Last Word

Tony Sirico (pictured), José Eduardo dos Santos, Ann Shulgin, Ivana Trump

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson onTony Sirico, the former armed robber turned actor who found fame playing the role of mobster Paulie Walnuts in ground-breaking televisio...

Shinzo Abe (pictured), Mona Hammond OBE, Lorna de Smidt, Monty Norman

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 econ...

Baroness Greengross OBE (pictured), Sonny Barger, Technoblade, Qin Yi

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Greengross, who championed the rights of older people as Director General of the charity Age Concern.Sonny Barger, the le...

Dame Deborah James (pictured), Yves Coppens, Revel Guest OBE, Samuel Bhima

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDame Deborah James who raised millions of pounds for cancer research by talking openly about living with - and dying from - bowel...

Dom Phillips (pictured), Stephen S. Thompson, Caroline Drummond, Maureen Hiron

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

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

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 dist...

Amanda Claridge, Sidhu Moose Wala (pictured), Mark Sykes, Paul Vance

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAmanda Claridge, the archaeologist who was a leading expert on ancient Rome.Sidhu Moose Wala, the acclaimed Indian rapper who was ...

Dervla Murphy, Lester Piggott (pictured), Anne Howells

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDervla Murphy, the intrepid travel writer who cycled from her native Ireland to India.Lester Piggott, the jockey who rode thousand...

Baroness Haleh Afshar, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Kay Mellor, Vangelis (Pictured)

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Haleh Afshar, the Iranian-born academic and activist who made her home in the UK and campaigned for women’s rights.Shei...

Shireen Abu Akleh, Robert Gillmor, Leonid Kravchuk (pictured), Carrie White

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onShireen Abu Akleh, the respected Al Jazeera reporter who was shot dead while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the occ...

Kathy Boudin, Dennis Waterman (pictured), Sidney Altman, Régine Zylberberg

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Colonel Alan Jenkins, Mary Monson, Elspeth Barker, Art Rupe (pictured)

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onColonel Alan Jenkins, the Gurhka officer who was the last living Westerner to have travelled to independent Tibet.Mary Monson, the...

Yvonne Blenkinsop (pictured), Dr Margaret Carswell, Mikhail Vasenkov, Denise Coffey

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onYvonne Blenkinsop, one of the four so-called 'Headscarf Revolutionaries' from Hull who campaigned for better safety regulations on...

Mimi Reinhard, Sir Harrison Birtwistle (pictured), Sylvia Lancaster OBE, Letizia Battaglia

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson on Mimi Reinhard, the Holocaust survivor who typed Oskar Schindler’s famous list and later turned down an offer from Steven Spielberg.Si...

Jordan Mooney (pictured), Jack Higgins, Robert Ashe, David McKee

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Derek Mack (pictured), June Brown, Doris Derby, Dave Sales

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Derek Mack, the rocket engineer who helped Britain enter the space ageJune Brown, the actor best known as Dot Cotton in Eastender...

Madeleine Albright (pictured), Peter Padfield, Christina Smith, Sheila Paine

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe first female US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was a leading advocate of the NATO bombing campaign aimed at stoppi...

Bruce Page, Dottie Frazier, Josephine Veasey (pictured), Maynard Davies

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBruce Page, the investigative journalist best known for leading the Sunday Times Insight team’s expose of the Thalidomide scanda...

Mary Coombs, Paul Farmer, Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper, William Hurt (pictured)

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Wilson on Mary Coombs, the world's first female computer programmer in the commercial sector; Paul Farmer, a medical anthropologist who saved mil...

Shirley Hughes (pictured), Roger Graef, Shane Warne

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onShirley Hughes, the children’s author and illustrator whose books created a welcoming and recognisable picture of family life.Ro...

Sonny Ramadhin (pictured), Sister Catherine Wybourne, Captain Raymond Savage, Anna Karen

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSonny Ramadhin, the West Indian bowler who was one of the heroes of the side that scored a famous victory over England in 1950.Sis...

Jamal Edwards MBE, P.J. O'Rourke (pictured), Romaine Hart OBE, Ronnie Campbell

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Jamal Edwards, the young music entrepreneur whose YouTube channel supported the careers of grime and rap stars like Dave, Skepta ...

