Last Word

Matthew Bannister on Dame Deborah James who raised millions of pounds for cancer research by talking openly about living with - and dying from - bowel cancer. Yves Coppens, the charismatic French palaeontologist who led the team that discovered hominid remains estimated to be 3.2 million years old. Revel Guest OBE, the documentary film producer who became chair of the Hay Literary Festival. Samuel...

Matthew Bannister on Dom Phillips, the freelance journalist who was ambushed and shot dead on a trip into the Amazon rain forest. Stephen S. Thompson, the novelist and screenwriter who won a BAFTA for his TV drama telling the story of his brother’s experiences during the Windrush scandal. Caroline Drummond, who campaigned for greater links between farming and environmental protection – and oversaw...

Matthew Bannister on Dame Paula Rego, the acclaimed Portuguese-born artist who later made her home in the UK and was renowned for making vivid and disturbing work focussing on the subjugation of women. We talk to her son Nick Willing. Bruce Kent, the Catholic priest who became a leader of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Hilary Devey CBE, who founded a multi-million pound freight distribution...

Matthew Bannister on Amanda Claridge, the archaeologist who was a leading expert on ancient Rome. Sidhu Moose Wala, the acclaimed Indian rapper who was shot dead at the age of 28. Mark Sykes, the upper-class gambler, con man, gun smuggler and playboy. Paul Vance, who wrote the song 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' and whose death was announced prematurely in 2006. Producer: Neil...

Matthew Bannister on Dervla Murphy, the intrepid travel writer who cycled from her native Ireland to India. Lester Piggott, the jockey who rode thousands of winners and broke many records, including winning the Derby 9 times. Anne Howells, the acclaimed mezzo soprano known for her beautiful voice and sense of mischief. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Antonia Quirke Interviewed guest: Hila...

Matthew Bannister on Baroness Haleh Afshar, the Iranian-born academic and activist who made her home in the UK and campaigned for women’s rights. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates who led the transformation of his country and was a key ally of the West. Kay Mellor, the TV writer best known for series like 'Band of Gold', 'Fat Friend...

Matthew Bannister on Shireen Abu Akleh, the respected Al Jazeera reporter who was shot dead while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Robert Gillmor, the wildlife artist best known for his striking paintings of birds. Leonid Kravchuk who oversaw Ukraine’s transition to independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union and became its President. Carrie White, the...

Matthew Bannister on Kathy Boudin, the American radical activist who was sent to prison for her part in the killing of a security guard and two police officers during a robbery. While serving her sentence she became a campaigner for penal reform. Dennis Waterman, the actor best known for his roles in TV series 'The Sweeney', 'Minder' and 'New Tricks'. Sidney Altman, the American biologist who won...

Matthew Bannister on Colonel Alan Jenkins, the Gurhka officer who was the last living Westerner to have travelled to independent Tibet. Mary Monson, the solicitor who devoted her career to helping the poor and disadvantaged. Elspeth Barker, the novelist and critic who lived a colourful life surrounded by animals in a Norfolk farmhouse. Art Rupe, the American record producer who helped to launch th...

Matthew Bannister on Yvonne Blenkinsop, one of the four so-called 'Headscarf Revolutionaries' from Hull who campaigned for better safety regulations on fishing trawlers after three were lost at sea in 1968. Margaret Carswell, the doctor and ornithologist who treated survivors of the Ugandan civil war and in her spare time compiled the definitive guide to the country’s bird population. Mikhail Vase...

John Wilson on Mimi Reinhard, the Holocaust survivor who typed Oskar Schindler’s famous list and later turned down an offer from Steven Spielberg. Sir Harrison Birtwistle, the uncompromising British composer of contemporary classical music who once caused panic at the Proms. Sylvia Lancaster, the mother of Sophie Lancaster who was brutally murdered in 2007. Sylvia set up a foundation with the aim...

John Wilson remembers the lives of those who have recently died including Jordan Mooney the punk icon known as ‘the original Sex Pistol’ who ended up as a veterinary nurse. Jack Higgins, the thriller writer who hit the jackpot with The Eagle Has Landed, and sold more than 250 million books. Robert Ashe, an aid worker who spent most of his working life supporting refugees all over the world. And Da...

