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Last Word

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4"s weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently

society & culture personal journals

All Episodes

27:47

Margaret Keane, Keith Smith, Mario Fiorentini, Brenda...

Last Word ·

2022/08/26

Matthew Bannister onMargaret Keane (pictured), the American artist whose paintings of children with 'Big Eyes' became hugely popular in the 1960s. Her identity as the painter was kept secret by her husband who claimed the works as his own.Keith Smith, the market trader who co-founded the Poundland chain of shops.Mario Fiorentini, Italy’s most decorated partisan, who risked torture and death to fight the German occupation of his country. Brenda Fisher, the long distance swimmer from Grimsby who

28:07

Lamont Dozier, Joan Lingard, Issey Miyake, Edana...

Last Word ·

2022/08/19

John Wilson onLamont Dozier (pictured), who wrote dozens of hits for Motown Records.Joan Lingard, the author of the popular Kevin and Sadie books set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer who survived the atomic bomb.Edana Minghella, the mental health researcher and jazz singer.Producer: Emily FinchInterviewed guest: Eddie Holland Interviewed guest: Adam White Interviewed guest: Shelly Clark Interviewed guest: Lindsey Fraser Interviewed guest: Dana

27:54

James Lovelock, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Roy Hackett MBE,...

Last Word ·

2022/08/12

Kirsty Lang onJames Lovelock (pictured), the scientist and inventor who came up with the Gaia theory.Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.Roy Hackett MBE, who led the Bristol bus boycott in 1963.Dame Olivia Newton-John, the singer and actor who starred in Grease.Producer: Emily FinchInterviewed guest: Bryan Appleyard CBE Interviewed guest: Paul Martin Interviewed guest: Lynn Mareno Interviewed guest: Professor Kehinde Andrews Interviewed guest: Holly ThomasArchive clips

28:04

Bernard Cribbins OBE (pictured), Diana Kennedy MBE,...

Last Word ·

2022/08/05

Matthew Bannister onBernard Cribbins OBE, the much-loved actor known for appearances in The Railway Children and Doctor Who as well as reading countless stories on Jackanory.Diana Kennedy MBE, the British-born food writer who dedicated her life to promoting the diversity of Mexican cuisine.Sir Colin Blakemore, the neuroscientist who received death threats after speaking out in defence of experiments on animals.Nichelle Nichols, the trailblazing African American actor who played Lieutenant Uhura in

28:07

Lord David Trimble (pictured), Susie Steiner, Uwe Seeler

Last Word ·

2022/07/29

John Wilson onLord David Trimble, Northern Irish politician who was an architect of the Good Friday Agreement and won a Nobel Peace Prize.Susie Steiner, a British crime author who shared her experience of living with a brain tumour.Uwe Seeler, captain of the West German football team in 1966 and a hero for his home team of Hamburg.Producer: Sofie Vilcins Interviewed guest: Lord Dean Godson Interviewed guest: Val McDermid Interviewed guest: Alan Mullery MBE Interviewed guest: Derek RaeArchive clips

27:52

Tony Sirico (pictured), José Eduardo dos Santos, Ann...

Last Word ·

2022/07/22

John Wilson onTony Sirico, the former armed robber turned actor who found fame playing the role of mobster Paulie Walnuts in ground-breaking television series The Sopranos.José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled Angola as president for 37 years, steering the country through a bloody civil war, and reaping the benefits of an oil boom while being accused of huge levels of corruption.Ann Shulgin, a therapist who pioneered the use of psychedelics and MDMA in therapy together with her chemist husband

27:46

Shinzo Abe (pictured), Mona Hammond OBE, Lorna de...

Last Word ·

2022/07/15

Kirsty Lang onShinzo Abe - Japan’s longest-serving prime minister who sought to end a wartime legacy of defeat and occupation and to tackle the economy through ‘Abenomics’.Actor Mona Hammond is best known for her TV role in Eastenders.Lorna de Smidt, the anti-apartheid and anti-racist activist who cut her political teeth in the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa in the late 1960s.And Monty Norman - Composer and singer who wrote the James Bond main theme and a string of successful musicals

28:05

Baroness Greengross OBE (pictured), Sonny Barger,...

Last Word ·

2022/07/08

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Greengross, who championed the rights of older people as Director General of the charity Age Concern.Sonny Barger, the leading American Hell’s Angel who was arrested 21 times and spent 13 years in prison.Technoblade, the young Youtuber who amassed millions of followers for his commentaries on the video game Minecraft.Qin Yi, the leading Chinese film star whose career spanned eight decades.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Gail Perry Interviewed guest: Alexandre

27:59

Dame Deborah James (pictured), Yves Coppens, Revel...

Last Word ·

2022/07/01

Matthew Bannister onDame Deborah James who raised millions of pounds for cancer research by talking openly about living with - and dying from - bowel cancer.Yves Coppens, the charismatic French palaeontologist who led the team that discovered hominid remains estimated to be 3.2 million years old.Revel Guest OBE, the documentary film producer who became chair of the Hay Literary Festival.Samuel Bhima, the first Malawian to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and

28:09

Dom Phillips (pictured), Stephen S. Thompson,...

