Episodes
Matthew Bannister on Lord Prescott, the working-class lad who became Deputy Prime Minister. Stephanie Collie, whose costume designs for “Peaky Blinders” and “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” inspired street fashion. Dame Janet “Jinty” Nelson, the leading mediaeval historian who wrote an acclaimed biography of the Frankish King Charlemagne. Frank Auerbach, one of the twentieth century’s finest artists. We speak to the art historian Catherine Lampert who sat for him every week for over forty...
Published 11/22/24
Published 11/22/24
Matthew Bannister on the versatile actor Timothy West whose roles ranged from Shakespeare to soap operas. Sir Ian McKellen pays tribute. Sir John Nott, the Conservative politician who was Defence Secretary at the time of the Falklands War. June Spencer who played the matriarch of Ambridge, Peggy Wooley. She was the last original cast member. Nadia Cattouse, who was born in what is now Belize. She signed up to serve Britain during the second world war and became a singer and advocate for the...
Published 11/15/24
Matthew Bannister on Quincy Jones, the music producer, composer and arranger who worked with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. Janey Godley, the comedian who used her challenging childhood and youth in Glasgow as material for her shows. Lyudmila Trut, the Russian geneticist who dedicated her life to a revolutionary – and evolutionary - experiment investigating the domestication of silver foxes Dr Paul Stephenson, who led the Bristol bus boycott to end race discrimination...
Published 11/08/24
Matthew Bannister on Dick Pope, the cinematographer who worked closely with Director Mike Leigh on films like “Secrets and Lies” and “Mr Turner”. Mike pays tribute. Sister Sally Butler, the American nun who blew the whistle on historic child sex abuse in her New York parish. Professor Tim Darvill OBE, the archaeologist best known for his work on the history of Stonehenge. Patti McGee, the first woman professional skateboarder. We have a tribute from skateboarding legend Tony...
Published 11/01/24
Matthew Bannister on General Sir Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff at the time of the Iraq War. Lily Ledbetter, whose campaign for equal pay led to an Act of Congress. Safeya Binzagr, the pioneering Saudi Arabian artist whose career flourished despite the cultural restrictions on women in her society Steve Piotrowski, the ornithologist who ringed 100,000 birds and helped to increase the barn owl population of Suffolk. Interviewee: Lord Richards Interviewee: Noreen...
Published 10/25/24
Kirsty Lang on Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland. Ethel Kennedy, wife of Robert F Kennedy who went onto become a campaigner for Human Rights. Ratan Tata, the businessman who led the Tata Group for more than two decades. Fleur Adcock, the poet who's conversational, irreverent style made her one of the most popular voices in British poetry. Interviewee: Brian Taylor Interviewee: Michael Posner Interviewee: Sameer Hashmi Interviewee: Deryn Rhys-Jones Interviewee: Neil Astley ...
Published 10/18/24
John Wilson on Lord Ouseley, the co-founder of the anti-racism football campaign ‘Kick it Out’ and former Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality. The landscape artist and printmaker Norman Ackroyd whose work celebrates some of the most remote and inhospitable areas of the UK. Lore Segal, the author whose book ‘Other People’s Houses’ told the story of her fleeing the Nazis on a Kindertransport and being fostered in England. The Grammy Award winning singer Cissy Houston was a leading...
Published 10/11/24
John Wilson on Kris Kristofferson, the singer, songwriter and actor who appeared with Barbra Streisand in ‘A Star is Born’ Camilla Carr, the aid worker who along with her partner was kidnapped and held hostage for 14 months in Chechnya. Hassan Nasrallah, for over 30 years he was the leader of Lebanon’s militant Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah. The group was designated as a terror organisation by Israel, the US, UK and other countries. María Benítez, a dancer, choreographer, and...
Published 10/04/24
Matthew Bannister on Peter Jay, who was economics editor at the Times and the BBC and also Britain’s Ambassador to the United States. Ed Johnson, the CIA agent who played a key role in the Argo operation to smuggle US diplomats out of Iran – but kept his involvement secret until his death. His wife tells us she had no idea what his work involved. Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, who made controversial changes aimed at bringing more visitors to the Victoria and Albert Museum Deborah Roberts, the...
Published 09/27/24
Matthew Bannister on Dr George Berci, the surgeon who pioneered the use of miniature cameras in operations to minimise cutting and accelerate patients’ recovery times. Olga Craig, the respected journalist from Northern Ireland who reported from war zones and covered the aftermath of the bombing in Omagh. Michaela Mabinty DePrince, the orphan from war-torn Sierra Leone who realised her dreams of becoming a ballerina. Tony Strong, the scenic artist who worked with film directors like Stanley...
Published 09/20/24
Matthew Bannister on James Earl Jones, the versatile actor whose roles ranged from the voice of Darth Vader to Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare. Adrian Lester pays tribute. Dr. Helen Fisher, the biological anthropologist who researched the science behind romantic love. Sergio Mendes, who introduced the world to his unique style of Brazilian music. His friend Herb Alpert shares memories of creating classic albums together. Maureen Nicol who founded the National Housewives’ Register...
Published 09/13/24
Matthew Bannister on Claire Lomas MBE, who was paralysed from the chest down after a riding accident and went on to complete the London Marathon wearing a bionic suit. Phil Swern, the music producer known as “The Collector” because he owned millions of records. Ken Bruce pays tribute. Countess of Airlie, the American heiress who married into the aristocracy and became a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II. Geoff Mumford, a pioneer of the craft beer movement who co-founded the...
