

Last Word
BBC Radio 4
Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 13, 2016 • 28min
Gareth Gwenlan, Sir Harry Kroto, Michael 'Dandy Kim' Caborn-Waterfield, Lilly Dubowitz, Papa Wemba
Matthew Bannister onGareth Gwenlan the TV producer and Head of BBC Comedy behind a string of hits including Only Fools and Horses. Sir David Jason pays tribute.Sir Harry Kroto, the Nobel prize winning chemist who helped to discover new forms of carbon.Michael 'Dandy Kim' Caborn-Waterfield, the charming, well dressed scoundrel who started the Ann Summers chain of sex shops and was imprisoned in France for stealing thousands of pounds from the movie mogul Jack Warner.The paediatrician Lilly Dubowitz who developed revolutionary tests to assess new born babiesAnd the Congolese singer and flamboyant dresser Papa Wemba.

May 6, 2016 • 28min
Reverend Daniel Berrigan, Lord Walton of Detchant, Jenny Diski, Guy Woolfenden
Matthew Bannister onThe Reverend Daniel Berrigan, the American Catholic priest who devoted his life to campaigning for peace. He was arrested many times for protests against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons. Jenny Diski who wrote celebrated novels, essays including her travelogue Skating to Antarctica and her latest memoir In Gratitude.Lord Walton, the eminent neurologist who wrote an influential paper on muscle diseases.And Guy Woolfenden, long serving musical director at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sir Trevor Nunn pays tribute.

Apr 29, 2016 • 28min
Lord Peston, Ruth Prideaux, Patricio Aylwin, Professor Sir David Mackay, Gareth Thomas
Matthew Bannister onThe economist Lord Peston who advised the Labour governments of the 60s and 70s. His son Robert Peston and Lord Hattersley pay tribute. The women's cricket coach Ruth Prideaux who steered England to victory at the 1993 World Cup.The Chilean President Patricio Aylwin who is credited with restoring democracy after nearly 17 years of military dictatorship.The physicist Professor Sir David Mackay, known as 'the cleverest man in Cambridge' and a debunker of myths about climate change.And the actor Gareth Thomas best known for his leading role in the TV series Blake's Seven.

Apr 22, 2016 • 28min
Prince, Ray Fitzwalter, Victoria Wood, June Jolly, Phil Sayer
Matthew Bannister onRock superstar Prince - we recall his intimate gig for a handful of people here in Broadcasting House.Ray Fitzwalter the Editor of ITV's World In Action who championed investigative journalism. Victoria Wood - we have a tribute in song from the young comedian she inspired.The nurse June Jolly who transformed the treatment of children in hospital - she once brought a baby elephant and a lion on to the ward to entertain her patients.And - Mind The Gap - the voice of hundreds of station announcements Phil Sayer. Interviewed guest: Fergus Dudley
Interviewed guest: Paul Gambaccini
Interviewed guest: Roger Corke
Interviewed guest: Vikki Stone
Interviewed guest: Margaretta Jolly
Interviewed guest: Sue Burr
Interviewed guest: Elinor Hamilton.

Apr 15, 2016 • 28min
Arnold Wesker, Howard Marks, Peggy Fortnum, Merle Haggard and Rachel Johnson
Matthew Bannister onThe playwright Sir Arnold Wesker whose work celebrated working class life,Howard Marks, the convicted cannabis smuggler and raconteur who became a folk hero to some.Peggy Fortnum, the children's book illustrator who brought Paddington Bear to life.The country singer Merle Haggard whose music was steeped in traditional redneck America.And Rachel Johnson, last surviving resident of the Scottish island of St Kilda which was evacuated in 1930.

Apr 8, 2016 • 28min
Mother Angelica, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, DJ Derek, Doreen Massey and Joe Medicine Crow
Matthew Bannister onThe American broadcasting nun Mother Angelica who founded the Eternal Word Television Network and dispensed traditional Catholic advice to viewers. The German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, one of the principal architects of his country's re-unification.Derek Serpell-Morris, who gave up his job as an accountant to become DJ Derek, playing reggae and ska and claiming to be Britain's oldest DJ.Doreen Massey who changed the way we think about geographyand Joe Medicine Crow, the native American historian who was a direct link back to Custer's last stand. Producer: Neil George
Interviewed guest: Joanna Bogle
Interviewed guest: Paul Burnell
Interviewed guest: Lord Owen
Interviewed guest: Hilary Wainwright
Interviewed guest: Emma Jackson
Interviewed guest: Dr David Featherstone
Interviewed guest: Herman Viola.

Apr 1, 2016 • 28min
Dame Zaha Hadid, Ronnie Corbett, General Meir Dagan, Joan Loraine, Gary Shandling
Matthew Bannister onThe internationally acclaimed architect Dame Zaha Hadid, known to some as "the queen of the curve".Ronnie Corbett, whose partnership with Ronnie Barker made him one of the UK's best loved comedians.General Meir Dagan, head of the Israeli secret service Mossad when it was credited with carrying out the assassination of five Iranian nuclear scientists.Joan Loraine who created a much admired garden at Greencombe in SomersetAnd Gary Shandling who satirised the vanities and insecurities of celebrity in his fictional TV chat show.

Mar 18, 2016 • 28min
Paul Daniels, Anita Brookner, Sylvia Anderson, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Cliff Michelmore
Matthew Bannister onCliff Michelmore who brought a relaxed informality to presenting TV programmes like Tonight and 24 Hours, without losing intelligence or authority.Sylvia Anderson who - with her husband Gerry - produced TV puppet series like Thunderbirds and Stingray. She was also the voice of Lady Penelope.Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the composer and former Master of the Queen's Music who made his home in a remote part of Orkney.The author Anita Brookner who won the Booker prize for her novel Hotel du Lac.And the magician Paul Daniels,, whose catch phrase was "You'll like this - not a lot - but you'll like it.".

Mar 11, 2016 • 28min
George Martin, Nancy Reagan, Ray Tomlinson, Gillian Avery
Reeta Chakrabarti onSir George Martin, the legendary music producer who oversaw the Beatles' phenomenal success.
Nancy Reagan, the US First Lady, who went from actor to political wife, to campaigner against drug abuse.
Ray Tomlinson, one of the pioneers of the internet, and a founder of the email system.
And Gillian Avery, historian and award-winning author of children's literature.

Mar 4, 2016 • 28min
Tony Warren, Louise Rennison, Lord Chorley, George Kennedy, John Chilton
Reeta Chakrabarti on
Tony Warren, who created the long-running TV soap Coronation Street, embedding a working-class north of England cast of characters in the national consciousness.
Louise Rennison, comedian and author of young adult fiction, whose frank and funny books won her a loyal following amongst teenage girls.
Lord Chorley, a parliamentarian and conservationist, whose many public roles included former chairman of the National Trust.
George Kennedy, the versatile American character actor, who won an Oscar for his role in the film Cool Hand Luke.
And John Chilton, the trumper