Last Word

Photo: Philip Roth Julian Worricker on: Beth Chatto, the gardener and writer regarded as one of the most influential horticulturists of the past 50 years The multiple award-winning American novelist, Philip Roth...author of Portnoy's Complaint and American Pastoral Doreen Simmons, who moved to Japan in her forties and became an authority on sumo wrestling Britain's first Muslim judge, Khurshid Dra...

Matthew Bannister on Baroness Jowell - the former Labour Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell - who led the campaign to bring the Olympic Games to London and supported the survivors of the 7/7 bombings. Tom Wolfe, author of The Right Stuff and Bonfire of the Vanities and a pioneer of using literary techniques to tell factual stories. Dennis Nilsen, who killed up to fifteen young men at his home in North...

Matthew Bannister on Bruce Tulloh, who ran across the United States in record time and became European 5,000 metres champion barefoot. Emma Smith the author of an acclaimed novel based on her travels to India with Laurie Lee. Professor Peter Waddington the sociologist who studied policing and came up with the technique of "kettling" to control street protests The Dowager Countess of Harewood, an A...

Matthew Bannister on Lord Martin of Springburn: the former House of Commons speaker Michael Martin. He resigned after MPs lost confidence in his handling of the row over their expenses. Caroline Brown, the cellist who founded the Hanover Band to perform the works of Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert on period instruments. Valerie Riches, who campaigned for traditional family values and against abortio...

Matthew Bannister on Avicii, the Swedish DJ whose songs became anthems for millions of festival goers around the world. He was found dead aged 28 in Oman. Dr. Ruth Nussenzweig the medical researcher who laid the foundations for the development of a vaccine for malaria. Anita Shreve, the author of 18 novels, including The Pilot's Wife which sold more than three million copies. Guy Playfair, the gho...

Matthew Bannister on Barbara Bush, the first woman in history to see both her husband and son sworn in as President of the USA. Milos Forman, the film director who made Amadeus and the multi Oscar winning One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Dame Daphne Sheldrick who devoted her life to saving elephants orphaned by poachers and other Kenyan wild animals. Livia Gollancz, the french horn player who took...

Photo: Gillian Ayres Matthew Bannister on The artist Gillian Ayres, known for her large, exuberant abstract paintings, which reflected her exuberant character. General Efraín Ríos Montt, the Guatemalan dictator who was convicted of genocide against his own people. David Cobham, the naturalist and film maker who brought Tarka the Otter to the screen. Nikki Sievwright, the Sixties model who went on...

Photo: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Matthew Bannister on Winnie Madikizela-Mandela who was one of the leading anti apartheid campaigners in South Africa, but also faced allegations of being involved in violence and fraud. Drue Heinz, who used the money from her husband's canned food business to become a major supporter of writers and artists. Ray Wilkins, the footballer who captained England and play...

Photo: Zena Skinner Julian Worricker on: Charles P Lazarus, the founder of Toys 'R' Us - a store chain which, for decades, captured the hearts of consumers around the world Brazilian political activist Marielle Franco, who grew up in the favelas and was elected to Rio city council Landscape designer John Brookes, described as 'the man who made the modern garden'.... Zena Skinner, one of the most p...

Photo: Lady Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde Matthew Bannister on Lady Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde who, as Brenda Dean, was the leader of the print union Sogat during the bitter Wapping dispute of 1986. Sir William McAlpine who combined running the family construction business with a passion for saving the UK's railway heritage, including the Flying Scotsman. Cardinal Keith O'Brien who resigned as Archbish...

Photo: Professor Stephen Hawking Matthew Bannister on Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the world's best known scientists who carried out pioneering research into black holes. The Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees pays tribute. Hubert de Givenchy, the French fashion designer who dressed Audrey Hepburn. Michele Hanson who wrote a popular newspaper column about her struggles to bring up her teenage...

Photo: Sir Roger Bannister Matthew Bannister on Trevor Baylis, the eccentric inventor who came up with the wind up radio. Lerone Bennett, the American academic who wrote many influential books on black history including "Before the Mayflower". Penny Vincenzi the best selling novelist who told stories of glamorous heroines, romance and business intrigue. Ian Aitken one of the UK's most influential...

Photo: Sridevi Kapoor Matthew Bannister on Ernest Hecht, who founded the Souvenir Press, which published books from Nobel prize winners like Pablo Neruda, academics like Noam Chomsky and best sellers on sexual techniques and toilet paper. Lewis Gilbert who directed Alfie, Educating Rita and three James Bond movies. Dame Beulah Bewley who carried out significant research into the effects of smoking...