Beryl Vertue CBE (pictured), Flavio Carboni, Phil Harvey, Lata Mangeshkar

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBeryl Vertue, the TV and film producer who brought us 'Men Behaving Badly' and 'Sherlock'. The actors Martin Clunes and Martin Fre...

Bamber Gascoigne (pictured), Norma Waterson, Claire Tomlinson, Thich Nhat Hanh

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBamber Gascoigne, the broadcaster and author best known as the long serving host of the TV quiz show 'University Challenge'.Norma ...

Sir Crispin Tickell, Barry Cryer (pictured), Darlene Hard, Elza Soares

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The diplomat Sir Crispin Tickell, who advised four prime ministers, and influenced international policy on climate change...The wr...

Meat Loaf (pictured), André Leon Talley, Jana Bennett, Kristin Baybars

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMeat Loaf, the rock opera singer best known for his album Bat Out Of Hell.André Leon Talley, the fashion editor who played a lead...

Lord Sainsbury, David Stuart, Elizabeth Selby, Ronnie Spector (pictured)

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Sainsbury of Preston Candover who led the expansion of the family grocery business during the 1970s and 80s.David Stuart, the...

Sidney Poitier (pictured), EO Wilson, Sarah Weddington, Assunta 'Pupetta' Maresca

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSidney Poitier, the first black man to win a 'Best Actor' Oscar, known for his powerful performances in ‘In The Heat of The Nigh...

Lord Rogers (pictured), April Ashley MBE, Joan Didion, Ray Illingworth

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Rogers of Riverside, the influential architect who designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyds Building in London.Ap...

Janice Long (pictured), Marvin Hagler, Esther Bejarano, Leslie Bricusse

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on Janice Long, the pioneering female DJ who was heard on Radios 1 and 2 and was a familiar face on Top of the Pops.“Marvellous” ...

bell hooks (pictured), Shirley McGreal, Lionel Blair, Melvin Van Peebles

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker onThe feminist writer bell hooks, credited with prompting new, radical thinking about race, gender and class.Shirley McGreal, founder...

Mary Maher, Robbie Shakespeare (pictured), Anwar Ditta, Anne Rice

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe journalist and feminist Mary Maher. She edited the women’s page of the Irish Times and was a prime mover in campaigns for eq...

Sir Antony Sher (pictured), Roger Phillips, Judy Totton

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir Antony Sher, one of the finest actors of his generation, who was also a writer and a painter. We have a heartfelt personal tri...

Stephen Sondheim (pictured), Sir Frank Williams, Jo-Carroll Dennison

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Stephen Sondheim, the acclaimed composer and lyricist who revolutionised the stage musical. We have a tribute from Imelda Staunto...

Ian Wallace, Rossana Banti, Ivy Nicholson (pictured), Cedric Robinson MBE

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onIan Wallace, one of the most influential figures in British ornithology. At one time he had seen a wider variety of species of bir...

Aaron Beck, Joan Carlyle (pictured), Etel Adnan, Anne Bradford

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang on Aaron Beck the Eminent psychiatrist who developed cognitive behavioural therapy into the world’s most popular treatment for depressi...

Sir Archie Lamb (pictured), John Boyden, Ida Nudel, Abolhassan Banisadr

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir Archie Lamb who rose from Foreign Office filing clerk to become one of the UK’s most distinguished ambassadors.John Boyden, ...

Sir Michael Rutter (pictured), Christopher Wenner, Sister Megan Rice, Jeanette Altwegg

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir Michael Rutter who was known as the 'father of child psychiatry'. He pioneered research into many aspects of child development...

Bernard Haitink (pictured), Victor Gregg, Ruthie Tompson, Paddy Moloney

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBernard Haitink, one of the greatest orchestral conductors of his generation, known for his interpretations of Mahler, Bruckner an...

Colin Powell (pictured), Brendan Kennelly, Myriam Sarachik, John Clunies-Ross

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Lang onColin Powell, who rose from an impoverished childhood in Harlem to become US Secretary of StateA much loved Irish poet: Brendan Kennelly...

Abdul Qadeer Khan (pictured), R. Allen Gardner, Joyce Jackson, Beresford King-Smith

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, once described as the world’s most dangerous man - but hailed as a hero in his native Pakistan for leadin...

