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Last Word

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Jul 21, 2023 • 28min

Lady Williams of Elvel, Professor John Goodenough, Christine Baker, Lord Palmer

Matthew Bannister onLady Williams of Elvel, who, as Jane Portal, was personal secretary to Winston Churchill and the mother of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.Professor John Goodenough, the American materials chemist who won the Nobel prize for his work on developing the rechargeable lithium battery.Christine Baker, the publisher who specialised in making British children’s books available in France. Sir Michael Morpurgo pays tribute.Lord Palmer, the aristocrat who worked in the family biscuit making firm Huntley and Palmer before inheriting the 109 room Manderston House and estate in the Scottish borders.Interviewee: Allen Packwood OBE Interviewee: Marnie Chesterton Interviewee: Sir Michael Morpurgo Interviewee: Robin Baker Interviewee: Hugo PalmerProducer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used:Interviews with Lady Williams, all courtesy of the Churchill Archives Centre; An Interview with Lady Williams, HTB at Home, HTB.org, YouTube uploaded 18/04/2021; Winston Churchill speech, The Commonwealth Mourns Its King, BBC Radio, 14/04/1952; Warhorse (2011) Trailer, YouTube uploaded 04/10/2011; Huntley and Palmers Factory, Reading in the 1930s, Wessex Film and Sound Archive YouTube channel, uploaded 25/08/2011; Lord Palmer Interview, Front Row, BBC 13/02/2004; Lord Palmer interview, BBC Antiques Roadshow Series 28 Manderston, BBC One, 30/10/2005; Lord Palmer Interview, Posh people: Inside Tatler, BBC Two, 18/12/2014; Lord Palmer speech in House of Lords, Today at Parliament, BBC Radio 4, 24/03/2021;
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Jul 14, 2023 • 28min

Malcolm Mowbray, Victoria Amelina, Roger Lovegrove, Mavis Cheek

Matthew Bannister onMalcolm Mowbray, the British film director best known for making “A Private Function” - the comedy about wartime rationing starring Michael Palin and Maggie Smith. The film’s writer Alan Bennett pays tribute. Victoria Amelina, the Ukrainian novelist and war crimes researcher who was killed in a missile strike in Kramatorsk.Roger Lovegrove, the ornithologist who played a leading role in re-introducing red kites to the UK.Mavis Cheek, who wrote humorous novels about middle class marriage and relationships. We’re joined by her friend Helen Lederer.Interviewee: Olha Mukha Interviewee: Alan Bennett Interviewee: Joe Mowbray Interviewee: Roy Dennis Interviewee: Helen LedererProducer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used: Kramatorsk: Russian missile strike hits restaurants in Ukrainian city, Verified Live, BBC World News, 28/06/2023; Victoria Amelina interview recorded 15/05/2023, Copyright Clearance Centre, YouTube uploaded 03/07/2023; Playhouse: Days at the Beach, Director: Malcolm Mowbray, BBC Two, 13/02/1981; Our Winnie, BBC Four, repeated broadcast 10/12/2009; Malcolm Mowbray, London Standard Film Awards, BBC One, 26/01/1986; A Private Function (1984) film promotion, Hand Made Films, YoutTube uploaded 24/05/2019; A Private Function (1984), Hand Made Films, 1984; Roger Lovegrove: Red Kite, The Great British Birdwatch BBC One, 19/06/1989 ; Red Kite sound effects, RSPB, recordist Jens Kirkeby, recorded 17/08/2005; Mavis Cheek interview, Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 04/03/2002; Mavis Cheek reading The Sex Life of My Aunt, Faber and Faber, Arts Archive, Woman’s Hour arts book archive website, BBC Radio 4, uploaded 04/03/2002; Mavis Cheek interview and extract reading, Sixty Minutes, BBC One, 26/10/1983.
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Jul 7, 2023 • 28min

