Last Word

Matthew Bannister onDame Paula Rego, the acclaimed Portuguese-born artist who later made her home in the UK and was renowned for making vivid and disturbing work focussing on the subjugation of women. We talk to her son Nick Willing. Bruce Kent, the Catholic priest who became a leader of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Hilary Devey CBE, who founded a multi-million pound freight distribution business and was one of the Dragons on the TV show Dragons Den. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Nick Willing Interviewed guest: Jacky Klein Interviewed guest: Kate HudsonArchive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Dame Paula Rego 07/12/1997; Kismet Film Company/ BBC, Paula Rego - Secrets and Stories 25/03/2017; Eric Minh Swenson Art Films, Samella Lewis - Pioneering Visual Artist and Educator 19/12/2016; BBC Radio Ulster, Bruce Kent documentary 13/03/1988; British Movietone, Aldermaston March - Natural Sound 12/04/1963; British Movietone, The March to Aldermaston in Trafalgar Square 10/04/1958; BBC Radio 4, PM - Cardinal Basil Hume interview 27/04/1983; BBC News, Troops Erect Fence Around RAF Molesworth Base 06/02/1985; CND - YouTube Channel, Bruce Kent - Why I joined CND 18/02/2018; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Hilary Devey 02/11/2012; BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour - Hilary Devey interview 24/05/2012; BBC One, Dragons' Den (Season 10) 2012; ITV Studios - YouTube Channel, Loose Women - Hilary Devey interview 03/06/2015.

Matthew Bannister onAmanda Claridge, the archaeologist who was a leading expert on ancient Rome.Sidhu Moose Wala, the acclaimed Indian rapper who was shot dead at the age of 28.Mark Sykes, the upper-class gambler, con man, gun smuggler and playboy.Paul Vance, who wrote the song 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' and whose death was announced prematurely in 2006.Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Richard Hodges Interviewed guest: Professor Richard Alston Interviewed guest: Bobby Friction Interviewed guest: Lady Colin Campbell Interviewed guest: Douglas ThompsonArchive clips used: BBC Radio 3, Night Waves - Roman Empire Exhibition 20/10/2000; BBC One, Nationwide - Pompeii 19/11/1976; BBC News 31/05/2022; ABP Sanjha / YouTube Channel, Sidhu Moose Wala in Big Trouble 04/05/2020; BBC Radio 4, Last Word 29/09/2006.

Matthew Bannister onDervla Murphy, the intrepid travel writer who cycled from her native Ireland to India.Lester Piggott, the jockey who rode thousands of winners and broke many records, including winning the Derby 9 times.Anne Howells, the acclaimed mezzo soprano known for her beautiful voice and sense of mischief. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Antonia Quirke Interviewed guest: Hilary Bradt MBE Interviewed guest: Susan Griffiths Interviewed guest: Frank Keogh Interviewed guest: Sir John Tomlinson CBE Interviewed guest: Mark Rice-OxleyProducer: Neil GeorgeArchive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Dervla Murphy 17/01/1993; BBC Radio 4, Wheels Within Wheels ep 2 23/12/2001; BBC Radio 4, Intrepid Women 19/05/1980; BBC Radio 4, Wheels Within Wheels ep 3 30/12/2001; BBC Sport, AP McCoy tribute to Lester Piggott May 2022; BBC News 06/06/1970; BBC News, Frankie Dettori tribute to Lester Piggott 30/05/2022; BBC News, Willie Carson tribute to Lester Piggott 30/05/2022; British Pathé, Lester Piggott 56th win 1950; YouTube, 1970 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes win 25/07/1970; Ascot Racecourse, Lester Piggott interview 23/07/2020; Central Television/Spitting Image Productions, Spitting Image 1984-1996; BBC News, Lester Piggott tax evasion 23/10/1987; NBC Sports, Lester Piggott amazing ride on Royal Academy 27/10/1990; BBC Radio Archive, Music Now: Anne Howells 20/09/1975.

