Last Word

Matthew Bannister on Bill Turnbull (pictured), the journalist and BBC Breakfast presenter who was also a beekeeper and committed fan of Wycombe Wanderers. Anne Sutton, whose detailed studies of the life and times of King Richard III transformed his reputation. Norah Vincent, who wrote a best-selling book about her experience of living as a man for eighteen months and then suffered a mental breakdown. Drummie Zeb, the drummer and vocalist with the British reggae band Aswad.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Sian Williams Interviewed guest: Wendy Moorhen Interviewed guest: Justine Hardy Interviewed guest: Brinsley FordeArchive clips used: BBC One, BBC Breakfast 27/04/2001; BBC News, London Bombs at Kings Cross 08/07/2005; BBC Three, Strictly Dance Fever on Three 01/04/2006; BBC One, BBC Breakfast - Bill Turnball talks about cancer 21/12/2018; WeTalkWycombe/ YouTube Channel, Best Wycombe Wanderers Chants! 06/07/2020; BBC One, BBC Breakfast 23/01/2007; BBC One, Celebrity Mastermind 01/01/2008; London Film Production/ L.O.P., Richard III (1955) film; Quite Frankly Productions/ BBC Hardtalk Extra, Norah Vincent 21/04/2006; ABC News, Self-Made Man: Norah Vincent 2006; Elephant House Studios/ Tribute, Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert 11/06/1988.

Matthew Bannister onThe last President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured), who was feted in the West but often derided in his own country. We follow his journey from a collective farm in Stavropol to momentous times in the Kremlin, including the introduction of Perestroika and Glasnost, the end of the Cold War and the coup that toppled him from power.Stella 'Jaye' Edwards, who was the last surviving British woman pilot who delivered planes from factories to front line bases during the second world war.Jerry Allison, the drummer and songwriter with Buddy Holly and the Crickets, whose girlfriend inspired their hit song 'Peggy Sue'.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Bridget Kendall Interviewed guest: John Eames Petersen Interviewed guest: Geoff BarkerArchive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Today programme 31/08/2022; BBC Two, Newsnight 30/08/2022; CNN - Larry King, Mikhail Gorbachev interview November 1993; UVA Miller Center, President Ronald Reagan speech on the Geneva Summit 21/11/1985; Pizza Hut, Gorbachev TV spot commercial January 1998; Juno Beach Centre / YouTube Channel, Jaye Edwards interview 19/02/2019; British Pathé, Sir Stafford Cripps and the A.T.A. (1943); Geoff Barker Archives, Jerry Allison interview.

Matthew Bannister onMargaret Keane (pictured), the American artist whose paintings of children with 'Big Eyes' became hugely popular in the 1960s. Her identity as the painter was kept secret by her husband who claimed the works as his own.Keith Smith, the market trader who co-founded the Poundland chain of shops.Mario Fiorentini, Italy’s most decorated partisan, who risked torture and death to fight the German occupation of his country. Brenda Fisher, the long distance swimmer from Grimsby who became an international celebrity after breaking the women’s speed record for swimming the English Channel. Producer: Emily FinchInterviewed guest: Larry Karaszewski Interviewed guest: Steve Smith Interviewed guest: Philip Cooke Interviewed guest: Alessandro Portelli Interviewed guest: Lucy Wood Interviewed guest: Peter Winchester MBEArchive clips used: Westinghouse Broadcasting Company / Mike Douglas Entertainments, The Mike Douglas Show - Interview with Margaret Keane 1972; BBC World Service, Outlook - Margaret Keane interview 30/12/2014; Duane Anderly, 1964 Lost Interview with Walter and Margaret Keane from YouTube; The Weinstein Company / Silverwood Films / Tim Burton Productions, Big Eyes (film clip) 2014; Express & Star YouTube Channel, Founder of Poundland, Keith Smith opens his grounds up for a festival 25/06/2015; BBC One, Antiques Roadshow: Series 41 - Pioneering Women Special 10/06/2018; BBC Sound Archive, Swim The Channel 17/08/1951.

John Wilson onLamont Dozier (pictured), who wrote dozens of hits for Motown Records.Joan Lingard, the author of the popular Kevin and Sadie books set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer who survived the atomic bomb.Edana Minghella, the mental health researcher and jazz singer.Producer: Emily FinchInterviewed guest: Eddie Holland Interviewed guest: Adam White Interviewed guest: Shelly Clark Interviewed guest: Lindsey Fraser Interviewed guest: Dana Thomas Interviewed guest: Dai Fujiwara Interviewed guest: Dominic Minghella Interviewed guest: Jo BrandArchive clips used: Radio 4, Front Row - Brian and Eddie Holland interview 25/12/2019; BBC Radio 1, David Jensen Show - Lamont Dozier interview 29/02/1984; Radio 4, Joan Lingard interview 01/01/1984; BBC Two, Maggie episode 1 17/02/1981; British Pathé, Atomic Bomb Destruction in Japan (1945); INA Société/YouTube Channel, Mai 68 et l'éducation (1968).

