Last Word

Folgen

• Founder of the ‘MOBOs’ and champion of black music – Kanya King 12.06.2026 27Min.

  For thirty years, Kanya King was a champion of Black music. She was the founder and guiding light of the Music of Black Origin Awards, the ‘MOBOs’. Launched in 1996, the awards became a highly successful annual event. Sir Alex Younger was one of the longest serving chiefs of the Secret Intelligence Service MI6. He held the role known as “C” from 2014 to 2020. In that time, he headed the security operation to protect the 2012 Olympics and led Britain’s response to the Salisbury Novichok poisoning.Diane Carlson Evans served as a nurse with the US Army during the Vietnam War and led the campaign for a memorial to the women who had served alongside her. And Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian graphic novelist and film maker who created Persepolis, a story of growing up in 1980s Iran. The book, that was designed to make western readers reflect on the humanity of Iranian people, sold millions of copies around the world before being made into an Oscar nominated film in 2007.Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, 26/02/2020; Trevor Nelson, Rhythm Nation, BBC Radio 1, 9/11/1997; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 4/10/2014; BBC News at 10 05/03/2018; Today Programme: Theresa May Guest Editor, 31/12/2025; Newscast, 30/09/21; Start the Week, Radio 4, 09/12/2024; PERSEPOLIS | Official Trailer; BBC News at 10, 28/09/2022; Woman’s Hour, Radio 4, 30/12/2003; Front Row, Radio 4, 19/03/24
• Larry King: The man behind Billie Jean King’s feminist tennis revolution 05.06.2026 27Min.

  Larry King teamed up with his wife Billie Jean King to start the women’s professional tennis circuit in the USA.Baroness Ramsay was MI6 Head of Station in Helsinki during the Cold War and then became a leading figure in Labour politics.Caroline Marland transformed the financial fortunes of The Guardian newspaper as a senior executive in the 1980s and 90s. Valie Export challenged centuries of misuse of the female body from male artists by exhibiting her own form for controversial performances.Archive used: Women’s Tennis Association, 03/2024; VisNews, 01/05/1981; BBC News, 12/09/1985; Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game, BBC Two, 08/05/2024; BBC Parliament, 02/12/2015; The Money Programme, BBC Two, 14/02/1988; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 01/06/2000Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Josie Hardy Editor: Andrea Kennedy
• Clarence B Jones, Judith Chalmers, Dr Anna Ritchie, Professor Frank Land 29.05.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onClarence B Jones the American lawyer and civil rights campaigner who helped Martin Luther King to write his famous I Have A Dream speech.Judith Chalmers, the TV and radio presenter best known for her globetrotting holiday series Wish You Were Here.Dr Anna Ritchie, the archaeologist who excavated some of Orkney’s most revealing ancient sites.And Frank Land, one of the prime movers in the development of the world’s first business computer - at the Lyons catering company.Interviewee: Mark Durden Smith Interviewee: Matt Ritchie Interviewee: Georgina FerryProducer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Josie Hardy Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive used: Martin Luther King March on Washington, SOUND ARCHIVE Reference: 28322, 28/08/1963; BBC News special, BBC News, 28/08/2020; Wish you were Here…? Thames TV, ITV, 10/01/1978. From YouTube upload ThamesTv, 8/08/2020; Wish you were there, BBC Archive, 28/03/1966; Tracks of My Years, BBC Radio 2, 28/09/2017; Smillie’s People: Judith Chalmers, BBC 1, 20/01/1997; Pebble Mill, BBC 1, 14/05/1993; Gardeners’ Question Time: Matt Biggs’ House, BBC Radio 4, 27/08/2023; The House the Picts Built, BBC, 28/08/1974; Around Scotland: The Scots, BBC1 Scotland, 10/03/1977; Around Scotland: Early History: The First People, 17/09/1979; LEO celebration Part 2 - Panel Discussion with Frank Land, Georgina Ferry, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Centre for Computing History and the LEO Computers Society (partnership project), 18/05/2023; BBC Oral History Collection - Interview with Judith Chalmers, John Escolme History of the BBC, 26/03/1982;
• Michael Pennington, Cynthia Shange, Scott Hastings, Beverley Martyn 22.05.2026 27Min.

