Last Word

Nora Cortiñas, Belinda Belville, John Burnside, Roger Corman

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Nora Cortiñas, a founding member of Argentina’s “Mothers of the Disappeared” campaign group. Her son Gustavo was 24 when h...

Richard M Sherman, Professor Wendy James CBE , Morgan Spurlock, June Mendoza OBE

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onRichard M Sherman who teamed up with his brother Robert to write some of Disney’s best loved songs.Professor Wendy James CBE, th...

Sir Tony O'Reilly, President Ebrahim Raisi, Penny Simkin, Professor Alasdair Geddes

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe Irish rugby star and businessman Sir Tony O’Reilly. He made billions but ended up bankrupt.The hardline President of Iran, E...

Dame Shirley Conran, Doreen Massey, Beverley LaHaye, Steve Albini

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDame Shirley Conran, the journalist and author best known for her books “Superwoman” and “Lace”.Baroness Doreen Massey, th...

Anne Dagg, Ross Anderson, Cecil Murray, Kris Hallenga

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Anne Dagg, the Canadian biologist known as The Woman Who Loves Giraffes for her lifelong study of the animals.Professor Ross Ande...

C.J.Sansom, Olga Fikotová-Connolly, Dr Jenny Vaughan OBE, Sir Andrew Davies

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on an author, a campaigner, an Olympic medallist, a conductor

Terry Anderson, Trina Robbins, Lord Field, Ann Trevenen Jenkin

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe American journalist Terry Anderson who was held captive in Lebanon for almost seven years. In an emotional interview, his daug...

“I was born while my father was a hostage”

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sulome Anderson first met her father – journalist Terry Anderson – at the American Embassy in Damascus. She was seven years old and he had just be...

Sir Paul Fox, Lynne Reid Banks, Joan Hills, Amnon Weinstein

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:Sir Paul Fox, the respected TV executive who commissioned some of the best loved programmes of the 1960s and 70s. We have a tribu...

Peter Higgs, Trevor Griffiths, Hella Pick, Margaret Tynes

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Professor Peter Higgs, the physicist who won the Nobel prize for explaining why the building blocks of the universe have mass. ...

Joe Lieberman, Diana Baring, Lynn Kinnear, Kay Benbow

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Joe Lieberman, the US Democrat politician who fell out with his party over the Iraq War. Diana Baring, the respected literary...

Richard Taylor, Lisa Lane, Rose Dugdale, Ian Green

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson onRichard Taylor, who became a tireless campaigner against knife crime and supported disadvantaged young people. Lisa Lane, the chess cham...

John Boyega on campaigner Richard Taylor, father of Damilola Taylor

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special edition of Last Word, John Boyega pays tribute to campaigner Richard Taylor, the father of Damilola Taylor who was killed 24 years ago...

Vince Power CBE, Olga Murray, Akira Toriyama, Cecilia Eckelmann-Battistello

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Vince Power, the live music promoter whose Mean Fiddler group operated a string of London venues and built up the Reading and L...

Audrey Adams, Nicola Trahan, Edward Bond, Eric Carmen

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAudrey Adams who became a tireless campaigner for the rights of black people after her son was stabbed to death in a racist attack...

Iris Apfel, Colin Murray Parkes, Baroness Henig, Jim Lawrence

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onIris Apfel the colourful fashion and interior designer whose own dress sense made an impact until her death aged 102.Dr Colin Murr...

Nicholas Dimbleby, Lord Patrick Cormack, Wendy Mitchell, Eleanor Fazan

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson on the celebrated sculptor Nicholas Dimbleby, responsible for numerous well known commissions around the country. Lord Patrick Cormack the...

Alexei Navalny, Dr Brooke Ellison, Gertrude Wright, Steve Brown

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson onAlexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner and leading opponent of President Vladimir Putin, who has died in a Russian state prison....

Steve Wright, Baroness Flather, Alan Mills, Angela Peberdy

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe much-loved Radio 1 and 2 DJ Steve Wright. We have a tribute from his former colleague Simon Mayo.Baroness Flather, who was the...

Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue, Ian Lavender, Robie Harris, Barry John

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDr Lowitja O’Donoghue who overcame a traumatic childhood to become one of Australia’s leading campaigners for the rights of in...

