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BBC Radio 4

Last Word

Matthew Bannister on

Martin McGuinness, who went from being a violent IRA commander to a peace making politician.

Chuck Berry, hailed as the father of rock n roll by musicians from Keith Richards to John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen.

The Nobel prize winning poet Sir Derek Walcott, who brought the Caribbean experience to the wider world. 

Salome Karwah, who survived Ebola in her native Liberia, went back to help other sufferers and then died from complications after childbirth.

And Colin Dexter, creator of the immortal detective Inspector Morse. 

Producer: Neil George.

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

Matthew Bannister on
 
Wolfgang Stange, the director and choreographer who founded the Amici Dance Theatre Company which integrates able bodied and disabled performers. Sir Ben Kingsley pays tribute.
 
Lord Renfrew, the leading archaeologist who used scientific techniques to challenge the received wisdom in his chosen discipline.
 
Julie Stevens, the actor who was also one of the earliest presenters of Play School. Johnny Ball shares his memories of working with her.
 
And Mary McGee, the American motorsport pioneer who competed in both motorcycle and car racing.

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive:
Cabbages and Kings: The Romans are Coming, BBC, 1972; Julie Steven’s Early Life, Rachel New, 2024; The All Star Record Breakers, BBC, 1976; The Avengers: Box of Tricks, ITV, 1963; The Avengers, ITV, 1963-4; Let’s Make a Musical: Salad Days, BBC, 1979; Star Turn, BBC Archive, 1977; Play Away, BBC, 1979; Play School, BBC, 1964; Play School, BBC, 1977; Chronicle: Lost Kings of the Desert, BBC, 1979; Young Scientists of the Year: Heat 2, BBC, 1979; Touching Earth, BBC, 1992; Web of Stories, 2017; Alan Macfarlane Archive, 2008

Wolfgang Stange, Lord Renfrew, Julie Stevens, Mary McGee

Matthew Bannister on

Baroness Wilkins who became a wheelchair user after an accident aged 19 and went on to present TV programmes on disability issues and to campaign for the rights of disabled people. 

Charles Handy, the social philosopher and management theorist who predicted many changes to the world of work. 

Renee Bornstein who, as a child, survived being imprisoned by the Nazis.

Tony Brignull, the acclaimed copywriter behind famous ads for Cinzano, Fiat Cars and Parker Pens. 

Producer: Ed Prendiville

Archive:
France Crumbles, AP Archive, Uploaded to Youtube 30.07.2015; Paris Liberated, British Pathe, 1944, Uploaded to Youtube 13.04.2014; My Family, The Holocaust and Me, BBC, 2020; To remember but not to hate, French Holocaust Survivor Rene Bornstein, Dr Les Glassman, 2023; The testimony of Renee Bornstein, survivor of the Holocaust, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, 2021; 1 minute to leave your mark, Arjo Creative Papers, 2012; Clarks Shoes, CPD, 1978; Birds Eye’s Beefburgers, CPD, 1978; Heineken, CPD, 1970; Cinzano advert, CPD, 1978-83; Creative Leads - Tony Brignull, Uploaded to Youtube 30.04.2019; House of Lords, Hansard, parlamentlive.tv, 25.06.2015; 24 Hours, BBC, 12/01/1971; Open Door: America – We can do that, BBC2, 30.03.1983; Open Door: America – We can do that, BBC2, 30.03.1983; We Won't Go Away, The MN Gov. Council on Developmental Disabilities, Uploaded to Youtube, 25.04.2014; Belief, BBC, 2003; Something Understood: Buying and Selling, BBC, 2009;

Baroness Wilkins, Charles Handy, Renee Bornstein, Tony Brignull

John Wilson on Nikki Giovanni, a leading poet in the 1960s Black Arts Movement who is hailed as one of the most important artist-intellectuals of the 20th century.

Gerd Heidemann, the German journalist who found himself at the centre of one of the greatest journalist scandals of the 20th century, the Hitler diaries hoax.

Cherry Hill, the award-winning model engineer who created detailed, functioning scaled-down models of Victorian traction engines.

Sir Richard Carew Pole, the aristocrat who was a driving force behind the creation of Cornwall's Eden Project and Tate St Ives. 

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
Industrial Nation, BBC Two, 2003; Heidemann arrested, BBC News, 1983; Forged Hitler diaries, Newsnight, BBC Two, 1985; Nikki Giovanni, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 2024; Nihal Arthanayake: Sara Cox and Nikki Giovanni, BBC Radio 5 Live, 2024; Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, HBO, 2023; Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin: A Conversation, Soul!, 1971, Uploaded to Youtube 09.09.2022; The Black Woman, Stan Lathan, Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive, 1970, Uploaded to Youtube 30.09.2017; Nikki Giovanni Interviewed And Reads "Revolutionary Dreams"- February 1974, SMU Jones Film, Uploaded to Youtube 11.10.2023; Opening of the new Tate Gallery in St Ives, Cornwall, The Late Show, BBC, 1993; Prince of Wales officially opens new Tate Gallery in St Ives, Cornwall, BBC News, 1993; Upcoming opening of the Eden Project, BBC News, 2001; The Karen Hunter Show, SiriusXM Urban View (1993), Internet Archive, 12/05/2017

Nikki Giovanni, Gerd Heidemann, Cherry Hill, Sir Richard Carew Pole

Kirsty Lang on

Former US President Jimmy Carter whose time in office between 1976 and 1980 was beset by economic and diplomatic crises. 