  Kirsty Lang on Michael Pennington, the Shakespearean actor who preferred a life on stage to the glamour of Hollywood. For Dame Judi Dench, he was her 'Mr Plum', she recalls his life.Cynthia Shange defied apartheid to become the first Black woman to represent South Africa at Miss World. Scott Hastings the rugby legend, who was once Scotland’s most capped player. He went on to become a well-known commentator and campaigner for mental health charities, following the death of his wife after her long battle with depression. And Beverley Martyn, the singer songwriter, a star of the British folk scene, who was signed by Beatles producer George Martin aged 16, but her career was not a smooth ride. Please note this programme references suicide. Support and information is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.Interviewee: Dame Judi Dench Interviewee: Nonhle Thema Interviewee: John Beattie Interviewee: Joe BoydProducer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive: Miss World 1972. BBC TV, 01 Dec 1972; Bob Harris Sunday : Beverley Martyn plays live, BBC Radio 2, 27th April 2014; Five Nations, Rugby Union, Scotland v England, 17th March 1990; Scrum V, Live Pro12: 2016/2017, Edinburgh v Blues, 24th Feb 2017; BBC News Breakfast, 21st Dec 2020; Richard II, writer William Shakespeare, dir Gregory Doran, Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Gift of Gorgon, writer Peter Shaffer, dir Peter Hall, RSC, 1993; Henry V, dir Michael Bogdanov, The English Shakespeare Company in The War of the Roses, Produced by John Paul Chapple and Andy Ward, A Portman Classics production in association with Contracts International and Windmill Lane Productions, 1990
• Ruth Slenczynska, Dame Bridget Ogilvie, Tony Worthington, Russell Tyner KC 15.05.2026 27Min.

  The virtuoso pianist, Ruth Slenczynska was the last living student of Sergei Rachmaninoff. She began performing at the age of four, and was once reputed to be the greatest child prodigy since Mozart.From the Australian outback to the forefront of British science, Dame Bridget Ogilvie was the daughter of sheep farmers who went on to help make the UK a leader in biomedical research.Labour MP, Tony Worthington, survived a violent ambush in Somaliland and played a role in the Northern Ireland peace talks.Crown prosecutor, Russel Tyner KC, was a pioneer in the prosecution of cyber-crime.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Lowri Morgan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive: BBC News, 12/01/2019; BBC, Hunting the Lorry Killers, 03/11/202; BBC, Eureka, 08/01/1997; BBC, Newsnight, 25/10/1999; BBC, Current Account, 16/10/1979; BBC, Reporting Scotland, 11/02/1994; BBC, Newsline, 06/05/1997; BBC, Panorama, 18/03/2003
• Dr Ittai Gradel, Dame Shirley Porter, Professor Nigel Dunnett, María Nieves Rego 08.05.2026 27Min.

  Dr Ittai Gradel, the Danish antiquities dealer who uncovered the theft of hundreds of artefacts from the British Museum. Katie Razzall recalls how he helped her report the story.Dame Shirley Porter, the Conservative leader of Westminster Council who had a spectacular fall from grace over the 'homes for votes' scandal.Professor Nigel Dunnett, the horticulturalist and garden designer, known for his ambitious public planting displays at the Olympic Park in East London and the moat of the Tower of London. His friend and fellow gardener Arit Anderson pays tribute.Maria Nieves Rego, the dancer who took the tango from Argentina to the rest of the world. Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive: BBC One, News at Ten, 16/08/2023; BBC Radio 4, Front Row, 11/09/2023; BBC Parliament, House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, 23/10/2023; BBC Radio 4, Shadow World: Thief at the British Museum 31/05/2024; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs, 28/04/1991; BBC, Radio 4, The Report, 10/05/1996; BBC One, News at Six, 05/07/2004; BBC Radio 4, Costing the Earth: Where Have all our Gardens Gone?, 29/09/2015; The Man from Atlanta, 23/08/1982; Our Last Tango: Official Trailer, Uploaded to YouTube, 31/05/2016
• Xia De-hong, Lord Hunt of Chesterton, Joan Burstein, Bill Leader 01.05.2026 27Min.

