Last Word

Pictured: Stuart Wheeler Matthew Bannister on Stuart Wheeler, the spread betting tycoon who used his millions to fund anti-EU political parties and campaigns. Josephine Cox, the multi-million selling author whose novels often drew on her working class childhood in Blackburn. Miloš Jakeš, the General Secretary of the Czech Communist Party at the time of the Velvet Revolution. Peter Green, the rever...

Matthew Bannister on John Lewis, the leading American civil rights campaigner who was beaten and imprisoned in the 1960s when he marched with Martin Luther King and later served as a Congressman. Tony Elliott CBE, who founded the listings magazine Time Out and oversaw its transformation into a global brand. Wendy Cooling, the former teacher who, through the Bookstart scheme, gave millions of babie...

Pictured: Jack Charlton Matthew Bannister on The footballer Jack Charlton, who went from a pit village in Northumberland to become a Leeds United stalwart and member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team – and then a successful manager of the Republic of Ireland. Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela who was an anti-apartheid activist and later South Africa’s ambassador to Den...

Pictured: Ennio Morricone Matthew Bannister on: Ennio Morricone, the Italian composer best known for his scores for films like The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and The Mission, but keen to be remembered also for his avant garde classical works. Sir Everton Weekes, the outstanding batsman who played a key role in West Indian cricket’s success in the 1940s and 50s. Baroness Maddock, the Liberal Democr...

Pictured: Milton Glaser Matthew Bannister on The graphic designer Milton Glaser who came up with the iconic “I heart New York” logo – but didn’t make a penny from it. Terry Dicks, the controversial right wing Tory MP who went out of his way to challenge political correctness. Professor Tom Arie, the psychiatrist who helped to transform mental health treatment for older people. Else Blangsted, the...

Pictured: Sir Ian Holm Matthew Bannister on Sir Ian Holm, the respected actor best known for playing Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings films and for his interpretation of Shakespeare and Pinter. Jean Kennedy Smith, the last survivor of nine children of Joseph Kennedy. She was US ambassador to Dublin at a significant time in the Northern Ireland peace process. Felicity Bryan the literary agent...

Pictured: Dame Vera Lynn Matthew Bannister on: Professor Geoffrey Burnstock, the eminent neurobiologist who identified the function of a neurotransmitter called ATP with important implications for the treatment of many conditions including strokes, cancer and cystic fibrosis. Larry Kramer, the outspoken gay rights campaigner who organised direct action to force the US government to confront the AI...

Pictured: Christo Javacheff Matthew Bannister on: The artist Christo Javacheff, best known for his extremely ambitious projects to wrap significant buildings and landscapes in fabric. They included the Reichstag in Berlin and the coastline of Australia. Cathie Sabin, who was the first woman to be President of the Lawn Tennis Association. Dorothy Wakely, who served as a Signals Planner with the Spe...

Pictured: Stanley Ho Julian Worricker on: The man praised by both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for being the architect of the national minimum wage, Roger Fellows…. One of Asia’s richest men - the gambling tycoon, Stanley Ho, who transformed the economy of Macau…. The educationist Margaret Meek Spencer, who influenced a generation of children and teachers by emphasising the joy of reading... And th...

Pictured: Margaret Maughan Julian Worricker on Britain’s first Paralympic gold medallist, Margaret Maughan; Tanni Grey-Thompson compares the games of 1960 and now…. The music promoter and producer, John Cumming, co-founder of the London Jazz Festival…. Jerry Givens, once a state executioner….but then a leading campaigner in the United States for the abolition of the death penalty…. And the comedy...

Pictured: Lord Robert May of Oxford Matthew Bannister on Lord May, a former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government and President of the Royal Society. He developed the concept of the R value in tracking the spread of infectious diseases and laid down key principles for scientific advice to politicians. Judith Darmady, the paediatrician who travelled to Romania to help thousands of children...

Matthew Bannister on The rock 'n' roll pioneer Little Richard, whose flamboyant performances and powerful vocal style influenced many who came after him. Janet Carr, the psychologist whose long-running study changed attitudes to people with Down’s Syndrome. John Horton Conway, the playful mathematician who invented the Game of Life. Florian Schneider, the co-founder of the mould-breaking German el...

Pictured: Catherine Hamlin Matthew Bannister on Catherine Hamlin the obstetrician who, with her husband, set about tackling the devastating effects of obstetric fistulae in the women of Ethiopia. Irrfan Khan, the actor whose career brought stardom in both Indian and Hollywood films, like Jurassic World, Slumdog Millionaire and The Amazing Spiderman. The South African anti-apartheid activist Denis...

