Last Word

Matthew Bannister on Doreen Lofthouse, the Lancashire businesswoman who took Fisherman’s Friends lozenges from a Fleetwood chemist’s shop to a multi-million pound international company. Dr Chris Doake, the glaciologist who was able to predict with great accuracy the break-up of the Antarctic ice shelf. Barbara Hosking, who served as a Downing Street press officer under both Harold Wilson and Ted H...

Matthew Bannister on Bob Davey, the retired water board superintendent who made it his mission to restore an ancient church in Norfolk – and in the process made a remarkable archaeological find. George Segal, the American film star who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and starred opposite Glenda Jackson in the comedy “A Touch of Class”. Lady Viole...

Matthew Bannister on: The Egyptian feminist writer Nawal El Saadawi who faced persecution and imprisonment but never wavered from her commitment to campaigning for women’s rights. Brigadier Jack Thomas who had a distinguished military career, serving during the Second World War, the Korean war and in Northern Ireland. John Magufuli, the autocratic President of Tanzania who advocated prayer and inh...

Julian Worricker on: One of the best known sports commentators of his generation, motor racing's Murray Walker The woman who co-founded what became the charity, Missling People, Mary Asprey King Goodwill Zwelithini, who ruled the Zulu nation at a time of enormous change in South Africa And Bunny Wailer, founder member of the Wailers, whose album Blackheart Man is regarded as one of reggae's finest...

Matthew Bannister on Nicola Pagett, the acclaimed actor who made her name on TV in Upstairs Downstairs and as Anna Karenina but also excelled in classical stage roles. Later in life she suffered severe mental illness. Stan Shaw, one of the last Sheffield craftsmen known as “little mesters”. He spent eighty years forging, grinding and finishing blades in the city’s cutlery industry. Professor John...

Matthew Bannister on Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the Saudi oil minister who presided over the 1970s embargo that caused crises for Western economies. Sidney Alford, the maverick explosives expert who created methods of defusing improvised explosive devices used in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and the Middle East. He also demolished large buildings and created spectacular effects for film makers. Al...

Matthew Bannister on Sir William Macpherson, the retired judge whose report on the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence accused the Metropolitan Police of “institutional racism”. Margaret Snyder, seen by some as the United Nations’ first feminist. She established funds and projects to support women in developing countries. Eleanor Wadsworth, one of the last surviving women who delivered...

Matthew Bannister on: Carlos Menem, the flamboyant President of Argentina during the 1990s who transformed the country’s economy, but was dogged by allegations of corruption. Mary Wilson, a founding member of the Supremes who rivalled the Beatles for chart success during the 1960s. Robin Pooley, the businessman who started in the meat trade before switching to become Chief Executive of the Potato...

Matthew Bannister on George Shultz, the US Secretary of State during the Reagan years who came close to brokering a deal to abolish all US and Soviet nuclear weapons. Yvonne Conolly, Britain’s first black female head teacher who overcame racism to become a role model for others. Maureen Colquhoun, the first UK member of parliament to be openly in a same sex relationship. When they heard the news,...

Matthew Bannister on The biologist Lewis Wolpert who developed new theories about embryo development and was a passionate communicator of science. The award winning actor Cicely Tyson, best known for portraying strong, dignified African American women on stage and screen. Saudi Prince Khalid Abdullah who became one of the world’s most successful racehorse owners. His horses included the great Fran...

Matthew Bannister on Larry King, the American TV interviewer whose long running show on CNN attracted guests ranging from Presidents to pop stars. Christiane Amanpour pays tribute. Catherine Ennis, the organist at the City of London Church of St Lawrence Jewry who helped to design four major organs in the capital. Dame Margaret Weston, the Director of the Science Museum who spread funding around t...

Matthew Bannister on: Phil Spector, the influential record producer who created the “Wall of Sound”. He died while serving a prison sentence for murdering actress Lana Clarkson. Grace Robertson, the photojournalist known for chronicling working class life in post war Britain. Paul Nihill, one of the world’s finest race walkers who won 96 consecutive races and was the first male British athlete to...

Julian Worricker on the film-maker Michael Apted, famous for his work on the 7UP documentary series, but who also directed nearly 30 feature films. Kay Ullrich, an MSP after the first elections to the Scottish parliament, who Nicola Sturgeon described as one of the most influential figures in her life. Katharine Whitehorn, whose column in the Observer revolutionised the journalism that women wrote...

