Last Word

Matthew Bannister on Jehan Sadat, the wife of president Anwar Sadat of Egypt, who campaigned for women’s rights, supported the disabled and disadvantaged people and forged an academic career.Michael Horovitz, the anarchic poet who staged chaotic 'happenings' and supported new talent.Richard Ernst, the Swiss chemist who won the Nobel prize for his work on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Dilip Kumar, the Bollywood actor known as 'the king of tragedy'.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Noah Bakr Interviewed guest: Shibley Telhami Interviewed guest: Adam Horovitz Interviewed guest: John Hegley Interviewed guest: Matthias Ernst Interviewed guest: Professor Kurt Wüthrich Interviewed guest: Anil SinananArchive clips used: ABC NEWS, 06/10/1980; SPINE TV, 21/12/2011; Optic Nerve Ltd 2011-2021; Martin Packard, You Tube 2010; Devdas film, 1955; Kohinoor film, 1960; Mughal-E-Azam film, 1960.

Matthew Bannister onDonald Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defense who challenged the military bureaucracy, advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and was blamed for many of the failings of that operation.Menelik Shabazz, the pioneering film director who supported the careers of many other black film makers.Elizabeth French, the archaeologist who was a leading expert on the pottery of the ancient Greek city of Mycenae.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Justin Webb Interviewed guest: Andrew Cockburn Interviewed guest: Joy Francis Interviewed guest: David Somerset Interviewed guest: John BennetArchive clips used: C-SPAN 19/03/2003; CNN 02/12/2002; AP 13/05/2004; Step Forward Youth 1977 by Menelik Shabazz; Burning an Illusion 1981 by Menelik Shabazz; Blood Ah Go Run 1981 by Menelik Shabazz; Autumn Breeze Movies, Mycenaean War and Peace 24/05/2010; Introduction to Mycenaeans and Mycenaean Culture, History with Cy 21/06/2019; History Victorum, The Citadel of Mycenae 04/06/2020.

Matthew Bannister on The controversial American businessman John McAfee who made his first fortune selling anti-virus software, retreated into a compound in Belize where he was suspected of links with organised crime, campaigned to win the Presidential nomination for the Libertarian party and was found hanged in a Spanish prison cell after facing extradition on fraud and tax evasion charges. General Trần Thiện Khiêm, a key player in the 'snake pit' of coup and counter coup that destabilised the government of South Vietnam during the war of the 1960s.Karla Burns, the Broadway and West End singer who became the first black person to win an Olivier Award. Horace 'Lyle' Hutley, thought to be the last surviving prisoner of war who worked on the infamous bridge over the River Kwai.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Michael Carlson Interviewed guest: Nanette Burstein Interviewed guest: Professor Lien-Hang T. Nguyen Interviewed guest: Bill Ripper Interviewed guest: Allan MallinsonArchive clips used: CNBC News, 24/06/2021; Soft Focus with Jena Friedman, Adult Swim 2019; John McAfee on Larry King, Ora TV 11/03/2016; President Johnson Speaks on the Vietnam Crisis, British Pathe 1964; The Fall of Saigon, CBC News 1975; One On One, PBS 02/01/2019; It’s All Good With Sierra, Wichita Public TV 14/06/2012; The Battle of Dunkirk, British Pathe 1940; The Fall of Singapore, British Pathe/Gaumont/Reuters 1942; Far East Prisoners of War Return Home, British Movietone 11/10/1945.

Pictured: President Kenneth KaundaMatthew Bannister onThe Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda who fought for independence then ruled his country for nearly thirty years, but was voted out of office in the first multi-party elections of 1991. Janet Malcolm, the American writer whose works questioned the ethics of journalists and biographers, including herself. Penny Kemp, who brought passion and professionalism to the campaigns of the Green Party. Bob Swash, the theatre producer whose hits included Evita and Blood Brothers.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Maureen Nkandu Interviewed guest: Katie Roife Interviewed guest: Darren Johnson Interviewed guest: Caroline Lucas Interviewed guest: Michael Coveney Interviewed guest: Willy RussellArchive clips used: Zambian Independence Celebrations, BBC Archives, October 1964; Reading Chekhov, Radio 3 08/07/2004; A Brunch Conversation with Janet Malcolm, Kelly Writers’ House 19/03/2013; Today, Radio 4 13/09/2002; Greens On The Record, BBC One 24/09/1989; The World This Weekend, Radio 4 16/04/2006; Taking Issue, BBC Radio Scotland 30/01/1986.

Pictured: Edward de BonoMatthew Bannister onEdward De Bono, the psychologist who advocated lateral thinking – and sold the concept to companies around the world.Paul Van Doren, the American businessman whose Vans sneakers were adopted by skateboarders, making him a multi-millionaire.Alastair Hanton OBE, who set up the National Girobank and developed direct debits to allow greater access to banking before becoming a campaigner for ethical investing and greener transport.Violetta Elvin, the Russian ballerina who made her name as a rival to Dame Margot Fonteyn at the Royal Ballet.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Sarah Tucker Interviewed guest: Steve Van Doren Interviewed guest: Nicholas Smith Interviewed guest: Angus Hanton Interviewed guest: Raffaele Lauro Interviewed guest: Ronald Hynd Translator: Martin EspositoArchive clips used: Logical and Lateral, Radio 4 29/12/1976; Today, Radio 4 29/04/1976; Fast Times at Ridgemont High, directed by Amy Heckerling, Universal Pictures 1982; LA Olympics Opening Ceremony, ABC News 1984; Alastair Hanton Oral History, The Hanton Family 2021.