Lord Kerslake, Dame Ann Leslie, Diane Rowe, Tim Blackmore

Matthew Bannister onDame Ann Leslie, the journalist who reported on some of the most significant events of recent times.Lord Kerslake, who was Head of the Civil Service under the coalition government.Diane Rowe, the table tennis champion who won the world doubles title with her twin sister Rosalind.Tim Blackmore, the radio executive who produced the first Radio 1 breakfast show and pioneered independent production in the industry. Interviewee: Lindsey Hilsum Interviewee: Lord O’Donnell Interviewee: Mary Wright Interviewee: Tony Blackburn Interviewee: Simon Cole Producer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used: Dame Ann Leslie, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 12/11/2004; Dame Ann Leslie, Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 07/08/2011; Lord Kerslake interview, BBC Newsnight, 21/02/2020; Bob Kerslake interview Affordable Housing, You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, 09/04/2008; Bob Kerslake interview, How to run a city, BBC Radio 4, 21/10/2009; Sir Gus O' Donnell and Sir Bob Kerslake talk about the Civil Service, Civil Service Mailbox, YouTube uploaded 31/07/2012; Lord Bob Kerslake, National Housing Federation , YouTube uploaded 01/02/2023; Diane Rowe, Table Tennis champions return home (1951), Pathe, uploaded 10/11/2020; Rowe Twins Triumph (London 1954), World Champs Top 10 Moments, World Table Tennis YouTube Channel, uploaded 30/03/2017; A Conversation with Tim Blackmore, Radio Academy, 06/07/2022; Tim Blackmore, Established 1973: 40 years of commercial radio, BBC Radio 4, 27/08/14; Tim Blackmore, Radio Moments - Conversations, David Lloyd Radio, 09/04/2019; The Story of Pop, BBC Radio 1, 26/01/1974;
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Jun 30, 2023 • 28min

Baroness McDonagh, Craig Brown, Godfrey Merlen, Winnie Ewing

Matthew Bannister onBaroness McDonagh Margaret McDonagh was the youngest person and the first woman to become General Secretary of the Labour Party. She was a key player in the New Labour project that helped the party win a landslide in 1997 and two subsequent terms in office. Margaret McDonagh was born in Mitcham in South London where her mother worked as a psychiatric nurse and her father was a building worker.Born: 26 June 1961. Died: 24 June 2023. Age: 61Craig Brown Scotland’s longest serving football manager – taking the national team to the Euro 96 finals and the World Cup in 1998. He started his career as a player for Dunkirk and Falkirk before turning to coaching in 1977.Born: 1 July 1940. Died: 26 June 2023. Age: 82Godfrey Merlen Conservationist and author who devoted much of his life to studying the Galapagos Islands. He lived on the archipelago in the Eastern Pacific for fifty years. The area is noted for its large numbers of unique species which were studied by Chares Darwin and gave rise to his theory of evolution by natural selection. Godfrey Merlen was born in the Cotswolds. After leaving university he worked in the fishing industry and first became concerned about the damage humans were doing to nature.Died: May 10th, 2022Winnie Ewing One of most high-profile pioneers of the Scottish Independence movement. In the 1960s, the Glasgow criminal lawyer won an unexpected by-election victory which made her the first Scottish National Party MP at Westminster. Born: 10 July 1929 Aged: 21 June 2023. Age 93Producer: Ed PrendevilleInterviewee: Sir Tony Blair Interviewee: Pat Nevin Interviewee: Noemi d’Ozouville Interviewee: Christine GrahameArchive used: Kinnock takes on Militant - Labour Conference speech 1985 – YouTube 30 October 2020; Winnie Ewing reconvenes Scottish Parliament in 1999, YouTube 12 May 2019. Winnie Ewing interview after winning the Hamilton By-Election 1967 THE HAMILTON BY-ELECTION 1967, TRIUMPHS AND DISASTERS, Radio 4 05 June 2002. World at One, Radio 4 03 November 1967. Winnie Ewing didn’t think they’d win, Before you go 19 December 2001. Madame Ecosse, Scottish Digital Library First Broadcast Mon 13 April 2009; Craig Brown talking about the kilts worn by the Scottish Tartans in 1998, Mr Brown's Boys, BBC Scotland, First Broadcast Sat 11 Feb 2023. Brown talking about the team, Craig Brown's 1998 World Cup Diary | Full Behind The Scenes Documentary Film Posted on YouTube 16 March 2020. Brown on his football career, published 2 Sept 2019, YouTube Channel Open Goal; Margaret on Clause 4, Tx 19.09.2014 ; Radio 4. Margaret on hearing Kinnock's speech, Tx 19 September 2014, Radio 4. Margaret on New Labour's achievement, Tx 19.09.2014 ; Radio 4; Dr. Godfrey Merlen on Scientific Whaling Versus Cultural Whaling. YouTube published: 9 Aug 2013. Galapagos Islands of Change, Natural World, BBC 2 NI, first Broadcast Sun 21 May 2017. In memory of Godfrey Merlen, YouTube, published: 26 May 2023 ; Galapagos Conservation Trust, Galapagos Islands of Change, Natural World, BBC 2 NI, First Broadcast Sun 21 May 2017
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Jun 23, 2023 • 28min

