Last Word

Denis Norden, Diane Leather, Johnny Kingdom, Fenella Fielding

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Denis NordenAndrea Catherwood on Denis Norden, the television presenter and comedy writer who made Britain laugh for half a century. Diane ...

Lady Coleridge, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Jacqueline Pearce, Lord Thomas of Macclesfield, Stan Brock

14 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Jacqueline PearceMatthew Bannister onLady Coleridge, the nurse and adventurer who explored the Congo river with Colonel John Blashford-Snell...

Burt Reynolds, Lord Peter Melchett, Rita Borsellino, Ajit Wadekar

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Burt ReynoldsMatthew Bannister onThe prolific career of the movie star Burt Reynolds. The 'Deliverance' director John Boorman pays tribute. ...

Lindsay Kemp, John Calder, Hilary Lister, John Calcutt, Neil Simon

31 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Lindsay KempJulian Worricker on:The dancer and choreographer, Lindsay Kemp, who worked alongside David Bowie and Kate Bush.John Calder, the ...

Kofi Annan, Janice Tchalenko, Hugh Synge, Helen MacLeod, Hettie Williams

24 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Kofi AnnanJulian Worricker on:Diplomat Kofi Annan, who rose through the ranks of the United Nations, to serve as its secretary-general for n...

Aretha Franklin, VS Naipaul, Winston Ntshona, Nan Joyce

17 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Aretha FranklinMatthew Bannister onSir VS Naipaul, the Nobel prize winning author of acclaimed books including "A House For Mr Biswas" and "...

Tony Bullimore, Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, Barry Chuckle, June Jacobs, Tommy Peoples

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Barry ChuckleMatthew Bannister onTony Bullimore, the self styled "Del Boy of yacht racing" who was trapped under the hull of his boat for 4 ...

Mary Ellis, Shinobu Hashimoto, Dr William McBride AO, CBE, Dr Lincoln Brower, Mahendra Kaul

03 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Mary EllisMatthew Bannister on Mary Ellis - a leading pilot for the Air Transport Auxiliary who risked her life to deliver fighters and bomb...

Charles Gimingham, Felicia Langer, Julian Tudor Hart, Anne Olivier Popham Bell, Adrian Cronauer

27 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Anne Olivier Popham BellJulian Worricker on:Charles Gimingham, an environmentalist, described as the foremost expert on heather and moorland...

Oliver Knussen CBE, Barbara Harrell-Bond OBE, Sam Chisholm, Steve Ditko, Anna Sándor de Kénos

20 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pictured: Oliver KnussenJulian Worricker on:British composer and conductor, Oliver Knussen, described as a towering figure in contemporary music....Ba...

Lord Carrington, Karen Finch, Claude Lanzmann, Harlan Ellison

13 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Lord CarringtonMatthew Bannister onLord Carrington, the Conservative Foreign Secretary who resigned after the Argentine invasion of the Falklan...

Dame Gillian Lynne, Peter Firmin, Reinhard Hardegen, Alan Longmuir

06 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Dame Gillian LynneMatthew Bannister on:The choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne, best known for her work on Cats and the Phantom of the Opera.Peter...

Joe Jackson, Paul Lamplugh OBE, Myrtle Allen, Daisy Kadibil, Paddy Feeny

29 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Joe JacksonMatthew Bannister onJoe Jackson who drilled his children into becoming the Jackson Five, but was accused of abusive and violent beha...

Gennady Rozhdestvensky CBE, Maria Bueno, Gena Turgel, Zhao Kangmin, Leo Sarkisian

22 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Maria BuenoMatthew Bannister onThe conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky who brought Russian music to the UK - and British music to Russia.Maria Bue...

Peter Mayer, Professor Celia Brackenridge OBE, Anthony Bourdain, Leslie Grantham, Teddy Johnson

15 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Leslie GranthamTina Daheley on Peter Mayer, the publisher who was given a fatwa for printing 'The Satanic Verses'. Professor Celia Brackenridg...

Peter Stringfellow, Graham Corbett, Kate Spade, Lord John Julius Norwich, Eli Avivi

08 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Peter StringfellowTina Daheley on the nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow, who introduced nude table dancing to Britain.Graham Corbett, the firs...