  Xia De-hong, inspired her daughter Jung Chang to write the best selling book Wild Swans about her trials and tribulations at the hands of the Chinese government.Lord Hunt, the meteorologist and former Director General and Chief Executive of the Met Office, who was an expert in turbulence.Joan Burstein, ran the influential Browns boutique in London’s South Molton Street, backing the careers of many leading designers.Bill Leader, the recording engineer who captured all the leading performers of the folk revival of the 1960s and 70s.Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive: Tomorrow's World, BBC One,18/11/1965; You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, 27/06/2005; My Life in Seven Charms, with Annoushka Ducas MBE, 27/05/2021; Joan Burstein Browns 50 Testimonial, Browns Fashion (Uploaded to Youtube - 22 Oct 2020); Best of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, BBC Two, Uploaded to Youtube
• Andy Kershaw, Dame Averil Cameron, Dr Judith Rapoport, Desmond Morris 24.04.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister on Andy Kershaw, the radio DJ who championed world music, traversing the globe to bring new and eclectic sounds to a mainstream audience. For a time he was roadie to Billy Bragg who recalls their life on the road together. Dame Averil Cameron, the leading historian who re-shaped our understanding of the Byzantine empire. Her friend, Professor Mary Beard, pays tribute. Dr Judith Rapoport, the child psychiatrist who challenged received wisdom about obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. And the zoologist, author, artist and TV presenter Desmond Morris, best known for his provocative 1967 bestselling book The Naked Ape.Producer: Catherine Powell Assisstant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive Michael Parkinson, BBC 1, 06/10/69; Michael Parkinson, BBC 1, 07/11/81; The Evolution of The Naked Ape: Archive on 4, BBC Radio 4 18/04/2026; The Likely Lads, BBC 2; The Time of Your Life, BBC 1, 06/08/85; Timewatch: Verdict on the Shroud, BBC 2, 27/07/88; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 11/05/90; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 24/09/95; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 16/03/98; The Hermit Kingdom (North Korea), BBC Radio 3, 28/12/03; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 08/10/04; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 11/03/07; Judith Rapoport on Dimensional Research in Mental Illness, YouTube, 25/06/13; "Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia" With Judith Rapoport, M.D., YouTube, 12/09/13; A History of the World in 100 Objects : The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD) : Hinton St Mary Mosaic, BBC Radio 4, 11/03/21;
• Asha Bhosle, Sir Neil Cossons, Professor Harold Ellis, Daphne Selfe 17.04.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onThe Indian singer Asha Bhosle who soundtracked countless Bollywood films and collaborated with Boy George, Michael Stipe and Damon Albarn.Sir Neil Cossons, a leading light in the development of the UK’s museums.Professor Harold Ellis, the respected surgeon whose long career began at the same time as the foundation of the NHS.Daphne Selfe, the elegant model who was rediscovered in her seventies and transformed the image of older people in fashion.Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Colin PatersonArchive: Ironbridge Gorge Museum, BBC News, 01 Jan 1930; Network East, BBC Two, 22 Aug 1987; The Courage to Fail: Nerves of Steel, BBC Two, 02 Nov 1987; Talk of the 80's: Neil Cossons, BBC Two, 21 Dec 1989; Everywoman, BBC World Service, 16 Dec 2002; PM, BBC Radio 4, 02 Jul 2008; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 26 Dec 2009; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 16 May 2013; Evening News, BBC London, 03 Jul 2018
• Sir Craig Reedie, Bronwen Naish, Geoff Yeadon, Margareta Magnusson 10.04.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onSir Craig Reedie, the sports administrator who led London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics and went on to become President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Lord Coe pays tribute. Bronwen Naish, the musician who devoted her life to promoting the joys of the double bass.Geoff Yeadon, the world record breaking cave diver from Yorkshire.And Margareta Magnusson, best known as the author of the book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”.Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive: Daytime Live, BBC One, 21/01/1988; Edinburgh Festival Fringe, YouTube Upload, Browen Naish, 01/09/2020; Bartholomew, YouTube Upload, Bronwen Naish, 04/09/2020; Wogan, BBC One, 01/07/1985; A Visit with Bronwen Naish, Bass-Talk with Hagen and Heyes, YouTube Upload, 25/02/2024; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 09/01/2018 Conversation Piece, BBC Radio 4, 07/05/1982; Behind the Ears, BBC Radio 3, 15/06/2025; BBC Look North, BBC, June 1983; BBC News, BBC, 06/06/2005; Newsnight, BBC One, 21/07/2016; Mixed Zone interview of Sir Craig Reedie – The ANOC Awards 2022; BBC News, BBC, 06/07/2005; The Daily Politics, BBC 2, 14/01/2003
• Robert Fox, Mary Rand MBE, Sir Tony Hoare, Biruté Galdikas 10.04.2026 27Min.

