Last Word

Pictured: Julian Bream

Matthew Bannister on

Julian Bream, said by many to be the greatest classical guitarist of all time.

Elizabeth Ward, who campaigned for the introduction of the kidney donor card after her son went through three transplants.

Chris Graham-Bell, the founding publisher of the Gay Times magazine.

Stuart Christie, the anarchist who was involved in a plot to blow up the Spanish dictator General Franco.

Interviewed guest: Lord Michael Berkeley CBE

Producer: Neil George

Archive clips from: Julian Bream: My Life in Music, Avie 2006; Man With A Guitar, BBC Sound Archive 25/09/1961; East Midlands Today, BBC One 22/05/1997; Man Alive, BBC Two 14/02/1980; Newsroom South East, BBC One 17/06/1991; Profile: Stuart Christie, Radio 4 10/07/1981; By Fair Means or Foul, Radio 4 20/11/1973; Angry Brigade Trial, Sound Archive, Radio 4 06/12/1972.

Matthew Bannister on

Hawa Abdi, the Somali doctor who set up a clinic for pregnant women at her home that eventually became a sanctuary for thousands during violence in the country.

Clive Ponting, the civil servant who leaked details of the sinking of the Argentine cruiser the General Belgrano during the Falklands War, but was acquitted of breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Lee Teng-hui, the first democratically elected President of Taiwan.

Richard Brooke, the mountaineer who played a leading role in the Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition of 1957.

Interviewed guest: Cindy Sui

Producer: Neil George

Pictured: John Hume

Matthew Bannister on:

John Hume, the politician widely credited with driving through the Northern Ireland peace process.

Stan Mellor, who became the first jump jockey to ride one thousand winners.

Paulette Wilson, who was wrongly threatened with deportation and went on to campaign for justice for others affected by the Windrush scandal.

And the film director Sir Alan Parker, who brought us 'Bugsy Malone', 'Fame' and 'Midnight Express'. His friend and colleague Lord Puttnam pays tribute.

Interviewed guest: Denis Murray OBE

Producer: Paula McGinley

Archive clips from: The Signing of the Good Friday Agreement April 1998, Irish Foreign Ministry 16/01/2014; Northern Ireland Peace Agreement, BBC Sound Archive 10/04/1998; Bill Clinton on John Hume, The Pat Kenny Show, Newstalk 04/08/2020; When I'm 64: John Hume, Radio 4 21/08/2001; Londonderry Riots 1969, Pathe News 13/04/2014; Bono introduces Hume and Trimble, AP Archive 21/05/2015; 1966 Hennessy Gold Cup, The Racing Post 01/08/2020; Paulette Wilson’s Visit to Jamaica, The Guardian 07/10/2019; Midlands Today, BBC News 26/10/2017; Theresa May Apologises to Caribbean Leaders, ITV News, 17/04/2018; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 09/07/2000; Melody, directed by Waris Hussein, Hemdale Productions 1971; Bugsy Malone, directed by Alan Parker, The Rank Organisation 1976.

Pictured: Stuart Wheeler

Matthew Bannister on

Stuart Wheeler, the spread betting tycoon who used his millions to fund anti-EU political parties and campaigns.

Josephine Cox, the multi-million selling author whose novels often drew on her working class childhood in Blackburn.

Miloš Jakeš, the General Secretary of the Czech Communist Party at the time of the Velvet Revolution.

Peter Green, the revered guitarist who founded Fleetwood Mac, but later suffered severe mental health problems.

Interviewed guest: Philip Collins

Producer: Steven Williams

Archive clips from: HARDtalk, BBC News 24 11/10/2019; General Election, ITN 24/05/2001; Nigel Farage on Stuart Wheeler, VoteLeaveMedia 02/04/2009; A Woman’s Fortune by Josephine Cox, read by Carole Boyd, Audible/HarperCollins 2018; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 02/09/1999; Woman’s Hour, Radio 4 09/10/2001; The Lion’s Den by Josephine Cox, read by Robert Glenister, Radio 4 Extra 24/04/2011; The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968, BBC News 21/08/2018; Miloš Jakeš speech, Radio Free Europe 17/07/1989; People’s Century: 1989: People Power, BBC One 16/02/1997; BBC News, BBC One 10/12/1989; Peter Green: Man of the World, BBC Four 04/02/2011; The Works: Peter Green: A Hard Road, BBC Two 03/10/1996.

Matthew Bannister on

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed Guest: Bob Harris

Archive clips from: Tomorrow's People, BBC 15/04/1972; Woman's Hour, Radio 4, 01/02/2008; The Perfect Diet?, BBC 2 28/11/1987

Pictured: Jack Charlton

Matthew Bannister on

The footballer Jack Charlton, who went from a pit village in Northumberland to become a Leeds United stalwart and member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team – and then a successful manager of the Republic of Ireland.

Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela who was an anti-apartheid activist and later South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark.

Charles Webb, the author of the novel The Graduate which became a classic film starring Dustin Hoffman. Charles was anti-materialism and gave away his royalties and even his homes.