John Ashdown-Hill, Anne Coates OBE, Dr Davida Coady, Samuel F 'Ted' Dabney, Brendan Ingle

01 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Anne Coates OBEMatthew Bannister on the prolific film editor Anne Coates, who worked on Laurence of Arabia, The Elephant Man and Fifty Shades o...

Beth Chatto, Philip Roth, Doreen Simmons, Khurshid Drabu, June Milne.

25 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Philip RothJulian Worricker on:Beth Chatto, the gardener and writer regarded as one of the most influential horticulturists of the past 50 year...

Baroness Jowell, Will Alsop, Tom Wolfe, Dennis Nilsen

18 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Jowell - the former Labour Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell - who led the campaign to bring the Olympic Games to London and...

Bruce Tulloh, Emma Smith, Professor Peter Waddington, Dowager Countess of Harewood, Ronald Chesney

11 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBruce Tulloh, who ran across the United States in record time and became European 5,000 metres champion barefoot. Emma Smith the a...

Lord Martin of Springburn, Gustav Born, Valerie Riches, Caroline Brown, Michael Anderson

04 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Martin of Springburn: the former House of Commons speaker Michael Martin. He resigned after MPs lost confidence in his handli...

Avicii (Tim Bergling), Ruth Nussenzweig, Anita Shreve, Guy Playfair, Bob Bura

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAvicii, the Swedish DJ whose songs became anthems for millions of festival goers around the world. He was found dead aged 28 in Om...

Barbara Bush, Milos Forman, Dame Daphne Sheldrick, Livia Gollancz, Dale Winton

20 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBarbara Bush, the first woman in history to see both her husband and son sworn in as President of the USA. Milos Forman, the film ...

Gillian Ayres, Efraín Ríos Montt, David Cobham, Nikki Sievwright, Fergus Anckorn

13 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Gillian AyresMatthew Bannister onThe artist Gillian Ayres, known for her large, exuberant abstract paintings, which reflected her exuberant cha...

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Drue Heinz DBE, Ray Wilkins MBE, Eric Bristow, Steven Bochco

06 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Winnie Madikizela-MandelaMatthew Bannister onWinnie Madikizela-Mandela who was one of the leading anti apartheid campaigners in South Africa, b...

Charles P Lazarus, Marielle Franco, John Brookes, Zena Skinner, Oskar Groning

30 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Zena SkinnerJulian Worricker on:Charles P Lazarus, the founder of Toys 'R' Us - a store chain which, for decades, captured the hearts of consum...

Brenda Dean, William McAlpine, Keith O'Brien, Katie Boyle, Garech Browne

23 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Lady Dean of Thornton-le-FyldeMatthew Bannister onLady Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde who, as Brenda Dean, was the leader of the print union Sogat d...

Professor Stephen Hawking, Hubert de Givenchy, Michele Hanson, Sir John Sulston, Sir Ken Dodd

16 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Professor Stephen HawkingMatthew Bannister onProfessor Stephen Hawking, one of the world's best known scientists who carried out pioneering res...

Trevor Baylis, Lerone Bennett Jr, Penny Vincenzi, Ian Aitken, Sir Roger Bannister

09 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Sir Roger BannisterMatthew Bannister onTrevor Baylis, the eccentric inventor who came up with the wind up radio.Lerone Bennett, the American ac...

Sir Lawrence Byford, Sridevi Kapoor, Dame Beulah Bewley, Ernest Hecht, Lewis Gilbert

02 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Sridevi KapoorMatthew Bannister onErnest Hecht, who founded the Souvenir Press, which published books from Nobel prize winners like Pablo Nerud...

Billy Graham, Laura Lee, John Morris, John Bosco McAtasney, John Pitman

23 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Billy GrahamMatthew Bannister onThe evangelist Billy Graham who preached to millions around the world and offered spiritual advice to 12 Americ...

Morgan Tsvangirai, Douglas Botting, Professor Patricia Lindop, Asma Jahangir, Vic Damone

16 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Morgan TsvangiraiMatthew Bannister onMorgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change and Prime Minister from ...

