Last Word

Matthew Bannister on

Stephen Sondheim, the acclaimed composer and lyricist who revolutionised the stage musical. We have a tribute from Imelda Staunton who gave award-winning performances in some of his finest roles.

Sir Frank Williams, the Formula One motor racing team owner who continued to enjoy great success after breaking his neck in a car crash that left him quadriplegic. His close friend and colleague Sir Patrick Head recalls their long working relationship.

Jo-Carroll Dennison, the oldest surviving winner of the Miss America beauty contest and one of the first to object to the swim suit round.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: David Benedict and to actor

Interviewed guest: Imelda Staunton

Interviewed guest: Simon Taylor.

Interviewed guest: Jenny Kirchner

Interviewed guest: Evan Mills

Archive clips used: BBC TV, The Late Show: Face to Face - Stephen Sondheim 09/10/1995; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Stephen Sondheim 31/12/2000; BBC Sound Archive, Frank Williams Interview 12/07/1980; BBC One, News 29/11/2021; BBC Radio 1Xtra, Newsbeat 29/11/2021; Watershed Pictures/Formula One Constructors Association, Mansell & Williams 1992; BBC 5Live, News 29/11/2021; BBC Radio 4, Sport On Four 20/09/1986; YouTube, Crash Aftermath - F1 1994 San Marino; BBC One, Six o' Clock News 29/10/1997; BBC Radio 4, Today programme 29/11/2021; Justin Johnson/YouTube Channel, Delta Blues on the Weissenborn Lap Slide Guitar 20/08/2021; British Pathé, Miss America 1940; Miss America Organization/Evan Mills, Jo-Carroll Dennison 100th Anniversary Gala Speech 07/09/2021; Kenco Productions/CBS Television Network, The Phil Silvers Show 1955; Columbia Pictures, Trailer for the Jolson Story 1946; Alliance Productions, Trailer for Prehistoric Women 1950; Television Corporation of America, Abbott and Costello Show S1 E24 The Actors' Home 1953.

Matthew Bannister on

Ian Wallace, one of the most influential figures in British ornithology. At one time he had seen a wider variety of species of birds than anyone else in Britain.

Rossana Banti, the Italian partisan who risked her life acting as a courier for the Resistance.

Ivy Nicholson, the model who was once a muse for Andy Warhol but fell on hard times and ended up sleeping on the streets.

Cedric Robinson MBE, who guided people across the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay for more than 50 years.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Stephen Moss

Interviewed guest: Roderick Bailey

Interviewed guest: Bill Bewley

Interviewed guest: Taryn Gould

Interviewed guest: Sean Bolger

Archive clips used: BBC Radio 4, 100 Years of British Birds 07/05/2007; The Sound Approach Podcast, Interview With Ian Wallace 2019; Progettazione Multimediale, Noi Partigiani - Interview With Rossana Banti 2021; Taryn Gould / Vimeo, As Is, As Was teaser 2014; Planet Group Entertainment, Factory People 2008; YouTube, Valarie Solanas on Shooting Andy Warhol 1968; BBC Radio 4, Midweek 09/12/2009; BBC Radio 4 Extra, Crossing the Bay 19/04/2019; BBC Radio 4, Saturday Live 16/07/2016.

Kirsty Lang on Aaron Beck the Eminent psychiatrist who developed cognitive behavioural therapy into the world’s most popular treatment for depression and anxiety.

Joan Carlyle the principal soprano at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for almost 20 years.

Etel Adnan one of the Arab world's most important writers, and author of one of the most important War Novels ever written and

Anne Bradford Compiler of the bestselling crossword solver’s dictionary who could complete the Times puzzle in six minutes.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Dr Judith Beck

Interviewed guest: Catriona Gallo

Interviewed guest: Peggy Reynolds

Interviewed guest: Dr Elizabeth Marcus

Interviewed guest: Gillian Beauchamp

Archive clips used: BBC Radio 4, All In The Mind 26/03/2003; BBC TWO, Living Hell: Depression 03/03/1999; BBC TWO, Music On Two: I Think It Should Go Like This 31/01/1973; Serpentine Galleries, Etel Adnan Reading From The Arab Apocalypse 07/10/2015; HENI Talks, Hans Ulrich Obrist Visits Etel Adnan 24/02/2020; BBC Radio 4, The Reference Library 21/11/2000.

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Archie Lamb who rose from Foreign Office filing clerk to become one of the UK’s most distinguished ambassadors.

John Boyden, the record producer who founded the Classics For Pleasure label to bring classical music to a wide audience at affordable prices.

Ida Nudel, whose campaigns on behalf of Jewish people refused permission to emigrate to Israel from the Soviet Union led to her being sent to Siberia.

Abolhassan Banisadr, the first President of Iran after the Islamic Revolution.

