Great Lives

Writer and comedian David Baddiel chooses the American novelist, John Updike. With Matthew Parris and Justin Cartwright. His novels perfectly captured the shifting moral codes of middle America in the 1970s and 80s but do John Updike's novels still have something important to tell us today? The writer and comedian David Baddiel makes the case for Updike in conversation with Matthew Parris and the novelist and Updike expert, Justin Cartwright.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.

Award-winning architect Sir David Chipperfield chooses the pioneer of modern architectureLe Corbusier aimed to build a better world through radical buildings and the controversial reshaping of whole cities.Sir David joins Matthew Parris to unpick the life of a man who considered himself a heroic figure, fighting battles to improve the world.With expert witness: Flora Samuel, Professor of Architecture at the University of Sheffield.Producer: Melvin RickarbyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.

Matthew Parris is joined by Michael Horovitz who nominates fellow poet and founder of the 'Beat Generation', Allen Ginsberg, as his Great Life. Ginsberg's friend and biographer Barry Miles provides biographical detail of this colourful and controversial writer, who through his battle for free expression inspired American counter culture.Producer: Melvin RickarbyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.

The life of the 'Hillbilly Shakespeare' Hank Williams is the choice of Deacon Blue singer Ricky Ross. Williams is regarded as being the prototype rock star and continues to be hugely influential on musicians today despite a short recording career of just six years before he died at the age of 29. Matthew Parris presents. With Nick Barraclough as the expert witness. Producer: Maggie AyreFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.

The chanteuse, pianist, composer and civil rights activist Nina Simone is the choice of another female musician who has made a career of defying convention; Joanna Macgregor. Presented by Matthew Parris.

Grace Dent nominates Nancy Mitford for her wit, and for the way in which she showed women that it was possible to live your life fully and unconventionally. Nancy Mitford's greatest success came with the novels The Pursuit of Love (1945) and Love in a Cold Climate (1949). Matthew Parris asks what else it is about Nancy that so inspires Grace, with the aid of Mitford biographer Lisa Hilton.Grace Dent is a TV and restaurant critic, newspaper columnist, author, and broadcaster.Producer Beth O'DeaFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.

"In defeat, unbeatable; in victory, unbearable" – so said Winston Churchill on this week's Great Live, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. Many would argue that he was Britain's greatest field commander since Wellington - arrogant, hard to like but undeniably successful – one of the most, perhaps the most, conspicuously successful British commander of the Second World War. He was a national celebrity. In this edition of Great Lives - Al Murray - comedian and TV personality best known for his character of 'The Pub Landlord' champions Monty – and Al starts off by showing presenter Matthew Parris his action figure doll of the man. Joining them is expert historian from the Imperial War Museum, Terry Charman.Producer: Perminder Khatkar. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.

Trade unionist Sir Brendan Barber nominates American author, John Steinbeck as his Great Life. The author of The Grapes of Wrath aimed to fight the cause of the common man, was derided by the right as a Communist and by the left as a sell-out for supporting the Vietnam war. Brendan picks through the politics and explains how Steinbeck influenced him as a teenager to look towards joining the trade union movement. After early success, describing the catastrophic effects of the Great Depression and the Dustbowl in Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck became war correspondent, Nobel Laureate, presidential speechwriter, Hollywood scriptwriter, and environmentalist. Presented by Matthew Parris. Professor Christopher Bigsby from the University of East Anglia helps guide us through the life of a man described as 'America's Charles Dickens'. Producer: Melvin RickarbyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.

TV presenter Konnie Huq chooses the mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace. With Matthew Parris. From Banking, to air traffic control systems and to controlling the United States defence department there's a computer language called 'Ada' – it's named after Ada Lovelace – a 19th century mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron. Ada Lovelace is this week's Great Life. She's been called many things – but perhaps most poetically by Charles Babbage whom she worked with on a steam-driven calculating machine called the Difference Engine an 'enchantress of numbers', as her similarly mathematical mother had been called by Lord Byron a "princess of parallelograms". Augusta 'Ada' Byron was born in 1815 but her parents marriage was short and unhappy; they separated when Ada was one month old and she never saw her father , he died when was eight years old. Her mother, Annabella concerned Ada might inherit Byron's "poetic tendencies" had her schooled her in maths and science to try to combat any madness inherited from her father. She's championed by TV presenter and writer – Konnie Huq, most well known for presenting the BBC's children's programme - 'Blue Peter' and together with expert– Suw Charman- Anderson, a Social technologist, they lift the lid on the life of this mathematician, now regarded as the first computer programmer with presenter Matthew Parris. Producer : Perminder Khatkar. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.

Matthew Parris is joined by actor Peter Bowles who nominates George Devine, groundbreaking artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre. Devine battled against the theatrical establishment, repressive censorship, helped the careers of actors like Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft, and by discovering writers like John Osborne and other 'Angry Young Men' - he changed British theatre forever. Helping guide us through the post-war landscape of Devine's life, is Philip Roberts, Emeritus Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Leeds.Produced in Bristol by Melvin RickarbyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.