Last Word

By BBC Radio 4Society & Culture Documentary Personal Journals

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Typical duration
28 min
per episode

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Last Word episodes

September 21, 2018 Denis Norden, Diane Leather, Johnny Kingdom, Fenella Fielding
Pictured: Denis Norden
Andrea Catherwood on Denis Norden, the television presenter and comedy writer who made Britain laugh for half a century.
Diane Leather, the first woman in the world to break the 5-minute mile, just 23 days after Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, but achieved much less acclaim.
Johnny Kingdom, the poacher turned filmmaker who enthralled TV audiences with his love and knowledge of wildlife in his native Exmoor and beyond, and became an unlikely celebrity in the process.
And Fenella Fielding, the femme fatale with a throaty drawl and come-hither stare best known for her roles in the Carry On and Doctor comedy capers.
Interviewed guest: Russell Davies
Interviewed guest: Lindsey Armstrong
Interviewed guest: Anna Kessel
Interviewed guest: Richard Taylor Jones
Interviewed guest: Robert Chalmers
Archive clips from: Gabby Logan, Radio 5 Live 12/10/2008; The Original Godfathers, Radio 4 27/03/2007; The Robert Peston Interview Show, Radio 4 07/09/2015; Midlands Today 06/05/2004; Midweek, Radio 4 14/05/2008; Loose Ends, Radio 4 31/05/2008; This Land: Johnny's Kingdom, BBC Two 14/04/2000; Johnny Kingdom: A Year on Exmoor, BBC Two 13/10/2006; Valmouth, Radio 4 28/04/1975; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 05/06/1965; Front Row, Radio 4 17/11/2017; www.metafenella.com: ‘Metafenella’ is an interactive video portrait by public artist Martin Firrell offering advice for living well from the life and work of Fenella Fielding.
29 min
September 14, 2018 Lady Coleridge, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Jacqueline Pearce, Lord Thomas of Macclesfield, Stan Brock
Pictured: Jacqueline Pearce
Matthew Bannister on
Lady Coleridge, the nurse and adventurer who explored the Congo river with Colonel John Blashford-Snell. He pays tribute.
Jalaluddin Haqqani, the Afghan warlord who was backed by the CIA to fight the Soviets but sided with the Taliban after the civil war.
Jacqueline Pearce, the actor best known for playing villains in "Blake's Seven" and "Dr Who".
Lord Thomas, the Chief Executive who introduced ethical banking at the Co-op.
And Stan Brock , the cowboy and pilot who provided free health care to thousands in the USA.
Producer: Neil George.
28 min
September 07, 2018 Burt Reynolds, Lord Peter Melchett, Rita Borsellino, Ajit Wadekar
Pictured: Burt Reynolds
Matthew Bannister on
The prolific career of the movie star Burt Reynolds. The 'Deliverance' director John Boorman pays tribute.
The environmental campaigner Lord Melchett who, as executive director of Greenpeace, was arrested during a protest against GM crops.
The Italian anti-mafia campaigner Rita Borsellino who took up the cause after her brother was killed by a car bomb.
And the Indian cricket captain Ajit Wadekar, who led the national side to victory against the West Indies and England in the 1970s.
Archive clips from: Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 30/01/2000; Outlook, World Service 16/03/2017; Test Match Special: Seasons To Savour, Radio 4 1971.
28 min
August 31, 2018 Lindsay Kemp, John Calder, Hilary Lister, John Calcutt, Neil Simon
Pictured: Lindsay Kemp
Julian Worricker on:
The dancer and choreographer, Lindsay Kemp, who worked alongside David Bowie and Kate Bush.
John Calder, the influential publisher, who championed avant-garde authors and battled censorship.
The record-breaking sailor, Hilary Lister, who became the first quadriplegic person to sail across the English Channel.
John Calcutt, who shaped the contemporary visual art scene in Scotland at the Glasgow School of Art.
And the award-winning American playwright, screenwriter and author, Neil Simon.
Interviewed guest: David Haughton
Interviewed guest: Kate Bush
Interviewed guest: Bill Swainson
Interviewed guest: Pauline Rudd
Interviewed guest: Francis McKee
Interviewed guest: Matt Wolf
Archive clips from: Woman's Hour, Radio 4 22/01/1969; Private Passions, Radio 3 25/03/2000; Censorship In Modern Britain: Radio 4 Reports, 12/12/68; Radio 2 Arts Programme: Simply Simon, 27/04/1997; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 14/05/1995; A Race Against Time: Hilary Lister's Round Britain Dream, BBC Two 14/07/2013; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 11/07/1989; Third Ear, Radio 3 06/05/1991.
29 min
August 24, 2018 Kofi Annan, Janice Tchalenko, Hugh Synge, Helen MacLeod, Hettie Williams
Pictured: Kofi Annan
Julian Worricker on:
Diplomat Kofi Annan, who rose through the ranks of the United Nations, to serve as its secretary-general for nine years....
Janice Tchalenko, a ceramicist, designer and artist, who bridged the gap between art and large-scale production...
The botanist, Hugh Synge, voted one of the 20 most influential British conservationists....
One of the finest harp players of her generation - Helen MacLeod - a champion of the music of the West Highlands of Scotland...
