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BBC Radio 4

Last Word

Matthew Bannister on

Jim Lovell, the astronaut who commanded the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.

Biddy Baxter, the editor who left an indelible stamp on the children’s TV show Blue Peter. Sarah Greene pays tribute.

Razia Jan, the Afghan/American who founded a school for girls in Afghanistan after 9/11.

Iris Williams, the Welsh born singer whose career took off after an appearance on Radio 2.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

15/08/2025

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Stella Rimington, the first woman to be Director General of MI5, who made the service more open and accountable.

Sylvia Young, whose drama school turned out countless stars of stage, screen and music.

Sir Jamie McGrigor, the Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands, who introduced a bill to protect tartan.

And Joan Anderson the former model who brought the hula hoop to America.

Producer: Ben Mitchell

Archive:
Al Murray’s Great British Spy Movies, BBC Four, 21/04/2015; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 28/07/2011; Newsround, BBC One, 25/02/1992; BBC News, BBC One, 16/07/1993; Stella Rimington: Security and Democracy – Is There a Conflict?, The Richard Dimbleby Lecture, BBC One, 12/06/1994; Death on the Rock, ITV (uploaded to YouTube), first broadcast 28/04/1988; BBC News, BBC One, 08/09/2001; EastEnders Feuds: The Beales vs The Mitchells, BBC Three, 18/05/2007; Doctor Who trailer – “Rose: I’ve got a choice”, BBC One (uploaded to YouTube), c.2005; BBC Radio Wales – Aled Jones, 06/06/2010; Through the Keyhole, BBC 1, 10/05/1999; Saving Our Salmon, BBC Two Scotland, 16/10/2018; The Radio Café, BBC Radio Scotland, 31/12/2008; Desert Island Discs: Allan Ahlberg, BBC Radio 4, 12/07/1980; Hula Girl (documentary), dir. Amy Hill & Chris Riess, Snap Pictures, 2018

Dame Stella Rimington, Sylvia Young, Sir Jamie McGrigor, Joan Anderson

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Cleo Laine, whose glorious voice was equally at home singing jazz, pop and classical music. Her daughter Jacqui Dankworth shares her memories.

Hulk Hogan, who spearheaded the transformation of American wrestling from niche activity to global phenomenon.

Professor Margaret Boden, whose expertise in cognitive science helped to shape the future of artificial intelligence.

Tom Lehrer, the American satirical songwriter and mathematician. We have a tribute from Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used
First Lady of Jazz – Cleo Laine, BBC Radio 4 Extra, 30/10/2022; Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 28/05/2018; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 05/09/1997; Jonathan Ross Presents: Hulk Hogan, BBC One, 14/04/1994; Is Wrestling Fake? – Hulk Hogan, Pebble Mill, BBC One, 31/03/1993; WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event – Hulk Hogan vs. Big Boss Man (Steel Cage Match), 1989; Hulk Hogan B-Roll, Including Strongest Slam and Hall of Fame Speech, provided by WWE; The Life Scientific – Margaret Boden, BBC Radio 4; Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4, 02/06/1980; Parkinson, BBC One, 04/10/1980; Desert Island Discs: Tom Lehrer, BBC Radio 4, 12/07/1980

Dame Cleo Laine, Hulk Hogan, Margaret Boden, Tom Lehrer

Matthew Bannister on

Ozzy Osbourne, the Black Sabbath lead singer known for his outrageous antics, many while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Jacqui Browne, the Thalidomide survivor who campaigned for the rights of disabled people in Ireland.

Professor Douglas Chamberlain, the cardiologist who pioneered the use of defibrillators by ambulance crews, saving many lives.

Connie Francis, the Italian American singer known for hits like “Who’s Sorry Now?”, “Stupid Cupid” and “Pretty Little Baby”

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive: 
BBC South East Today, BBC One South East, 20/06/2025; Wogan, BBC One, 27/11/1989; Open House, BBC Radio 2, 02/05/1978; Medical Express, BBC One, 29/08/1979; God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, BBC Two, 29/12/2012; Black Sabbath Final Concert: Back to the Beginning – Ozzy Osbourne, Performance date: 05/07/2025, Villa Park, Birmingham, Universal Music Group / Mercury Studios, via BBC News, 22/07/2025; Conversations About Activism and Change, Episode 4, Damien Walshe, Independent Living Movement Ireland, 28/05/2020

Ozzy Osbourne, Connie Francis, Jacqui Browne, Douglas Chamberlain

Matthew Bannister on 

Lord Blair the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Jennie Street who helped to rehabilitate people on her suburban farm. 

Dr Anna Ornstein, a psychoanalyst and survivor of the Holocaust. 

Muhammudu Buhari, the former President of Nigeria.

