Last Word

Matthew Bannister onMehran Karimi Nasseri – otherwise known as Sir Alfred (pictured). He was the Iranian migrant who lived for eighteen years in terminal one of the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.Sue Baker, the motoring journalist who presented Top Gear.Ann Savours, the archivist and polar historian who wrote books on the search for the Northwest Passage and Captain Scott’s ship the Discovery.Wilko Johnson, the former guitarist with Dr Feelgood who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2013 and given ten months to live. He undertook a farewell tour, but then a nine hour operation changed the prognosis.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: John Shirley Interviewed guest: Robert Headland Interviewed guest: Michael Palin Interviewed guest: Paul Schroeder Interviewed guest: Martin Gurdon Interviewed guest: Vicki Butler-Henderson Interviewed guest: Andrew DonkinArchive clips used: Clip from the trailer for Terminal Man, Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers YouTube Channel, Uploaded 13/12/2017; Clip from the trailer for Jonathan Dove's opera 'Flight', Minnesota Opera YouTube Channel, Uploaded on 24/01/2020; BBC Archive: BBC World News - 13/11/2022: An Iranian man who lived in a Paris airport for 18 years has died; BBC Archive, Top Gear 27/09/1983; BBC Sound Archive, Mastertapes 19/05/2018; BBC Archive, World News 07/08/2013

Matthew Bannister onPeter de Savary, the serial entrepreneur who ran private members’ clubs, once owned both Land’s End and John O’Groats and spent a fortune trying to win the America’s Cup for the UK.Bob Le Sueur MBE, who risked his life during the German occupation of Jersey by helping Russian slave workers to escape.Ela Bhatt (pictured), the Indian trade unionist who campaigned for the rights of street vendors and other self-employed women. Hannah Pick-Goslar, the German-born Israeli nurse and Holocaust survivor who was a close friend of Anne Frank. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Savannah de Savary Interviewed guest: Chris Stone Interviewed guest: Renana JhabvalaArchive clips used: OxfordUnion YouTube Channel, Peter de Savary – Business Advice 22/03/2013; BBC World News, Madonna and Guy Ritchie marry 22/12/2000; BBC Sound Archive, Peter de Savary – America’s Cup 02/07/1983; BBC Sound Archive, The America’s Cup 27/09/1983; BBC Radio 5Live, Backtrackers – Jersey Under Occupation 02/05/1991; BBC Radio 4, Open Country 24/11/2011; British Pathé/ Gaumont British Newsreel, Liberation of the Channel Islands (1945); BBC Two, Gandhi – The Rise To Fame 10/10/2009; BBC Two, India – Ruins of the Raj 11/12/1990; Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remeberance Center, ‘That’s What I Hope’ – The Story of Hannah Pick 13/01/2020; BBC Two Holocaust Memorial Day 27/01/2005.

Matthew Bannister onLeslie Phillips CBE (pictured), the actor who made his name in the Navy Lark and the Carry On Films, then became a respected character actor.Dame Valerie Beral, the epidemiologist who created the million women study and investigated the safety of the contraceptive pill and HRT.Avtar Singh Jouhl, the trade unionist and activist who campaigned for racial equality.Atarah Ben-Tovim MBE, the flautist who inspired generations of children to take up music. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Peter Bradshaw Interviewed guest: Tim Teeman Interviewed guest: Jagwant Jouhl Interviewed guest: David Jesudason Interviewed guest: Emily BanksArchive clips used: BBC News, HardTalk Extra – Leslie Phillips 2000; Peter Rogers Productions/ Beaconsfield Productions, Carry On Teacher (1959); BBC Radio 4 Extra, The Navy Lark – Left Hand Down A Bit! 28/03/2009; Sol C. Siegel Productions/ Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, Les Girls (1957); Peter Rogers Productions/ Beaconsfield Productions, Carry on Nurse (1959); Impact Quadrant/ Izaro Films/ Quadrant Films, Spanish Fly (1976); Amblin Entertainment/ Warner Brothers, Empire of the Sun (1987); BBC Radio 4, The Skivers 17/03/1994; BBC Radio 4, The Life Scientific – Valerie Beral 05/02/2013; Jagwant Photobooks, Avtar Singh Jouhl interview – 2021; Midlands Today/ YouTube, Malcolm X visits Smethwick 03/10/2014; BBC Radio 3, Sound Archive – Atarah Ben-Tovim 11/05/1972; Thames TV, Seeing And Doing – Atarah Ben-Tovim 1985; BBC Radio 3, Atarah’s Music Box 04/10/1976; BBC Radio 4, Woman’s Hour 02/06/2004; Sandie Smith/ YouTube Channel, Atarah Ben-Tovim and Sophie Clavel at Chateau Rigaud 16/09/2016.

