Last Word Podcast
1) Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Vera Weisfeld, Frank Gehry, Martin Parr
Matthew Bannister onIain 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 ...Show More
2) Sir Tom Stoppard, Pam Hogg, Yanxin He, Jack Shepherd
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 ...Show More
3) Jimmy Cliff, Charlotte Bingham, Skye Gyngell, David Bellos
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 mine...Show More
4) Baroness Newlove, Zoe Wicomb, Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC, Professor Roland Paxton
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 ...Show More
5) James Watson, Pauline Collins, Judith Vidal-Hall, Dugald Ross
Matthew Bannister onJames 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 acto...Show More
6) Dick Cheney, Yvonne Brewster, Mary McGee, Peter Watkins
Matthew Bannister onDick 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 f...Show More
7) Prunella Scales CBE, Gillian Tindall, Roger Smith, Anthony Grey
Matthew Bannister onThe 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 W...Show More
8) SPECIAL EDITION: Prunella Scales
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 scree...Show More
9) Raila Odinga, Bill Colley, Baroness Rosalind Howells, Sister Marion Irvine
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 bui...Show More
10) Peter Gurney, Diane Keaton, Peter Hall, Angela Bond
Matthew Bannister onPeter 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...Show More