Interviewee: Sean O’Neill 
Interviewee: Anita Ollerenshaw
Interviewee: Dr Sharone Ornstein 
Interviewee: Mayeni Jones

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used:
BBC Radio 4, 31/12/1983; BBC News, 05/01/1984; Newshour Extra, BBC, 03/04/2015; HardTalk, BBC, 21/01/2004; BBC News Africa, 26/02/2015; Library Hour: Lecture by Dr. Anna Ornstein, Chelmsford Telemedia, 11/02/2018; The Ian Blair Years, BBC, 15/06/2005; London Tube and Bus Bombings, BBC, 07/2005; BBC Look North: Jennie Street, 31/01/2014; Cavalcade, Glen Michael, STV

Sir Ian Blair, Jennie Street, Dr Anna Ornstein, Muhammadu Buhari

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Tebbit, who as Norman Tebbit was a member of Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, introducing trade union reform and privatisation. 

Daphne Boden, the harpist who played for the Queen and taught for more than fifty years at the Royal College of Music. 

James Leprino who built a multi-billion-dollar business by supplying cheese to pizza chains. 

And the former Astronomer Royal, Sir Francis Graham-Smith, who helped to transform our understanding of the origins of the universe.

Interviewee: John Sergeant
Interviewee: Lord Deben
Interviewee: Geraldine McMahon
Interviewee: Sally Pryce
Interviewee: Chloe Sorvino 
Interviewee: Professor Andrew Lyne

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:
Lord Tebbit interview, A Life in Politics: Jo Coburn with leading politicians, BBC; Lord Tebbit, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 04/12/1992; Profile of Employment Secretary Norman Tebbit, BBC News, 26/01/1982; Norman Tebbit speech, Conservative Party Conference, BBC News, 1981; Brighton Bomb news report, BBC Television 12/10/1984; Lord Tebbit interview, BBC News, 24/09/2019; Daphne Boden interview, Meet the Stars, The Harp Channel, Uploaded to YouTube 25/06/2020; A Drive Through Time — A Leprino Foods Origin Story, Leprino Foods, https://vimeo.com/648650074, Vimeo uploaded 2024; Sir Francis Graham-Smith at 100, Science Cafe, BBC Radio Wales, 23/05/2023; Francis Graham-Smith appearance on The Sky at Night, BBC Television, 06/12/1992;

Lord Tebbit, Daphne Boden, James Leprino, Sir Francis Graham-Smith

Matthew Bannister on
 
Courtney Griffiths, one of the first black lawyers to become a Queen’s Counsel. 
 
Sara Venn, who turned unloved spaces in Bristol into community gardens growing food for low-income families.
 
Nina Kuscik, the American marathon runner who broke down barriers to women participating in long distance running. 
 
Sergeant Mohammed Hussain, one of the last surviving Muslim veterans of the second world war. 
 
Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive used:
BBC News: Courtenay Griffiths, April 2012; BBC Breakfast News: Courtenay Griffiths, April 2012; Hardtalk, BBC Two, Interviewer Tim Sebastian, 12/10/2002; Hardtalk, BBC Two, Interviewer Stephen Sackur, 19/11/2010; The Organic Gardening Podcast: Sara Venn, YouTube Upload, 24/01/2024; BBC Points West: Sara Venn, 27/04/2016; BBC Points West: Sara Venn, 01/05/2014; Nina Kuscik, Northeast Historic Film; BBC London: Mohammad Hussein, 10/11/2022; Southall to Cassino, BBC Two, 02/09/1989; Festival of Remembrance, BBC, 09/11/2024

Courtney Griffiths KC, Sara Venn, Nina Kuscik, Mohammad Hussain

Matthew Bannister on
 
The TV director Michael Lachmann who made some of the most acclaimed documentaries about science. Professor Brian Cox and Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock pays tribute. 
 
Pik-sen Lim who became one of the most recognisable East Asian actors on British TV.
 
Leon Krier, the master planner behind King Charles’s controversial Poundbury development.
 
David “Syd” Lawrence, the fast bowler who was the first British-born black cricketer to play for England.

Interviewee:
Professor Brian Cox
Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Sara Houghton
Ben Pentreath
Dean Wilson

Producer: Ribika Moktan

Archive used:

