Last Word

Matthew Bannister onBamber Gascoigne, the broadcaster and author best known as the long serving host of the TV quiz show 'University Challenge'.Norma Waterson, the revered singer who was part of the Waterson Carthy dynasty that played a leading role in the English folk revival. We have a personal tribute from her husband Martin Carthy and daughter Eliza Carthy.Claire Tomlinson, who broke down barriers to become one of the UK’s best polo players.Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese-born Buddhist monk known as the 'father of mindfulness'. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Christina Gascoigne Interviewed guest: Wasfi Kani Interviewed guest: Martin Carthy Interviewed guest: Eliza Carthy Interviewed guest: Mark Tomlinson Interviewed guest: Brother Phap Huu Interviewed guest: Jeff WilsonArchive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs 01/11/1987; Granada TV, University Challenge 01/09/1987; BBC Two, The Young Ones - Bambi 08/05/1984; Granada TV, The Christians e03 The Birth of Europe 16/08/1977; BBC Radio 3, Music Matters 31/03/2018; BBC Radio 4, The King of Games 21/08/1984; BBC SOUND ARCHIVE, Hurlingham vs Scotland 02/09/1980; YouTube / Is Secret, Namo Avalokiteshvara Plum Village Chanting 13/08/2014; BBC Two, Arena: Stories My Country Told Me 14/07/1996.

Julian Worricker on:The diplomat Sir Crispin Tickell, who advised four prime ministers, and influenced international policy on climate change...The writer and performer, Barry Cryer, whose work spanned sixty years and involved scripts for most of the comedy greats...Darlene Hard, 21 times a Grand Slam tennis champion, described as one of the greatest doubles players of her generation...And the Brazilian singer, Elza Soares, who was a campaigner for women's rights and against racism.Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Oliver Tickell Interviewed guest: Euan Nisbit Interviewed guest: Sally Jones Interviewed guest: Virginia Wade Interviewed guest: Robin DenslowArchive clips used: BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs - Sir Crispin Tickell 15/04/1990; BBC One, Breakfast News - Gulf War 17/01/1991; United Nations, UN General Assembly Climate Change 08/11/1989; AP, Rio Earth Summit 12/06/1992; BBC Four, Mark Lawson talks to Barry Cryer 02/04/2008; BBC Radio 4, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 24/08/2015; YouTube, Darlene Hard vs Maria Bueno US Nationals 1960; BBC Archive, All England Championships Ladies Final 04/07/1960; BBC Archive, All England Championships Ladies Final TX 06/07/1957; BBC Four, Brasil, Brasil: Samba to Bossa 24/11/2007.

Matthew Bannister onMeat Loaf, the rock opera singer best known for his album Bat Out Of Hell.André Leon Talley, the fashion editor who played a leading role at US Vogue magazine and supported the careers of many designers.Jana Bennett, the BBC executive who led the transformation of TV science programmes and oversaw the Corporation’s move into the digital age.Kristin Baybars, whose beautiful doll's house furniture and other toys were sought after by children and adults alike. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Dana Thomas Interviewed guest: Mark Thompson Interviewed guest: Lorraine Heggessey Interviewed guest: Susila Baybars Interviewed guest: Janet RichardsonArchive clips used: BBC Four, Meat Loaf: In and Out of Hell 21/01/2022; CNBC News, assassination of John F. Kennedy 22/11/1963; BBC Radio 5Live, Afternoon Edition 07/09/2016; Twentieth Century Fox / Michael White Productions, The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975; Radio 4 Last Word 09/05/2021; Fox 2000 Pictures / New Regency Productions / Linson Films, Fight Club 1999; BBC Radio 4, Front Row 12/01/2010; BBC One, Good Morning with Anne and Nick 27/10/1995; CBS, The Late Late Show with James Corden 25/01/2022; BBC Natural History Unit / Impossible Pictures / Discovery Channel, Walking With Dinosaurs 1999; BBC / The Learning Channel, The Human Body 1998, YouTube / National Theatre, Jerry Springer (The Opera) - National Theatre 50th Birthday Show 06/07/2014; André Leon Talley Full Address Oxford Union 08/05/2013; Entertainment Tonight Canada, tribute to André Leon Talley; BBC Radio 5Live, Emma Barnett with André Leon Talley 11/06/2020; Los Angeles Times / YouTube Channel, André Leon Talley On Growing Up 10/09/2017; BBC News, Kristin Baybars news report 17/01/2017; London Dollshouse Showcase, Kristin Baybars & her Aladdin's Cave 2016; BBC One Play School 06/01/1978; Talkback Thames / BBC, QI S02 E04 22/10/2004.