Frank Farian, Caroline Richmond, Phil Baines, Norma Izard

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onFrank Farian, the German music producer behind the hugely successful group Boney M, who caused controversy when it was revealed th...

Norma Barzman, Lord Saye and Sele, Jim Hobson, Susan Campbell

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onNorma Barzman, the screenwriter from the Golden Age of Hollywood who fled to Europe after facing being blacklisted from the House ...

Annie Nightingale, Isca Salzberger-Wittenberg, Bryan Ansell, Charlie Allan

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAnnie Nightingale who was Radio 1’s first female presenter and its longest serving DJ. Her son remembers meeting Jimi Hendrix ov...

Camila Batmanghelidjh, Sir Roy Calne, Glynis Johns, J.P.R. Williams

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onCamila Batmanghelidjh who founded the charity Kids Company to help disadvantaged children. The charity collapsed amidst controvers...

John Pilger, KM Peyton, Paula Murphy, Michael Blakemore

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onJohn Pilger, the campaigning journalist who made award winning films about human rights abuses and was an outspoken critic of Brit...

Jacques Delors, Nancy Pearce, Elinor Otto, Tony Allen

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on Jacques Delors, the politician and architect of the modern EU. Nancy Pearce, the founder of a charity to help people with eating disor...

Maureen Sweeney, Sir Tim Brighouse, Shirley Anne Field, Juanita Castro

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMaureen Sweeney, the postmistress from the west of Ireland whose weather forecast postponed D-Day by 24 hours.Sir Tim Brighouse, t...

Benjamin Zephaniah, Laura Lean, Stacy Marking, Eric Freeman

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on The dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah who overcame childhood trauma to become an acclaimed performer and writer.Laura Lean, who volunte...

Shane MacGowan, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Lord Darling, Joan Jara

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onShane MacGowan the lead singer of The Pogues who was famous for his song writing but also his abuse of drugs and alcohol. His sist...

Henry Kissinger, Terry Venables, Paul Watson, Rachel Heller

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onHenry Kissinger, a towering figure in international diplomacy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize but was condemned by some as a war cr...

Captain Don Walsh, Dame A.S. Byatt, Rosalynn Carter, Dr Finlay Macleod

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onCaptain Don Walsh, the American submariner who made the first descent to the deepest place in the ocean – the Mariana Trench. Hi...

Peter Betts, Audrey Salkeld, Heather Rogers KC, Louise Meriwether

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Peter Betts, who was the UK’s lead negotiator at international climate change summits.Audrey Salkeld, the mountaineering histor...

Ken Mattingly, Anne Wright, Mary Gallacher, David Kirke

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onKen Mattingly, the astronaut who missed flying into space on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission because he had been exposed to German...

Matthew Perry, Benedict Birnberg, Field Marshall Muthoni Wa Kirima, Professor Jose Harris

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBenedict Birnberg, the radical lawyer who fought the cases of the far-left Angry Brigade and the Mangrove Nine and got the murder ...

Sir Bobby Charlton, Dr Evelyn Fox Keller, Julian Bahula, Haydn Gwynne

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir Bobby Charlton, who is hailed as England’s greatest ever footballer.Dr. Evelyn Fox Keller, who explored the effects of gende...

Charles ‘Chuck’ Feeney, Phyllis ‘Pippa’ Latour, Florence Fisher, Dr Nicholas Arnold

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang onCharles ‘Chuck’ Feeney, the secret billionaire who gave most of his money away to good causes. Phyllis ‘Pippa’ Latour, the fe...

Kirsty Smitten, Kat Anderson, Beverly Willis, Tony Wade

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang onThe talented young scientist Kirsty Smitten who did pioneering work developing a new generation of antibiotics. Singer Kat Anderson w...

Michael Gambon, Pat Arrowsmith, Treleven Haysom, Dianne Feinstein

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on the acclaimed actor Sir Michael Gambon. His son Fergus reveals his love of cars, antique firearms – and lying to journalists. T...

Gita Mehta, Matteo Messina Denaro, Irma Brenman Pick, John Stevenson

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onGita Mehta, the author who set out to reveal the truth about India to the West. Her friend the theatre director Sir Richard Eyre p...