Ida Haendel, the Polish-born violinist known for her interpretations of Walton, Britten and Sibelius, who appeared at the BBC Proms 68 times.

Interviewed guest: John Murray

Producer: Neil George

Archive clips from: Football Daily, 5 Live 11/07/2020; England v Scotland, BBC Sound Archive 10/04/1965; Desert Island Discs: Jack Charlton, Radio 4 20/10/1996; Ireland pays tribute to Jack Charlton, RTE Sport 11/07/2020; Sports Personality of the Year, BBC One 14/12/2008; Talk to Al Jazeera: Zindzi Mandela, Al Jazeera 18/07/2008; Zindzi Mandela reads her father’s speech in 1985, BBC News Africa 13/07/2020; Book at Bedtime: The Graduate, Radio 4 05/06/2000; Front Row, Radio 4 29/05/2007; The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols, Lawrence Truman Productions 1967; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 22/06/2000; EBU Interval Talk: Ida Haendel, Radio 3 26/11/1973; BBC Proms, Radio 3 1994.

Pictured: Ennio Morricone

Matthew Bannister on:

Ennio Morricone, the Italian composer best known for his scores for films like The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and The Mission, but keen to be remembered also for his avant garde classical works.

Sir Everton Weekes, the outstanding batsman who played a key role in West Indian cricket’s success in the 1940s and 50s.

Baroness Maddock, the Liberal Democrat politician who won a stunning victory in the Christchurch by-election in 1993.

Earl Cameron, the Bermuda-born actor whose long career included roles in many hit TV series as well as films like Pool of London, Thunderball and Guns at Batasi.

Interviewed guest: David Willey

Producer: Neil George

Archive clips from: Outlook, World Service 07/01/2015; Everton Weekes in his own words, Sky Sports January 2019; England v West Windies 1950 Test Match, Pathe News; England v West Indies at Lords 1950, BBC News; British Politics, Radio 4 30/07/1993; Black on Screen, Radio 4 08/01/2001; Front Row, Radio 4 14/10/2016; Pool of London, directed by Basil Dearden, Ealing Studios 1951; The Heart Within, directed by David Eady, Penington Eady Productions 1957; Guns at Batasi, directed by John Guillermin, Twentieth Century Fox 1964; Thunderball, directed by Terence Young, Eon Productions 1965.

Pictured: Milton Glaser

Matthew Bannister on

The graphic designer Milton Glaser who came up with the iconic “I heart New York” logo – but didn’t make a penny from it.

Terry Dicks, the controversial right wing Tory MP who went out of his way to challenge political correctness.

Professor Tom Arie, the psychiatrist who helped to transform mental health treatment for older people.

Else Blangsted, the Hollywood music editor whose own life story reads like the script for a dramatic film.

Interviewed guest: Christopher Bonanos

Producer: Neil George

Archive clips from: I Heart Milton Glaser, Radio 4 10/02/2011; File on Four, Radio 4 24/07/1984; Sound Archive: Libyan Terrorism and U.K. Deportations, Radio 4 22/04/1986; File on Four, Radio 4 09/06/1993; The Week in Westminster, Radio 4 24/02/1990; Looking for Else, directed by Sandy Kopitopoulos and Daniel Maurer, Amka Films 2007; The Bonfire of the Vanities, directed by Brian De Palma, Warner Bros 1990; Olympic Sports in Berlin 1936, British Pathe 13/04/2014; Samson and Delilah, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, Paramount Pictures 1949.

Pictured: Sir Ian Holm

Matthew Bannister on

Producer: Paula McGinley

Archive clips from: Richard III, Radio 3 26/08/1985; Woman’s Hour, Radio 4 16/09/1970; The Iceman Goeth, Radio 4 23/04/2009; Chariots of Fire, directed by Hugh Hudson, Allied Stars/Goldcrest Films 1981; The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema 2001; The Borrowers, BBC Two 1992; Be My Guest, Radio Ulster 24/09/1994; Today, Radio 4 17/03/1995; The Good Friday Agreement April 1998, Irish Foreign Ministry 16/01/2004; Agents During Lockdown: Felicity Bryan, FBA 14/04/2020.

Pictured: Dame Vera Lynn

Matthew Bannister on:

Interviewed guest: Professor Mike Spyer

Producer: Neil George

Archive clips from: Interview with Geoffrey Burnstock, Queen Mary, University of London 10/03/2008; Meridian, Radio 4 20/06/1995; Arena, BBC Two 05/02/1993; The Late Show, BBC Two 10/10/1989; Pierre Nkurunziza Interview, Woodrow Wilson Center 16/04/2013; Burundi’s Football President, Journeyman Pictures 17/11/2015; Nkurunziza Wins Disputed Election, Al Jazeera 25/07/2015; Burundi Coup Attempt, BBC News 13/05/2015; Desert Island Discs: Dame Vera Lynn, Radio 4 03/09/1989; The Emma Freud Show, Radio 1 01/01/2000.