John Mahoney, Hannah Hauxwell, Professor Kenneth Richard Seddon OBE, Sir John Cotterell, Naomi Parker Fraley

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: John MahoneyJulian Worricker on:The actor John Mahoney who played Marty Crane in one of America's best-loved sitcoms, Frasier.Hannah Hauxwell, ...

Ingvar Kamprad, Elizabeth Hawley, Robert Mann, Jon Castle, Dorothy Malone

02 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Dorothy MaloneJulian Worricker on:Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish entrepreneur who founded Ikea and changed the way we furnish our homesElizabeth H...

Hugh Masekela, Ursula K Le Guin, Mary Lee Berners-Lee, John Barton, Mark E Smith

26 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Hugh MasekelaMatthew Bannister onHugh Masekela the South African jazz trumpeter and anti apartheid activist.Ursula K. Le Guin whose science fic...

Rick Jolly, Dolores O'Riordan, Cyrille Regis, Jenny Joseph, Peter Wyngarde

19 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSurgeon Captain Rick Jolly, the navy doctor who set up a makeshift field hospital during the Falklands War to treat both British a...

John W Young, Peter Preston, Raymond Thomas, Sir Brian Neill QC, Heather Stewart

12 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: John W. YoungMatthew Bannister onJohn W. Young the American astronaut who went into in space six times, including landing on the moon and comma...

Maureen Baker, Richard Cousins, Bronwen Lady Astor Chatelaine of Cliveden, Meic Povey, Rick Hall

05 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Maureen BakerMatthew Bannister onMaureen Baker who designed clothes for Princess Anne, including her Tudor inspired wedding dress.Richard Cousi...

Sir Peter Burt, Jill Lever, John Mattock, Peter Duffell and Tom Paley

29 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Tom PaleyJulian Worricker on:The businessman Sir Peter Burt, who was in charge of Bank of Scotland when it merged with the Halifax, and was lat...

Professor Heinz Wolff, Aline Countess of Romanones, Tony Whitten, Fritz Lustig, Keely Smith

22 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Photo: Professor Heinz WolffMatthew Bannister onProfessor Heinz Wolff, the bioengineer who was known to millions of TV viewers as the presenter of "Th...

Max Clifford, Norman Baker, Tony Garrett, Virginia Surtees, Keith Chegwin

15 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

(Photo: Keith Chegwin)Matthew Bannister onThe disgraced publicist Max Clifford who was known as the king of the kiss and tell story, made up many tabl...

King Michael of Romania, Shashi Kapoor, Christine Keeler, Jenny MacGregor, Johnny Hallyday

08 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

(Photo: Christine Keeler)Matthew Bannister on King Michael of Romania who ruled his country during the second world war and was forced to abdicate by ...

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Unity Spencer, Lewis Golden OBE, John Butler, Joy Lofthouse

01 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

(Photo: Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky) Matthew Bannister onThe Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, known for playing leading operatic roles -...

24/11/2017

24 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Imbert, the Commissioner who tried to change the culture of the Metropolitan Police. He invited TV cameras to observe his off...

Lord Hutchinson of Lullington QC, Linda Nochlin, Dennis Banks, Geoff Tootill, Tim Gudgin

17 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Hutchinson of Lullington, the barrister who appeared in many celebrated cases, including defending the publication of Lady Ch...

Antonio Carluccio, Sima Wali, Richard Wilbur, Mary Reveley, Dudley Simpson

10 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on The chef Antonio Carluccio who transformed Italian cooking in the UK.Sima Wali who devoted her life to campaigning for the rights...

Harold Pendleton, Glenn Barr, Iona Opie, Gary Flather QC OBE, Sir John Manduell

03 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onHoward Pendleton who made the Marquee Club a launch pad for scores of rock stars including the Rolling Stones, the Who and David B...

Daphne Caruana Galizia, Fats Domino, Rodney Bickerstaffe, Geoffrey Schild, Rosemary Leach

27 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe campaigning Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who was killed by a car bomb after exposing corruption in politics and b...