Kirsty Lang onJames Lovelock (pictured), the scientist and inventor who came up with the Gaia theory.Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.Roy Hackett MBE, who led the Bristol bus boycott in 1963.Dame Olivia Newton-John, the singer and actor who starred in Grease.Producer: Emily FinchInterviewed guest: Bryan Appleyard CBE Interviewed guest: Paul Martin Interviewed guest: Lynn Mareno Interviewed guest: Professor Kehinde Andrews Interviewed guest: Holly ThomasArchive clips used: Web of Stories - YouTube channel, James Lovelock - The Gaia Theory (11/17) 17/08/2017; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - James Lovelock 17/11/1997; AP Archive, USS Cole Attacked 12/10/2000; BBC News, Bombings in New York 11/09/2001; BBC Two, Newsnight - London Bombings 07/07/2005; BBC Radio 4, Six O'clock News 06/10/1981; AP Archive, Muslim Extremists Trial 15/12/1982; PBS News Hour, President George W. Bush - First US strikes in Afghanistan 07/10/2001; CBS News, Biden announces death of Ayman al-Zawahiri 02/08/2022; BBC Ideas, Why I'm still fighting racism at 90 24/01/2019; BBC One, Paul O'Grady's Working Britain 15/08/2013; BBC World Service, Witness - Bristol Bus Boycott 10/10/2019; BBC One, Parkinson - Olivia Newton-John interview 02/12/1978; Paramount Pictures/Robert Stigwood Organisation (RSO)/Allan Carr Production, Grease (Film clip) 1978.

Matthew Bannister onBernard Cribbins OBE, the much-loved actor known for appearances in The Railway Children and Doctor Who as well as reading countless stories on Jackanory.Diana Kennedy MBE, the British-born food writer who dedicated her life to promoting the diversity of Mexican cuisine.Sir Colin Blakemore, the neuroscientist who received death threats after speaking out in defence of experiments on animals.Nichelle Nichols, the trailblazing African American actor who played Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek.Producer: Sofie VilcinsInterviewed guest: Jenny Agutter Interviewed guest: Helen Lederer Interviewed guest: Gabriela Cámara Interviewed guest: Fiona FoxArchive clips used: EMI Films, The Railway Children 1970; BBC One, Fawlty Towers - The Hotel Inspectors 10/10/1975; BBC, CBeebies - Storm in a Teacup 05/04/2015; Filmfair, The Wombles - One Pair of Feet 23/02/1973; BBC Radio 4, The Food Programme 30/06/2014; Greenwich Entertainment/Submarine Deluxe, Diana Kennedy - Nothing Fancy 2020; BBC Two, The Mind Machine 13/09/1988; BBC Radio 4, Today 08/11/2011; BBC Radio 4, The Life Scientific - Sir Colin Blakemore 08/11/2011; Desilu Productions/Norway Corporation, Star Trek S02E02 Who Mourns For Adonais 27/04/1970; BBC Radio 4, Archive on 4 - Star Trek, The Undiscovered Future 03/09/2016; BBC Radio 1, Nicky Campbell - Nichelle Nichols interview 31/01/1995; NASA, Recruitment Film 1977; Yap Films, Building Star Trek (TV Movie) 2016.

John Wilson onLord David Trimble, Northern Irish politician who was an architect of the Good Friday Agreement and won a Nobel Peace Prize.Susie Steiner, a British crime author who shared her experience of living with a brain tumour.Uwe Seeler, captain of the West German football team in 1966 and a hero for his home team of Hamburg.Producer: Sofie Vilcins Interviewed guest: Lord Dean Godson Interviewed guest: Val McDermid Interviewed guest: Alan Mullery MBE Interviewed guest: Derek RaeArchive clips used: British Pathé, 1966 World Cup Final: England vs Germany (Part 1) 1966; BBC Radio 4, Meeting Myself Coming Back - David Trimble 05/03/2017; BBC News Online, Good Friday agreement 10/04/1998; BBC Radio 4, Today - Tony Blair on David Trimble 26/07/2022; ITV.com, Michelle O'Neill on David Trimble's legacy of leadership 26/07/2022; BBC Radio Ulster, Doug Beattie and Sir Jefferey Donaldson on David Trimble 26/07/2022; BBC Radio 4, Great Lives - Elvis Presley 14/08/2007; Peter James TV / YouTube Channel, Susie Steiner interview 02/01/2018; BBC Radio 4, In Touch, Susie Steiner interview 12/04/2016; BBC Radio 4, Open Book - Susie Steiner interview 24/09/2020; BBC Archive, 1966 World Cup Final 30/07/1966; YouTube, Uwe Seeler scores against England - World Cup 1970; HSV / Hamburger SV YouTube Channel, The Life of Uwe Seeler 22/07/2022; YouTube, HSV Team Tribute in memory of Uwe Seeler.