Wonders of the Solar System: Order out of Chaos, BBC 2, BBC Production, written & directed by Michael Lachmann, series producer Danielle Peck, A BBC/ Science Channel Co-Production, BBC MMXVI, 14/03/2010; Wonders of the Universe: Stardust, produced and dir by Michael Lachmann, Series Producer James Van Der Pool, BBC Production, A BBC/ Discover/ Science Channel Co-Production BBC MMXVI, BBC Two, 04/07/2011; The Sky at Night: Planet 9 from Outer Space, Series Producer Michael Lachmann, BBC Science Production London, BBC MMXVI, BBC 4, 14/02/2016, bbc.co.uk/skyatnight; Human Universe: A Place in Space Time, produced & directed by: Stephen Cooter & Michael Lachmann, BBC Production, A BBC/ Science Channel Co-Production, BBC 2, 02/11/2014; Emergency Ward 10, script by Tessa Diamond, Directed by Peter Sasdy, An ATV Production, ITV, 1957-1967; Mind Your Language, creator Vince Powell, directed by Stuart Allen, London Weekend Television, ITV, 1977-1986; Celebrating & Connecting BESEA Women in Film, TV & Theatre, YouTube Upload KakiLang, 27/04/2021; Doctor Who, Season 8; The Mind of Evil, Episode 1, Producer Barry Letts, directed by Timothy Combe, BBC TV, 1971; Jenny: The Doctor's Daughter - Volume 1, Neon Reign, June 2018, written by Christian Brassington, directed by director Barnaby Edwards, Big Finish Productions; Newsnight, BBC Two, 26/07/1985; BBC News, 10/02/1992; BBC Points West 19/11/2014; BBC News, 15/10/1991; Third Ear: Leon Krier, BBC Radio 3, 21/02/1992; What Revival?, BBC Radio 3, 03/06/1983

Michael Lachmann, Pik-sen Lim, Leon Krier, David 'Syd' Lawrence

John Wilson on

Sir Godfrey “Geoff” Palmer, the scientist whose discovery of a new brewing method revolutionized the industry and saved them millions of pounds

Barbara Holdridge, the entrepreneur who co-founded a new record label that paved the way for the audiobook industry 

Kim Woodburn, the reality TV Star who made gained popular recognition through the TV show How Clean Is Your House?

Sly Stone the American genre-bending musician who fronted the band Sly and the Family Stone. 

Interviewee:
Catherine Bisset
Catrina Rose
Matthew Rubery
Arlene Hirschkowitz

Producer: Ribika Moktan

Details of help and support with pregnancy related issues are available at BBC
Action Line. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1KhLYgXHRxyw67mkGRRXQ3R/information-and-support-pregnancy-related-issues

Archive used:
Scientific, BBC Radio 4, 04/08/2015; Sunday Morning with Cathy Macdonald; Writers and Company, CBC, 24/11/2002; Child's Christmas in Wales, read by Dylan Thomas, Caedmon Audio, 02/1952 https://soundcloud.com/harperaudiopresents/childschristmasinwales ; The Connor Phillips Show, BBC Radio Ulster, 26/04/2024; How Clean is Your House?, S1 E1, Channel Four Television Corporation, dir Simon Bisset, series producer Steph Harris, A Talkbalk production, 2003; I’m a Celebrity Get me out of here 2009, YouTube Upload, 12/02/2015; An excerpt from Sly on the air at KSOL, courtesy of Arlene Hirschkowitz

Sir Geoff Palmer, Barbara Holdridge, Kim Woodburn, Sly Stone

Kirsty Lang on

Brian Wilson, the driving force behind The Beach Boys who were one of the most successful bands of the 1960s. 

Fredrick Forsyth, the writer and former Mi6 agent who books included The Day of the Jackal and The Fourth Protocol.

Uriah Rennie who made history as the Premier League’s first black referee.

And the author Edmund White whose semi-autobiographical books A Boys Own Life and The Beautiful Room is Empty chronicled his experiences as a young gay man in America.

Interviewee: Charles Cumming
Interviewee: Ashley Hickson-Lovence
Interviewee: Colm Toibin

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used:

Brian Wilson interview, Today, BBC Radio 4, 2016; John Wilson interviews Brian Wilson , Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 21 Oct 2011; The Day of the Jackal, Film Promo, 1973; Freddie Forsyth interview, BBC Radio 4, Uriah Rennie interview, courtesy of Ashley Hickson-Lovence, recording date January 2019; Opening of Pride Park, Midland Today, BBC News, 13 August 1997; Sports report: Alan Shearer sent off, BBC News, 07/08/1999;

Brian Wilson, Frederick Forsyth, Uriah Rennie, Edmund White

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 after playing Anna Madrigal in Tales of the City. Its author Armistead Maupin pays tribute.

Eric McGraw who founded and edited a magazine for prisoners called “Inside Time”. Former inmate Noel “Razor” Smith explains how it changed the course of his life.

Anthony Thwaite, the poet, editor and critic who was a pivotal figure in British literary life. The former poet laureate Andrew Motion pays tribute. 

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Gregory Pappas 
Interviewed guest: Armistead Maupin
Interviewed guest: Rachel Billington 
Interviewed guest: Noel ‘Razor’ Smith
Interviewed guest: Ann Thwaite 
Interviewed guest: Andrew Motion

Archive clips used: Hardtalk: BBC One, TX 19.3.2001; In Living Memory: Strangeways riot: Radio 4, TX 20.4.2005

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

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