Matthew Bannister onBaroness Haleh Afshar, the Iranian-born academic and activist who made her home in the UK and campaigned for women’s rights.Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates who led the transformation of his country and was a key ally of the West.Kay Mellor, the TV writer best known for series like 'Band of Gold', 'Fat Friends' and 'The Syndicate'.Vangelis, the prolific composer who won an Oscar for the soundtrack to the film 'Chariots of Fire'.Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Molly Newton Interviewed guest: Janet Veitch OBE. Interviewed guest: Sameer Hashmi. Interviewed guest: Paul Allen.Archive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Baroness Haleh Afshar 28/12/2008; FOX 5 New York, The first minutes of the reporting of the 9/11 attacks from WNYW 11/09/2001; BBC Radio 4, Today Programme - Kay Mellor tribute 18/05/2022; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Kay Mellor OBE 29/10/2017; Granada TV, Band of Gold (1995); Rollem Productions/ Tiger Aspect Productions/ Yorkshire Television, Fat Friends 2000; Isolde Films, Vangelis and the Journey to Ithaka - Documentary (2013); Al Jazeera English, Vangelis: A Message of Hope 22/01/2012.

Matthew Bannister onShireen Abu Akleh, the respected Al Jazeera reporter who was shot dead while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.Robert Gillmor, the wildlife artist best known for his striking paintings of birds.Leonid Kravchuk who oversaw Ukraine’s transition to independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union and became its President.Carrie White, the hairdresser who styled some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and became addicted to drink and drugs.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Dalia Hatuqa Interviewed guest: Stephen Moss Interviewed guest: Dr Taras Kuzio Interviewed guest: Helena de Bertodano Interviewed guest: Pitita Alcala WhiteArchive clips used: BBC News 24, Newsday 12/05/2022; BBC News,14/05/2022; Al Jazeera English, 74 years of Nakba 2022; xeno-canto.org, Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta); BBC One, Animal Magic 23/11/1971; YouTube/Behind Nhu, Eurasian collared dove call 17/05/2020; BBC Radio 4, The World Tonight 28/04/1986; BBC News, Ukranian Referendum Results 02/12/1991; AP Archive, Ukraine - Preparations for Presidential Elections 25/06/1994; BBC One, six o'clock news - Ukraine Nuclear Weapons 14/01/1994; Connie Martinson YouTube channel, Upper Cut - Carrie White interview 31/10/2011.

Matthew Bannister onKathy Boudin, the American radical activist who was sent to prison for her part in the killing of a security guard and two police officers during a robbery. While serving her sentence she became a campaigner for penal reform.Dennis Waterman, the actor best known for his roles in TV series 'The Sweeney', 'Minder' and 'New Tricks'.Sidney Altman, the American biologist who won the Nobel prize for his work on the function of RNA...And Régine Zylberberg, the French nightclub owner who claimed to have invented the discotheque.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Baroness Helena Kennedy QC. Interviewed guest: Dr Thomas R. Cech, Ph.D. Interviewed guest: Hugh SchofieldArchive clips used: CBS Sunday Morning, Weather Underground's accidental bombing 06/03/1970; Center for Justice at Columbia University, Interview with Kathy Boudin 09/05/2022; BBC One, Life and Times of Dennis Waterman 06/12/2000; Danziger Productions Ltd, Night Train To Inverness (1960); Cy Howard Productions / Desilu Productions, Fair Exchange (1962); Minder.org / YouTube clip, Dennis Waterman - Very Early Clip 07/10/2016; BHE Films / Crasto, Up The Junction (1968); Euston Films / Thames TV, The Sweeney (TV series) 1974; Euston Films / Thames TV, Minder 1979; BBC / Wall To Wall, New Tricks 01/04/2004; UC Berkeley Events, Unravelling the Mystery of Ribonucleic Acid 2010; i24NEWS Francais, Histoires Et Decouvertes Régine se raconte 4/04/2021.

Matthew Bannister onColonel Alan Jenkins, the Gurhka officer who was the last living Westerner to have travelled to independent Tibet.Mary Monson, the solicitor who devoted her career to helping the poor and disadvantaged.Elspeth Barker, the novelist and critic who lived a colourful life surrounded by animals in a Norfolk farmhouse.Art Rupe, the American record producer who helped to launch the careers of Little Richard and Sam Cooke.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Nigel Warren Interviewed guest: Roger Croston Interviewed guest: Joseph Kotrie Monson Interviewed guest: Raffaella Barker Interviewed guest: Geoff BarkerArchive clips used: BBC TV Archive, Jungle Green - Borneo 24/12/1964; BBC Radio Manchester, Trump's tour bus 13/07/2018; Mary Monson Solicitors - YouTube channel, client care philosophy 18/02/2014; BBC Radio 4, O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker 14/10/1992; BBC Radio 3, The Verb - Life, Nature & Literature 10/04/2004; CBS, Alan Freed Rock & Roll Dance Party 1957.