Sean Hughes, Sir Brian Barder, David Marks, Major Khush Ahmad-ul-Mulk, Marge Calhoun

20 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSean Hughes, the comedian who pioneered stand up with a narrative and was a team captain on "Never Mind the Buzzcocks".Architect D...

Lillian Ross, Jalal Talabani, Terry Downes, Sybil Flory, Hedley Jones

13 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:Lillian Ross, who wrote for the New Yorker, and created a new form of journalism....The Iraqi president after the fall of Saddam H...

Tony Booth, Liliane Bettencourt, William G Stewart, Tom Petty

06 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe actor Tony Booth, best known for playing Alf Garnett's left wing son-in-law in the TV comedy Till Death Us Do Part - and notor...

Hugh Hefner, Stanislav Petrov, Teddy Taylor, Liz Dawn

29 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Hugh Hefner who built the Playboy empire on a best selling magazine. Was he a libertarian who changed attitudes to sex or a sleaz...

David Shepherd, Nancy Hatch Dupree, Gordon Williams, Pat Albeck, Harry Dean Stanton

22 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDavid Shepherd, the artist who painted trains, aeroplanes and elephants and worked tirelessly to conserve wild animals. Nancy Hatc...

Sir Peter Hall, Kate Millett, Sir Edward du Cann, JP Donleavy

15 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSir Peter Hall, the director who founded the Royal Shakespeare Company, ran the National Theatre and created many acclaimed theatr...

Sir David Tang, Professor Dame Margaret Turner-Warwick, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Walter Becker

08 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on:The flamboyant businessman Sir David Tang who founded the fashion label Shanghai Tang and collected celebrity friends. Tracey Emi...

Dick Gregory, Jeannie Rousseau, Wayne Lotter, Sean O'Callaghan, John Abercrombie

01 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onDick Gregory, the African American comedian and civil rights activist who was also a dietician to stars like John Lennon and Moham...

Abu Kifah, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Brian Aldiss, Blanche Blackwell, Jerry Lewis

25 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Aldiss - the gifted science fiction author who inspired the Hollywood movie AI artificial intelligence. Jerry Lewis the American comic who - wit...

Barbara Cook, Sister Ruth Pfau, Richard Gordon, Prof UR Rao

18 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Silverton on the "Broadway Diva" Barbara Cook, the American singer and actress who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the origi...

Glen Campbell, Dame Helen Alexander, Prunella Briance, Clancy Sigal

11 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onGlen Campbell - the singer and guitarist best known for hits like Galveston and Witchita Lineman. We talk to the man who wrote the...

Robert Hardy, David Jones, Jeanne Moreau, Mark Wilkinson, Sam Shepard

04 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on The actor Robert Hardy, best known for his roles in All Creatures Great and Small and the Harry Potter films and for playing Wins...

Mary Turner, Chester Bennington, Scharlette Holdman, Orri Vigfusson and George A Romero

28 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMary Turner the President of the GMB Union who started her campaigning life by organising her fellow dinner ladies at a North Lond...

Chuck Blazer, Maryam Mirzakhani, Bryan Avery, Peter McHugh, Martin Landau

21 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Chuck Blazer who embezzled millions of dollars from the international football organisation FIFA, then turned whistle blower to i...

Simone Veil, Graham Rose, Tom Isaacs, Liu Xiaobo, Ken Hirst

14 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onSimone Veil, the Holocaust survivor who became a leading French politician and President of the European Parliament.Graham Rose wh...

Barry Norman, Gordon Wilson, Geri Allen, John Thompson, Jack O'Neill

07 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBarry Norman - best known for presenting the BBC television's Film programme,on radio he also fronted the Today Programme and the ...

Lord Joffe, Michael Bond, Ann Louise Gilligan, Carla Fendi, John Avildsen

30 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Joffe, the lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela at the infamous Rivonia trial. He went on to co-found the Allied Dunbar insuran...

Helmut Kohl, Anita Pallenberg, Professor Brian Bellhouse, Naseem Khan, Brian Cant

23 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of Germany at the time of the country's re-unification.Anita Pallenberg, artiste and muse to three of the ...