Last Word ·

2022/06/24

Matthew Bannister on Dom Phillips, the freelance journalist who was ambushed and shot dead on a trip into the Amazon rain forest.Stephen S. Thompson, the novelist and screenwriter who won a BAFTA for his TV drama telling the story of his brother’s experiences during the Windrush scandal.Caroline Drummond, who campaigned for greater links between farming and environmental protection – and oversaw the launch of Open Farm Sunday.Maureen Hiron, the top-class bridge player who invented many new games

28:06

Dame Paula Rego (pictured), Bruce Kent, Hilary Devey CBE

Last Word ·

2022/06/17

Matthew Bannister onDame Paula Rego, the acclaimed Portuguese-born artist who later made her home in the UK and was renowned for making vivid and disturbing work focussing on the subjugation of women. We talk to her son Nick Willing. Bruce Kent, the Catholic priest who became a leader of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Hilary Devey CBE, who founded a multi-million pound freight distribution business and was one of the Dragons on the TV show Dragons Den. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest:

28:04

Amanda Claridge, Sidhu Moose Wala (pictured), Mark...

Last Word ·

2022/06/10

Matthew Bannister onAmanda Claridge, the archaeologist who was a leading expert on ancient Rome.Sidhu Moose Wala, the acclaimed Indian rapper who was shot dead at the age of 28.Mark Sykes, the upper-class gambler, con man, gun smuggler and playboy.Paul Vance, who wrote the song 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' and whose death was announced prematurely in 2006.Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Richard Hodges Interviewed guest: Professor Richard Alston Interviewed guest: Bobby

28:13

Dervla Murphy, Lester Piggott (pictured), Anne Howells

Last Word ·

2022/06/03

Matthew Bannister onDervla Murphy, the intrepid travel writer who cycled from her native Ireland to India.Lester Piggott, the jockey who rode thousands of winners and broke many records, including winning the Derby 9 times.Anne Howells, the acclaimed mezzo soprano known for her beautiful voice and sense of mischief. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Antonia Quirke Interviewed guest: Hilary Bradt MBE Interviewed guest: Susan Griffiths Interviewed guest: Frank Keogh Interviewed guest: Sir John

28:11

Baroness Haleh Afshar, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al...

Last Word ·

2022/05/27

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Haleh Afshar, the Iranian-born academic and activist who made her home in the UK and campaigned for women’s rights.Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates who led the transformation of his country and was a key ally of the West.Kay Mellor, the TV writer best known for series like 'Band of Gold', 'Fat Friends' and 'The Syndicate'.Vangelis, the prolific composer who won an Oscar for the soundtrack to the film

28:01

Shireen Abu Akleh, Robert Gillmor, Leonid Kravchuk...

Last Word ·

2022/05/20

Matthew Bannister onShireen Abu Akleh, the respected Al Jazeera reporter who was shot dead while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.Robert Gillmor, the wildlife artist best known for his striking paintings of birds.Leonid Kravchuk who oversaw Ukraine’s transition to independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union and became its President.Carrie White, the hairdresser who styled some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and became addicted to drink and drugs.Producer:

28:06

Kathy Boudin, Dennis Waterman (pictured), Sidney...

Last Word ·

2022/05/13

Matthew Bannister onKathy Boudin, the American radical activist who was sent to prison for her part in the killing of a security guard and two police officers during a robbery. While serving her sentence she became a campaigner for penal reform.Dennis Waterman, the actor best known for his roles in TV series 'The Sweeney', 'Minder' and 'New Tricks'.Sidney Altman, the American biologist who won the Nobel prize for his work on the function of RNA...And Régine Zylberberg, the French nightclub owner who

28:09

Colonel Alan Jenkins, Mary Monson, Elspeth Barker,...

Last Word ·

2022/05/06

Matthew Bannister onColonel Alan Jenkins, the Gurhka officer who was the last living Westerner to have travelled to independent Tibet.Mary Monson, the solicitor who devoted her career to helping the poor and disadvantaged.Elspeth Barker, the novelist and critic who lived a colourful life surrounded by animals in a Norfolk farmhouse.Art Rupe, the American record producer who helped to launch the careers of Little Richard and Sam Cooke.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Nigel Warren Interviewed

27:58

Yvonne Blenkinsop (pictured), Dr Margaret Carswell,...

Last Word ·

2022/04/29

Matthew Bannister onYvonne Blenkinsop, one of the four so-called 'Headscarf Revolutionaries' from Hull who campaigned for better safety regulations on fishing trawlers after three were lost at sea in 1968.Margaret Carswell, the doctor and ornithologist who treated survivors of the Ugandan civil war and in her spare time compiled the definitive guide to the country’s bird population.Mikhail Vasenkov, the Russian spy who assumed a South American identity and lived undercover in the United States for

28:03

Mimi Reinhard, Sir Harrison Birtwistle (pictured),...

Last Word ·

2022/04/22

John Wilson on Mimi Reinhard, the Holocaust survivor who typed Oskar Schindler’s famous list and later turned down an offer from Steven Spielberg.Sir Harrison Birtwistle, the uncompromising British composer of contemporary classical music who once caused panic at the Proms.Sylvia Lancaster, the mother of Sophie Lancaster who was brutally murdered in 2007. Sylvia set up a foundation with the aim of promoting tolerance and inclusivity among young people...And Letizia Battaglia, who defied the Mafia

28:05

Jordan Mooney (pictured), Jack Higgins, Robert Ashe,...

Last Word ·

2022/04/15

John Wilson remembers the lives of those who have recently died including Jordan Mooney the punk icon known as ‘the original Sex Pistol’ who ended up as a veterinary nurse. Jack Higgins, the thriller writer who hit the jackpot with The Eagle Has Landed, and sold more than 250 million books. Robert Ashe, an aid worker who spent most of his working life supporting refugees all over the world.And David McKee - author and illustrator who created timeless childhood favourites including Mr Benn and Elmer

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