Antony Hewish (pictured), Roger Michell, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Jane Powell

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAntony Hewish, the radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for his work on discovering pulsars.Roger Michell, the film, theatre a...

Lord Gowrie, Kamla Bhasin (pictured), Shirley Metherell MBE, Roger Hunt MBE

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Gowrie, the Tory peer who served as Northern Ireland minister and Arts minister under Margaret Thatcher. He was also a poet a...

Jimmy Greaves (pictured), Sir Clive Sinclair, Olivia Jordan, Carolyn Shoemaker

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:One of the greatest attacking footballers of all time, Jimmy Greaves, who later became a successful and often very funny TV presen...

Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, Jean-Paul Belmondo (pictured), Angela Milner, Inge Ginsberg

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Datshiane Navanayagam on Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, the army officer who led the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. Jean-Paul Belmondo, the unconventi...

Sergei Kovalev (pictured), Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Abebech Gobena, Ed Asner

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Sergei Kovalev, the scientist and leading dissident, who spoke out against human rights abuses under the Soviet Union and the Yel...

Jill Murphy (pictured), Len Gibson, Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Nanci Griffith

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:The children’s author Jill Murphy who based her best-selling stories of the Worst Witch on her own schooldays.Len Gibson, the f...

Charlie Watts (pictured), Austin Mitchell, Hugh Wood, Sean Lock

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. We have a tribute from the boogie woogie pianist who played with Charlie in his other ba...

Una Stubbs (pictured), Gino Strada, Mo Hayder

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onUna Stubbs, the actor who first came to fame in the 1960s TV sitcom 'Till Death Us Do Part', then attracted a new generation of fa...

Jean 'Binta' Breeze MBE (pictured), Sir Nicholas Goodison, Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi, Joyce Shrubbs

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on The Jamaican-born poet Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze MBE, who was known for her compelling performances. We have a tribute from Linton ...

Sir Graham Vick (pictured), Carmel Budiardjo, Piers Plowright, Dusty Hill

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The opera director, Sir Graham Vick, who challenged people's perceptions by discovering new performers and new audiences.Carmel Bu...

Jackie Mason (pictured), John Woodcock, Dinah Murray, Billy Lacey

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onJackie Mason, the comedian and former rabbi whose observations of Jewish life took him from the Borscht Belt to Broadway. John Woo...

Gillian Sheen (pictured), William 'Twink' Allen, Lawrence 'Benny' Goodman, Alan Lewis

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onGillian Sheen, the first and only British person to win an Olympic Gold Medal for fencing.Professor William 'Twink' Allen, the equ...

Jehan Sadat (pictured), Michael Horovitz, Richard Ernst, Dilip Kumar

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Jehan Sadat, the wife of president Anwar Sadat of Egypt, who campaigned for women’s rights, supported the disabled and disadvan...

Donald Rumsfeld (pictured), Menelik Shabazz, Elizabeth French

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDonald Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defense who challenged the military bureaucracy, advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and w...

John McAfee (pictured), Trần Thiện Khiêm, Karla Burns, Horace 'Lyle' Hutley

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on The controversial American businessman John McAfee who made his first fortune selling anti-virus software, retreated into a compo...

Kenneth Kaunda, Janet Malcolm, Penny Kemp, Bob Swash

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: President Kenneth KaundaMatthew Bannister onThe Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda who fought for independence then ruled his country for near...

Edward de Bono, Paul Van Doren, Alastair Hanton OBE, Violetta Elvin

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Edward de BonoMatthew Bannister onEdward De Bono, the psychologist who advocated lateral thinking – and sold the concept to companies arou...

Lee Evans (pictured), Yuan Longping, Bill McCall, Alix Dobkin

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Lee Evans, the world-record-breaking American sprinter who took part in black power protests at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.Yuan Lon...

Eric Carle (pictured), Helen Murray Free, Michael Parsons, Evelyn McNicol

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle, best known for creating The Very Hungry Caterpillar which has sold fifty-five ...

Sir Paul Cosford, Max Mosley (pictured), Dr Frances Rotblat, Norman Lloyd

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:Sir Paul Cosford, who - as medical director of Public Health England - took on a prominent role during the Ebola outbreak and the ...

Spencer Silver, Kevin Jackson, Patricia Brown, Asfaw Yemiru

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDr. Spencer Silver, the American chemist who invented the adhesive used in Post It Notes.Kevin Jackson, the writer, broadcaster an...