John Wilson onTony Sirico, the former armed robber turned actor who found fame playing the role of mobster Paulie Walnuts in ground-breaking television series The Sopranos.José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled Angola as president for 37 years, steering the country through a bloody civil war, and reaping the benefits of an oil boom while being accused of huge levels of corruption.Ann Shulgin, a therapist who pioneered the use of psychedelics and MDMA in therapy together with her chemist husband Sasha.And Ivana Trump, the Czechoslovakian skier and model whose marriage to Donald Trump made her a fixture of tabloid and society pages for decades.Producer: Tim Bano Interviewed guest: Fr Robert Sirico Interviewed guest: Dr Justin Pearce Interviewed guest: Amanda Feilding Interviewed guest: Professor David NuttArchive clips used: Paramount Pictures, The First Wives Club (1996); American Playhouse, The Big Bang (1989); NBC Today, 20th Anniversary of 'The Sopranos' 10/01/2019; HBO, The Sopranos (1999); Miramax/ Sweetland Films/ Magnolia Production, Bullets Over Broadway (1994); YouTube, Comício José Eduardo dos Santos - Angola 1992 16/09/2010; BBC Sound Archive, Independence celebrations in Angola 11/11/1975; BBC Radio 4, News 23/02/2002; BBC News Archive, Angola vote in first election for 16 years 05/09/2008; BBC Two, Panorama - The Corrupt Billionaire 25/01/2020; Viveka Films, MDMA The Movie - Promo Clip (2016); CBS News, When Ecstasy was legal 1985; gaiamedia/ YouTube channel, Ask the Shulgins 17/03/2014; BBC One, Wogan - Ivana Trump interview 03/06/1992; CBS Sunday Morning, Ivana Trump interview 08/10/2017; BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour - Ivana Trump interview 03/06/1992; HBO/ Harpo Productions, The Oprah Winfrey Show 25/04/1998; BBC One, Modern Times - The Fame Game 03/01/1996; Del Monte/ Brian Jackson, UK Del Monte pears advert (2014).

Kirsty Lang onShinzo Abe - Japan’s longest-serving prime minister who sought to end a wartime legacy of defeat and occupation and to tackle the economy through ‘Abenomics’.Actor Mona Hammond is best known for her TV role in Eastenders.Lorna de Smidt, the anti-apartheid and anti-racist activist who cut her political teeth in the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa in the late 1960s.And Monty Norman - Composer and singer who wrote the James Bond main theme and a string of successful musicals as well.Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Nakano Koichi Interviewed guest: Dr Kristin Surak Interviewed guest: Michael Buffong Interviewed guest: Graham de Smidt Interviewed guest: Matthew SweetArchive clips used: BBC News, Report on death of Shinzo Abe, 08/07/2022; BBC Radio 4, The World This Weekend, Votes counted for Japanese election, 29/07/2007; BBC One, Eastenders 25/10/2010; Humphrey Barclay Productions for Channel 4, Desmond's S01E04 26/01/1989; BBC Radio 4, The Archers 28/12/2003; BBC Two, Storm Damage (1989), 23/01/2000; Paramount Pictures/ Albert S. Ruddy Productions/ Alfran Productions, The Godfather Part 1 (1972); BBC Radio 4, News Bulletin19/03/2001; BBC Two Omnibus - Monty Norman interview 17/10/1982.

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Greengross, who championed the rights of older people as Director General of the charity Age Concern.Sonny Barger, the leading American Hell’s Angel who was arrested 21 times and spent 13 years in prison.Technoblade, the young Youtuber who amassed millions of followers for his commentaries on the video game Minecraft.Qin Yi, the leading Chinese film star whose career spanned eight decades.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Gail Perry Interviewed guest: Alexandre Kalache Interviewed guest: Zhen Zhang Interviewed guest: Chris Berry Interviewed guest: Deanne StillmanArchive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour 07/03/2003; BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour 03/03/2004; BBC News, News report on Dementia 03/07/2012; BBC Two, Hell's Angels 04/01/2004; BBC Four, Storyville - Gimme Shelter 11/12/2009; KSAN Radio/ Stefan Ponek/ from Storyville - Gimme Shelter, Sonny Barger Interview 11/12/2009; EricSalasProductions/ YouTube Channel, Sonny Barger Exclusive Interview 08/08/2012; Technoblade YouTube Channel, Minecraft Storymode Season 1 Episode 1 07/01/2019; Technoblade YouTube Channel, "so long nerds" 01/07/2022/; Technoblade YouTube Channel, the hypixel skyblock experience 14/06/2019; BBC Radio 4, Glenda Jackson interviews Peter Brook 19/04/2021; Shanghai Film Studio/ Tianma Film Studio, Woman Basketball Player No 5 (1957); Ningxia Film Group/ Shanghai Film Studios, Railway Guerrilla (1956); China Central Television, Under the Roofs of Shanghai (1982); BBC One, Eastenders 26/05/1997.