Last Word

Pictured: Wanda FerragamoMatthew Bannister onWanda Ferragamo - who took over her husband's successful Italian shoe making business and turned it into a global fashion brand. Wim Kok, the Dutch prime minister whose career was overshadowed by the Srebrenica massacre.The writer Ntozake Shange, best known for her choreopoem "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf".The Algerian diplomat Mohamed Sahnoun who played a key role in ending several conflicts in Africa.Keith Killby, the pacifist who served unarmed with the Special Boat Service during the war.Interviewed guest: Luisa Zargani Interviewed guest: Suzy Menkes Interviewed guest: Dan van der Vat Interviewed guest: Rohan Preston Interviewed guest: Paul T. Williams Jr Interviewed guest: Jill Turner Interviewed guest: Letitia Blake Producer: Neil GeorgeArchive clips from: Radio 4 News, 28/11/2000; Radio 4 News, 10/04/2002; Ntozake Shange - The Lost Interview, Reelblack, 08/03/2016; Melissa Harris-Perry, MSNBC 23/09/2014; A Journey Through Imaginary Landscapes, Radio 3 16/04/1993; For Colored Girls Who've Considered Suicide/ When The Rainbow Is Enuf, Radio 3 21/01/1996; BBC News 30/07/1992; Newsnight, BBC Two 14/06/1993; Interview with Keith Killby, courtesy of the Monte San Martino Trust, 17/06/2014.

Pictured: Baroness HollisMatthew Bannister onAnthea Bell who translated the works of Freud and Kafka into English - but was even better known for making Asterix the Gaul funny in his second language.Captain Michael Howard, the intelligence officer who was part of T-Force which was set up after the second world war to seize German assets and bring them back to the UK. Baroness Hollis, the Labour peer who campaigned for the poor and disadvantaged.Cicely Berry, the voice coach who trained a generation of British actors.And Tony Hiller who wrote 1,500 songs, including the Brotherhood of Man's Eurovision hit "Save Your Kisses For Me".Interviewed guest: Oliver Kamm Interviewed guest: Aubyn Howard Interviewed guest: Major John Bendit Interviewed guest: Julia Langdon Interviewed guest: Michael Quinn Producer: Neil GeorgeArchive clips from: The Verb, Radio 3 08/05/2004; Open Book. Radio 4 14/07/2002; Front Row, Radio 4 14/05/2004; Open Book, Radio 4 04/09/2008; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 18/07/2003; Victoria Derbyshire, BBC One 27/10/2015; Money Box, Radio 4 13/09/2015; The Week in Westminster, Radio 4 26/01/2013; Newsnight, BBC Two 26/10/2015; The Vox Project, Radio 4 04/01/2010; Night Waves, Radio 3 05/06/2006; Working Shakespeare: The Muscularity of Language, The Working Arts; Miss Moneypenny's Meter, Radio 4 07/09/2006.

Pictured: Paul AllenMatthew Bannister onPaul Allen who teamed up with his school friend Bill Gates to found the computer software company Microsoft. After he left, he used his billions to support medical research, education and an American football team.Mary Midgley, the philosopher who wrote about the relationship between humans and animals and enjoyed lively debates with her colleagues.Leon Lederman, the physicist who won the Nobel prize for his work on the neutrino and described the Higgs boson as "the God particle".Roger Mainwood, the animator who helped to bring Raymond Briggs' The Snowman to the screen, then directed the critically acclaimed animated film about Briggs' parents, "Ethel and Ernest".Interviewed guest: Glenn Fleishman Interviewed guest: David Midgley Interviewed guest: Professor Malcolm Fairbairn Interviewed guest: Nigel Lockyer Interviewed guest: Jez StewartArchive clips from: Horizon: The Six Billion Dollar Experiment, BBC TV 01/05/07; Origins: Where We and Our World Came From, BBC TV 18/03/86; Woman’s Hour, Radio 4 30/07/03; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 17/03/97; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 20/11/05; When the Wind Blows film trailer, Meltdown Productions/British Screen Productions/Film Four International/TVC London/Penguin Books, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami 1986; Ethel & Ernest film trailer, BBC/BFI/Ffilm Cymru Wales/Film Fund Luxembourg/Cloth Cat Animation/Ethel&Ernest Productions/Lupus Films/Melusine Productions, directed by Roger Mainwood 2016; Meg and Mog, ITV, directed by Roger Mainwood 2003; CBS News, 17/04/11; Today, Radio 4 25/04/11.