Matthew Bannister on Derek Mack, the rocket engineer who helped Britain enter the space age June Brown, the actor best known as Dot Cotton in Eastenders Dr Doris A. Derby, the American civil rights activist and photographer who took historic pictures of the struggle for equality Dave Sales, the Dorset fisherman who fought a 23 year campaign to protect the sea bed in Lyme Bay. Producer: Neil George...

Matthew Bannister on The first female US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was a leading advocate of the NATO bombing campaign aimed at stopping ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. Peter Padfield, the naval historian who as a young man took part in the reconstruction of the voyage of the Mayflower from the UK to the USA. Christina Smith, the colourful entrepreneur known as “the queen of Cove...

Matthew Bannister on Bruce Page, the investigative journalist best known for leading the Sunday Times Insight team’s expose of the Thalidomide scandal. Dottie Frazier, the pioneering American scuba diver who kept a boa constrictor as a pet and rode a motorcycle until she was in her nineties. Josephine Veasey, the British mezzo-soprano acclaimed for her performances in works by Wagner and Berlioz....

John Wilson on Mary Coombs, the world's first female computer programmer in the commercial sector; Paul Farmer, a medical anthropologist who saved millions of lives in the world's poorest countries; Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper, who had a run-in with General Eisenhower and later went on to translate the comic book Tintin; and William Hurt, Oscar-winning actor. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Fr...

Matthew Bannister on Shirley Hughes, the children’s author and illustrator whose books created a welcoming and recognisable picture of family life. Roger Graef, the documentary filmmaker who revealed the inner workings of the criminal justice system, the planning authorities and the treatment of children in care. Shane Warne, the Australian spin bowler hailed as one of the greatest cricketers of a...

Matthew Bannister on Sonny Ramadhin, the West Indian bowler who was one of the heroes of the side that scored a famous victory over England in 1950. Sister Catherine Wybourne, who was known as the 'digital nun' for her use of blogs and social media to communicate the messages of her order. Captain Raymond Savage, one of the last surviving prisoners of war who worked on the notorious Burma railway...

Matthew Bannister on Jamal Edwards, the young music entrepreneur whose YouTube channel supported the careers of grime and rap stars like Dave, Skepta and Stormzy. P.J. O’Rourke, the conservative American satirist who applied his barbed wit to reporting from the world’s trouble spots. Romaine Hart, whose Screen on the Green cinema gave a platform to art house films and was described by Quentin Tara...

Matthew Bannister on Beryl Vertue, the TV and film producer who brought us 'Men Behaving Badly' and 'Sherlock'. The actors Martin Clunes and Martin Freeman pay tribute. Flavio Carboni, the Italian wheeler dealer who was at the centre of many legal and political mysteries, including the death of the Vatican banker Roberto Calvi. Phil Harvey, the American businessman who set up a chain of sex shops...

Matthew Bannister on Bamber Gascoigne, the broadcaster and author best known as the long serving host of the TV quiz show 'University Challenge'. Norma Waterson, the revered singer who was part of the Waterson Carthy dynasty that played a leading role in the English folk revival. We have a personal tribute from her husband Martin Carthy and daughter Eliza Carthy. Claire Tomlinson, who broke down b...

Julian Worricker on: The diplomat Sir Crispin Tickell, who advised four prime ministers, and influenced international policy on climate change... The writer and performer, Barry Cryer, whose work spanned sixty years and involved scripts for most of the comedy greats... Darlene Hard, 21 times a Grand Slam tennis champion, described as one of the greatest doubles players of her generation... And the...

Matthew Bannister on Meat Loaf, the rock opera singer best known for his album Bat Out Of Hell. André Leon Talley, the fashion editor who played a leading role at US Vogue magazine and supported the careers of many designers. Jana Bennett, the BBC executive who led the transformation of TV science programmes and oversaw the Corporation’s move into the digital age. Kristin Baybars, whose beautiful...

Matthew Bannister on Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover who led the expansion of the family grocery business during the 1970s and 80s. David Stuart, the former gay escort and drug dealer who turned his life around and became a much loved support worker and advocate for the LGBT community. Elizabeth Selby, who with her husband ran one of the UK’s most successful photographic agencies, supplying pic...

Matthew Bannister on Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win a 'Best Actor' Oscar, known for his powerful performances in ‘In The Heat of The Night’, ‘Lilies of the Field’ and ‘To Sir, With Love’. His co-star in that film - Lulu - pays tribute. E.O.Wilson, the American biologist and champion of biodiversity who some have compared to Charles Darwin. Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who argued the la...