Last Word

BBC Radio 4
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Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently

  1. 6 hr ago

    Clarence B Jones Judith Chalmers Dr Anna Ritchie Professor Frank Land

    Matthew Bannister on Clarence B Jones the American lawyer and civil rights campaigner who helped Martin Luther King to write his famous I Have A Dream speech. Judith Chalmers, the TV and radio presenter best known for her globetrotting holiday series Wish You Were Here. Dr Anna Ritchie, the archaeologist who excavated some of Orkney’s most revealing ancient sites. And Frank Land, one of the prime movers in the development of the world’s first business computer - at the Lyons catering company. Interviewee: Mark Durden Smith Interviewee: Matt Ritchie Interviewee: Georgina Ferry Producer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Josie Hardy Editor: Andrea Kennedy Archive used: Martin Luther King March on Washington, SOUND ARCHIVE Reference: 28322, 28/08/1963; BBC News special, BBC News, 28/08/2020; Wish you were Here…? Thames TV, ITV, 10/01/1978. From YouTube upload ThamesTv, 8/08/2020; Wish you were there, BBC Archive, 28/03/1966; Tracks of My Years, BBC Radio 2, 28/09/2017; Smillie’s People: Judith Chalmers, BBC 1, 20/01/1997; Pebble Mill, BBC 1, 14/05/1993; Gardeners’ Question Time: Matt Biggs’ House, BBC Radio 4, 27/08/2023; The House the Picts Built, BBC, 28/08/1974; Around Scotland: The Scots, BBC1 Scotland, 10/03/1977; Around Scotland: Early History: The First People, 17/09/1979; LEO celebration Part 2 - Panel Discussion with Frank Land, Georgina Ferry, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Centre for Computing History and the LEO Computers Society (partnership project), 18/05/2023; BBC Oral History Collection - Interview with Judith Chalmers, John Escolme History of the BBC, 26/03/1982;

    28 min

  2. 22 May

    Michael Pennington, Cynthia Shange, Scott Hastings, Beverley Martyn

    Kirsty Lang on Michael Pennington, the Shakespearean actor who preferred a life on stage to the glamour of Hollywood. For Dame Judi Dench, he was her 'Mr Plum', she recalls his life. Cynthia Shange defied apartheid to become the first Black woman to represent South Africa at Miss World. Scott Hastings the rugby legend, who was once Scotland’s most capped player. He went on to become a well-known commentator and campaigner for mental health charities, following the death of his wife after her long battle with depression. And Beverley Martyn, the singer songwriter, a star of the British folk scene, who was signed by Beatles producer George Martin aged 16, but her career was not a smooth ride. Please note this programme references suicide. Support and information is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Interviewee: Dame Judi Dench Interviewee: Nonhle Thema Interviewee: John Beattie Interviewee: Joe Boyd Producer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy Archive: Miss World 1972. BBC TV, 01 Dec 1972; Bob Harris Sunday : Beverley Martyn plays live, BBC Radio 2, 27th April 2014; Five Nations, Rugby Union, Scotland v England, 17th March 1990; Scrum V, Live Pro12: 2016/2017, Edinburgh v Blues, 24th Feb 2017; BBC News Breakfast, 21st Dec 2020; Richard II, writer William Shakespeare, dir Gregory Doran, Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Gift of Gorgon, writer Peter Shaffer, dir Peter Hall, RSC, 1993; Henry V, dir Michael Bogdanov, The English Shakespeare Company in The War of the Roses, Produced by John Paul Chapple and Andy Ward, A Portman Classics production in association with Contracts International and Windmill Lane Productions, 1990

    28 min

  3. 15 May

    Ruth Slenczynska, Dame Bridget Ogilvie, Tony Worthington, Russell Tyner KC

    The virtuoso pianist, Ruth Slenczynska was the last living student of Sergei Rachmaninoff. She began performing at the age of four, and was once reputed to be the greatest child prodigy since Mozart. From the Australian outback to the forefront of British science, Dame Bridget Ogilvie was the daughter of sheep farmers who went on to help make the UK a leader in biomedical research. Labour MP, Tony Worthington, survived a violent ambush in Somaliland and played a role in the Northern Ireland peace talks. Crown prosecutor, Russel Tyner KC, was a pioneer in the prosecution of cyber-crime. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Lowri Morgan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy Archive: BBC News, 12/01/2019; BBC, Hunting the Lorry Killers, 03/11/202; BBC, Eureka, 08/01/1997; BBC, Newsnight, 25/10/1999; BBC, Current Account, 16/10/1979; BBC, Reporting Scotland, 11/02/1994; BBC, Newsline, 06/05/1997; BBC, Panorama, 18/03/2003

    28 min

  4. 8 May

    Dr Ittai Gradel, Dame Shirley Porter, Professor Nigel Dunnett, María Nieves Rego

    Dr Ittai Gradel, the Danish antiquities dealer who uncovered the theft of hundreds of artefacts from the British Museum. Katie Razzall recalls how he helped her report the story. Dame Shirley Porter, the Conservative leader of Westminster Council who had a spectacular fall from grace over the 'homes for votes' scandal. Professor Nigel Dunnett, the horticulturalist and garden designer, known for his ambitious public planting displays at the Olympic Park in East London and the moat of the Tower of London. His friend and fellow gardener Arit Anderson pays tribute. Maria Nieves Rego, the dancer who took the tango from Argentina to the rest of the world. Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy Archive: BBC One, News at Ten, 16/08/2023; BBC Radio 4, Front Row, 11/09/2023; BBC Parliament, House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, 23/10/2023; BBC Radio 4, Shadow World: Thief at the British Museum 31/05/2024; BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs, 28/04/1991; BBC, Radio 4, The Report, 10/05/1996; BBC One, News at Six, 05/07/2004; BBC Radio 4, Costing the Earth: Where Have all our Gardens Gone?, 29/09/2015; The Man from Atlanta, 23/08/1982; Our Last Tango: Official Trailer, Uploaded to YouTube, 31/05/2016