Pictured: Montserrat CaballéMatthew Bannister on Ray Galton, who, with his writing partner Alan Simpson, created Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son. Paul Merton pays tribute. Gerald Russell, the psychiatrist who was the first to describe the eating disorder bulimia nervosa.Evelyn Anthony, the novelist whose historical romances sold millions of copies.The financier Sir Roger Gibbs, who transformed the fortunes of the Wellcome Trust. And the Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé, who had a global hit with Barcelona - a duet with Freddie Mercury.Interviewed guest: Paul Merton Interviewed guest: Professor Janet Treasure Interviewed guest: Ewan Ward-Thomas Reader: Alexandra Constantinidi Interviewed guest: Baroness Eliza Manningham-BullerArchive clips from: Read All About It, Radio 4 04/01/76; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 27/11/74; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 15/08/88; The Tamarind Seed, ITC/Jewel Productions/Pimlico Films/Lorimar Productions, directed by Blake Edwards 1974; The Wellcome Trust (https://wellcome.ac.uk/about-us); Aled Jones, Radio Wales 05/07/08; Laughed off the Page: Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Radio Scotland 26/01/07; Hancock: The Radio Ham, BBC TV 1961; Steptoe and Son: The Offer, BBC Light Programme 03/07/66; The Wrong Arm of the Law (film trailer), Romulus Films/Robert Velaise Productions, directed by Cliff Owen 1963; Mark Lawson Talks To: Galton and Simpson, BBC TV 19/03/08; Eyes on Wales: Homeless, Radio Wales 04/06/95; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 10/10/81.

Pictured: Charles AznavourMatthew Bannister onCharles Aznavour, the French singer who "made despair popular". The lyricist Don Black, who worked with him, pays tribute. Dr. Charles Kao, the Nobel prize winning physicist who developed fibre optic technology, so paving the way for the world wide web. Elizabeth de Mauny Wainwright, the pioneering foreign correspondent who helped to smuggle an interview with Solzhenitsyn out of Soviet Russia.John Cunliffe, the writer who delighted generations of children by creating Postman Pat and Rosie and Jim.Interviewed guest: Don Black Interviewed guest: Jeff Hecht Interviewed guest: Marc de Mauny Interviewed guest: Rachel Feldberg Interviewed guest: Nigel P. HarrisArchive clips from: The Typically French Armenian, Radio 4 02/02/1977; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 01/01/1978; Aznavour at Eighty, Radio 2 12/03/2004; Treasure Islands, Radio 4 05/04/1992; Postman Pat’s Finding Day, BBC One 16/9/1981; Bookshelf, Radio 4 20/03/1986; Rosie and Jim, ITV 1991; Postman Pat Takes the Bus, BBC One 25/12/1991; Postman Pat’s Secret Birthday, BBC One 30/09/1981; Postman Pat’s Rainy Day, BBC One 07/10/1981; Charles Kao interview with FiberStory, 22/03/2010; Look East, BBC Norwich 06/10/2009; Look East, BBC Norwich 27/01/2006; Radio 4 News, 12/02/1974; Tomorrow's World, BBC One 1994.

Pictured: Chas HodgesMatthew Bannister onChas Hodges, the session musician who became one half of the cockney duo Chas and Dave and had hits like Gertcha and Rabbit. M.J. Long the American-born architect who co-designed the British Library, the National Maritime Museum and studios for some of the UK's best known artists. Arthur Mitchell, the first African American principal dancer in a major ballet company and founder of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Rick Turner, the archaeologist who recovered the 2,000-year-old Lindow Man, Britain's best preserved bog body.And Rachid Taha, the singer who mixed Algerian music with rock, techno and punk.Interviewed guest: Michael Hann Interviewed guest: Rolfe Kentish Interviewed guest: Rachel Pugh Interviewed guest: Robin DenselowArchive clips from: Piano Tales - A Social History of the Piano, Radio 3 23/09/2012; Outlook, World Service 24/01/2018; QED - The Body in the Bog, BBC One 10/04/1985; The African Rock 'N' Roll Years - North Africa, BBC Four 09/08/2005.