Sir Horace Ové, Su Gorman, Roger Whittaker, Jean Combes

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir Horace Ové, the director whose films told stories of the experiences of black people in Britain.Su Gorman, who campaigned for...

Mike Yarwood, Ada Deer, Sir Ian Wilmut, Dorothy Purdew

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Mike Yarwood, whose impressions of famous people made him one of TV’s biggest stars in the 1970s and 80s.Ada Deer, the Native A...

Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dorothy Goodman, Professor Anthony Bryceson, Denyse Plummer

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMohamed Al-Fayed, the controversial businessman who owned Harrods department store and Fulham Football Club. His son Dodi died in ...

Julian Haviland, Johaar Mosaval, Tricia Tyler, Matyelok Gibbs

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:Julian Haviland who was political editor at ITN and then the Times, covering key events at Westminster in the 1970s and 80s.Johaa...

Michael Parkinson, Renata Scotto, John Brierly, Isobel Crook

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson on:The journalist and broadcaster who became synonymous with the British chat show, Sir Michael Parkinson.Italian soprano Renata Scotto, o...

SPECIAL EDITION: Michael Parkinson

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Michael Parkinson was a journalist, broadcaster, and arguably Britain’s greatest television chat show host. During a TV career than spanned six ...

Nick Kaiser, Angela Flowers, Robbie Shepherd, Doreen Mantle.

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on:Nick Kaiser, an internationally renowned British scientist who reached not just for the stars but the entire cosmos.... A gallerist who...

Sir Michael Boyd, Jess Search, Warren Ford, Leny Andrade

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on: Sir Michael Boyd, the former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.Jess Search, the fearless documentary producer who bac...

Richard Barancik, Yvonne Littlewood MBE, Edward Sexton, Dr Christian Carritt

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on: Richard Barancik, the last known surviving member of a World War II allied unit - The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section - kno...

George Alagiah, Sinead O'Connor, Ann Clwyd, Tony Bennett, and Trevor Francis

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson onGeorge Alagiah, the BBC Journalist and Presenter is remembered by his colleagues Sophie Raworth and John Simpson. Sinead O’Connor, th...

Lady Williams of Elvel, Professor John Goodenough, Christine Baker, Lord Palmer

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLady Williams of Elvel, who, as Jane Portal, was personal secretary to Winston Churchill and the mother of the Archbishop of Cante...

Malcolm Mowbray, Victoria Amelina, Roger Lovegrove, Mavis Cheek

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMalcolm Mowbray, the British film director best known for making “A Private Function” - the comedy about wartime rationing sta...

Lord Kerslake, Dame Ann Leslie, Diane Rowe, Tim Blackmore

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDame Ann Leslie, the journalist who reported on some of the most significant events of recent times.Lord Kerslake, who was Head of...

Baroness McDonagh, Craig Brown, Godfrey Merlen, Winnie Ewing

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBaroness McDonagh Margaret McDonagh was the youngest person and the first woman to become General Secretary of the Labour Party. S...

Daniel Ellsberg, Glenda Jackson, Melanie Phillips, Sir Ben Helfgott

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDaniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers, revealing the US government’s secret approach to the Vietnam ...

Silvio Berlusconi, Cormac McCarthy, Kathryn Harries, Francoise Gilot

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson onSilvio Berlusconi, Italy's flamboyant and controversial media mogul and four-time Prime Minister.Kathryn Harries, The soprano sang in mo...

Mel Parry, Professor Alice Coleman, Hugh Callaghan, Cynthia Weil

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMel Parry, the SAS veteran who was part of the team that stormed the Iranian embassy in London in 1980.Professor Alice Coleman, th...

Jeremy Clarke, Dr Moira Woods, Iain Johnstone, Rita Lee

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onJeremy Clarke, who chronicled his experiences of living a “low life” in the Spectator magazine for more than 20 years. We have...

Tina Turner, Martin Amis, Leroy Cooper, Rolf Harris, Marlene Bauer Hagge

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Tina Turner, the singer who overcame an abusive relationship to become an international superstar Martin Amis, one of the lit...

Newton Minow, Vicky Neale, Lois Keith, Gerald Rose

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onNewton Minow, who was just 35 when he was appointed chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission by President John F. Kenn...