Adnan Khashoggi, Countess Mountbatten, Adam West, Kailash Puri, Vin Garbutt, Helen Dunmore

16 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onArms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, known for his lavish life style, he acted as a middle man between governments and arms suppliers.Coun...

Miriam Rodriguez Martinez, Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, Peter Sallis, Lady Anne Piper, Jiri Belohlavek

09 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMiriam Rodríguez Martínez- the Mexican woman whose daughter was killed by drug cartels - and who led a campaign for justice for ...

John Noakes, Manuel Noriega, Pat Stewart, Rex Sanders, Gregg Allman

02 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The broadcaster, John Noakes, who was famous for his daredevil exploits on Blue Peter for thirteen years....Manuel Noriega, who fl...

Brendan Duddy, Nina Lowry, Roger Ailes, Osmund Reynolds, Roger Moore

26 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea Catherwood onBrendan Duddy, the businessman from Derry who played a key but unsung role in the Northern Ireland peace process hosting secret ta...

Rhodri Morgan, Michael Wearing, Dr Helen Szamuely, Ian Brady, Robert Miles

19 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onRhodri Morgan the former Welsh First Minister, known as the Labour Party's "Father of Welsh devolution". Michael Wearing the TV pr...

Ueli Steck, Lord Williams of Baglan, Sylvia Moy, Captain James Dickson MBE, Jon Prinz

12 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe Swiss climber Ueli Steck, famous for his daring high speed ascents of the world's most challenging mountains without the use o...

Robert Pirsig, Shobha Nehru, Michael Ballhaus, Leo Baxendale, Bruce Langhorne

05 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onRobert Pirsig, author of the best selling book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.Shobha Nehru, the Hungarian woman who mar...

Jonathan Demme, Robert Taylor, Cathy Hopkins, Peter Farrer, Dorothy Torry

28 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe film director Jonathan Demme - best known for the multi Oscar winning films Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia.Robert Taylo...

Michael Bogdanov, Louis Sarno, Sheila Abdus Salaam, Dick Potts, Don Rickles

21 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe theatre director Michael Bogdanov, who co-founded the English Shakespeare Company. His National Theatre production of the Roma...

Masha Leon, Tim Pigott-Smith, Christopher Morahan, Parv Bancil, Marthe Gosteli, Brian Matthew

14 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The society columnist and Holocaust survivor, Masha Leon....Actor Tim Pigott-Smith and director Christopher Morahan, who worked to...

Darcus Howe, Andy Coogan, Dr Sylvia Moody, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Peter Shotton

07 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on the Black Power activist and journalist Darcus Howe. He was a leading campaigner for equal rights in the 1970s and 80s.Athletics ...

David Storey, Ahmed Kathrada, Barbara Buss, Aloysius 'Lucky' Gordon

31 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onPlaywright and novelist David Storey who drew on his experiences as a professional rugby league player in some of his work. The So...

Martin McGuinness, Chuck Berry, Sir Derek Walcott, Salome Karwah, Colin Dexter

24 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onMartin McGuinness, who went from being a violent IRA commander to a peace making politician.Chuck Berry, hailed as the father of r...

John Surtees, Gordon Thomas, Sir Howard Hodgkin, H. Boyd Woodruff, Joni Sledge

17 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe racing driver John Surtees who won world championships on two wheels and four.Gordon Thomas who wrote best selling books about...

Sir Nigel Rodley, Sir Cosmo Haskard, Louise Hulton, Pete Overend Watts

10 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on The human rights lawyer Sir Nigel Rodley. He helped to draft the United Nations Convention Against Torture and became its special...

Gerald Kaufman, Dick Bruna, Desmond Connell, Rita Barberá, Frank Delaney

03 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The long-serving Labour MP and former minister, Gerald KaufmanThe prolific Dutch illustrator and author Dick BrunaCardinal Desmond...

Stanley Bard, Norma McCorvey, Michael Ember, Peter Skellern

24 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Silverton on Stanley Bard, the enigmatic proprietor of New York's Chelsea Hotel who created a haven for artists, writers and rock stars and presi...

