Last Word

Last Word is presented by Reeta Chakrabarti this week. She will be remembering:The comic writer and novelist David Nobbs - we speak to his friend and fellow writer Jonathan Coe about the man who invented the 1970s anti-hero Reginald Perrin;Frances Kelsey, the scientist whose concerns about the drug Thalidomide prevented it from being approved in the US;Kyril Zinovieff, who as a child in Russia saw Rasputin, and as a spy for Britain encountered Hitler;The Italian fashion designer Elio Fiorucci, who introduced the world to skintight vinyl jeans;And the musician Harry Pitch, the harmonica player who performed everywhere from jazz clubs to opera houses.Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onThe singer and TV presenter Cilla Black - we go behind the scenes to discover the secret of her success on Saturday night TV.Michael Kidson who taught history at Eton for thirty years, delighting his pupils by his maverick behaviour.The Indian scientist and reluctant politician APJ Abdul Kalam, known as the "People's President".The Scottish public health campaigner Evelyn Gillan who targeted domestic violence and fought for minimum pricing for alcohol.And the actor George Cole, best known for playing Arthur Daley in the TV series Minder.

Matthew Bannister onThe Reverend Owen Chadwick, the distinguished ecclesiastical historian who was vice Chancellor of Cambridge University during student protests in the 1970s and chaired an influential commission on Church and State.Also Jon Vickers the operatic tenor best known for playing muscular roles like Samson, Otello and Peter Grimes.Yoichiro Nambu, the theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his ground-breaking work on sub atomic particles.Nova Pilbeam, the leading lady in early Hitchcock films who later turned her back on stage and screen.And Nick Ryman who made his fortune by building up the family stationery firm and then moved to France to become a successful wine maker.

Matthew Bannister onJoyce Bennett who was the first English woman to be ordained as an Anglican priest. It happened in Hong Kong in 1971.Prince Saud al-Faisal, who was the world's longest serving foreign minister, representing the interests of Saudi Arabia for forty years.Burt Shavitz, the American beekeeper who developed a popular range of beeswax products.Professor Michael Oliver, the physician who demonstrated the link between cholesterol and heart disease.And the publisher Ian Allan, whose books of locomotive numbers led to the hobby of trainspotting.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Matthew Bannister onActor Omar Sharif Flying squad detective Stanley Moore - always known as Steve, he helped to catch some of the Great Train Robbers. Theatre Director Jules Wright who co-founded the Women's Playhouse Trust and set up the Wapping Project arts venue. Former Russian Foreign and Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov.And the composer Ernest Tomlinson, best known for his light orchestral works.

Matthew Bannister onSir Nicholas Winton who saved 669 children from the advancing Nazis in Czechoslovakia. Also the Irish singer Val Doonican - known for his cardigans and rocking chair - he was sometimes called Britain's Bing Crosby.The Indian artist Nek Chand who created the extraordinary Rock Garden of Chandigarh. Jarvis Cocker pays tribute.The novelist and former fighter pilot James SalterAnd Lady Rozelle Raynes, the daughter of an Earl who became a stoker on a tug boat during the war.

Matthew Bannister on:The controversial Chief Inspector of Schools Sir Chris Woodhead who said he was paid to challenge "mediocrity, failure and complacency".The actor Patrick Macnee, best known for playing the suave John Steed in the Avengers. Dame Diana Rigg pays tribute.Dame Anne Warburton who was the UK's first woman ambassador.The Fleet Street sub-editor Vic Mayhew, who was as well known for his hard drinking antics as for his headlines.And the film composer James Horner who won two Oscars for his Titanic soundtrack.

Matthew Bannister onMorris Beckman - the East End Jewish activist who co-founded the 43 Group to fight against post-war British fascists.Ornette Coleman - the pioneering saxophonist who developed free jazz improvisation.Tanith Lee - the prolific science fiction author who also wrote episodes of the TV series Blake's 7.Süleyman Demirel - who was seven times Prime Minister and then President of Turkey.And the American tennis player Doris Hart - who won three Wimbledon titles in one day.

Andrea Catherwood on film star Christopher Lee, internationally famous for his villainous, on screen roles. Cookery writer and broadcasting pioneer Marguerite Patten, explorer Major 'Roy' Homard who made the first crossing of the Antarctic, German born band leader and purveyor of 'Happy Music' James Last and actor Ron Moody, best known for playing Fagin in Oliver.

Andrea Catherwood on Iraqi politician Tariq Aziz, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy; Oscar winning costume designer Julie Harris; flamboyant Australian property developer and entrepreneur Alan Bond and violinist Peter Cropper who founded the Lindsay Quartet.