Grace Bumbry, Don Short, Dame Rosemary Cramp, Wee Willie Harris

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe opera singer Grace Bumbry who broke down barriers by becoming the first black performer at the Bayreuth Festival.Don Short, th...

Harry Belafonte, Jerry Springer, Valerie Winn, Kate Saunders

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Harry Belafonte, the singer and actor who was also a leading civil rights campaigner.Jerry Springer, whose TV talk show was once ...

Barry Humphries, Len Goodman, Professor Elizabeth Murray, Jah Shaka

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBarry Humphries, best known for his comic creations Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. We have tributes from Rob Brydon and ...

Anne Perry, Dame Mary Quant, Jean Argles, Ahmad Jamal

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAnne Perry, the best-selling crime novelist who committed a murder when she was a teenager.Dame Mary Quant, the influential fashio...

Ben Ferencz, Seymour Fortescue, Valerie Elliott, Rachel Pollack

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Ben Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. He devoted his life to campaigning for an internat...

Nigel Lawson, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Ken Buchanan, Mary Rayner

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onNigel Lawson – Baron Lawson of Blaby, the reforming Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher. He cut income tax, led ...

Paul O'Grady, Gordon Moore, Vera Selby, Simon Emmerson

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Paul O’Grady, who made his name as the drag queen Lily Savage, and went on to become a much-loved TV and radio star.Gordon Moor...

Jacqueline Gold CBE, Lance Reddick, Traute Lafrenz, Lynn Seymour

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Jacqueline Gold CBE – the businesswoman who turned Ann Summers from a couple of seedy sex shops into a multi-million pound high...

Chaim Topol, Zandra Flemister, Bill Tidy MBE, Avis Fawcitt

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe actor and singer Chaim Topol (pictured), best known for his performances in the musical Fiddler on the Roof.Zandra Flemister, ...

Judith Heumann, Brian Tufano, Sir David Elliott KCMG, Elizabeth Foulkes

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onJudith Heumann (pictured), the American disability rights campaigner who led the longest non-violent occupation of a Federal build...

Lady Betty Boothroyd, Marianne Mantell, John Motson OBE, Sulamita Aronovsky

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on The extraordinary Lady Betty Boothroyd (pictured) who went from humble beginnings in a Yorkshire mill town to becoming Westminster’s ...

Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Ralph Hooper OBE, Raquel Welch, Dickie Davies

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on Dorothy Pitman Hughes who brought black women into the 70s Feminist movement and inspired Gloria Steinem.Raquel Welch (pictured), the...

David Vaughan OBE, Burt Bacharach, Janet Anderson, Eileen Sheridan

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onProfessor David Vaughan OBE, who was a leading expert on the effects of climate change on glaciers in the Antarctic.Burt Bacharach...

Frene Ginwala, Lady Martha Bruce OBE, Pervez Musharraf, Paco Rabanne

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onFrene Ginwala (pictured), one of the leading figures in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, who became Speaker of the cou...

Ralph Ehrmann, Sylvia Syms, Rabbi Dr Abraham Levy, Jo Sandilands

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Ralph Ehrmann, the German-born businessman behind the success of the Airfix model kits that delighted a generation of young bo...

Howard Baderman, David Crosby, Milly Thompson, Brenda Heywood

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onHoward Baderman, the hospital consultant who transformed the discipline of emergency medicine and treated casualties from high pro...

Jeff Beck, Alice Mahon, Tom Karen OBE, Gina Lollobrigida

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onJeff Beck (pictured), who was acclaimed as one of the most influential and innovative rock guitarists of all time.Alice Mahon, the...

Gianluca Vialli, Fay Weldon, Michael Dower, Anita Pointer

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onGianluca Vialli (pictured), the Italian footballer who won many major trophies with Sampdoria and Juventus before moving to Chelse...

Pope Benedict XVI, Dame Vivienne Westwood, James Caan, Georgia Holt

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onPope Benedict XVI, the religious conservative who was the first Pontiff to resign from the job in almost 600 years.Dame Vivienne W...

Terry Hall, Dame Beryl Grey, Heather Iandolo, Eric Allison

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onTerry Hall (pictured), the singer who captured the disillusionment of a generation with The Specials’ biggest hit “Ghost Town”...