Olympia Dukakis (pictured), Eric McGraw MBE, Anthony Thwaite

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:Olympia Dukakis, the Greek-American actor who won an Oscar for playing Cher’s mother in Moonstruck and became an LGBT icon afte...

Baroness O'Cathain, Michael Collins, Sharon Matola, Jim Steinman (pictured, with Meat Loaf)

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBaroness O’Cathain, the successful businesswoman who became Managing Director of the Barbican Arts Centre in London but left aft...

Geoff Crowther, Isamu Akasaki, June Newton, Les McKeown (pictured)

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:Geoff Crowther, the global traveller, writer and map maker whose work helped to build the success of the Lonely Planet guide book...

Helen McCrory (pictured), Hans Küng, Eric Gordon, George Reynolds

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onHelen McCrory, the actor best known for playing the matriarch Aunt Polly in Peaky Blinders, but equally acclaimed for her classica...

Baroness Shirley Williams (pictured), Glynn Lunney, Lyn Macdonald

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:The Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Williams of Crosby. As Shirley Williams she was a Labour cabinet minister who abolished the 11...

Doreen Lofthouse OBE, Dr Chris Doake, Barbara Hosking CBE, Bernice Cohen

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDoreen Lofthouse, the Lancashire businesswoman who took Fisherman’s Friends lozenges from a Fleetwood chemist’s shop to a mult...

Bob Davey MBE; George Segal (pictured); Lady Violet Aitken; Tony Hendra

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBob Davey, the retired water board superintendent who made it his mission to restore an ancient church in Norfolk – and in the p...

Nawal El Saadawi (pictured), Brigadier Jack Thomas, President John Magufuli, Ion Mihai Pacepa

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:The Egyptian feminist writer Nawal El Saadawi who faced persecution and imprisonment but never wavered from her commitment to cam...

Murray Walker (pictured), King Goodwill Zwelithini, Mary Asprey, Bunny Wailer

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on: One of the best known sports commentators of his generation, motor racing's Murray Walker The woman who co-founded what becam...

Nicola Pagett (pictured), Stan Shaw, Prof John Mallard, Rupert Neve

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onNicola Pagett, the acclaimed actor who made her name on TV in Upstairs Downstairs and as Anna Karenina but also excelled in classi...

Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani (pictured), Sidney Alford, Alison Lurie, Chris Barber

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the Saudi oil minister who presided over the 1970s embargo that caused crises for Western economies. Sid...

Sir William Macpherson (pictured), Margaret Snyder, Eleanor Wadsworth, Iain Pattinson

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir William Macpherson, the retired judge whose report on the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence accused the Metropol...

Carlos Menem (pictured), Mary Wilson, Robin Pooley, Larry Flynt

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:Carlos Menem, the flamboyant President of Argentina during the 1990s who transformed the country’s economy, but was dogged by a...

George Shultz, Yvonne Conolly, Maureen Colquhoun, Christopher Plummer (pictured)

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onGeorge Shultz, the US Secretary of State during the Reagan years who came close to brokering a deal to abolish all US and Soviet n...

Lewis Wolpert, Cicely Tyson, Prince Khalid Abdullah and Captain Sir Tom Moore (pictured)

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe biologist Lewis Wolpert who developed new theories about embryo development and was a passionate communicator of science.The a...

Larry King (pictured), Catherine Ennis, Margaret Weston, Gerry Cottle

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLarry King, the American TV interviewer whose long running show on CNN attracted guests ranging from Presidents to pop stars. Chri...

Phil Spector (pictured), Grace Robertson, Paul Nihill

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:Phil Spector, the influential record producer who created the “Wall of Sound”. He died while serving a prison sentence for m...

Michael Apted (pictured), Kay Ullrich, Katharine Whitehorn, Reginald Foster

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on the film-maker Michael Apted, famous for his work on the 7UP documentary series, but who also directed nearly 30 feature films.Kay...

Sir Brian Urquhart (pictured), Albert Roux, Dame Rachel Waterhouse, Gerry Marsden

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir Brian Urquhart, the international civil servant and war veteran who played a key role in setting up United Nations peacekeepin...

Stella Tennant, George Bizos, Joan Feynman, Rishi Kapoor

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Stella Tennant, the iconic fashion model who rose to prominence in the 1990s, becoming the face of Chanel. George Bizos, the Sou...