Daniel Ellsberg, Glenda Jackson, Melanie Phillips, Sir Ben Helfgott

Matthew Bannister onDaniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers, revealing the US government’s secret approach to the Vietnam War.Glenda Jackson, the Oscar winning actor and Labour MPMelanie Phillips, who helped to change embedded racial prejudice in the social work systemSir Ben Helfgott, who survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and went on to become captain of Britain’s Olympic weightlifting teamProducer: Ed Prendeville Interviewee: Robert Ellsberg Interviewee: Maurice Helfgott Interviewee: Ratna Dutt & Jabeer ButtArchive used: SIX FIFTY-FIVE SPECIAL. BBC2 Tue 17 Aug 1982; This Cultural Life. Thu 15 Jun 2023; Clip from Marat Sade published on Youtube on 10 Jun 2010; Clip from Women in Love published on YouTube 7th July 2021; Glenda Jackson winning Best Actress for "Women in Love" published on Youtube 30 Mar 2011; Glenda talking about the news she had won ITN Archive 16 April 1971; Glenda Jackson Remembers... Elizabeth R; Clip from Elizabeth. Broadcast Wed 24 Mar 1971; Glenda winning Hampstead and Highgate constituency. BBC 1 First Broadcast Fri 10 Apr 1992; Glenda talking about her maiden speech. BBC2. First Broadcast Tue 28 May 1996; Glenda Jackson: Housing benefit debate, House of Commons. Glenda Jackson MP speaks in the debate on housing benefit, 9/11/10; Clip from Elizabeth is missing. BBC1, Sun 08 Dec 2019; Conversations with History: Daniel Ellsberg From: University of California Television. Uploaded 08.02.08
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Jun 16, 2023 • 28min

Silvio Berlusconi, Cormac McCarthy, Kathryn Harries, Francoise Gilot

John Wilson onSilvio Berlusconi, Italy's flamboyant and controversial media mogul and four-time Prime Minister.Kathryn Harries, The soprano sang in more than 60 major operatic roles and raised millions of pounds by doing sponsored charity walks. Francoise Gilot, A celebrated painter and printmaker whose career spanned 8 decades. She was also known for a turbulent relationship with Pablo Picasso, with whom she had two children, Claude and Paloma.Cormac McCarthy, Author who wrote 12 novels including The Road and No Country for Old Men, both of which were adapted as successful films.Interviewee: Alastair Campbell & Nathalie Tocci Interviewee: Robert MacFarlane Interviewee: Mary McCabe Interviewee: Markus MullerProducer: Ed Prendeville Archive used: Cormac McCarthy on Oprah Winfrey. You Tube 2007, The Road - beginning scene, YouTube 2012; Silvio Berlusconi state funeral, NBC, YouTube uploaded 14/06/23; Compilation of Silvio Berlusconi, The Telegraph. Uploaded 09.11.11, Françoise Gilot on Henri Matisse, Tate, Uploaded 06/06/14, Françoise Gilot – 'You Put Your Energy Into the Painting' | TateShots. Source Tate Uploaded 19.12.13, Francoise Gilot - Meet The Artist – Source: Arts Editor Doug MacCash of "The Times-Picayune". Uploaded 14.06.10; Kathryn Harries interview, BBC Radio 4, Ramblings Tx’ed 26.05.2006; Kathryn Harries, Music Time Archive Christmas, Tx. 28/11/1977
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Jun 9, 2023 • 28min