Matthew Bannister on Sir Brian Urquhart, the international civil servant and war veteran who played a key role in setting up United Nations peacekeeping forces. Albert Roux, the French-born chef who, with his brother Michel, helped to revolutionise the quality of British restaurant cooking. Dame Rachel Waterhouse, the chair of the Consumers’ Association whose campaigns were behind many significant...

Matthew Bannister on Stella Tennant, the iconic fashion model who rose to prominence in the 1990s, becoming the face of Chanel. George Bizos, the South African human rights lawyer who represented Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia Trial. Joan Feynman, the astrophysicist who made important breakthroughs in her study of auroras and solar cycles. Actor Rishi Kapoor, who appeared in almost 100 films and de...

Julian Worricker on Millie Jones, the singer who brought ska rhythms and Jamaican culture to a global audience with her hit song My Boy Lollipop. JJ Williams, the Llanelli, Wales and British Lions winger who became one of the stars of world rugby. Dame Fanny Waterman, who co-founded the Leeds International Piano Festival and introduced many of the greatest pianists of our time. And consumer champi...

Matthew Bannister on The author John le Carré , the pen name of David Cornwell, who drew on his own experiences as a spy to elevate the espionage novel to new heights. Patience Thomson, the educator who devoted herself to helping children with reading difficulties and set up a publishing house to create books for them. Michael Morpurgo pays tribute. Doug Scott, the pioneering mountaineer who was t...

Matthew Bannister on Mario Molina, the chemist who won the Nobel prize for revealing the devastating impact of CFCs on the ozone layer. Irina Antonova, the director of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow for more than fifty years. She was caught up in a controversy over her refusal to send back priceless works of art looted by the Soviet Army at the end of the Second World War. Valery Giscard d’Estaing,...

Matthew Bannister on: Hamish MacInnes, the mountaineer known as “The Fox of Glencoe”. He climbed the Matterhorn aged 16, made four trips to Everest and was a stalwart of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue team. He was also an inventor, coming up with an all metal ice axe and a collapsible stretcher for use in rescue operations. His services were much in demand as an advisor to big budget films like The E...

Pictured: Diego Maradona Matthew Bannister on: Diego Maradona, the flawed footballing genius who was worshipped by fans in Argentina and his adopted home city of Naples before drug abuse and scandal tainted his reputation. We speak to Asif Kapadia, director of the acclaimed film about Maradona’s life. Rosalind Grimshaw, the talented stained glass artist whose works include a spectacular window dep...

Pictured: Des O'Connor Matthew Bannister on The comedian Des O’Connor, an all-round entertainer equally at home telling jokes, hosting a chat show or recording an album. Richard Trim, the radar engineer who developed the technology that supports modern air traffic control systems. Dr Ataullah Siddiqui, the leading Muslim scholar who played a major role in creating inter-faith dialogue. Edith Raymo...

Pictured: Lord Sacks Matthew Bannister on The former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, a respected scholar and broadcaster who reached out to other faiths, but had trouble reconciling the different strains of opinion in his own. John Sessions, the actor and comedian who used his gift for improvisation and mimicry in TV shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway, Spitting Image and Stella Street. Clive Anderson and...

Pictured: Sir Sean Connery Matthew Bannister on Sir Sean Connery, seen by many as the definitive James Bond, he won an Oscar for The Untouchables and was a supporter of the Scottish National Party. Eavan Boland, who changed the course of Irish poetry by making women’s experiences central to her work. The footballer Nobby Stiles, one of only two Englishmen to have won both the World Cup and the Eur...

Pictured: David Toole Matthew Bannister on David Toole, the disabled dancer who starred in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics. Professor Val Curtis, who was known as the Queen of Hygiene for her expertise on sanitation and research in how to communicate public health messages. Frank Bough, the popular presenter of TV shows like 'Grandstand' and 'Nationwide' whose BBC career ended in disg...

Pictured: Herbert Kretzmer Matthew Bannister on Herbert Kretzmer, the journalist turned lyricist, best known for writing the lyrics for the musical Les Misérables. James Nash, the flamboyant adventurer who came under fire as a Colonial Officer in the Middle East during the last days of the British Empire. Tom Maschler, the influential publisher who promoted the careers of many leading novelists an...