Millie Small, JJ Williams, Maurice Healy, Dame Fanny Waterman

27 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker onMillie Jones, the singer who brought ska rhythms and Jamaican culture to a global audience with her hit song My Boy Lollipop.JJ Wil...

John le Carré (pictured), Patience Thomson, Doug Scott, Dame Barbara Windsor

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on The author John le Carré , the pen name of David Cornwell, who drew on his own experiences as a spy to elevate the espionage n...

Mario Molina, Irina Antonova, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, Peter Alliss (pictured)

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMario Molina, the chemist who won the Nobel prize for revealing the devastating impact of CFCs on the ozone layer.Irina Antonova, ...

Hamish MacInnes OBE, José Padilla, Anne Rasa

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:Hamish MacInnes, the mountaineer known as “The Fox of Glencoe”. He climbed the Matterhorn aged 16, made four trips to Everest...

Diego Maradona, Rosalind Grimshaw, Jan Morris CBE

27 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Diego MaradonaMatthew Bannister on:Diego Maradona, the flawed footballing genius who was worshipped by fans in Argentina and his adopted hom...

Des O’Connor CBE, Richard Trim OBE, Dr Ataullah Siddiqui, Edith Raymond Locke

20 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Des O'ConnorMatthew Bannister onThe comedian Des O’Connor, an all-round entertainer equally at home telling jokes, hosting a chat show or ...

Lord Sacks, John Sessions, Joanna Harcourt-Smith, Jim Radford

13 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Lord SacksMatthew Bannister onThe former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, a respected scholar and broadcaster who reached out to other faiths, but ha...

Sir Sean Connery, Eavan Boland, Nobby Stiles MBE, Bobby Ball

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Sir Sean ConneryMatthew Bannister onSir Sean Connery, seen by many as the definitive James Bond, he won an Oscar for The Untouchables and wa...

David Toole OBE, Professor Valerie Curtis, Frank Bough, Jill Paton Walsh CBE

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: David TooleMatthew Bannister onDavid Toole, the disabled dancer who starred in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics.Professor Val Cu...

Herbert Kretzmer, James Nash, Tom Maschler, Sister Chiara Hatton Hall

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Herbert KretzmerMatthew Bannister onHerbert Kretzmer, the journalist turned lyricist, best known for writing the lyrics for the musical Les ...

Derek Mahon, Professor Gerta Vrbová, Ang Rita Sherpa, Helena Shenel

16 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Derek MahonMatthew Bannister on Derek Mahon, one of Ireland’s greatest poets of recent times, whose work 'Everything’s Going To Be Alrig...

Kenzo Takada, Colonel John Waddy, Frank Windsor, Ann Getty

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Kenzo TakadaMatthew Bannister on:Kenzo Takada, the Japanese-born fashion designer who made Paris his home and was known for his bold use of ...

Sir Harold Evans, Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, Alan Minter, Helen Taylor-Thompson

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The campaigning journalist and editor, Sir Harold Evans, voted the greatest of all time by his peers....Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, US Su...

Juliette Greco, Bob Gore, Dame Georgina Mace, Jiri Menzel

02 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Juliette GrecoJulian Worricker on the French singer and actor, Juliette Greco, who rose to fame on the famous Left Bank in Paris after the w...

Sir Terence Conran, Dame Diana Rigg CBE, Shere Hite, Toots Hibbert

18 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Sir Terence ConranMatthew Bannister on: Sir Terence Conran, the designer and businessman who transformed the UK’s approach to home décor ...

Stuart King, Comrade Duch, Deirdre Le Faye, David Bryant CBE

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Stuart KingJulian Worricker on: Stuart King, who co-founded a humanitarian charity which involved perilous flights to southern Africa in l...

Chadwick Boseman, Sir Kenneth Robinson, Lord Renton of Mount Harry, Doreen Davies

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Chadwick BosemanMatthew Bannister onChadwick Boseman, whose portrayal of the King of the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda in the movie B...

Dr James Partridge OBE, Sally Jacobs, Angela Buxton, Philip Horniblow OBE

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Dr James Partridge OBE (c) Paul Chambers PhotographyJulian Worricker on: The theatre designer, Sally Jacobs, whose work included a groundb...