PODCAST

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

27:42

Reverend Jesse Jackson, Diane Munday, Philippe...

Last Word ·

2026/02/20

Kirsty Lang onReverend Jesse Jackson the leading American civil rights campaigner.Diane Munday who fought to make abortion legal and co-founded the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.Philippe Gaulier whose internationally renowned clown school which helped to shape the careers of many leading actors. Lady Jean Wilson who travelled the world building a charity that cured millions of avoidable blindness Interviewee: Lord Woolley of WoodfordInterviewee: Sally Phillips Interviewee: Cal

27:45

Meredith Hooper, David Young, Dorothy Solomon, Derek...

Last Word ·

2026/02/13

Matthew Bannister on:Meredith Hooper, the prolific author who wrote several books about Antarctica. We have a tribute from her son, the Oscar winning film director Tom Hooper.David Young, the American lawyer who was in charge of a team known as “The Plumbers” who tried to stop leaks of sensitive information from the Nixon White House.Dorothy Solomon, the manager and agent who steered the careers of The Dubliners, The Bachelors and many other stars of the 1960s and 70s. Sharon Osbourne pays

27:47

Sir Nicholas White, Lord Wallace, Professor Deborah...

Last Word ·

2026/02/06

Matthew Bannister onSir Nicholas White, whose research on tropical diseases saved millions of lives.Lord Wallace, the Liberal Democrat who served in the Scottish and Westminster parliaments and was Deputy to three First Ministers.Professor Deborah Cameron who studied the use of language from a feminist perspective.Sly Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer who played on hundreds of hit records and teamed up with bass player Robbie Shakespeare to form “The Riddim Twins”.Interviewee: Professor Nicholas

27:36

Sir Mark Tully, Dame Gillian Wagner, Dr Gladys West,...

Last Word ·

2026/01/30

Matthew Bannister on Sir Mark Tully who reported on India for the BBC for decades, covering some of the most significant events in the country’s recent history. Dame Gillian Wagner who campaigned to raise the standards of residential care in the UK.Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose work paved the way for the development of GPS.Richard Larn OBE, the diver who was one of the UK’s leading experts on shipwrecks.Interviewee: Sarah TullyInterviewee: Qurban Ali Interviewee: Lucy

27:45

Molly Burkett, Sir James Munby, Edith Flanigen,...

Last Word ·

2026/01/23

Matthew Bannister onMolly Burkett, who devoted her life - and her home - to rescuing thousands of injured birds and animals. At times these included a killer whale, a pigmy hippopotamus and a beer drinking crow. Sir James Munby, the respected judge who was President of the Family Division and was instrumental in opening it up to greater public scrutiny.Edith Flanigen, the chemist who invented molecular sieves or zeolites which have made a critical impact on the petroleum refining industry.Aldrich

27:44

Claudette Colvin, Ian Balding, Gerry Gable, Bob Weir,...

Last Word ·

2026/01/16

Matthew Bannister on Claudette Colvin the American civil rights campaigner who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, nine months before Rosa Parks’ celebrated protest.Ian Balding, the racehorse trainer who saddled many winners for Queen Elizabeth II.Gerry Gable, the anti-fascist activist and co-founder of Searchlight magazine, who wasn’t afraid to break the law in his relentless pursuit of the far right.Juliet Robertson, the Scottish educationalist who was a passionate advocate for

27:43

Molly Parkin, Kristina Gjerde, Michael Barton, Eva...

Last Word ·

2026/01/09

Matthew Bannister onThe colourful life of artist, fashion editor, sex columnist and bonkbuster author Molly Parkin. Her daughter shares the highs and lows of living with Molly.Kristina Gjerde, the maritime lawyer who fought to protect the high seas.Michael Barton, the BBC executive who oversaw the expansion of English local radioEva Schloss, the holocaust survivor who became Anne Frank’s stepsister.Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn

27:49

Brigitte Bardot, Sir Alec Reed, Alwyn Crawshaw, Dame...

Last Word ·

2026/01/02

Jon Kay on The French actor Brigitte Bardot who starred in over 40 films in the 1950s and 60s before a career-change saw her give up the big screen to campaign for animal welfareSir Alec Reed who founded the UKs most successful recruitment agency and, through his philanthropy, raised millions for charityAlwyn Crawshaw, the artist who encouraged millions to paint landscapes through his how-to books and TV programmes Dame Shan Legge-Bourke who transformed the Glanusk estate in the Black Mountains and

27:47

Antony Price, Sister Stan Kennedy, Ena Collymore...

Last Word ·

2025/12/26

Jon Kay on Fashion designer Antony Price who fused together the worlds of fashion and music in the 70s and 80sSister Stan Kennedy, the nun who founded one of Ireland’s largest homelessness charitiesEna Collymore Woodstock, the Jamaican barrister and magistrate who throughout her career broke many barriers for women John Carey, the academic and former chief literary critic for The Times who took no prisoners with his reviews.Producer: Ed PrendevilleAssistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse

27:46

Rob Reiner, Joanna Trollope, Stanley Baxter, Sophie...

Last Word ·

2025/12/19

Matthew Bannister onRob Reiner, the film director, screenwriter and actor behind pictures like “This Is Spinal Tap”, “Stand By Me” and “When Harry Met Sally”.Stanley Baxter, the Scottish comedian best known for his impersonations of Hollywood stars and royalty. The actor Bill Paterson pays tribute. And Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella, two best-selling novelists who, in their different ways, told stories of modern life and relationships.Interviewee: Hadley FreemanInterviewee: Linda

27:52

Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Vera Weisfeld, Frank Gehry,...