Published 09/06/24
Matthew Bannister on Mike Lynch, who was one of the UK’s most successful tech entrepreneurs. Nell McCafferty, the Irish journalist and feminist campaigner who took part in the “contraceptive train” protest in 1971. Ruth Colvin, who founded the American “Literacy Volunteers” organisation to help adults who couldn’t read or write Sven-Göran Eriksson, the Swedish born football manager who became the first non-British coach of the England football team. Interviewee: Suranga...
Published 08/30/24
Matthew Bannister on American TV host Phil Donahue – pioneer of the daytime talk show. Countess Diana Phipps Sternberg, the Czech born interior designer who was at the centre of a vibrant social scene in London during the swinging 60s. Professor Mary Gibby OBE, the botanist who specialised in the study and classification of ferns. Toumani Diabaté, the Malian musician known around the world for his virtuoso kora playing. Interviewee: Bill Brioux Interviewee: Michael Žantovský Interviewee:...
Published 08/23/24
Kirsty Lang on Susan Wojcicki, the first woman to lead a major company in Silicon Valley. Lord Colwyn, a jazz loving politician who cared passionately about improving the nation’s teeth. Sir Ernest Hall, a piano playing entrepreneur, who oversaw the regeneration of a former textile mill in Halifax. Mísia, the musician who found international acclaim by bringing a modern twist to traditional Portuguese Fado music. Interviewee: Mike Isaac Interviewee: Lady Colwyn Interviewee: Lord Hunt of...
Published 08/16/24
Matthew Bannister on Lord Fellowes, who was private secretary to Queen Elizabeth during the 1990s. Professor Helen Whitwell, the forensic pathologist who inspired the central character in the TV series “Silent Witness”. David Power, the Irish businessman who co-founded one of the world’s biggest gambling companies – Paddy Power. Irène Schweizer, the pianist and feminist who made a big impact in the male-dominated world of jazz. Interviewee: Hugo Vickers Interviewee: Katy Thorne KC...
Published 08/09/24
John Wilson on Edna O’Brien, one of Ireland’s greatest writers. In a career spanning over 60 years she wrote 17 novels and many short stories, plays and essays. Sir Kenneth Grange, the prolific designer whose works included the Kenwood Chef, the parking meter and the Intercity 125 train. Groundbreaking Swedish rally driver Ewy Rosqvist. The British blues musician John Mayall, the man who nurtured the young talents of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and many more. Producer: Ed...
Published 08/02/24
Matthew Bannister on Dr Mildred Stahlman, the American paediatrician whose discovery helped to improve the outcomes of premature babies around the world. Ray Reardon, the former miner and police officer who was a World Snooker Champion six times. Val McIver, the Scottish local councillor who campaigned to set up the University of the Highlands and Islands. Eddie Spence, who decorated elaborate wedding cakes for members of the royal family for decades. Interviewee: Dr Meg Rush Interviewee:...
Published 07/26/24
Matthew Bannister on Dr Ruth Westheimer who offered frank advice about sex on TV and radio. Mike Corfield, the conservator who developed new methods of preserving archaeological artefacts in the places where they were discovered. Shelley Duvall, the actor who worked closely with Robert Altman, played Wendy in The Shining and Michal Palin’s star-crossed lover in Time Bandits. Michael shares his memories. Veronica Smith, who, as a young woman, was forced to give up her baby for adoption. She ...
Published 07/19/24
Matthew Bannister on Dr Richard Taylor, the retired hospital consultant who became the independent MP for Wyre Forest. Jack Rowell, the rugby coach who transformed the fortunes of Bath and took England to the World Cup semi-finals. The artist Claudia Williams, who painted large scale canvases including images of women and children who lost their homes in the Welsh village of Tryweryn. Christophe Deloire, the French journalist who became director general of the organisation Reporters Without...
Published 07/12/24
Matthew Bannister on Frank Duckworth, the statistician whose name will forever be associated with the Duckworth-Lewis method of calculating scores for rain affected cricket matches. Leah Levin, who campaigned to overturn miscarriages of justice and gain reparations for victims of torture. Professor Mary-Lou Pardue, the eminent biologist who fought against sexism at the American University, M.I.T. Joss Naylor, the fell runner who broke the Lake District 24-hour record three times and ran the...
Published 07/05/24
Matthew Bannister on Sir Howard Bernstein, the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council credited with transforming the city after the IRA bomb of 1996. Joan Brady, the author and former ballet dancer who won the Whitbread Prize for her novel “The Theory of War”. Gene Nora Jessen, the American pilot who was part of a group of women known as the Mercury 13 – who were subjected to tests to see if they were fit to become astronauts. Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, the vocalist with the two- tone...
Published 06/28/24
Kirsty Lang on the Judge and cricketer Sir Oliver Popplewell. His godson Stephen Fry pays tribute. The computer pioneer and transgender advocate Lynn Conway. The music mogul and friend to the Fab Four Tony Bramwell. One of France’s best loved singer song-writers Francoise Hardy. Interviewee: Stephen Fry Interviewee: Charles Rogers Interviewee: Roag Best Interviewee: Laura Barton Producer: Catherine Powell Archive used: Get Carman: The Trials of George Carman QC BBC 2 5th April 2002; The...
Published 06/21/24
Matthew Bannister on Nora Cortiñas, a founding member of Argentina’s “Mothers of the Disappeared” campaign group. Her son Gustavo was 24 when he was arrested by the country’s right-wing dictatorship. He was never seen again. Belinda Bellville, the fashion designer who dressed every female member of the royal family apart from Queen Elizabeth. Her business partner David Sassoon shares his memories. The poet John Burnside whose acclaimed work reflected his troubled childhood in Cowdenbeath and...
Published 06/07/24