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Blood (pictured), the trade unionist, community worker and peace campaigner who became the first woman from Northern Ireland to be given a life peerage.Jerry Lee Lewis, the rock 'n' roll pioneer whose turbulent private life included bigamy, violence and drug addiction. Ian Jack, the journalist known for his long form articles and for editing the Independent on Sunday and the literary magazine Granta. Hilaree Nelson, the intrepid ski mountaineer who completed more than forty challenging expeditions in 16 countries.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Monica McWilliams Interviewed guest: Joe Bonomo Interviewed guest: Bill Paterson Interviewed guest: Sigrid Rausing Interviewed guest: Richard Williams Interviewed guest: Emily HarringtonArchive clips used: Newsline Belfast/ YouTube, NI Women's Coalition Launch and Forum 1996; BBC News, Lady Blood being sworn into the House of Lords 02/11/1999; BBC Radio 4, The House of Ladies - The Mouldbreakers 17/08/2005; YouTube, Jerry Lee & Myra Lewis interview 1958; BBC Radio 3, Night Waves 16/05/2007; The North Face, Mentors - Hilaree Nelson 04/09/2018; Men's Journal/ YouTube, The Line Between Good and Evil 20/01/2021; OutsideWatch/ YouTube, Failure Is Next To Success - Hilaree Nelson Elements 26/06/2020; AP Archive, US extreme skier cremated in Nepal 02/11/2022; The North Face, Lhotse ft. Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison 15/10/2019.

Matthew Bannister onDame Carmen Callil (pictured), the Australian-born publisher who founded the feminist Virago Books.Ivy Jo Hunter, known as the 'forgotten man of Motown', he co-wrote Dancing In The Street for Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.Kathleen Booth the mathematician and pioneering computer designer.Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire who turned the Red Bull energy drink into a global success by sponsoring sports clubs and daring stunts, including backing two Formula One motor racing teams. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Harriet Spicer Interviewed guest: Graham Betts Interviewed guest: Ian Booth Interviewed guest: Amanda Booth Interviewed guest: Nina Baker Interviewed guest: Chris MedlandArchive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs – Carmen Callil; Audible Audio/ Spoken Realms, My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin 30/03/2021; The Red Bull Company, Rapunzel commercial 1991; BBC One, Formula 1 – The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 14/11/2010; Red Bull Stratos, Red Bull Space Dive 14/10/2012; TikTok.com @pianograndad – Alan Melinek.

Matthew Bannister onIan Hamilton KC, the Scottish lawyer who, as a student, took part in removing the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and returning it to Scotland. Professor Audrey Evans, the paediatric oncologist who founded a global network of homes where the families of her young patients could stay during their treatment.Parvatiben Solanki, who teamed up with her husband to launch Garavi Gujarat, one of the biggest selling Asian news magazines outside India.Robbie Coltrane OBE (pictured), the actor best known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter films and the criminal psychologist 'Fitz' in Cracker. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Kevin Drummond KC Interviewed guest: Richard Durham Interviewed guest: Shailesh SolankiArchive clips used: crisden1/ YouTube Channel, Òran na Cloiche performed by Ruairidh Caimbeul 14/07/2010; Infinity Features Entertainment/ The Mob Film Company/ Alliance, Stone of Destiny (2008) movie clip; BBC World Service, The History Hour - How I took the British Coronation Stone 29/12/2018; British Pathé, ‘The Stone’ Returns 1951, AP Archive, Stone of Scone Is Returned After 700 Years In UK 21/07/2015; Modern Hero/ YouTube Channel, Meet Dr. Audrey Evans 27/05/2017; RMHC/ YouTube Channel, Ronald McDonald House Charities 16/07/2020; BBC One, Black Adder the Third, Ink and Incapability 05/06/1987; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs – Robbie Coltrane 09/02/1992; BBC News Scotland 10/04/2014; BBC Scotland, Tutti Frutti – The Boy Can’t Help It 03/05/1987; Eon Productions/ United Artists, GoldenEye (1995) movie clip; A+E Networks/ Granada Television, Cracker – Murder On The Train 27/09/1993; Hat Trick Productions, Clive Anderson Talks Back – Robbie Coltrane interview 29/10/1993; Warner Bros./ Heyday Films/ 1492 Pictures, Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone (2001) movie clip; Casey Patterson Entertainment/ Pulse Films/ Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts (2022); Warner Bros./ Heyday Films/ 1492 Pictures, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002) movie clip.

Matthew Bannister onDame Angela Lansbury (pictured), the stage and screen actor best known in recent years for her role in the TV series Murder She Wrote.Lady Keswick who was Director of the Conservative think tank the Centre for Policy Studies after being a special adviser to Kenneth Clarke at Education and the Treasury. He pays tribute.Sacheen Littlefeather, who staged a high profile protest about the representation of Native Americans in Hollywood when she declined an Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando. Franca Fendi, one of five sisters who took an Italian leather and fur business from a small shop in Rome to a multi-million pound international fashion house.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: David Benedict Interviewed guest: Matt Wolf Interviewed guest: Kenneth Clarke Interviewed guest: Tim Knox Interviewed guest: N. Bird Runningwater Interviewed guest: Dana ThomasArchive clips used: Corymore Productions/ Universal Television, Murder She Wrote S05E10 10/02/1990; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Gaslight (1941) clip; Wallis Productions, Blue Hawaii (1961) clip; Audible Audio/ W.F. Howes Ltd, The Colour Of The Sky After Rain – by Tessa Keswick 22/10/2020; BBC Radio 4, PM 17/06/2003; ABC7/ KGO-TV, Escape To Alcatraz – Documentary 13/06/2021; Firelight Media/ Native American Public Telecommunications/ WGBH, Wounded Knee 16/01/2009; Oscars – YouTube Channel, 45th Annual Academy Awards® 27/03/1973; BBC Radio 4, Short Cuts 12/07/2016; KPIX Public Affairs Presentation, I Believe – Sacheen Littlefeather interview 1976; BBC News, Academy apologises to Sacheen Littlefeather 16/08/2022.

