Last Word

Julian Worricker on:

The opera director, Sir Graham Vick, who challenged people's perceptions by discovering new performers and new audiences.

Carmel Budiardjo, the human rights campaigner whose work was influenced by time spent in jail in Indonesia.

The award-winning radio documentary maker, Piers Plowright, who set out to shine a light on the everyday lives of ordinary people.

And Dusty Hill....the bearded bass player from Texas, who enjoyed worldwide success as part of ZZ Top.

Producer: Laura Northedge

Interviewed guest: Simon Halsey

Matthew Bannister on

Jackie Mason, the comedian and former rabbi whose observations of Jewish life took him from the Borscht Belt to Broadway.

John Woodcock, the veteran cricket writer who reported on some of the greatest matches of the twentieth century.

Dinah Murray, a tireless campaigner for the rights of autistic people.

Billy Lacey, thought to be the last of the Norfolk marshmen who used traditional methods to clear dykes and cut reeds.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Michael Goldfarb

Archive clips used: 20th CENTURY FOX, Simpsons episode 8F05, 1991; WARNER, The World According To Me, 1987; YouTube, A Bi Geznut The Genius Which is Jackie Mason; Angel/EMI, Look Who's Laughing - Live at the London Palladium, 1997; SPORTS BOOK AWARDS, John Woodcock, 2018; WISEArchive, Bill Lacey interview, 2021.

Matthew Bannister on

Gillian Sheen, the first and only British person to win an Olympic Gold Medal for fencing.

Professor William 'Twink' Allen, the equine fertility expert whose request for permission to clone a horse was turned down by regulators.

Squadron Leader Lawrence 'Benny' Goodman, the bomber pilot who flew highly dangerous missions with the 617 squadron during the second world war.

Alan Lewis, the publisher and editor who presided over some of the most successful music magazines of the late twentieth century, including 'Sounds', 'NME' and 'Kerrang!'.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Bruce Donaldson

Archive clips used: BRITISH FENCING interview, 2012; PATHE, Olympian wins at foil competition, 1957; CSA The Melbourne Rendezvous film, 1956; Global Entertainment Test Tube Foals, 2016; MYFOOTAGE.COM Bombers Sink Nazi Battleship, 1944; PATHE RAF's New 10 Ton Bomb, 1945; EMAP Kerrang! UK advert, 2007.

Matthew Bannister on

Jehan Sadat, the wife of president Anwar Sadat of Egypt, who campaigned for women’s rights, supported the disabled and disadvantaged people and forged an academic career.

Michael Horovitz, the anarchic poet who staged chaotic 'happenings' and supported new talent.

Richard Ernst, the Swiss chemist who won the Nobel prize for his work on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Dilip Kumar, the Bollywood actor known as 'the king of tragedy'.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Noah Bakr

Archive clips used: ABC NEWS, 06/10/1980; SPINE TV, 21/12/2011;

Matthew Bannister on

Donald Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defense who challenged the military bureaucracy, advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and was blamed for many of the failings of that operation.

Menelik Shabazz, the pioneering film director who supported the careers of many other black film makers.

Elizabeth French, the archaeologist who was a leading expert on the pottery of the ancient Greek city of Mycenae.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Justin Webb

Archive clips used: C-SPAN 19/03/2003; CNN 02/12/2002; AP 13/05/2004;

Matthew Bannister on

The controversial American businessman John McAfee who made his first fortune selling anti-virus software, retreated into a compound in Belize where he was suspected of links with organised crime, campaigned to win the Presidential nomination for the Libertarian party and was found hanged in a Spanish prison cell after facing extradition on fraud and tax evasion charges.

General Trần Thiện Khiêm, a key player in the 'snake pit' of coup and counter coup that destabilised the government of South Vietnam during the war of the 1960s.

Karla Burns, the Broadway and West End singer who became the first black person to win an Olivier Award.

Horace 'Lyle' Hutley, thought to be the last surviving prisoner of war who worked on the infamous bridge over the River Kwai.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Michael Carlson

Archive clips used: CNBC News, 24/06/2021; Soft Focus with Jena Friedman, Adult Swim 2019; John McAfee on Larry King, Ora TV 11/03/2016; President Johnson Speaks on the Vietnam Crisis, British Pathe 1964; The Fall of Saigon, CBC News 1975; One On One, PBS 02/01/2019; It’s All Good With Sierra, Wichita Public TV 14/06/2012; The Battle of Dunkirk, British Pathe 1940; The Fall of Singapore, British Pathe/Gaumont/Reuters 1942; Far East Prisoners of War Return Home, British Movietone 11/10/1945.

Pictured: President Kenneth Kaunda

Matthew Bannister on

The Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda who fought for independence then ruled his country for nearly thirty years, but was voted out of office in the first multi-party elections of 1991.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Maureen Nkandu

Archive clips used: Zambian Independence Celebrations, BBC Archives, October 1964; Reading Chekhov, Radio 3 08/07/2004; A Brunch Conversation with Janet Malcolm, Kelly Writers’ House 19/03/2013; Today, Radio 4 13/09/2002; Greens On The Record, BBC One 24/09/1989; The World This Weekend, Radio 4 16/04/2006; Taking Issue, BBC Radio Scotland 30/01/1986.

Pictured: Edward de Bono

Matthew Bannister on

Edward De Bono, the psychologist who advocated lateral thinking – and sold the concept to companies around the world.

Paul Van Doren, the American businessman whose Vans sneakers were adopted by skateboarders, making him a multi-millionaire.

Alastair Hanton OBE, who set up the National Girobank and developed direct debits to allow greater access to banking before becoming a campaigner for ethical investing and greener transport.

Violetta Elvin, the Russian ballerina who made her name as a rival to Dame Margot Fonteyn at the Royal Ballet.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Sarah Tucker

Archive clips used: Logical and Lateral, Radio 4 29/12/1976; Today, Radio 4 29/04/1976; Fast Times at Ridgemont High, directed by Amy Heckerling, Universal Pictures 1982; LA Olympics Opening Ceremony, ABC News 1984; Alastair Hanton Oral History, The Hanton Family 2021.

Matthew Bannister on

Lee Evans, the world-record-breaking American sprinter who took part in black power protests at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

Yuan Longping, the plant scientist who developed hybrid varieties of rice that increased yields dramatically and so saved millions from hunger.

Bill McCall, the General Secretary of the Institution of Professional Civil Servants who challenged Margaret Thatcher over union recognition at GCHQ.

Alix Dobkin, the folk singer and lesbian activist who performed to women-only audiences.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Tommie Smith

Archive clips used: Athletics_400 Metres Final: BBC One, TX 18.10.1968; A Classless Civil Service: Radio 3, TX 10.7.1968; BBC News: BBC One, TX 28.2.1984

Matthew Bannister on

The children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle, best known for creating The Very Hungry Caterpillar which has sold fifty-five million copies.

Helen Murray Free, the American chemist who developed revolutionary simple tests for diabetes and other serious conditions.

Michael Parsons, the engineer who designed some of the world’s longest suspension bridges, including the Severn Bridge and the Humber Bridge.

Evelyn McNicol, the pioneering Scottish mountaineer who was a member of the first all-female British expedition to the Himalayas.

Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

Interviewed guest: Oliver Jeffers

Archive clips used: Open Book: Radio 4, TX 4.5.1999; The Severn Bridge at 50_A High Wire Act: BBC One Wales, TX 7.9.2016; Ladies Scottish Climbing Club: Radio Scotland, TX 20.12.2006