Mel Parry, Professor Alice Coleman, Hugh Callaghan, Cynthia Weil

Matthew Bannister onMel Parry, the SAS veteran who was part of the team that stormed the Iranian embassy in London in 1980.Professor Alice Coleman, the geographer whose modifications to modernist high rise estates won the support of Margaret Thatcher.Hugh Callaghan, the labourer who was one of six men arrested after the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974. He served 16 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Cynthia Weil, the American songwriter behind hits like The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”, The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” and Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again”.Interviewee: Bob Shepherd Interviewee: Jo Kendall Interviewee: Professor Loretta Lees Interviewee: Chris MullinProducer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used: Iranian Embassy Siege, News bulletin, BBC Radio 4, 30/04/1980; Iranian Embassy Siege, Reports and interviews, BBC Radio 4, 01/05/1980; Iranian Embassy Siege, Reports and interviews, BBC Radio 4, 03/05/1980; Iranian Embassy Siege in London, News report, BBC Radio 4, 05/05/1980; Cynthia Weil interview: writing songs for male performers, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, YouTube uploaded 14/03/2016; Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann interview, Sunday Morning, CBS, 08/02/2015; Alice Coleman interview, The Friday Report: A Design for Living, BBC Two, 05/02/1988; 1974 Birmingham Pub Bombings report, BBC News, 15/08/1975; Birmingham bombings, 21 Dead And 182 Injured In Birmingham, RTE News Archive, 21/11/1974; Hugh Callaghan interview, World In Action, Granada Television, 18/03/1991; Hugh Callaghan interview, BBC Radio Ulster, 08/12/1996; Birmingham Six freed, News reports, BBC Newsnight, 11/03/1991; Hugh Callaghan singing, Songs of Love and Emigration: Two, The Irish Pensioners Choir, 2023;
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Jun 2, 2023 • 28min

Jeremy Clarke, Dr Moira Woods, Iain Johnstone, Rita Lee

Matthew Bannister onJeremy Clarke, who chronicled his experiences of living a “low life” in the Spectator magazine for more than 20 years. We have a tribute from Eric Idle.The women’s rights campaigner Dr. Moira Woods, who set up the Irish Republic’s first dedicated sexual assault treatment unit.Iain Johnstone, the film critic and documentary maker who told the stories of stars like Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand and John Wayne.Rita Lee, the singer known as Brazil’s “Queen of Rock”Interviewee: Eric Idle Interviewee: David Goodhart Interviewee: Rosita Sweetman Interviewee: Oliver Johnstone Interviewee: Camilo RochaProducer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used: Jeremy Clarke's Low Life: Dead cool, Jeremy has bitten the bullet and taken up yoga, The Spectator, uploaded Facebook 03/09/2023; Jeremy Clarke’s Low Life - Sharon has ditched Jeremy and is getting a dog, her mum has set him up on a blind date, The Spectator, uploaded Facebook 09/07/2023; Jeremy Clarke, Off the Page, BBC Radio 4, 09/07/2009; Dr Moira Wood appearance on Irish Television from 1994, YouTube, uploaded 10/02/2016; President Nixon visits Dublin 1966, RTE Archives, RTE website uploaded in 2016; Iain Johnstone appearance, Film 82: E.T. Review, BBC Archive, Facebook, uploaded 06/12/2017; Iain Johnstone, Jaws - from the Set 1974, YouTube, uploaded 09/01/2012; 1976: Tonight, BBC Archive, Facebook uploaded 20/02/2020; A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Official Trailer, MGM Studios, YouTube uploaded 09/08/2021; Harold Wilson appearance, Friday Night, Saturday Morning, BBC Two, 19/10/1979; Rita Lee, Lança Perfume, Live concert, MTV Brazil, YouTube uploaded 02/09/2015; Rita Lee – Agora So Fata Voce, Live Universal Music Group, YouTube uploaded 26/01/2017;
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May 26, 2023 • 28min

