2025
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
Duration:00:27:44
Pope Francis, Paddy Higson, David Sassoon
4/25/2025
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;
Duration:00:27:49
Anne Scargill, Ronnie Appleton, Cecil Wright, Mario Vargas Llosa
4/18/2025
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
Duration:00:27:52
Lord Kalms, Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, Rex Cowan, Wilma Finla
4/11/2025
Matthew Bannister on
Lord Kalms, who turned his family’s camera shop into the multi-million-pound Dixons electronics chain.
Melissa Llewelyn-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
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
Duration:00:27:57
Val Kilmer, Jane Reed, Sir Torquil Norman, Dr Marika Sherwood
4/4/2025
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
Duration:00:27:51
Oleg Gordievsky, Renee Goddard, Professor Richard Fortey, Sofia Gubaidulina
3/28/2025
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;
Duration:00:27:53
Group Captain John Allman ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC, Dame Julie Kenny, Tuppy Owens, Dick McTaggart
3/21/2025
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/
Duration:00:27:52
Athol Fugard, Janet Pharaoh, Alison Halford, Johnny Green
3/14/2025
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;
Duration:00:27:51
Bill Dare, Clint Hill, Valérie André, Gene Hackman
3/7/2025
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
Duration:00:27:51
Roberta Flack, Dr D G Hessayon, Keith Dewhurst, Rose Hanks
2/28/2025
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
Duration:00:27:50