And Hettie Williams, who at 23, led her class of terrified pupils to safety during the Aberfan disaster.
Archive clips from: Night Waves, Radio 3 10/10/2012; Surviving Aberfan, BBC Four 20/10/2016; Saturday Review, BBC TV 02/11/1985; See Hear, BBC TV 01/02/2012.
29 min
August 17, 2018 Aretha Franklin, VS Naipaul, Winston Ntshona, Nan Joyce
Pictured: Aretha Franklin
Matthew Bannister on
Sir VS Naipaul, the Nobel prize winning author of acclaimed books including "A House For Mr Biswas" and "A Bend in The River". He was a controversial figure who fell out with some of his fellow writers and was accused of cruelty in his relationships.
Nan Joyce, who campaigned for the rights of Ireland's travelling people.
Winston Ntshona,, the South African actor who won a Tony award for his Broadway performance in Athol Fugard's play "Sizwe Banze Is Dead" but was arrested by the apartheid government on his return home.
And the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin.
Producer: Paul Waters
Archive clips from: African and Caribbean Writing: A House for Mr Biswas, Radio 4 03/05/1981; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 05/07/1980; Profile, Radio 4 11/05/1984; Omnibus, Radio 1 21/04/1988; Paul Gambaccini: Aretha Franklin Interview, Radio 1 01/01/2000; Night Waves, Radio 3 19/03/2007.
29 min
August 10, 2018 Tony Bullimore, Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, Barry Chuckle, June Jacobs, Tommy Peoples
Pictured: Barry Chuckle
Matthew Bannister on
Tony Bullimore, the self styled "Del Boy of yacht racing" who was trapped under the hull of his boat for 4 days during a solo round the world race.
Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, the Japanese American woman who was interned in the USA during the World War Two and later fought for and won a presidential apology and compensation for her fellow inmates.
Barry Chuckle - one half of the Chuckle Brothers who entertained a generation of children on TV.
June Jacobs, the Jewish activist who caused controversy by meeting members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Tommy Peoples, the award winning Irish fiddle player of the Bothy Band.
Producer: Paul Waters
Archive clips from: BBC News 20/06/73; ChuckleVision, BBC TV.
29 min
August 03, 2018 Mary Ellis, Shinobu Hashimoto, Dr William McBride AO, CBE, Dr Lincoln Brower, Mahendra Kaul
Pictured: Mary Ellis
Matthew Bannister on
Mary Ellis - a leading pilot for the Air Transport Auxiliary who risked her life to deliver fighters and bombers during the war.
Shinobu Hashimoto, the screenwriter who teamed up with the director Akira Kurosawa to make great classics of Japanese cinema, including the Seven Samurai and Rashomon.
Dr William McBride, the Australian obstetrician who raised the alarm about the terrible side effects of the drug Thalidomide.
Lincoln Brower who devoted his life to the study and protection of the Monarch butterfly.
Mahendra Kaul, the pioneering Indian TV and radio broadcaster who was the face of the BBC's Asian Programmes Unit for 20 years.
Archive clips from: 'Spitfire Women', BBC Four 18/09/2010; 'Supersense', BBC TV 23/01/1989; Sonia Deol, Asian Network 27/12/2011; 'Ten Million Wings', Radio 4 16/03/2004.
28 min
July 27, 2018 Charles Gimingham, Felicia Langer, Julian Tudor Hart, Anne Olivier Popham Bell, Adrian Cronauer
Pictured: Anne Olivier Popham Bell
Julian Worricker on:
Charles Gimingham, an environmentalist, described as the foremost expert on heather and moorland landscapes....
Human rights lawyer, Felicia Langer, who represented many Palestinians in the Israeli courts....
Campaigning doctor, Julian Tudor Hart, who pioneered the regular monitoring of blood pressure in patients....
Art historian, Anne Olivier Bell, who edited the five volumes of Virginia Woolf's diaries....
And the real-life Good Morning Vietnam DJ, Adrian Cronauer, inspiration for the film starring Robin Williams...
Archive clips from: Assignment: A Report From The Israeli-Occupied Golan Heights, Radio 4, 07/04/1982; On Behalf of the Working Class, BBC Wales, 07/11/1982; The Good Doctor, BBC TV/Worldwide, 07/10/1996; Newsnight, BBC Two, 23/01/2008; George Orwell Back at the BBC, Radio 4, 05/11/2017; Panorama: Life at 100, BBC One, 23/10/2017; Dear Diary, Episode 2, BBC Four, 11/01/2010; Good Morning Vietnam Revisited, Radio 2, 13/04/2015.
29 min
July 20, 2018 Oliver Knussen CBE, Barbara Harrell-Bond OBE, Sam Chisholm, Steve Ditko, Anna Sándor de Kénos
Pictured: Oliver Knussen
Julian Worricker on:
British composer and conductor, Oliver Knussen, described as a towering figure in contemporary music....
Barbara Harrell-Bond, who founded and then directed the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University....
The media executive, Sam Chisholm, who drove the development of multi-channel television in Britain....
Steve Ditko, the American artist and writer best known as co-creator of the Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange...
and the last Transylvanian aristocrat to have lived through the communist purges, Anna Sandor de Kenos.
Archive clips from: Jonathan Ross in Search of Steve Ditko, BBC Four, 16/09/07; Music Matters, Radio 3, 09/07/18; Horizon: Exodus, BBC Two, 06/03/95; Breakfast Time, BBC One, 05/01/89.
29 min