Tina Turner, Martin Amis, Leroy Cooper, Rolf Harris, Marlene Bauer Hagge

Matthew Bannister on Tina Turner, the singer who overcame an abusive relationship to become an international superstar Martin Amis, one of the literary giants of his generation Leroy Cooper, the photographer who captured the social history of his area of Liverpool Rolf Harris, the entertainer who was imprisoned for sexually assaulting young girls Marlene Bauer Hagge, the last surviving founding member of the US Ladies Professional Golf AssociationInterviewee: Dan Franklin Interviewee: Leee John Interviewee: Ray Quarless Interviewee: Levi Tafari Interviewee: David Sillito Interviewee: Lewine MairProducer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used: Tina Turner - From the archives: Life of suffering and triumph, CBS Sunday Morning, originally broadcast October 2018, YouTube uploaded 25/05/2023; Tina Turner talks to Larry King about her life in music (1997), CNN, YouTube uploaded 21/05/2016; Will Gompertz interviews Tina Turner, Tina Turner: Simply the Best, BBC One, 26/11/2018; Anne Rohmer interviews Tina Turner (1985), Canada TV News , CTV YouTube uploaded 24/05/2023; Martin Amis interview, The Late Show: Face To Face, BBC TWO, 25/10/1993; Martin Amis, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 29/12/1996; Leroy Cooper interview with Flora Zajicek, Empathy Museum, 2022; Toxteth riots July 1981, BBC News; Marlene Bauer Hagge interview, LPGA Takeaway: 67 Years Later, the Founders Look Back, Golf.com YouTube uploaded 4/11/2016; 1960 U.S. Women's Open newsreel, United States Golf Association, YouTube uploaded 30/05/2014; Marlene Bauer, The Last Of The LPGA Founders, The Golf Library, YouTube uploaded 19/05/2023;
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May 19, 2023 • 27min

Newton Minow, Vicky Neale, Lois Keith, Gerald Rose

Matthew Bannister onNewton Minow, who was just 35 when he was appointed chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission by President John F. Kennedy. He gave a famous speech describing TV as a “vast wasteland” and helped to set up the Public Broadcasting Service.Vicky Neale, the mathematician who responded to her diagnosis with cancer by launching a podcast discussing the role of maths in cancer research. Lois Keith, who campaigned for equal rights for disabled people.Gerald Rose, the children’s book illustrator who won the Kate Greenaway Medal for his work on “Old Winkle and the Seagulls”Interviewee: Nell Minow Interviewee: Professor Hannah Fry Interviewee: Charlie Gilderdale Interviewee: Richard Rose Interviewee: Joanna Owen Interviewee: Dea BirkettProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Archive used:Newt Minow interview, Talk of the Nation, NPR, 06/09/2006; Newton Minow's interview, PBS News Hour, YouTube, uploaded 08/05/2021; Newton Minow on his 1961 "Vast Wasteland" speech, Emmy TV Legends, 04/05/2011; President Obama Awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom 2016, The Obama White House, YouTube, uploaded 22/11/2016; Vicky Neale, Maths+Cancer podcast, University of Oxford, date unknown - source: oxford.shorthandstories.com/maths-plus-cancer/ ; Vicky Neale appearance on The Infinity Monkey Cage, BBC Radio 4, 07/07/2014; Vicky Neale, Oxford Mathematics, YouTube uploaded 27/05/2022;

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