Victor Lewis-Smith, Maureen Doherty, Pablo Milanés, Ailsa Irving

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe columnist, broadcaster, producer, musician and outrageous hoaxer Victor Lewis-Smith (pictured).Maureen Doherty, the designer w...

Joyce Bryant, George 'Johnny' Johnson MBE, Dame Clare Marx, Joseph Kittinger

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onJoyce Bryant (pictured), the American singer who was named by Ebony magazine as one of the five most beautiful black women in the ...

Christine McVie, Jiang Zemin, Derek Granger

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onChristine McVie who wrote some of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits and was a key player in the turbulent history of the band.Jiang Z...

Doddie Weir, Hebe de Bonafini, Irene Cara, Cornelia Schroeder

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDoddie Weir (pictured), the leading Scottish rugby player who spent the last few years of his life raising funds for research into...

Mehran Karimi Nasseri, Ann Savours, Sue Baker, Wilko Johnson

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMehran Karimi Nasseri – otherwise known as Sir Alfred (pictured). He was the Iranian migrant who lived for eighteen years in ter...

Peter de Savary, Bob Le Sueur MBE, Ela Bhatt, Hannah Pick-Goslar

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onPeter de Savary, the serial entrepreneur who ran private members’ clubs, once owned both Land’s End and John O’Groats and sp...

Leslie Phillips CBE, Dame Valerie Beral, Avtar Singh Jouhl, Atarah Ben-Tovim MBE

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLeslie Phillips CBE (pictured), the actor who made his name in the Navy Lark and the Carry On Films, then became a respected chara...

Baroness Blood, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ian Jack, Hilaree Nelson

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Blood (pictured), the trade unionist, community worker and peace campaigner who became the first woman from Northern Irel...

Dame Carmen Callil, Ivy Jo Hunter, Kathleen Booth, Dietrich Mateschitz

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDame Carmen Callil (pictured), the Australian-born publisher who founded the feminist Virago Books.Ivy Jo Hunter, known as the 'fo...

Ian Hamilton KC, Audrey Evans, Parvatiben Solanki, Robbie Coltrane OBE

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onIan Hamilton KC, the Scottish lawyer who, as a student, took part in removing the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and retu...

Dame Angela Lansbury, Lady Keswick, Sacheen Littlefeather, Franca Fendi

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDame Angela Lansbury (pictured), the stage and screen actor best known in recent years for her role in the TV series Murder She Wr...

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, 'Ma' Smith MBE, Mike Burrows, Loretta Lynn

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onYusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the most influential Muslim scholars of his generation. He reached a vast audience through his show on t...

Dame Hilary Mantel, John McVicar, Joyce Reynolds, Paul Sartin

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDame Hilary Mantel (pictured), the Booker prize winning novelist best known for the Wolf Hall trilogy.John McVicar, the former arm...

Jean-Luc Godard, Barbara Ehrenreich, Dennis Wilson, Mavis Nicholson

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on Jean-Luc Godard (pictured), the critic and filmmaker who revolutionised French cinema.The writer and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich, who...

Bill Turnbull, Anne Sutton, Norah Vincent, Drummie Zeb

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Bill Turnbull (pictured), the journalist and BBC Breakfast presenter who was also a beekeeper and committed fan of Wycombe Wand...

Mikhail Gorbachev, Stella 'Jaye' Edwards, Jerry Allison

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe last President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured), who was feted in the West but often derided in his own countr...

Margaret Keane, Keith Smith, Mario Fiorentini, Brenda Fisher

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMargaret Keane (pictured), the American artist whose paintings of children with 'Big Eyes' became hugely popular in the 1960s. Her...

Lamont Dozier, Joan Lingard, Issey Miyake, Edana Minghella

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

James Lovelock, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Roy Hackett MBE, Dame Olivia Newton-John

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang onJames Lovelock (pictured), the scientist and inventor who came up with the Gaia theory.Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the terrorist gr...

Bernard Cribbins OBE (pictured), Diana Kennedy MBE, Sir Colin Blakemore, Nichelle Nichols

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBernard Cribbins OBE, the much-loved actor known for appearances in The Railway Children and Doctor Who as well as reading countle...

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

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson onLord David Trimble, Northern Irish politician who was an architect of the Good Friday Agreement and won a Nobel Peace Prize.Susie Steine...