Pictured: Ronan O’Rahilly Matthew Bannister on Ronan O’Rahilly, the Irish businessman who ran the pirate radio station Radio Caroline on a ship off the coast of Essex. Sir John Houghton, the atmospheric physicist who was Director of the Met Office and co-chair of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. Sue Davies, who founded and ran the Photographers' Gallery in London, supporting the car...

Pictured: Dame Jocelyn Barrow Matthew Bannister on The artist, professor of architecture and expert on sacred geometry Keith Critchlow. He was a key figure in the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and advised on the design of Islamic-influenced buildings all over the world. Dame Jocelyn Barrow who was an educator and leading campaigner against racial discrimination. She was the first black woman...

Pictured: Sir Stirling Moss OBE Matthew Bannister on Sir Stirling Moss, the iconic British racing driver, noted for his courage and patriotism. Although he never won the world championship, he stormed to victory in many Formula 1 and sports car races. Professor Margaret Burbidge, the pioneering astronomer who carried out extensive work on quasars. Mahmoud Jibril, who became interim Prime Minister...

Pictured: Dr Bill Frankland Julian Worricker on: Dr Bill Frankland, who survived three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, studied under Alexander Fleming, and brought the pollen count into the public arena…. The radio drama producer, John Tydeman, whose work contributed to the success of Joe Orton and Sue Townsend…. Alexander Thynne, better known as the Marquess of Bath, an artist and arist...

Pictured: Albert Uderzo Matthew Bannister on Valerie Pettit OBE, the senior MI6 officer in charge of the daring operation to get Soviet double agent Oleg Gordievsky out of Russia after his cover was blown. Albert Uderzo – the French cartoonist who created Asterix the Gaul. Reverend Joseph Lowery – the leading American civil rights activist who worked alongside Martin Luther King in the campaign fo...

Picture Betty Williams Matthew Bannister on: Fuad Nahdi, the journalist, commentator and campaigner named as one of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims. Sol Kerzner, the South African businessman who made a fortune from hotels and casinos and built the controversial Sun City resort under apartheid. Betty Williams, the office receptionist from Belfast who teamed up with Mairead Corrigan to cam...

Pictured: Michel Roux Matthew Bannister on Michel Roux, the French chef who, with his brother Albert, transformed the British restaurant scene in the 1970s Sammy McCarthy, the British featherweight champion boxer who became an armed robber. Lilian Mohin, the lesbian feminist activist who co founded the OnlyWomen Press. Roy Hudd, the versatile entertainer whose career took him from the music hall s...

Pictured: Javier Pérez de Cuéllar Matthew Bannister on The United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. The Peruvian diplomat faced major challenges including the Iran-Iraq war and the Falklands War. Max von Sydow the Swedish-born actor whose film roles ranged from Ingmar Bergman to James Bond and, more recently, Game of Thrones. Professor Hannah Steinberg - a pioneer of psychopharmac...

Pictured: Katherine Johnson Matthew Bannister on Nexhmije Hoxha, the wife of the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha. The couple ran a repressive Stalinist regime and she was known in the West as the Lady Macbeth of Albania. Katherine Johnson, the best known of a small group of African American mathematicians who carried out crucial calculations for the American space programme. Their story was told in...

Matthew Bannister on Andrew Weatherall, a hugely influential figure in the dance music scene of the 1990s, who revolutionised what a DJ could be and produced many hit albums and remixes. Radio 1's Annie Nightingale explains how he changed her life. President Hosni Mubarak who ruled Egypt for thirty years before being ousted by mass protests. The best selling mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark. Her...

Pictured: Heather Couper Matthew Bannister on Heather Couper, the astronomer who used her engaging media appearances to enthuse a generation about space. We talk to her co-author and business partner Nigel Henbest. Leonard Woodley, the Trinidad-born barrister who played a leading role in many high profile race trials and became Britain's first Afro-Caribbean Queen's Counsel. Joseph Shabalala, the...

Pictured: Daniel arap Moi Julian Worricker on: Daniel arap Moi, who led Kenya for 24 years, but did so amidst corruption scandals and the repression of political opponents... The teacher Feng Huiyan, who taught millions of Chinese people how to speak English via textbooks and broadcasting... The pioneering criminologist and clinical scientist Donald West, who wrote a ground-breaking study of homos...