Produced by Neil George

Interviewed guest: Robin Lamb

Interviewed guest: Tony Faulkner

Interviewed guest: Norman Lebrecht

Interviewed guest: Jane Biran

Interviewed guest: Hossein Bastani

Archive clips used: Churchill College Archives Centre - Cambridge, Interview with Sir Archie Lamb 21/06/2000; BBC Panorama 18/07/1977; AP Archive, Anti-Soviet Demonstration Over Jews' Treatment 04/10/1987; YouTube, Songs of Islamic Revolution in Iran 02/02/2020; AP Archive, Ayatollah Komeini Returns in Triumph to Iran 01/02/1974; ABC News, Iran Hostage Crisis 1979 11/11/1979; BBC Radio 4, The World Tonight 03/08/2009; AP Archive, Iran - Fall of President Bani-Sadr 26/06/1981.

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Michael Rutter who was known as the 'father of child psychiatry'. He pioneered research into many aspects of child development.

Christopher Wenner - also known as Max Stahl - who changed career from Blue Peter TV presenter to intrepid documentary film maker.

Sister Megan Rice, the American nun who campaigned against nuclear weapons. She was arrested and sent to prison for breaking into a uranium processing plant.

Jeanette Altwegg, the last British woman to win the individual Olympic Gold Medal for figure skating back in 1952.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Edmund Sonuga-Barke

Interviewed guest: Stephen Scott

Interviewed guest: Martin Wenner

Interviewed guest: David Butcher

Interviewed guest: Carole Sargent

Interviewed guest: Peter Mason

Interviewed guest: Susan D Russell

Archive clips used: BBC Radio 4, The Life Scientific - Sir Michael Rutter 03/06/2014; BBC TV, Blue Peter 18/06/1979; JOURNEYMAN TV, REF 4701 Dili Massacre 12/07/1994; ABC Australia, British journalist and television presenter passes away 28/10/2021; MSNBC, Nun Prisoned For Anti-Nuclear Protest Released 21/05/2015; British Pathé, Atomic Tests in Nevada 1955; Washington Post, The Nun Who Broke Into a US Nuclear... 30/04/2013; War Register's International, Sister Megan Rice Talk In London 08/02/2016; British Pathé, British Amateur Figure Skating 1947; British Movietone, British Women in Winter Olympics 25/02/1952; BBC Sound Archive, Olympic Games Skating 02/02/1952; AP /Movietone, Jeannette Altwegg wins European Figure Skating 08/02/1951.

Matthew Bannister on

Bernard Haitink, one of the greatest orchestral conductors of his generation, known for his interpretations of Mahler, Bruckner and Wagner.

Victor Gregg, the British soldier who was caught up in the Dresden bombing raids, suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and later went undercover for MI6.

Ruthie Tompson, one of Walt Disney’s longest serving animators, she worked on classic films like 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'Fantasia'.

Paddy Moloney, the Irish pipe player who founded and led the influential band the Chieftains.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Norman Lebretch

Interviewed guest: Nick Kenyon

Interviewed guest: Rick Stroud

Interviewed guest: Brian Sibley

Interviewed guest: Louise Mulcahy

Interviewed guest: Aedín Moloney

Archive clips used: BBC, Proms 2005/2008/2019; BBC Radio 3, Music Matters 20/11/2017; BBC Radio 2, Victor - Read by John Hurt 12/11/2011; MPTF YouTube channel, Spotlight on Ruthie Tompson 06/03/2012; King Features Syndicate, Popeye The Sailor Man ep52 1960; Walt Disney Productions, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937/Pinocchio 1940/Mary Poppins 1964; BBC, Omnibus 29/01/1976; BBC, Profile 15/11/1976; BBC FOUR, Legends - The Chieftains 15/03/2008; BBC, The Old Grey Whistle Test 06/04/1976.

Kirsty Lang on

Colin Powell, who rose from an impoverished childhood in Harlem to become US Secretary of State

A much loved Irish poet: Brendan Kennelly who learnt his storytelling skills growing up in his father’s pub in County Kerry

A ground-breaking female scientist Myriam Sarachik who had to contend with the deeply entrenched sexism

And the extraordinary story of John Clunies-Ross - former ruler of the Cocos Islands which he ran for many years as a private fiefdom

Produced by Neil George

Interviewed guest: Karen de Young

Interviewed guest: John Sugar

Interviewed guest: Gerald Dawe

Interviewed guest: Kenneth Chang

Interviewed guest: John George Clunies-Ross

Archive clips used: AP, US President Biden on Colin Powell 18/10/2021; NBC, Colin Powell addresses UN Sec Council 2003; Aspen Ideas Festival, Colin Powell 26/09/2007; Bloodaxe Books, Driving to Work With Brendan Kennelly 19/09/2011; CUNY TV, Women to Women - Dr Myriam P. Sarachik 28/04/2005; David R.M. Irving - YouTube, The World of Cocos Malay Music and Dance 30/12/2020; ABC (Australian TV), Dynasties - The Clunies-Ross Family 2004; Movietone, Queen at Cocos Islands and Ceylon 22/04/1954.

