Last Word

Matthew Bannister onBoutros Boutros-Ghali, the United Nations Secretary General who had to deal with genocide in Rwanda and the war in the Balkans.Edmonde Charles-Roux, the former resistance fighter who became editor of French Vogue magazine.Norman Hudis, the screenwriter of many of the Carry On comedy films.And Antonin Scalia, the conservative US Supreme Court Justice.

Matthew Bannister onProfessor Marvin Minsky - the computer scientist who carried out pioneering work on artificial intelligence.Margaret Forster who wrote novels like Georgy Girl and acclaimed biographies including a life of Daphne Du Maurier. Peter Powell who invented the stunt kite and turned it into a global business, before it all came crashing down.Sir Brian Tovey who was director of the Government Communications Head Quarters - GCHQ - when the government tried to introduce a ban on trade union membership.And Joe Alaskey, the voice artist behind Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny.

Matthew Bannister onSir Terry Wogan - we have a tale of two cities: memories from his home town of Limerick and accolades from his fantasy town of Leicester.Lord Lucan, finally declared dead this week after disappearing in the 1970s. Mystery still surrounds his involvement in the murder of his children's nanny. The actor Frank Finlay, who often played darker characters. His Bouquet of Barbed Wire co-star Susan Penhaligon remembers him. Denise St Aubyn Hubbard who represented Britain as a diver in the 1948 Olympics and sailed single handed across the Atlantic aged 64.And Maurice White the singer and songwriter who founded Earth Wind and Fire.

Matthew Bannister onThe Conservative politician Lord Parkinson. He masterminded the 1983 election victory but was forced to resign when his affair with his secretary was revealed.Bill Mitchell, who lived and breathed the Yorkshire Dales, editing the Dalesman magazine and writing hundreds of books.Paddy Doherty, the Irish Republican activist who played a leading role in Derry's 1969 Battle of the Bogside. Henry Worsley, the former SAS soldier and explorer who died whilst attempting the first solo unaided crossing of Antarctica.And Dr Gladys-Marie Fry, the folklorist who chronicled the African American experience.

Matthew Bannister onGlenn Frey - singer, guitarist and songwriter with The Eagles - who sold millions of albums in the 1970s.Lord Weidenfeld, the influential publisher, party giver and networker - and, in later life, rescuer of Christians from Syria and Iraq. The writer and activist Jeanne Cordova - a former nun who campaigned for lesbian rights.Haskell Wexler, the cinematographer who won an Oscar for the film "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?".And Gilbert Kaplan, the multi millionaire businessman who conducted Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony more than a hundred times.

Matthew Bannister on David Bowie, art expert, fashion icon and media manipulator. Alan Rickman, the actor most famous for playing villains from the Sheriff of Nottingham to Professor Snape. Olwyn Hughes, the sister of the poet Ted Hughes who fiercely guarded his literary legacy and that of his late wife Sylvia Plath. And Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, the Radio 1 and 2 DJ who presented Junior Choice.

Matthew Bannister onRobert Stigwood, the impresario who managed Eric Clapton and The Bee Gees, produced Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita and the movies Saturday Night Fever and Grease. Patricia Torrens the first adviser on diet to the Department of Health. Pierre Boulez, the avant garde French composer and conductor who pioneered serialism and the use of electronics.Lord Ezra who was chairman of the National Coal Board in the 1970s.And Natalie Cole, the acclaimed singer who battled drug addiction and sang a posthumous duet with her father Nat King Cole.

Recording engineer, Eric Tomlinson, who worked on the score for Star Wars and added music to Charlie Chaplin's silent films.Elsie Tu, social campaigner, legislator and educationalist in Hong Kong.Author, Peter Dickinson, who twice received the prestigious Carnegie medal for his work.Entrepreneur, Lillian Vernon, whose catalogue business was the first company owned by a woman to be listed on the US Stock Exchange.Motorhead frontman, Lemmy, who's credited with introducing punk sounds into heavy metal.Producer: Maire Devine

Matthew Bannister and Economist Obituary Editor Ann Wroe recall some of the most memorable lives of 2015, including a diver, a scientist and a singer. Producer: Edwina Pitman.

Matthew Bannister on The Irish cyclist, strong man and farm labourer Mick Murphy who won a famous victory in the 1958 round Ireland race. The Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi who boasted that he tricked the Americans into invading his country. The American soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs, who was the first black singer to appear at La Scala in Milan. Ther last surviving Indian king from the days of the British Raj. Brajraj Mahapatra ended his days in poverty. And Holly Woodlawn, the transgender actress who starred in Andy Warhol's film "Trash" and Lou Reed's song "Walk On The Wild Side"