Caroline Miller OBE, the former Chief Executive of Birmingham Royal Ballet who commissioned bold and experimental productions to great acclaim. 

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – considered to be the architect of the country’s economic liberalisation. 

Children’s author and illustrator Jean Adamson, whose Topsy and Tim books sold over 25 million copies around the world.

Producer: Catherine Powell 

Archive:
Outlook, BBC World Service, 1976; Jimmy Carter, BBC One, 1976; Jimmy Carter, Today, BBC Radio 4, 1976; Jimmy Carter sworn in as US President, BBC Radio Archive, 1977; Keeping Faith, BBC Radio 4, 1982; Chantry Dance Interviews Caroline Miller OBE, Chantry Dance, Uploaded to YouTube 12.06.2020; Analysis, BBC World Service, 2004; Walk The Talk with Dr Manmohan Singh, NDTV, Aired February 2004, Uploaded to YouTube 26.12.2024; BBC News, 1984; BBC News at Ten, 2008; BBC News at Six, 2008; PM Dr. Manmohan Singh's press conference, Sansad TV, Uploaded to YouTube 03.01.2014; Topsy and Tim's Christmas Eve, CBeebies, 2014

Jimmy Carter, Caroline Miller, Manmohan Singh, Jean Adamson

Matthew Bannister on Jean-Marie Le Pen, who built up the French right wing National Front Party before being ejected from it by his daughter.

Catherine Brown, the food writer who championed traditional Scottish cuisine.

Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes, the parliamentarian who fought for consumer rights.

And the radio DJ Johnnie Walker, known for his passion for music and his rebellious attitude. Bob Harris pays tribute.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
Birmingham Six Case Reopens, BBC News, 1990; Release of the Birmingham Six, BBC News, 1991; Hard Talk, BBC, 2000; BBC Radio 4, 1974; Anti-IRA Marches, BBC News, 1974; Sounds of the 70s with Bob Harris, BBC R2, 2024; Johnnie Walker, Radio Caroline, 1968; Johnnie Walker: Interview, BBC Radio 1 Vintage, 2017; Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker, BBC R2, 2024; Offshore Radio RSL and Johnnie Walker interview, Sky News, 1992; Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker - Walker & Walker: Johnnie & Tiggy, BBC R2, 2024; Johnnie Walker Show, Radio Caroline, 14/08/1967; Walker on Walker, BBC R2, 2025; Johnnie Walker on KSAN, 1976; Johnnie Walker Documentary on Pirate Stations; Radio Cafe, BBC Radio Scotland, 2009; Kitchen Cafe, BBC Radio Scotland, 2009; Catherine Brown, Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 2017; BBC World at One,1981; House of Lords, 2017; BBC West, 1974: Tomorrow’s World, BBC1, 1976; BBC News, 1989

Jean-Marie Le Pen, Catherine Brown, Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes, Johnnie Walker

Tony Slattery was known for his quick-witted improvisations on the popular Channel 4 show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, from 1988 onwards. He also played comedic and serious roles in films such as crime thriller The Crying Game, Peter's Friends and the dark comedy How to Get Ahead in Advertising.

Tony died on 14th January 2025.

For Last Word, Matthew Bannister talks to Sir Stephen Fry about his friend. Stephen and Tony met at Cambridge University and would go on to perform in the Footlights group together. They would remain lifelong friends.

In his thirties, Tony suffered a nervous breakdown and disappeared from public view for twenty years. He was addicted to cocaine and alcohol and in 2020 was the subject of a BBC documentary called “What’s the Matter With Tony Slattery” in which he tried to find out whether he was bipolar.

Presented by Matthew Bannister
Produced by Ed Prendeville

Special Edition: Tony Slattery

Matthew Bannister on

The comedian and actor Tony Slattery. Sir Stephen Fry reflects on his friend’s talent – and struggle with addiction and poor mental health. 

Dame Rosalind Savill, the respected director who brought new audiences to the Wallace Collection in London.

Paddy Hill, one of six men wrongly convicted of carrying out pub bombings in Birmingham in 1974. 

