Last Word

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Nicholas White, whose research on tropical diseases saved millions of lives.

Lord Wallace, the Liberal Democrat who served in the Scottish and Westminster parliaments and was Deputy to three First Ministers.

Professor Deborah Cameron who studied the use of language from a feminist perspective.

Sly Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer who played on hundreds of hit records and teamed up with bass player Robbie Shakespear...

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Mark Tully who reported on India for the BBC for decades, covering some of the most significant events in the country’s recent history.

Dame Gillian Wagner who campaigned to raise the standards of residential care in the UK.

Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose work paved the way for the development of GPS.

Richard Larn OBE, the diver who was one of the UK’s leading experts on shipwrecks.

Interviewee: Sara...

Matthew Bannister on

Molly Burkett, who devoted her life - and her home - to rescuing thousands of injured birds and animals. At times these included a killer whale, a pigmy hippopotamus and a beer drinking crow.

Sir James Munby, the respected judge who was President of the Family Division and was instrumental in opening it up to greater public scrutiny.

Edith Flanigen, the chemist who invented molecular sieves or zeolites which have...

Matthew Bannister on

Claudette Colvin the American civil rights campaigner who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, nine months before Rosa Parks’ celebrated protest.

Ian Balding, the racehorse trainer who saddled many winners for Queen Elizabeth II.

Gerry Gable, the anti-fascist activist and co-founder of Searchlight magazine, who wasn’t afraid to break the law in his relentless pursuit of the far right.

Juliet Robertson,...

Matthew Bannister on

The colourful life of artist, fashion editor, sex columnist and bonkbuster author Molly Parkin. Her daughter shares the highs and lows of living with Molly.

Kristina Gjerde, the maritime lawyer who fought to protect the high seas.

Michael Barton, the BBC executive who oversaw the expansion of English local radio

Eva Schloss, the holocaust survivor who became Anne Frank’s stepsister.

Producer: Ed Prendeville Assista...

Jon Kay on

The French actor Brigitte Bardot who starred in over 40 films in the 1950s and 60s before a career-change saw her give up the big screen to campaign for animal welfare

Sir Alec Reed who founded the UKs most successful recruitment agency and, through his philanthropy, raised millions for charity

Alwyn Crawshaw, the artist who encouraged millions to paint landscapes through his how-to books and TV programmes

Dame Shan Legge...

Jon Kay on

Fashion designer Antony Price who fused together the worlds of fashion and music in the 70s and 80s

Sister Stan Kennedy, the nun who founded one of Ireland’s largest homelessness charities

Ena Collymore Woodstock, the Jamaican barrister and magistrate who throughout her career broke many barriers for women

John Carey, the academic and former chief literary critic for The Times who took no prisoners with his reviews.

Produce...

Matthew Bannister on

Rob Reiner, the film director, screenwriter and actor behind pictures like “This Is Spinal Tap”, “Stand By Me” and “When Harry Met Sally”.

Stanley Baxter, the Scottish comedian best known for his impersonations of Hollywood stars and royalty. The actor Bill Paterson pays tribute.

And Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella, two best-selling novelists who, in their different ways, told stories of modern life and rel...

Matthew Bannister on

Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the zoologist who devoted his life to the study and conservation of African elephants.

Vera Weisfeld, the businesswoman whose chain of What Every Woman Wants stores offered fashion designs at bargain prices.

Frank Gehry, the architect best known for his flamboyant designs for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles

Martin Parr whose celebrated colourful...

Matthew Bannister has a star-studded cast on this week’s Last Word:

Sir David Hare pays tribute to his friend and fellow playwright Sir Tom Stoppard.

Boy George recalls the flamboyant fashion designer Pam Hogg.

Sir Mark Rylance gives an insight into the many talents of the actor, director and writer Jack Shepherd.

We also remember Yanxin He, one of the last surviving speakers in a village that spoke a secret language that helped women...

Kirsty Lang on:

Jimmy Cliff, who took reggae music onto the global stage. His former record producer and founder of Island Records, Chris Blackwell pays tribute.

Charlotte Bingham, the writer who mined the experience of her upbringing and relationships to pen dozens of novels and screenplays.

Skye Gyngell, the Australian born chef whose devotion to fresh seasonal produce made a lasting impact on modern British cooking.

David Bellos, ...

Matthew Bannister on:

Baroness Newlove, who turned a tragic event in her own life into a powerful campaign for victims’ rights.

Zoe Wicomb, the South Africa-born author whose novels are set against the backdrop of the apartheid regime.

Sir Geoffrey Bindman, the lawyer who helped to shape equality legislation, represented Labour politicians and fought many human rights cases.

Roland Paxton, the civil engineer who campaigned to preserve ...

Matthew Bannister on

James Watson who shared the Nobel Prize for identifying the structure of DNA, but was widely condemned later in life for his racist and sexist views.

Pauline Collins, the comic actor who triumphed in the role of Shirley Valentine on stage and screen. The play’s director Simon Callow pays tribute.

Judith Vidal-Hall, who edited the Index on Censorship magazine and campaigned for freedom of expression around the worl...

Matthew Bannister on

Dick Cheney, the Republican politician who was Vice President under George W Bush and played key roles in both Gulf Wars.

Yvonne Brewster, the Jamaican-born director and actor who founded the Black British Theatre Company Talawa.

Mary ‘May’ McGee, the Irish woman who brought s successful legal challenge against the country’s ban on contraception.

Peter Watkins, the film maker whose powerful depiction of a nuclear a...

Matthew Bannister on

The actor Prunella Scales, best known for playing Sybil in the TV comedy Fawlty Towers. Her son Samuel West reflects on her long career and happy marriage to fellow actor Timothy West.

Gillian Tindall, the writer who pioneered the technique of exploring history through the portal of a particular house or area.

Roger Smith, who co-founded and ran the Great Outdoors Challenge, encouraging thousands to walk acros...

In this special edition of Last Word, Matthew Bannister talks to the actor Samuel West about his mother Prunella Scales.

Prunella died on the 27th October, aged 93.

Known for her work on stage and screen over many decades – Prunella was particularly renowned for her role as Sybil on Fawlty Towers. In addition to countless other roles, she appeared as Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution in the early 90s – ea...

Matthew Bannister on

The influential Kenyan politician Raila Odinga, who was detained for his pro-democracy campaigns, but went on to be the country’s Prime Minister.

Bill Colley, who designed and built traditional wooden racing boats.

Baroness Rosalind Howells of St Davids, who campaigned for racial equality and supported the family of Stephen Lawrence after his murder.

And Sister Marion Irvine, the American nun who took up marathon...

Matthew Bannister on

Peter Gurney, the George Medal winning bomb disposal expert who regularly risked his life to defuse explosive devices, including the mortars that were fired at 10 Downing Street by the IRA in 1991.

Diane Keaton, the actor best known for her collaboration with Woody Allen in Annie Hall and Manhattan.

Peter Hall, the pioneering English winemaker from Sussex who turned his Breaky Bottom grapes into acclaimed sparklin...

Matthew Bannister on

Patrick Bradley, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Dame Jilly Cooper, the best-selling author of the racy “Rutshire Chronicles”.

Sara Jane Moore, the political extremist who tried to assassinate US President Gerald Ford.

Dame Patricia Routledge, the actor best known for her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in the TV comedy Keeping Up Appearances.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Arch...