Matthew Bannister onLord Sainsbury of Preston Candover who led the expansion of the family grocery business during the 1970s and 80s.David Stuart, the former gay escort and drug dealer who turned his life around and became a much loved support worker and advocate for the LGBT community.Elizabeth Selby, who with her husband ran one of the UK’s most successful photographic agencies, supplying pictures to newspapers and magazines around the world.And Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the Ronettes and wife of the notorious music producer Phil Spector. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Sir Timothy Sainsbury Interviewed guest: Adam Leyland Interviewed guest: Matthew Hodson Interviewed guest: John Selby Interviewed guest: Herbie KnottArchive clips used: Sainsburys, Jamie Oliver Advert 2003; BBC Archive, Woman's Hour - Centenary of J. Sainsbury Ltd 18/04/1969; BBC Radio 4, The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin: The Manipulators 29/01/1980; .NOBI Films, hu.mans: David Stuart 2016; David Stuart YouTube Channel, Why chemsex support doesn't belong in traditional addiction services 30/12/2021; BBC 6 Music, Lauren Laverne with Ronnie Spector 15/06/2016; BBC Radio 2, Tycoon of Teen 21/12/1996.

Matthew Bannister onSidney Poitier, the first black man to win a 'Best Actor' Oscar, known for his powerful performances in ‘In The Heat of The Night’, ‘Lilies of the Field’ and ‘To Sir, With Love’. His co-star in that film - Lulu - pays tribute.E.O.Wilson, the American biologist and champion of biodiversity who some have compared to Charles Darwin.Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who argued the landmark case of Roe v Wade before the US Supreme Court. The case, which is being challenged now, established the constitutional right for women to have abortions. Assunta ‘Pupetta’ Maresca, the Italian mafia boss who served a prison sentence for shooting dead the man who killed her husband.Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Lulu Interviewed guest: Barbie Latza Nadeau Interviewed guest: Dr George McGavin Interviewed guest: Paula Ehrlich Interviewed guest: Joshua Prager Interviewed guest: Mary Ziegler Interviewed guest: Stephen BourneArchive clips used: The Mirisch Corporation, In The Heat Of The Night (1967); BBC News, Bonnie Greer tribute to Sidney Poitier 07/01/2022; Entertainment Tonight Canada, Philip Davis tribute to Sidney Poitier 07/01/2022; YouTube, Poitier 80; Twentieth Century Fox, No Way Out (1950); Oscars / YouTube channel, Sidney Poitier wins best Actor 36th Oscars (1964); Columbia British Productions, To Sir, With Love (1967); BBC Radio 4, The Life Scientific - E.O. Wilson 28/07/2015; Texas Tribune / YouTube channel, Sarah Weddington interview 22/01/2013; ITV News / YouTube channel, Protest of anti-abortion laws in America 21/05/2019; BBC TV, Everyman - The Politics Of Life 03/12/1989.

Matthew Bannister onLord Rogers of Riverside, the influential architect who designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyds Building in London.April Ashley, the transgender model who partied with pop stars and aristocrats during the Swinging Sixties and campaigned for changes to the law on gender identity.Joan Didion, the American writer best known for her memoir 'The Year of Magical Thinking' written after the deaths of her husband and daughter.Ray Illingworth, the Yorkshire-born cricketer who captained England to two successive Ashes victories.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Catherine Slessor Interviewed guest: Ivan Harbour Interviewed guest: Christine Burns MBE Interviewed guest: Dr Gary Everett Interviewed guest: Tracy Daughtery Interviewed guest: Susanna Moore Interviewed guest: Henry BlofeldArchive clips used: BBC TV, IMAGINE - Richard Rogers Inside Out 26/02/2008; ThamesTv YouTube Channel, Good Afternoon - April Ashley Interview 1970s; Media Archive Central England, What Am I? (1980); BBC RADIO 4, KALEIDOSCOPE - California Dreaming 05/07/1979; F.P. Productions / Universal Pictures, Play It As It Lays (1972); BBC RADIO 3, Words and Music - Less is More 23/02/2020; BBC RADIO 4, Today 23/04/2008; Merlin Television, MMC Masterclass (1994); YouTube, Ray Illingworth Career Review 01/01/2022; YouTube, Ashes Tour 1970-71 7th Test SCG 17/08/2021; BBC RADIO 4, Start The Week 09/08/1980; BBC RADIO 5Live, Ian Chappell Tribute to Ray Illingworth 26/12/2021; BBC RADIO 4, It's Your Line 13/04/1971; BBC Video. Ashes '72 (1988); YouTube, The Ashes 1970-71 Australia v England 7th Test End of Match 31/10/2016.