Matthew Bannister on Lee Evans, the world-record-breaking American sprinter who took part in black power protests at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.Yuan Longping, the plant scientist who developed hybrid varieties of rice that increased yields dramatically and so saved millions from hunger.Bill McCall, the General Secretary of the Institution of Professional Civil Servants who challenged Margaret Thatcher over union recognition at GCHQ.Alix Dobkin, the folk singer and lesbian activist who performed to women-only audiences. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Tommie Smith Interviewed guest: Professor Douglas Hartmann Interviewed guest: Keith Bradsher Interviewed guest: Charles Harvey Interviewed guest: Liza CowanArchive clips used: Athletics_400 Metres Final: BBC One, TX 18.10.1968; A Classless Civil Service: Radio 3, TX 10.7.1968; BBC News: BBC One, TX 28.2.1984

Matthew Bannister onThe children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle, best known for creating The Very Hungry Caterpillar which has sold fifty-five million copies.Helen Murray Free, the American chemist who developed revolutionary simple tests for diabetes and other serious conditions. Michael Parsons, the engineer who designed some of the world’s longest suspension bridges, including the Severn Bridge and the Humber Bridge.Evelyn McNicol, the pioneering Scottish mountaineer who was a member of the first all-female British expedition to the Himalayas. Producer: Rabeka NurmahomedInterviewed guest: Oliver Jeffers Interviewed guest: Julia Eccleshare Interviewed guest: Dr Bill Carroll Interviewed guest: Philip Parsons Interviewed guest: Kate RossArchive clips used: Open Book: Radio 4, TX 4.5.1999; The Severn Bridge at 50_A High Wire Act: BBC One Wales, TX 7.9.2016; Ladies Scottish Climbing Club: Radio Scotland, TX 20.12.2006

Julian Worricker on:Sir Paul Cosford, who - as medical director of Public Health England - took on a prominent role during the Ebola outbreak and the Salisbury poisonings.The Formula One boss, Max Mosley, who helped turn his sport into a global spectacle and became an outspoken privacy campaigner.Dr Frances Rotblat, a haematologist, whose pioneering work led to significant advances in the treatment of haemophilia. And the veteran actor, Norman Lloyd, whose career began in the 1920s and who worked alongside Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and Charlie Chaplin.Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Dr Gillian Leng Interviewed guest: Jeremy Hunt Interviewed guest: Simon Taylor Interviewed guest: Tom Brown Interviewed guest: Donogh O’BrienArchive clips used: BBC News: BBC One, TX 7.3.2018; BBC News, BBC One, TX 25.10.2014; Today Programme: Radio 4, TX 24.5.2021; On the Ropes: Radio 4, TX 1.3.2011; Today: Radio 4, TX 22.11.1984; Brain of Britain: Radio 4, TX 12.9.1977; Art for the Millions: Radio 4, TX 1.2.2018

Matthew Bannister onDr. Spencer Silver, the American chemist who invented the adhesive used in Post It Notes.Kevin Jackson, the writer, broadcaster and critic described as a “21st century man of letters”.Patricia Brown, who played a leading role in cracking German codes at Bletchley Park during the second world war.Asfaw Yemiru, the former street boy from Ethiopia who founded a school for orphans in Addis Ababa which has given free education to thousands of students. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Linda Spencer Interviewed guest: Art Fry Interviewed guest: Tom Sutcliffe Interviewed guest: Iona Brown Interviewed guest: Dr Tessa Dunlop Interviewed guest: Beneberu Demissie Kassa Interviewed guest: Revd Canon Tim KinahanArchive clips used: Twenty Minutes_Dutch Icons_Vermeer: Radio 3, TX 8.10.2002; Saturday Review: Radio 4, TX 9.11.2019

Matthew Bannister on:Olympia Dukakis, the Greek-American actor who won an Oscar for playing Cher’s mother in Moonstruck and became an LGBT icon after playing Anna Madrigal in Tales of the City. Its author Armistead Maupin pays tribute.Eric McGraw who founded and edited a magazine for prisoners called “Inside Time”. Former inmate Noel “Razor” Smith explains how it changed the course of his life.Anthony Thwaite, the poet, editor and critic who was a pivotal figure in British literary life. The former poet laureate Andrew Motion pays tribute. Producer: Neil GeorgeInterviewed guest: Gregory Pappas Interviewed guest: Armistead Maupin Interviewed guest: Rachel Billington Interviewed guest: Noel ‘Razor’ Smith Interviewed guest: Ann Thwaite Interviewed guest: Andrew MotionArchive clips used: Hardtalk: BBC One, TX 19.3.2001; In Living Memory: Strangeways riot: Radio 4, TX 20.4.2005