  John Wilson onRobert Fox the producer who had a career that spanned theatre, film and television. We have tributes from Colin Firth, Rupert Everett and Robert’s brother, the actor Edward Fox.Mary Rand MBE, the first British woman to win an Olympic athletics gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.Sir Tony Hoare, one of the world’s leading computer software designers who developed algorithms and languages which have become industry standards. Biruté Galdikas, the primatologist and conservationist whose years of studying orangutans in their natural habitat helped understand and protect the primates.Interviewee: Edward Fox Interviewee: Rupert Everett Interviewee: Colin Firth Interviewee: Wendy Sly Interviewee: Professor Bill Roscoe Interviewee: Professor Erin VogelProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used: Another Country movie promo, Another Country Trailer, 1984, director Marek Kanievska, writer Julian Mitchell, Goldcrest Films International,, YouTube Uploaded by Sundance Now, 04/10/2017; Another Country, Queen’s Theatre, directed by Stuart Burge, written by Julian Mitchell, 1982, broadcast on Newsnight, BBC Two, 02/03/1982; Mary Rand at the 1964 Olympics, BBC Sound Archive, commentary by David Coleman, 1964 Tokyo Olympics, 14/01/1964; An Interview with Tony Hoare, ACM 1980 A.M. Turing Award Recipient, Interviewer: Cliff Jones, Newcastle University, 24/11/2015, uploaded to Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) YouTube channel on 25/10/2016; Biruté Galdikas interview, Good Morning, BBC One, 15/02/1995; Biruté Galdikas, Great Apes Documentary, BBC Two, 29/02/1976; Biruté Galdikas interview, Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4, 16/02/1995;
• Dame Jenni Murray, Len Deighton, Lynda Hale, Jurgen Habermas 03.04.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onThe Woman’s Hour presenter Dame Jenni Murray. Mark Steel joins us to recall her triumphant debut as a stand-up comedian. Len Deighton who created “anti-James Bond” novels including The Ipcress File, Billion Dollar Brain and Horse Under Water.Lynda Hale, the footballer who battled against sexism to play in the first official England women’s international in 1972.Jurgen Habermas, the German philosopher who came up with the influential concept of “the public sphere”.Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive: Jurgen Habermas interview, YouTube Upload, Davidmeme, 1/02/2007; Jürgen Habermas Interview, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs (Georgetown University), 10/2011; Scotland v England, BBC News, 18/11/1972; South Today, BBC, 29/07/2025; South Today, BBC, 18/07/2022; Nationwide, BBC, 17/11/1972; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 19/06/1976 The Lively Arts: Len Deighton, BBC Two, 18/12/1977; The Truth About Len Deighton, BBC Four, 01/08/2007; The Ipcress File, BBC Radio 4, 04/01/2015; Pebble Mill, BBC One, 13/05/1993; South Today, BBC (via TV Ark), 20/10/1983; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 19/01/1987; Comic Relief, BBC, 09/03/2011 BBC News, BBC, 21/12/2006; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 01/10/2020
• Yanar Mohammed, MP Phil Woolas, Professor Robin Weiss, Jane Lapotaire 20.03.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onYanar Mohammed who campaigned for women’s rights in Iraq and set up a secret network of shelters for those fleeing abusive relationships. She was shot dead on 2nd March.Phil Woolas, a key figure in the New Labour project who became MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.Professor Robin Weiss, the eminent virologist who carried out important work to understand HIV.Jane Lapotaire, the classical actor who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Edith Piaf.Interviewee: Nawal Al-Maghafi Interviewee: Nick Jones Interviewee: Jonathan Weber Interviewee: Zoë WanamakerProducer: Ribika Moktan Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used: Outlook, BBC World Service, 09/05/2005; News 1800, BBC Radio 4, 14/12/2003; BBC News, 1/04/1992; BBC News, 02/05/1997; Daily Politics: 2010 Election, Debates: The Immigration Debate, 4/05/2010; BBC News at Ten, BBC, 07/05/2009; BBC News at One, 09/12/2010; BBC News, 21/11/1986; Frontiers, BBC Radio 4, 24/02/1996; Piaf, playwright Pam Gems, director Howard Davies, production by Royal Shakespeare Company, broadcast on Arena: Theatre, BBC 12/02/1979; The 35th Annual Tony Awards, dir Clark Jones, Producer Alexander H. Cohen, produced and written by Hildy Parks, A Bentwood Television Production, CBS, 07/06/1981; Desert island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 22/08/1986; Richard II, dir Gregory Dean, The Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Woman's Hour, Radio 4, 24/04/2003
• Paul Conroy, Kenith Trodd, Astrid Llewellyn, Jo Purvis 13.03.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onPaul Conroy, the photojournalist who worked extensively in war zones in the Middle East and the Balkans. He was with the Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin when she was killed in Syria. Kenith Trodd, the TV producer best known for his work with Dennis Potter on series like Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective. Stephen Poliakoff pays tribute. Astrid Llewellyn who skippered the first all-female crew to take part in a Tall Ships Race. Jo Purvis, the DJ who promoted LGBTQ+ ballroom dancing events in the 1970s and 1980s. Interviewee: Stephen Poliakoff Interviewee: Tim Llewellyn Interviewee: Toni Krause Interviewee: Peter FlockhartProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used: Paul Conroy interview, Music on the Front Line, Music Matters, BBC Radio 3, 03/05/2025; Paul Conroy: My Escape from Homs, Outlook, BBC World Service, 22/01/2013; Caught on a Train, Play for Today, Playhouse, Director: Peter Duffell, Writer: Stephen Poliakoff , BBC Two, 31/10/1980; The Ballroom of Romance, Play for Today, Playhouse, Director: Pat O'Connor, Writer: William Trevor, BBC Two, 05/11/1982; Pennies From Heaven, Episode 4: Better Think Twice, Director: Piers Haggard, Writer: Dennis Potter, BBC One, 28/03/1978; The Singing Detective, BBC Promo, 1991; The Singing Detective, Night Waves, BBC Radio 3, 16/06/2014; Sunday Feature: Dennis Potter - With Aggressive Affection, BBC Radio 3, 04/08/2015; Astrid Llewellyn interview and actuality, The Tall Ships Race 1974, BBC Television, 07/08/1974; Jo Purvis interview, Purvette, taken from the film ondon. Director: Alex Eisenberg, Courtesy of Alex Eisenberg, 2024;
• Neil Sedaka, Drusilla Beyfus, Professor Dame Carole Jordan, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 06.03.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onNeil Sedaka the prolific songwriter who had Sixties hits with Oh Carol and Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen and made a Seventies comeback with Solitaire and Love Will Keep Us Together. Graham Gouldman pays tribute. Drusilla Beyfus, the journalist best known for her books on etiquette. Her daughter Alexandra Shulman shares her memories.Professor Dame Carole Jordan, the leading astronomer who was an authority on the coronae of the sun and cool stars.And Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran for over thirty years who was killed in an air strike.Interviewee: Nazila Fathi Interviewee: Lisa Verrico Interviewee: Graham Gouldman Interviewee: Professor Mike Lockwood Interviewee: Alexandra ShulmanProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used: Revolution In Iran, BBC News, 11/02/1979; The death of Ayatolla Khomeni, BBC News, 04/06/1989; Iran street protests, BBC News, 1999 and 2009; Protests in Iran, BBC News, 29/06/2023; BBC News report, 01/03/2026; Neil Sedaka: King of Song, BBC Four, 28/10/2018; The Sky at Night: Exploring the ultraviolet sky, BBC 1, 07/05/1989; Drusilla Beyfus, recorded by Susan Irvine, 08/08/2018; Drusilla Beyfus interview, Castle in the Country, BBC Two, 18/03/2005; Drusilla Beyfus interview, Eight for Eight fifteen, BBC Radio 4, 12/06/1988;