Photo: Billy Graham Matthew Bannister on The evangelist Billy Graham who preached to millions around the world and offered spiritual advice to 12 American Presidents. Laura Lee, the sex worker who campaigned for the rights of her colleagues. John Morris who composed many film soundtracks, including the music for Mel Brooks' comedies The Producers and Blazing Saddles. John Bosco McAtasney, the last...

Photo: Morgan Tsvangirai Matthew Bannister on Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change and Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013. Douglas Botting, film maker, author and explorer who flew a hot air balloon across Africa and sailed a hovercraft down the Orinoco. Professor Patricia Lindop, who researched the effects of radiation on human tissue. Asma Jahangir, the...

Photo: John Mahoney Julian Worricker on: The actor John Mahoney who played Marty Crane in one of America's best-loved sitcoms, Frasier. Hannah Hauxwell, whose solitary life as a farmer in the Yorkshire Dales, was captured in an award-winning TV documentary. Scientist Ken Seddon, a global leader in his field of inorganic chemistry and pioneer of so-called 'super solvents'. Landowner Sir John Cotter...

Photo: Dorothy Malone Julian Worricker on: Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish entrepreneur who founded Ikea and changed the way we furnish our homes Elizabeth Hawley, journalist turned chronicler, who documented every Himalayan climb from 1963 The musician, Robert Mann, who was the founding first violinist of the Juilliard Quartet Jon Castle, the Greenpeace activist who captained the first Rainbow Warrio...

Photo: Hugh Masekela Matthew Bannister on Hugh Masekela the South African jazz trumpeter and anti apartheid activist. Ursula K. Le Guin whose science fiction and fantasy books sold millions of copies. Mary Lee Berners-Lee, the computer pioneer and mother of the world wide web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee. John Barton the director and writer who taught a generation of actors how to speak Shakespeari...

Matthew Bannister on Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly, the navy doctor who set up a makeshift field hospital during the Falklands War to treat both British and Argentine casualties. Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of the Irish band the Cranberries who sold forty million albums. Cyrille Regis, the West Brom and England striker who experienced racism from fans in the 1980s. Jenny Joseph who wrote Britain's...

Photo: John W. Young Matthew Bannister on John W. Young the American astronaut who went into in space six times, including landing on the moon and commanding the first space shuttle flight. Peter Preston the long serving editor of the Guardian who re-designed and modernised the paper. Ray Thomas the flautist and singer who was a founding member of the Moody Blues. Sir Brian Neill, the barrister an...

Photo: Maureen Baker Matthew Bannister on Maureen Baker who designed clothes for Princess Anne, including her Tudor inspired wedding dress. Richard Cousins - the Chief Executive who transformed the fortunes of the world's biggest catering company Compass Group. Lady Astor - the model who was caught up in the Profumo Affair. Meic Povey - the Welsh playwright who also created award winning films and...

Photo: Tom Paley Julian Worricker on: The businessman Sir Peter Burt, who was in charge of Bank of Scotland when it merged with the Halifax, and was later chairman of ITV The woman credited with groundbreaking work as an architectural archivist, Jill Lever The horticulturalist and rose grower, John Mattock, who was chairman of the Chelsea Flower Show for twelve years The film and TV director, Pete...

Photo: Professor Heinz Wolff Matthew Bannister on Professor Heinz Wolff, the bioengineer who was known to millions of TV viewers as the presenter of "The Great Egg Race". Aline, Countess of Romanones, the model and socialite who wrote best selling books based on her experiences of spying on the Nazis during the war. Tony Whitten, the passionate conservationist who had eleven species named after hi...

(Photo: Keith Chegwin) Matthew Bannister on The disgraced publicist Max Clifford who was known as the king of the kiss and tell story, made up many tabloid headlines and was convicted of eight charges of indecent assault against teenage girls. The adventurer Norman Baker who sailed with Thor Heyerdahl from Morocco to Barbados on a papyrus raft called Ra II. The businessman Tony Garrett who was cha...

(Photo: Christine Keeler) Matthew Bannister on King Michael of Romania who ruled his country during the second world war and was forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union. . Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor who starred in more than a hundred Hindi films as well as English language titles like Shakespeare Wallah and Heat and Dust. Christine Keeler, the model who was at the centre of the Profumo Affair in...