Pictured: Denis NordenAndrea Catherwood on Denis Norden, the television presenter and comedy writer who made Britain laugh for half a century. Diane Leather, the first woman in the world to break the 5-minute mile, just 23 days after Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, but achieved much less acclaim. Johnny Kingdom, the poacher turned filmmaker who enthralled TV audiences with his love and knowledge of wildlife in his native Exmoor and beyond, and became an unlikely celebrity in the process. And Fenella Fielding, the femme fatale with a throaty drawl and come-hither stare best known for her roles in the Carry On and Doctor comedy capers.Interviewed guest: Russell Davies Interviewed guest: Lindsey Armstrong Interviewed guest: Anna Kessel Interviewed guest: Richard Taylor Jones Interviewed guest: Robert ChalmersArchive clips from: Gabby Logan, Radio 5 Live 12/10/2008; The Original Godfathers, Radio 4 27/03/2007; The Robert Peston Interview Show, Radio 4 07/09/2015; Midlands Today 06/05/2004; Midweek, Radio 4 14/05/2008; Loose Ends, Radio 4 31/05/2008; This Land: Johnny's Kingdom, BBC Two 14/04/2000; Johnny Kingdom: A Year on Exmoor, BBC Two 13/10/2006; Valmouth, Radio 4 28/04/1975; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 05/06/1965; Front Row, Radio 4 17/11/2017; www.metafenella.com: ‘Metafenella’ is an interactive video portrait by public artist Martin Firrell offering advice for living well from the life and work of Fenella Fielding.

Pictured: Jacqueline PearceMatthew Bannister onLady Coleridge, the nurse and adventurer who explored the Congo river with Colonel John Blashford-Snell. He pays tribute.Jalaluddin Haqqani, the Afghan warlord who was backed by the CIA to fight the Soviets but sided with the Taliban after the civil war.Jacqueline Pearce, the actor best known for playing villains in "Blake's Seven" and "Dr Who".Lord Thomas, the Chief Executive who introduced ethical banking at the Co-op.And Stan Brock , the cowboy and pilot who provided free health care to thousands in the USA.Producer: Neil George.

Pictured: Burt ReynoldsMatthew Bannister onThe prolific career of the movie star Burt Reynolds. The 'Deliverance' director John Boorman pays tribute. The environmental campaigner Lord Melchett who, as executive director of Greenpeace, was arrested during a protest against GM crops. The Italian anti-mafia campaigner Rita Borsellino who took up the cause after her brother was killed by a car bomb.And the Indian cricket captain Ajit Wadekar, who led the national side to victory against the West Indies and England in the 1970s.Archive clips from: Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 30/01/2000; Outlook, World Service 16/03/2017; Test Match Special: Seasons To Savour, Radio 4 1971.

Pictured: Lindsay KempJulian Worricker on:The dancer and choreographer, Lindsay Kemp, who worked alongside David Bowie and Kate Bush.John Calder, the influential publisher, who championed avant-garde authors and battled censorship.The record-breaking sailor, Hilary Lister, who became the first quadriplegic person to sail across the English Channel.John Calcutt, who shaped the contemporary visual art scene in Scotland at the Glasgow School of Art.And the award-winning American playwright, screenwriter and author, Neil Simon.Interviewed guest: David Haughton Interviewed guest: Kate Bush Interviewed guest: Bill Swainson Interviewed guest: Pauline Rudd Interviewed guest: Francis McKee Interviewed guest: Matt WolfArchive clips from: Woman's Hour, Radio 4 22/01/1969; Private Passions, Radio 3 25/03/2000; Censorship In Modern Britain: Radio 4 Reports, 12/12/68; Radio 2 Arts Programme: Simply Simon, 27/04/1997; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 14/05/1995; A Race Against Time: Hilary Lister's Round Britain Dream, BBC Two 14/07/2013; Woman's Hour, Radio 4 11/07/1989; Third Ear, Radio 3 06/05/1991.