Matthew Bannister onYvonne Blenkinsop, one of the four so-called 'Headscarf Revolutionaries' from Hull who campaigned for better safety regulations on fishing trawlers after three were lost at sea in 1968.Margaret Carswell, the doctor and ornithologist who treated survivors of the Ugandan civil war and in her spare time compiled the definitive guide to the country’s bird population.Mikhail Vasenkov, the Russian spy who assumed a South American identity and lived undercover in the United States for decades.Denise Coffey, the talented comic actor who made her name in the TV show 'Do Not Adjust Your Set'.Producer: Emily FinchInterviewed guest: Nell Carswell Interviewed guest: Grace Carswell Interviewed guest: Gordon Corera Interviewed guest: Dr. Brian W. Lavery Interviewed guest: Humphry Barclay Interviewed guest: Michael Coveney Interviewed guest: Miriam MargolyesArchive clips used: British Pathé, Hull - Trawlers Lost At Sea - Wives Demand Stricter Safety Measures 1968; BBC World Service, Witness - Hull's Headscarf Revolutionaries 12/02/2018; BBC TV, Look North - Yvonne Blenkinsop gets freedom of the city of Hull 20/12/2018; YouTube, Triple Trawler Disaster - Hull 1968; xeno-canto, XC292779 Speckled Tinkerbird / XC291649 Woodland Warbler; BBC World Service, Witness - The Fall of Idi Amin 29/04/2014; BBC News 24, Russia/US Spy Swap 09/07/2010; Rediffusion, Do Not Adjust Your Set Ep 05 25/01/1968; BBC Radio 4 Extra, Alison and Maud 20/05/2009.

John Wilson on Mimi Reinhard, the Holocaust survivor who typed Oskar Schindler’s famous list and later turned down an offer from Steven Spielberg.Sir Harrison Birtwistle, the uncompromising British composer of contemporary classical music who once caused panic at the Proms.Sylvia Lancaster, the mother of Sophie Lancaster who was brutally murdered in 2007. Sylvia set up a foundation with the aim of promoting tolerance and inclusivity among young people...And Letizia Battaglia, who defied the Mafia with her graphic photographs of their crimes.Producer: Neil GeorgeArchive clips used: BBC News 24, Mimi Reinhard 07/12/2007; Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment, Schindler's List - Trailer 1993; Oscars, Schindler's List wins Best Picture 1994; The Royal Opera - YouTube Channel, The Minotaur - Labyrinth Scene 1991; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Sir Harrison Birtwistle 16/01/1994; BBC Radio 3/English National Opera, The Mask Of Orpheus 01/04/1987; BBC News 24, Greater Manchester Police records offences against members of subcultures 04/04/2013; BBC TWO, Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster 12/03/2015; BBC Radio 4 Extra, Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster 11/10/2015; Granada TV, Coronation Street 07/05/2021.

John Wilson remembers the lives of those who have recently died including Jordan Mooney the punk icon known as ‘the original Sex Pistol’ who ended up as a veterinary nurse. Jack Higgins, the thriller writer who hit the jackpot with The Eagle Has Landed, and sold more than 250 million books. Robert Ashe, an aid worker who spent most of his working life supporting refugees all over the world.And David McKee - author and illustrator who created timeless childhood favourites including Mr Benn and Elmer the multi-coloured elephant.Producer: Neil GeorgeArchive Clips Used: BBC 6Music, Three Minute Epiphany - The Essence of Punk and Defiance 05/06/2019; BBC TWO, The Culture Show - Jordan Mooney interview 01/07/2014; Megalovision/ Whaley-Malin Productions, Jubilee - trailer (1978); BBC Radio 2, The John Dunn Show 01/07/1992; Audible Audiobook/Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, The Savage Day by Jack Higgins 2019; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Jack Higgins 12/12/1981; Associated General Films/ ITC Entertainment, The Eagle Has Landed - trailer (1976); BBC Radio 4, Profile - Jack Higgins 27/04/1984; ThamesTV/ Freemantle, The Killing Fields - Cambodia VT50536 18/01/1990; BBC News, 29/06/1980; BBC News, 23/10/1999; BBC Breakfast News, interview with David McKee 25/05/2019; BookTrust, David McKee reads Elmer 25/05/2022; Books Alive! YouTube Channel, Not Now Bernard by David McKee 08/11/2017; BBC TWO, Mr Benn - Pirate 31/03/1972; Made in Me - YouTube Channel, Me Books - David McKee interview 10/01/2013.