Matthew Bannister onYusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the most influential Muslim scholars of his generation. He reached a vast audience through his show on the TV channel Al Jazeera.'Ma' Smith MBE, who ran a celebrated soup kitchen in Oxford for thirty years.Mike Burrows, the pioneering cycle designer who came up with the Lotus 108 bike ridden by Chris Boardman when he won Olympic Gold in Barcelona.Loretta Lynn (pictured), the American country singer whose songs told the stories of working class women.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Dr. Usaama al-Azami Interviewed guest: Gary Smith Interviewed guest: Stuart Dennison Interviewed guest: Michael Hutchinson Interviewed guest: Garth CartwrightArchive clips used: MEMRI TV Production, Friday Sermon with Dr. Yusef al-Qaradhawi 15/04/2005; BBC Two, Newsnight 07/07/2004; BBC Radio 4, PM 07/07/2004; BBC News Online, Ma Smith wins Pride of Britain Award 01/11/2018; BBC One, Songs Of Praise – Interview with Ma Smith 08/03/2020; BBC Sport, Barcelona 1992 – Chris Boardman qualifying 28/07/1992; BBC Radio 4, Eureka – Mike Burrows 16/01/1994; BBC One, Tomorrow’s World - Mike Burrows interview 01/10/1993; BBC Radio 2, Loretta Lynn – In Conversation 07/03/2016.

Matthew Bannister onDame Hilary Mantel (pictured), the Booker prize winning novelist best known for the Wolf Hall trilogy.John McVicar, the former armed robber who studied sociology in prison and became a writer and broadcaster. Joyce Reynolds, the eminent Cambridge classicist who specialised in the study of epigraphs and taught Dame Mary Beard who joins us to remember her.The multi-instrumentalist and singer Paul Sartin, a key figure on the English folk scene and member of the band Bellowhead. His band mate Sam Sweeney pays tribute.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Laurie Taylor Interviewed guest: Dame Mary Beard Interviewed guest: Sam Sweeney Interviewed guest: Jon WilksArchive clips used: Company Pictures/ Playground Entertainment/ BBC, Wolf Hall – E01 Three Card Trick 21/01/2015; BBC News, interview with Hilary Mantel 03/05/2020; BBC Radio 4, Front Row – extended interview with Hilary Mantel 05/06/2012; BBC Radio 4, The Reith Lectures – Hilary Mantel 13/06/2017; Polytel/ The Who Films, McVicar (1980) UK TV Trailer; BBC One, Straight Talk – John McVicar interview 09/05/1980; BBC Radio 4, Six Men – John McVicar interview 20/04/1986; Loftsingers Andover, Andover Museum Loft Singers Promo 13/10/2018.

Kirsty Lang on Jean-Luc Godard (pictured), the critic and filmmaker who revolutionised French cinema.The writer and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich, whose bestseller 'Nickel and Dimed', is considered a classic in social justice literature.Captain Dennis Wilson, the Normandy veteran whose war poems were ranked alongside Wilfred Owen’s...And Mavis Nicholson, the Welsh broadcaster with a knack for making her subjects talk about matters that they had never previously confronted in public.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Ian Christie Interviewed guest: Professor James Williams Interviewed guest: Alissa Quart Interviewed guest: Professor Tim Crook Interviewed guest: Steve Nicholson Interviewed guest: Maureen LipmanArchive clips used: Les Films de la Pléiade/ Pathé Consortium Cinéma, Vivre Sa Vie (1962) - Trailer; Daphne Productions Inc/ WNET/ Thirteen, The Dick Cavett Show – Interview with Jean-Luc Godard 23/10/1980; Les Films Impéria/ Les Productions Georges de Beauregard/ Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC), À bout de souffle (1960) - Trailer; Rome Paris Films/ Les Films Concordia/ Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Le Mépris (1963) - Clip; BBC Radio 3, Night Waves 30/01/2003; BBC Radio 4, Woman’s Hour – Barbara Ehrenreich interview 22/09/2008; BBC Radio 4, Today Programme – Captain Dennis Wilson interview 19/11/2013; Thames TV/ Pineapple Productions, Mavis catches up with Kenny Everett – jingle 15/11/1989; Thames TV/ Channel 4 , Mavis on 4 – Elizabeth Taylor interview 10/02/1988; Thames TV, Afternoon Plus – David Bowie interview 16/02/1979; BBC Wales, Being Mavis Nicholson: TV’s Greatest Interviewer 25/08/2016.