Last Word ·

2025/12/12

Matthew Bannister onIain Douglas-Hamilton, the zoologist who devoted his life to the study and conservation of African elephants.Vera Weisfeld, the businesswoman whose chain of What Every Woman Wants stores offered fashion designs at bargain prices.Frank Gehry, the architect best known for his flamboyant designs for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los AngelesMartin Parr whose celebrated colourful photographs showed the messy details of British life.Producer: Ed

27:46

Sir Tom Stoppard, Pam Hogg, Yanxin He, Jack Shepherd

Last Word ·

2025/12/05

Matthew Bannister has a star-studded cast on this week’s Last Word: Sir David Hare pays tribute to his friend and fellow playwright Sir Tom Stoppard.Boy George recalls the flamboyant fashion designer Pam Hogg.Sir Mark Rylance gives an insight into the many talents of the actor, director and writer Jack Shepherd.We also remember Yanxin He, one of the last surviving speakers in a village that spoke a secret language that helped women to share their suffering in a patriarchal society.Interviewee: Sir

27:36

Jimmy Cliff, Charlotte Bingham, Skye Gyngell, David...

Last Word ·

2025/11/28

Kirsty Lang on: Jimmy Cliff, who took reggae music onto the global stage. His former record producer and founder of Island Records, Chris Blackwell pays tribute. Charlotte Bingham, the writer who mined the experience of her upbringing and relationships to pen dozens of novels and screenplays.Skye Gyngell, the Australian born chef whose devotion to fresh seasonal produce made a lasting impact on modern British cooking.David Bellos, the award-winning literary translator who revelled in linguistic

27:42

Baroness Newlove, Zoe Wicomb, Sir Geoffrey Bindman...

Last Word ·

2025/11/21

Matthew Bannister on:Baroness Newlove, who turned a tragic event in her own life into a powerful campaign for victims’ rights.Zoe Wicomb, the South Africa-born author whose novels are set against the backdrop of the apartheid regime.Sir Geoffrey Bindman, the lawyer who helped to shape equality legislation, represented Labour politicians and fought many human rights cases.Roland Paxton, the civil engineer who campaigned to preserve the Forth Bridge and other fine examples of historic

27:45

James Watson, Pauline Collins, Judith Vidal-Hall,...

Last Word ·

2025/11/15

Matthew Bannister onJames Watson who shared the Nobel Prize for identifying the structure of DNA, but was widely condemned later in life for his racist and sexist views.Pauline Collins, the comic actor who triumphed in the role of Shirley Valentine on stage and screen. The play’s director Simon Callow pays tribute.Judith Vidal-Hall, who edited the Index on Censorship magazine and campaigned for freedom of expression around the worldDugald Ross, the crofter and palaeontologist from the Isle of Skye

27:55

Dick Cheney, Yvonne Brewster, Mary McGee, Peter Watkins

Last Word ·

2025/11/07

Matthew Bannister onDick Cheney, the Republican politician who was Vice President under George W Bush and played key roles in both Gulf Wars.Yvonne Brewster, the Jamaican-born director and actor who founded the Black British Theatre Company Talawa.Mary ‘May’ McGee, the Irish woman who brought s successful legal challenge against the country’s ban on contraception.Peter Watkins, the film maker whose powerful depiction of a nuclear attack on the UK was banned by the BBCProducer: Gareth

27:44

Prunella Scales CBE, Gillian Tindall, Roger Smith,...

Last Word ·

2025/10/31

Matthew Bannister onThe actor Prunella Scales, best known for playing Sybil in the TV comedy Fawlty Towers. Her son Samuel West reflects on her long career and happy marriage to fellow actor Timothy West. Gillian Tindall, the writer who pioneered the technique of exploring history through the portal of a particular house or area. Roger Smith, who co-founded and ran the Great Outdoors Challenge, encouraging thousands to walk across Scotland.Anthony Grey, the novelist and journalist who was held in

21:23

SPECIAL EDITION: Prunella Scales

Last Word ·

2025/10/31

In this special edition of Last Word, Matthew Bannister talks to the actor Samuel West about his mother Prunella Scales.Prunella died on the 27th October, aged 93.Known for her work on stage and screen over many decades – Prunella was particularly renowned for her role as Sybil on Fawlty Towers. In addition to countless other roles, she appeared as Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution in the early 90s – earning a BAFTA nomination. In later life – as she began living with

27:44

Raila Odinga, Bill Colley, Baroness Rosalind Howells,...

Last Word ·

2025/10/24

Matthew Bannister on The influential Kenyan politician Raila Odinga, who was detained for his pro-democracy campaigns, but went on to be the country’s Prime Minister. Bill Colley, who designed and built traditional wooden racing boats.Baroness Rosalind Howells of St Davids, who campaigned for racial equality and supported the family of Stephen Lawrence after his murder.And Sister Marion Irvine, the American nun who took up marathon running in middle age and went on to break many records.Producer:

27:45

Peter Gurney, Diane Keaton, Peter Hall, Angela Bond

Last Word ·

2025/10/17

Matthew Bannister onPeter Gurney, the George Medal winning bomb disposal expert who regularly risked his life to defuse explosive devices, including the mortars that were fired at 10 Downing Street by the IRA in 1991.Diane Keaton, the actor best known for her collaboration with Woody Allen in Annie Hall and Manhattan.Peter Hall, the pioneering English winemaker from Sussex who turned his Breaky Bottom grapes into acclaimed sparkling wines.Angela Bond, who saved the much-loved Bush Theatre in West

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