• Martyn Butler, Allan Massie, Professor Nicola Fear, Willie Colón 27.02.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onMartyn Butler who was a central figure in the UK’s early response to HIV and AIDS. He was a co-founder of the Terrence Higgins Trust and gave his own home phone number as a helpline.Allan Massie, the Scottish author and critic whose hero was Sir Walter Scott. Sir Ian Rankin pays tribute. Professor Nicola Fear, the epidemiologist who studied the effects on military personnel of serving in the Iraq War and Afghanistan.Willie Colón, the American trombonist who was inspired by his Puerto Rican heritage to create salsa music.Interviewee: Tony Whitehead Interviewee: Sir Ian Rankin Interviewee: Professor Sir Simon Wessely Interviewee: Garth CartwrightProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used: Martyn Butler seminar recording, Terrence Higgins Trust, THT YouTube channel, uploaded 26/06/2022; Terrence Higgins Trust actuality recording, Week In Week Out, BBC Wales, 29/10/1985; News report, BBC News, 08/01/1987; Advert: Iceberg, Department of Health and Social Security, Dir Nicolas Roeg, Voiceover: John Hurt, 1987; Allan Massie, The Book Programme: First Novels, BBC Two, 11/02/1978; Allan Massie interview, France Politics, Writers Revealed, BBC Radio 4, 06/07/1992; Allan Massie interview, General Election Report, BBC News, 10/04/1997; Nicola Fear, The Fear Factor: life as a military epidemiologist, King's College London, uploaded to YouTube on 23/04/2018; Iraq War news report, BBC News, 31/03/2009; Afghanistan News Report, BBC News, 27/10/2014; Willie Colon interview, Latin Music USA, BBC Four, 05/02/2010;
• Reverend Jesse Jackson, Diane Munday, Philippe Gaulier, Lady Jean Wilson 20.02.2026 27Min.

  Kirsty Lang onReverend Jesse Jackson the leading American civil rights campaigner.Diane Munday who fought to make abortion legal and co-founded the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.Philippe Gaulier whose internationally renowned clown school which helped to shape the careers of many leading actors. Lady Jean Wilson who travelled the world building a charity that cured millions of avoidable blindness Interviewee: Lord Woolley of Woodford Interviewee: Sally Phillips Interviewee: Cal McCrystal Interviewee: Caroline Harper Interviewee: Andrew CopsonProducer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Editor: Glyn Tansley
• Meredith Hooper, David Young, Dorothy Solomon, Derek Kelly 13.02.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister on:Meredith Hooper, the prolific author who wrote several books about Antarctica. We have a tribute from her son, the Oscar winning film director Tom Hooper.David Young, the American lawyer who was in charge of a team known as “The Plumbers” who tried to stop leaks of sensitive information from the Nixon White House.Dorothy Solomon, the manager and agent who steered the careers of The Dubliners, The Bachelors and many other stars of the 1960s and 70s. Sharon Osbourne pays tribute.Derek Kelly, the Essex farmer who revived the fortunes of the Bronze turkey - with a little help from Delia Smith.Interviewee: Tom Hooper Interviewee: Suannah Young Interviewee: Giles Alston Interviewee: Sharon Osbourne Interviewee: Dec Cluskey Interviewee: Paul KellyProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used: Meredith Hooper interview, Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4, 20/08/2007; Meredith Hooper interview, Excess Baggage, BBC Radio 4, 04/02/2012; Tom Hooper, Best Director announcement and acceptance speech, OSCARS, 03/03/2011; Daniel Ellsberg interview, 1971 press conference, BBC Archive Facebook channel, uploaded 05/04/2016; Watergate Special News Report, CBS News, 04/11/1973; Derek Kelly, Delia Smith’s Christmas, BBC TWO, 22/11/1990;
