

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

Oct 23, 2015 • 28min
General John Galvin, Joan Leslie, Michael Meacher, Howard Kendall, Jerry Parr and Coleridge Goode
Matthew Bannister onGeneral Jack Galvin who was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe as the Cold War ended. Generals Colin Powell and David Petraeus pay tribute.Joan Leslie - the Hollywood star who made forty films in ten years.Michael Meacher - the former Environment minister once described by Neil Kinnock as "Tony Benn's vicar on earth." The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joins us.Howard Kendall - Everton football club's most successful manager. Gary Lineker remembers playing under him.Jerry Parr - the secret service agent who saved President Ronald Reagan's life when he was shot.

Oct 20, 2015 • 28min
Geoffrey Howe, Sue Lloyd-Roberts, Joe Henson, Hugh Scully and Alexander Faris
Julian Worricker on:
The former Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, Geoffrey Howe, whose resignation speech in the Commons was generally regarded as the beginning of the end for Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister.
The journalist, Sue Lloyd-Roberts, whose reporting frequently took her to some of the most dangerous parts of the world.
The farmer and conservationist, Joe Henson, who founded the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
Hugh Scully, who rose to fame as a television presenter through his work on 'Nationwide' and 'Antiques Roadshow'.
And the composer, Alexander Faris, best known for writing the theme tune to the 1970s ITV drama, Upstairs Downstairs.

Oct 9, 2015 • 28min
Lord Denis Healey, Carmen Balcells, Henning Mankell, Revd Kenneth Leech and Captain Bob Arnott
Lucy Ash on the former Labour politician Denis Healey who was Chancellor of the Exchequer during the Winter of Discontent in 70s; Catalan literary agent Carmen Ballcells known as Big Mamma to her Nobel Prize winning authors;Captain Bob Arnott, beloved by his passengers on the QE2; Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell and radical priest Reverend Kenneth Leech, who founded the homelessness charity Centrepoint.

Oct 2, 2015 • 28min
Brian Friel, General Mario Menendez, Tessa Ransford, John Guillermin, Ben Cauley
Matthew Bannister onThe award winning Irish playwright Brian Friel, best known for Dancing At Lughnasa and Translations.Argentine General Mario Menéndez who was appointed Governor of the Falkland Islands during the invasion.Tessa Ransford who founded the Scottish Poetry Library.John Guillermin who directed movie blockbusters like The Towering Inferno, Death on the Nile, and the 1976 re-make of King Kong.And Ben Cauley, the trumpeter who was the only survivor of the plane crash which killed Otis Redding.Producer: Neil George.

Sep 25, 2015 • 28min
Brian Sewell, Jackie Collins, Ted Smith CBE, PJ Kavanagh, Yogi Berra
Matthew Bannister onBrian Sewell, the art critic with the distinctive voice, outspoken opinions and love of dogs.Jackie Collins who sold millions of copies of her sex and showbusiness novels,Ted Smith, the conservationist who built up the UK's network of Wildlife Trusts.PJ Kavanagh, the poet who also played a Nazi loving priest in the TV comedy Father Ted.And Yogi Berra the top baseball player also known for his mangling of the English language.

Sep 18, 2015 • 28min
Sir David Willcocks, Merv Adelson, Mariem Hassan, Brian Close, Beryl Renwick
Matthew Bannister onSir David Willcocks - one of the most influential choir masters of his generation. Known for his descants to Christmas carols, he was director of music at King's College Cambridge for 17 years - and led the Bach choir for 38. Merv Adelson the property developer who founded the TV company Lorimar which made hits like the Waltons, Dallas and Knots Landing.Mariem Hassan, the singer from the marginalised Sahrawi people who used her music to promote their cause.Brian Close the Yorkshire and England cricket captain noted for his courage at the crease. And Beryl Renwick who became a presenter on BBC Radio Humberside in her eighties and won the industry's top award.

Sep 11, 2015 • 28min
Sir Adrian Cadbury, Rico Rodriguez, Ieng Thirith, Margaret Harrison, Judy Carne
Matthew Bannister onSir Adrian Cadbury - who was chairman of the family confectionery firm, led its merger with Schweppes and wrote an influential report on corporate governance. He was also an Olympic rower - and Sir Steve Redgrave pays tribute. Rico Rodriguez the trombonist who helped create ska and reggae and played with the Specials and Jools Holland, who shares his memories.Ieng Thirith - health minister of the Khmer Rouge and sister in law of Pol Pot. She was indicted for crimes against humanity.Margaret Harrison who founded the Home Start charity which sends volunteers to help parents who are struggling to cope.

Sep 4, 2015 • 28min
Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, Joy Beverley, Oliver Sacks, Annette Worsley-Taylor
Matthew Bannister onLord Montagu of Beaulieu who founded the National Motor Museum, opened his estate to the public and served a prison sentence for homosexuality. His son, who has succeeded to the title, pays tribute. Joy Beverley - one of the Beverley sisters who became close harmony singing stars in the 1940s and 50s. She married the England and Wolves footballer Billy Wright, making them the Posh and Becks of their day.The neurologist Oliver Sacks who told his patients' extraordinary stories in books like "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat".And Annette Worsley-Taylor who started London Fashion Week to promote young British designers. Producer: Neil George.

Aug 28, 2015 • 28min
Bernie Passingham, Christopher Marshall, Wayne Carson, Michael Turk, Marie Dobbs, Yvonne Craig
Matthew Bannister onThe trade union official Bernie Passingham who helped women workers at the Ford Motor Company in their fight for equal pay.Medical researcher Chris Marshall who identified one of the human oncogenes which cause cancer.Wayne Carson who wrote the song Always on My Mind, which was recorded by Elvis Presley, the Pet Shop Boys and eight hundred other artists.Michael Turk, a Queen's Waterman and Swan Marker who built historic boats for film and TV.And author Marie Dobbs who completed Jane Austen's unfinished last novel Sanditon.

Aug 24, 2015 • 28min
Khaled al-Asaad, Jazz Summers, Jack Gold, Manual Contreras, Dawn Wofford
Presenter Lucy Ash remembers:Khaled Al-Asaad, the Syrian archaeologist beheaded by Islamic State who was famous for his in depth knowledge and love of the ancient city of Palmyra; Jazz Summers, the maverick music manager who took Wham! to China and had a reputation as a hard man;Jack Gold, multi-BAFTA winning TV director of the Naked Civil Servant and Goodnight Mr Tom;
Manuel Contreras, the army general who ran Chile's brutal secret police during Pinochet's dictatorship;And Dawn Wofford, the showjumping champion who won her first competition at the age of three. Producer: Neil George.