Matthew Bannister on

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, once described as the world’s most dangerous man - but hailed as a hero in his native Pakistan for leading the country’s development of nuclear weapons.

Dr. R. Allen Gardner, the American ethologist who trained a chimpanzee to use sign language.

Beresford King-Smith, who played a key backstage role in the success of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

And memories of the long life of Joyce Jackson who has died aged 107.

Interviewed guest: Stephen Maddock OBE

Interviewed guest: Mary Lee Jensvold

Interviewed guest: Umer Farooq

Interviewed guest: Gordon Corera

Interviewed guest: Mary Lee Jensvold

Interviewed guest: Sarah Allatt

Archive clips used: DocsOnline, Nuclear Tango 26/05/2009; AP, Clinton condemns Pakistans Nuclear Tests 28/05/1998; Al Jazeera English, Abdul Qadeer Khan 10/10/2021; Geo News, Funeral prayers for Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan 10/10/2021; WGBH, BBC Horizon - Washoe the Chimp 04/11/1974; YouTube, Unidentified clip of Beatrix and Allen Gardner with Washoe the Chimp 13/02/2009; Sarah Allatt, Private interviews of Joyce Jackson 2021; BBC, Scrapbook for 1924 23/02/1955; British Pathé, Sir Alan Cobham shows how he will refuel in the air 1934; Inter-Pathé History, British Declaration of War 03/09/1939; BBC Radio 4, On The Town - Birmingham 02/01/1980; Central Television, Simon Rattle on the Record 1988.

Matthew Bannister on

Antony Hewish, the radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for his work on discovering pulsars.

Roger Michell, the film, theatre and TV director who brought us Notting Hill, The Buddha of Suburbia and Persuasion.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the President of Algeria for more than twenty years, who was ousted from power after trying to secure a fifth term in office.

And Jane Powell, the American actor, singer and dancer who starred in many classic film musicals in the 1940s and 50s.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Astronomer Royal Lord Rees

Interviewed guest: Michael Rowan-Robinson

Interviewed guest: Jeremy Sams

Interviewed guest: David Benedict

Interviewed guest: Maher Mezahi

Archive clips used: Web of Stories, Antony Hewish interview 01/08/2017; New York Times, Almost Famous - The Silent Pulse of the Universe 27/07/2021; Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Notting Hill (film) 1999; BBC Radio 3, The Essay – Roger Michell 06/05/2016; BBC 2, Downtown Lagos 07/10/1992; Paramount/Scott Rudin, Changing Lanes (film) 2002; BBC/Millésime Productions/WGBH, Jane Austen’s Persuasion (tv series) 1995; YouTube, From Our Mountains – revolution song; BBC Newsnight, Algerian Elections 15/04/1999; BBC World Service, This Week and Africa – Algeria Referendum 18/09/1999; BBC Radio 4, Today – Algerian Elections 09/04/2009; HBO/VICE News, The Youth-Led Protests That Forced Algeria's President To Not Run Again 13/03/2019; SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Conversation with Jane Powell 02/12/1997; Charles R. Rogers Productions, Song of the Open Road (trailer) 1944; NBC RADIO, The Big Show 12/11/1950.

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Gowrie, the Tory peer who served as Northern Ireland minister and Arts minister under Margaret Thatcher. He was also a poet and went on to chair Sotheby’s and the Arts Council.

Kamla Bhasin, the Indian feminist writer who inspired millions of women in her campaigns against patriarchy.

Shirley Metherell MBE who founded a centre for the treatment of babies with hearing loss after her own daughter was diagnosed.

Roger Hunt MBE, the Liverpool FC striker who played a key role in England’s 1966 World Cup winning team.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Julia Langdon

Interviewed guest: V (formerly known as Eve Ensler)

Interviewed guest: Aishwarya Bhuta

Interviewed guest: Julie Hughes

Interviewed guest: Imogen Manuel

Interviewed guest: John Keith

Archive clips used: BBC Radio 3, Private Passions - Lord Gowrie 01/08/1998; BBC Radio 4, The Ones That Got Away 01/08/2001; YouTube, Kamla Basin Official - Because I am a Girl 27/03/2020; YouTube, Kamla Bhasin - Slogans for One Billion Rising, 31/10/2013; TEDxDurbarMarg, Kamla Bhasin - In Women We Believe 08/06/2021; The Elizabeth Foundation Charity, Interview with Shirley Metherell MBE; BBC Radio 5Live, Football Daily 29/09/2021; British Pathe, Liverpool vs Leeds 1965 cup final; BBC1 Summer of 66 - Magyr Misery 26/05/1986; YouTube, England vs Scotland April 1966.