Al Jarreau, Betty Tebbs, Sir Peter Mansfield, Dame Jennifer Jenkins, Hans Rosling

17 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBetty Tebbs who devoted her life to fighting for women's rights and nuclear disarmament.Sir Peter Mansfield, the Nobel Prize winni...

Alan Simpson, Brunhilde Pomsel, Sir Ken Morrison, Buchi Emecheta

10 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe comedy writer Alan Simpson. With his partner Ray Galton, he created classic sitcoms including Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe ...

Sir John Hurt, Margaret Pereira CBE, Sir Christopher Bland, Emma Tennant, Mary Tyler Moore

03 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Sir John Hurt, the actor whose outstanding roles included Quentin Crisp, the Elephant Man and Caligula.Margaret Pereira, the pion...

Tam Dalyell MP, Victor Lownes, Babette Cole, Zhou Youguang, Gorden Kaye

27 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe Labour MP Tam Dalyell who asked the West Lothian Question and pursued Margaret Thatcher over the sinking of the Belgrano. Vict...

Baroness Heyhoe Flint, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Una Kroll, William Peter Blatty, Sir James Mancham

20 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint who captained the England women's cricket team to victory in the World Cup.Iranian President Akbar H...

Lord Snowdon, Graham Taylor, Jill Saward, Peter Sarstedt, Clare Hollingworth

13 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onLord Snowdon - renowned photographer and Princess Margaret's former husband.Graham Taylor - the football manager who had success w...

John Berger, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, Henry Heimlich, Patsy Crampton, Brian Widlake and George Michael

06 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The writer and art critic John BergerMother and daughter actresses, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie FisherThe surgeon who came up with ...

Michael Nicholson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Lord Prior, Rabbi Lionel Blue, Pauline Oliveros

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Worricker on:The journalist and TV correspondent, Michael Nicholson, who covered numerous conflicts for ITNThe actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Ga...

Peter Gibson, AA Gill, Coral Atkins, William Chaloner, Ian McCaskill

16 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onPeter Gibson the master glazier who devoted his life to the care of the stained glass windows in York Minster.AA Gill, who overcam...

John Glenn, Peter Vaughan, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Greg Lake

09 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on John Glenn, the astronaut who was the first American to orbit the earth and later the oldest man ever to be sent into space.The a...

Andrew Sachs, Fidel Castro, Mose Allison, The Honourable Margaret Rhodes

02 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAndrew Sachs, the actor who was so much more than Manuel in Fawlty Towers. We hear about his acclaimed radio career.Also the Cuban...

Martin Aitchison, Sir Mota Singh QC, William Trevor, Ruth Gruber, David Mancuso

25 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Silverton on:Martin Aitchison who worked with Barnes Wallis on the bouncing bomb but made his name illustrating the Peter and Jane ladybird books...

Robert Vaughn, Sir Sigmund Sternberg, Carolyn Hardy OBE, Ewen Whitaker, Claude 'Curly' Putman

18 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onRobert Vaughn - the actor who made his name as Napoleon Solo in "The Man From Uncle" TV series and also appeared in films like "Th...

Leonard Cohen, Lt Col Robert Montgomery MC, Janet Reno, Sir Jimmy Young

11 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onThe singer, songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen. He was accused of depressing a generation, but many found his songs inspiring.Lieut...

Tom Hayden, Valerie Hunter Gordon, Carole Blake, Anne Pashley

04 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onAmerican political activist Tom Hayden. He once said that people only knew four words about him: "Sixties, Radical, Jane and Fonda...

Raine, Countess Spencer, James "Jimmy" Perry, Stylianos Pattakos, Howard Davies, Bobby Vee

28 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister on Raine Countess Spencer. The daughter of Barbara Cartland and step mother of Princess Diana who nicknamed her "Acid Raine".Jimmy P...

Jean Alexander, Trinh Thi Ngo, Ian Mercer, Joseph Harmatz, Joan Marie Johnson

21 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Bannister onJean Alexander - the actress best known for playing Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street.Trinh Thi Ngo. Nicknamed Hanoi Hannah, she br...