Julian Worricker on Janice Long, the pioneering female DJ who was heard on Radios 1 and 2 and was a familiar face on Top of the Pops.“Marvellous” Marvin Hagler, one of the greatest middleweight boxing champions of all time.Esther Bejarano, one of the last survivors of the Auschwitz women’s orchestra who devoted her life to campaigning against racism.Leslie Bricusse OBE, the prolific songwriter behind dozens of hits for stage and screen, including songs for the Bond films, Willy Wonka and Doctor Dolittle.Producer: Dan HardoonInterviewed guest: Annie Nightingale CBE Interviewed guest: Peter “Hooky” Hook Interviewed guest: Sugar Ray Leonard Interviewed guest: John McDonald Interviewed guest: Antonella Romeo Interviewed guest: Kutlu Yurtseven Interviewed guest: Evie Bricusse Interviewed guest: Dame Joan Collins Interviewed guest: Craig McLeanArchive clips from: YouTube, Janice Long Radio 2 Presenter on 3-2-1 in 1978; YouTube, Janice Long 1986 interview with Billy Jam 10/09/2020; Top of the Pops, BBC1 07/03/1985; Rob Bonnett interview with Marvin Hagler, BBC TV 11/06/2005; On Side, BBC1 09/03/1998; YouTube, Marvin Hagler vs Alan Minter 1980, Fight Collective 07/03/2021; YouTube, Marvin Hagler vs Sugar Ray Leonard, Top Rank Boxing 06/04/2020; YouTube, Esther Bejarano & Coincidence, ‘Mir Lebn Ejbig’; BBC4, Shooting the War: Women 03/02/2010; YouTube, Kölner Treff - Mit Jeanette Hain und Esther Bejarano 30/03/2019; Esther Bejarano & Microphone Mafia, ‘Avanti Popolo’; BBC Radio 2, Graham Norton 05/11/2017.

Julian Worricker onThe feminist writer bell hooks, credited with prompting new, radical thinking about race, gender and class.Shirley McGreal, founder of the International Primate Protection League, whose work in conservation led to her opening a gibbon sanctuary in South Carolina. The singer, dancer and actor, Lionel Blair, whose career began during World War II, and spanned eight decades...And the pioneering film director, Melvin Van Peebles, who became known as the godfather of black cinema.Producer: Emily FinchInterviewed guest: Liza Goddard Interviewed guest: Gwenda Motley Interviewed guest: Linda Strong-Leek Interviewed guest: Helen Thirlway Interviewed guest: Liza Goddard Interviewed guest: Jess Conrad Interviewed guest: Garrett Chaffin-QuirayArchive clips used: YouTube, Freedom Forum: Speaking Freely - bell hooks 29/03/2016; Sankofa Read Aloud YouTube Channel, Happy to Be Nappy by bell hooks 03/07/2017; YouTube, The Bill Collins Show - Shirley McGreal 13/04/2018; International Primate Protection League Facebook Page, Gibbons Singing and Swinging 16/4/2020; BBC1 TV, Nationwide: Shirley McGreal 01/07/1980; SOSorangutans YouTube page, Orangutan Longcall 11/10/2011; YouTube, Gibbon Sound 05/10/2016; THAMES TV, Give Us a Clue (Series 2) 1979; The Official Sammy Davis Jr Website, Sammy Davis Jr and Lionel Blair Tap Battle - 1961 Royal Variety Performance; BBC Radio 4, Today 17/02/2010.

Matthew Bannister onThe journalist and feminist Mary Maher. She edited the women’s page of the Irish Times and was a prime mover in campaigns for equal rights. The bass player Robbie Shakespeare. With his partner Sly Dunbar he formed a powerful rhythm section in demand by artists from Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru to Grace Jones, Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan.Anwar Ditta, the British Asian mother who fought for five years to be allowed to bring her three children from Pakistan to the UK. Anne Rice the best-selling author of the Vampire Chronicles series of books.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Rosita Sweetman Interviewed guest: Michael Foley Interviewed guest: Don Chandler Interviewed guest: David Katz Interviewed guest: Tariq Mehmood Interviewed guest: Ruth Bundey Interviewed guest: Dr Samantha GeorgeArchive clips used: RTE, Bowman - Tribute to Mary Maher 12/12/2021; GRANADA TV, World in Action: These Children Are Mine 16/03/1981; Oxford Television Production/BBC FOUR, Cover Stories - Anne Rice 25/06/2002; BBC Radio 4, Front Row - Tribute to Anne Rice 13/12/2021; Geffen Pictures, Interview With The Vampire (1994); Anne Rice YouTube Channel, Returning to Christianity 07/05/2010.

Matthew Bannister onSir Antony Sher, one of the finest actors of his generation, who was also a writer and a painter. We have a heartfelt personal tribute from his husband, the Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Gregory Doran.Roger Phillips, the colourful plant photographer who produced many authoritative books on wild flowers, trees and plants but was perhaps best known for his work on mushrooms. Judy Totton, the music business publicist who worked with clients like Status Quo, Toyah Willcox and the Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs. Her friend Joan Armatrading pays tribute. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Gregory Doran Interviewed guest: Martyn Rix Interviewed guest: Lyla Foy Interviewed guest: Joan Armatrading Interviewed guest: John TaylorArchive clips used: Opus Arte, King Lear - Royal Shakespeare Company 2017; BBC Radio 3, Free Thinking - Antony Sher 06/05/2015; Illuminations Media, Macbeth - Royal Shakespeare Company 2003; Roger Phillips' YouTube Channel, Wild Food Forager: Foraging for Morel Mushrooms in the Forest 24/05/2019; YouTube: Happy Tibet, Tibetan Prayer Dechen Monlam 26/10/2017.