    28 min

  5. 1 May

    Xia De-hong, Lord Hunt of Chesterton, Joan Burstein, Bill Leader

    Xia De-hong, inspired her daughter Jung Chang to write the best selling book Wild Swans about her trials and tribulations at the hands of the Chinese government. Lord Hunt, the meteorologist and former Director General and Chief Executive of the Met Office, who was an expert in turbulence. Joan Burstein, ran the influential Browns boutique in London’s South Molton Street, backing the careers of many leading designers. Bill Leader, the recording engineer who captured all the leading performers of the folk revival of the 1960s and 70s. Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy Archive: Tomorrow's World, BBC One,18/11/1965; You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, 27/06/2005; My Life in Seven Charms, with Annoushka Ducas MBE, 27/05/2021; Joan Burstein Browns 50 Testimonial, Browns Fashion (Uploaded to Youtube - 22 Oct 2020); Best of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, BBC Two, Uploaded to Youtube

    28 min

  6. 24 Apr

    Andy Kershaw, Dame Averil Cameron, Dr Judith Rapoport, Desmond Morris

    Matthew Bannister on Andy Kershaw, the radio DJ who championed world music, traversing the globe to bring new and eclectic sounds to a mainstream audience. For a time he was roadie to Billy Bragg who recalls their life on the road together. Dame Averil Cameron, the leading historian who re-shaped our understanding of the Byzantine empire. Her friend, Professor Mary Beard, pays tribute. Dr Judith Rapoport, the child psychiatrist who challenged received wisdom about obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. And the zoologist, author, artist and TV presenter Desmond Morris, best known for his provocative 1967 bestselling book The Naked Ape. Producer: Catherine Powell Assisstant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy Archive Michael Parkinson, BBC 1, 06/10/69; Michael Parkinson, BBC 1, 07/11/81; The Evolution of The Naked Ape: Archive on 4, BBC Radio 4 18/04/2026; The Likely Lads, BBC 2; The Time of Your Life, BBC 1, 06/08/85; Timewatch: Verdict on the Shroud, BBC 2, 27/07/88; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 11/05/90; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 24/09/95; Andy Kershaw Show, BBC Radio 1, 16/03/98; The Hermit Kingdom (North Korea), BBC Radio 3, 28/12/03; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 08/10/04; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 11/03/07; Judith Rapoport on Dimensional Research in Mental Illness, YouTube, 25/06/13; "Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia" With Judith Rapoport, M.D., YouTube, 12/09/13; A History of the World in 100 Objects : The Rise of World Faiths (200 - 600 AD) : Hinton St Mary Mosaic, BBC Radio 4, 11/03/21;

    28 min

  7. 17 Apr

    Asha Bhosle, Sir Neil Cossons, Professor Harold Ellis, Daphne Selfe

    Matthew Bannister on The Indian singer Asha Bhosle who soundtracked countless Bollywood films and collaborated with Boy George, Michael Stipe and Damon Albarn. Sir Neil Cossons, a leading light in the development of the UK’s museums. Professor Harold Ellis, the respected surgeon whose long career began at the same time as the foundation of the NHS. Daphne Selfe, the elegant model who was rediscovered in her seventies and transformed the image of older people in fashion. Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Colin Paterson Archive: Ironbridge Gorge Museum, BBC News, 01 Jan 1930; Network East, BBC Two, 22 Aug 1987; The Courage to Fail: Nerves of Steel, BBC Two, 02 Nov 1987; Talk of the 80's: Neil Cossons, BBC Two, 21 Dec 1989; Everywoman, BBC World Service, 16 Dec 2002; PM, BBC Radio 4, 02 Jul 2008; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 26 Dec 2009; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 16 May 2013; Evening News, BBC London, 03 Jul 2018

    28 min

  8. 10 Apr

    Sir Craig Reedie, Bronwen Naish, Geoff Yeadon, Margareta Magnusson

    Matthew Bannister on Sir Craig Reedie, the sports administrator who led London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics and went on to become President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Lord Coe pays tribute. Bronwen Naish, the musician who devoted her life to promoting the joys of the double bass. Geoff Yeadon, the world record breaking cave diver from Yorkshire. And Margareta Magnusson, best known as the author of the book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”. Producer: Ed Prendeville Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley Archive: Daytime Live, BBC One, 21/01/1988; Edinburgh Festival Fringe, YouTube Upload, Browen Naish, 01/09/2020; Bartholomew, YouTube Upload, Bronwen Naish, 04/09/2020; Wogan, BBC One, 01/07/1985; A Visit with Bronwen Naish, Bass-Talk with Hagen and Heyes, YouTube Upload, 25/02/2024; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 09/01/2018 Conversation Piece, BBC Radio 4, 07/05/1982; Behind the Ears, BBC Radio 3, 15/06/2025; BBC Look North, BBC, June 1983; BBC News, BBC, 06/06/2005; Newsnight, BBC One, 21/07/2016; Mixed Zone interview of Sir Craig Reedie – The ANOC Awards 2022; BBC News, BBC, 06/07/2005; The Daily Politics, BBC 2, 14/01/2003

    28 min
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About

Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2010 - 2026
  • Episodes
    569
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Last Word

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