• Sir Nicholas White, Lord Wallace, Professor Deborah Cameron, Sly Dunbar 06.02.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister onSir Nicholas White, whose research on tropical diseases saved millions of lives.Lord Wallace, the Liberal Democrat who served in the Scottish and Westminster parliaments and was Deputy to three First Ministers.Professor Deborah Cameron who studied the use of language from a feminist perspective.Sly Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer who played on hundreds of hit records and teamed up with bass player Robbie Shakespeare to form “The Riddim Twins”.Interviewee: Professor Nicholas Day Interviewee: Lord McConnell Interviewee: Professor Miriam Meyerhoff Interviewee: Jazzie B Interviewee: Kevin Le GendreProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used:Nick White: Improving the treatment of infectious diseases, Mahidol Oxford Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok, Thailand, Tropical Medicine Oxford YouTube Channel, uploaded 08/03/2024; Professor Nick White: malaria, Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) interview, University of Oxford YouTube channel, uploaded 26 Jan 2012; Nicholas White, “Malaria Defeating The Curse”, Horizon, BBC Two, 05/06/2005; Nick White, Fatal Latitudes, BBC Two, 23/02/1993; Jim Wallace, Scottish Devolution Referendum, Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland 1997; Coalition, Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland 14/05/1999; Jim Wallace, Acting first minister clip, FMQs, Scottish Parliament, 15/11/2001; Jim Wallace interview, Stark Talk, BBC Radio Scotland, 09/06/2000; Deborah Cameron interview, Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 31/10/2025; Deborah Cameron interview, Speak Up, BBC Radio 4, 02/08/2024;
• Sir Mark Tully, Dame Gillian Wagner, Dr Gladys West, Richard Larn OBE 30.01.2026 27Min.

  Matthew Bannister on Sir Mark Tully who reported on India for the BBC for decades, covering some of the most significant events in the country’s recent history. Dame Gillian Wagner who campaigned to raise the standards of residential care in the UK.Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose work paved the way for the development of GPS.Richard Larn OBE, the diver who was one of the UK’s leading experts on shipwrecks.Interviewee: Sarah Tully Interviewee: Qurban Ali Interviewee: Lucy McCarraher Interviewee: Carolyn West Oglesby Interviewee: Steve RoueProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Colin PatersonArchive used: Mark Tully interview with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Outlook, BBC World Service, 1975; Mark Tully interview, Desert Islands Discs, BBC Radio 4, 15/06/2003; Mark Tully news analysis, BBC World Report, 12/07/1971; Mark Tully report from Bhopal, BBC News, 04/12/1984; Mark Tully report from Ayodhya, BBC News, 06/12/1992; Mark Tully presenting, Something Understood, BBC Radio 4, 30/07/2000; Gillian Wagner, The Barnardo Family, BBC Radio 4, 23/04/1979; Gillian Wagner interview, Scene on Six, BBC News NI, 15/10/1981; Gillian Wagner, The Flower of the Flock, BBC Radio 4, 31/07/1981; Dr Gladys West interview, Today, BBC Radio 4, 31/12/2022; Gladys West interview, PBS News Hour, PBS, 20/01/2026; Hannah Fry: The Secret Genius of Everyday Life, BBC Two, 17/11/2022; Richard Larn interview, BBC News at One, 19/08/2010; Richard Larn , Richard Larn, Shipwrecks, Countryfile, BBC One, 25/02/2007; Richard Larn interview, The Mullion Pin Wreck, BBC, 07/08/1975; The Raising of the Mary Rose, BBC Radio 4, 10/10/1982; Richard Larn, Divers Midweek, 29/08/1974;