Noreen Riols, who helped to train S.O.E. agents for undercover work during the Second World War

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
Birmingham Six Case Reopens, BBC News, 1990; Release of the Birmingham Six, BBC News, 1991; Hard Talk, BBC, 2000; BBC Radio 4, 1974; Anti-IRA Marches, BBC News,1974; Whose Line Is It Anyway? Theme Tune composed by Philip Pope; Whose line is it Anyway?, Season6 Episode 6, A Hatrick Production, C4 Television Corporation; Whose line is it Anyway?, Season7 Episode 1, A Hatrick Production, C4 Television Corporation; The Cambridge Footlights Revue, 20/05/1982; STEPHEN FRY:THE SECRET LIFE OF THE MANIC DEPRESSIVE, 23/08/2007; What's the Matter with Tony Slattery, 05/06/2020!; Saturday Live, 31/08/2013; History: Secret Agent, 08/01/2001; Witness History, Secret Operations Executive. 05/09/2013; Masterclass Sèvres Porcelain, with Dame Rosalind Savill, Colnaghi Foundation, YouTube upload, 15/05/2020; The Wallace Collection, YouTube, upload, 01/10/2009; A Beautiful Thing: A Passion for Porcelain, BBC, 18/06/2013

Tony Slattery, Rosalind Savill, Paddy Hill, Noreen Riols

Matthew Bannister on 

Dame Joan Plowright, one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation who was married to Laurence Olivier. Dame Judi Dench pays tribute.

Sir Jim Walker, who built up his family business from a small bakery in the North of Scotland to become a global food exporter. 

Barbara Clegg, the first woman to write a story for Dr Who.

Denis Law – the Scottish born footballer who was part of Manchester United’s “Holy Trinity” alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best. 

Producer: Ed Prendiville

Archive:
Doctor Who : Season 20 : Enlightenment : Part 1, BBC1, 01.03.1983; Emergency Ward 10; 14.08.1959; THE DALES: BBC Radio, 27.10.1966; Jim Walker reflects on 125 years of Walker's Shortbread, Highlands News & Media, 2022; Nothing Like a Dame, BBC 2, 31.12.2021; In Touch : Dame Joan Plowright at Home, BBC Radio 4, 25.12.2018; Wogan, 10.12.1990; Private Passions : Sound Frontiers: Dame Joan Plowright, BBC Radio 3, 25.09.2016; Roots, BBC Radio 3, 29.02.1960; FOOTBALLERS LIVES, DENIS LAW, 21.03.2002; MORE THAN A GAME, BBC, 26.05.2001; MEMORY MATCHES: ENGLAND V SCOTLAND 1967; 15.04.1967; Sports Special, BBC,, 24.11.1979

Dame Joan Plowright, Sir Jim Walker, Barbara Clegg, Denis Law

Matthew Bannister on 

The Reverend Don Cupitt, the controversial theologian whose TV series “The Sea of Faith” asked in what form - if any - is Christian faith possible for us today?

Phyllis Dalton, the Oscar winning costume designer who worked on classic films, including “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Doctor Zhivago” and “Oliver!”.

Cecile Richards, the American activist who campaigned for women’s right to have abortions.

Michael Longley, the Northern Irish poet whose subjects included love, war and the natural world. 

Interviewee: Professor Catherine Pickstock
Interviewee: Alexander Ballinger
Interviewee: Laura Kusisto
Interviewee: Paul Muldoon

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Sea of Faith, BBC TWO, 12/09/1984; Thinking Aloud: Religion, BBC TWO, 22/12/1985; Don Cupitt on the non-realist position on God, Podcast 20:, The Middle Way Society, YouTube 12/04/2014; Doctor Zhivago film promo, Warner Bros, 1965; Oliver! Film promo, (1968), Sony Pictures Entertainment, YouTube 07/10/2021; Phyllis Dalton, The British Entertainment History Project, www.historyproject.org.uk, 11/02/2000; Championing Choice, The Thread Documentary Series, Life Stories. 17/06/2022; Hundreds protest at Planned Parenthood, WPRI, YouTube 22/08/2015; Cecile Richards, Life Stories, YouTube uploaded 12/10/2022; Protesters outside Louisville's Planned Parenthood, Courier Journal, 22/08/2015; Letters to a Young Poet: Michael Longley, BBC Radio 3, 15/01/2014; Poet Michael Longley reads "Wounds" in UCD Library, University College Dublin Library, UCD YouTube Channel 16/08/2016; Michael Longley, "Ceasefire", The Arts Show, BBC TWO, 12/03/2014; Michael Longley interview, Where Poems Come From, BBC, 11/02/2024; Michael Longley, The Culture Cafe, BBC Radio 4, 18/02/2024

Rev Don Cupitt, Phyllis Dalton, Cecile Richards, Michael Longley

Pictured: Sydney Brenner

Matthew Bannister on

Sydney Brenner, the Nobel Prize-winning biologist who worked with Francis Crick to map DNA. 

Dan Robbins, the artist who invented painting by numbers.

Edda Tasiemka, the archivist who kept a comprehensive newspaper and magazine cuttings collection in her North London home.

Ian McDonald, the Ministry of Defence spokesman during the Falklands War who became a familiar face on TV and was known for his sonorous delivery.

Interviewed guest: Professor Jonathan Hodgkin
Interviewed guest: Larry Robbins
Interviewed guest: Robert Lacey
Interviewed guest: Ian Mather
Interviewed guest: Revel Barker
Producer: Paula McGinley

Sydney Brenner, Dan Robbins, Edda Tasiemka, Ian McDonald

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