Last Word

Photo: Sridevi KapoorMatthew Bannister onErnest 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 on children and advanced the cause of women in medicine.Sir Lawrence Byford, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary who examined the failings of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.Sridevi Kapoor who was often described as Bollywood's first female superstar.Archive clips from: NEWS, Radio 4, 21.9.1984; THE REUNION, Radio 4, 26.08.2016; YORKSHIRE RIPPER INVESTIGATION, Radio 4, 19/01/1982

Photo: Billy GrahamMatthew Bannister onThe 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 hand weaver of damask linen in Ireland.And John Pitman, the TV reporter and producer who started his career on Braden's Week and took Sheena Easton into the Big Time. Esther Rantzen pays tribute.Archive clips from: I GOT UP OUT OF MY SEAT, Radio 4 25/05/2007; THE FROST COLLECTION, Radio 4 20/05/2008; MEN'S HOUR, Radio 5 Live 18/05/2014; COUNTRY TIMES, Radio Ireland 03/04/2000; STILL STANDING, Radio Ireland 06/04/1992; BRADEN'S WEEK, BBC TV 29/4/1972; MAN ALIVE, BBC TV 16/01/1979; THE BIG TIME:SHEENA EASTON:THE MAKING OF A STAR, BBC TV 21/04/1981; JUST ANOTHER DAY: GREYHOUND RACING, BBC TV 12/12/1986.

Photo: Morgan TsvangiraiMatthew Bannister onMorgan 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 lawyer from Pakistan who campaigned for the rights of the country's persecuted minorities.And Vic Damone, the crooner who recorded more than two thousand songs.Interviewed guest: Alex Magaisa Interviewed guest: Anna Botting Interviewed guest: Dr Giles Camplin Interviewed guest: Patricia Dixon Interviewed guest: Mohammed HanifArchive clips from: The Choice, Radio 4 07/12/2004; The World About Us: River of Death, BBC Two 19/01/69; Balloon From Zanzibar, BBC Two 23/08/62; The World About Us: Three Men in a Balloon, BBC Two 13/12/70; On The Bosom of the Air, Radio 4 19/09/1962; Hot to Handle: The Two Faces of Radiation, BBC One 17/03/66; Science and Society, BBC One 22/03/66; Nihal, BBC Asian Network 17/11/2010; Taking A Stand, Radio 4 01/01/2002; Outlook, BBC World Service, 22/11/2010; Woman's Hour, Radio 4, 07/06/2005; The Arthur Askey Variety Show, Radio 4 Extra, 07.06.2015; The John Dunn Show, Radio 2, 01/01/00.

Photo: John MahoneyJulian 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 Cotterell, who helped raise funds to save the Mappa Mundi from being sold by Hereford Cathedral.And feminist icon, Naomi Parker Fraley, the inspiration for "Rosie the riveter", the factory worker who featured in a US wartime poster.Archive clips from: The World This Weekend, 12/11/89 Radio 4; The Third Ear, 11/01/89 Radio 3; Woman's Hour, 25/09/90 Radio 4; Too Long A Winter, 30/01/73 Yorkshire Television.

Photo: Dorothy MaloneJulian Worricker on:Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish entrepreneur who founded Ikea and changed the way we furnish our homesElizabeth Hawley, journalist turned chronicler, who documented every Himalayan climb from 1963The musician, Robert Mann, who was the founding first violinist of the Juilliard QuartetJon Castle, the Greenpeace activist who captained the first Rainbow WarriorOscar-winning actress Dorothy Malone, famous for her role in Peyton Place. Archive clips from: Outlook, BBC World Service 16/06/10; Profiles: Ingvar Kamprad: Design for Life, BBC 4 08/07/04; Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil, ep 3. BBC 4 02/07/09; Radio 4 News 10/07/85; Newsbeat, Radio 1 20/06/95.

Photo: Hugh MasekelaMatthew Bannister onHugh 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 Shakespearian verse.Mark E. Smith, the controversial front man of the post punk band The Fall.

Matthew Bannister onSurgeon 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 best loved post war poem "Warning"Peter Wyngarde the actor who played the TV detective Jason King and partly inspired the Austin Powers films.

Photo: John W. YoungMatthew Bannister onJohn 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 and judge who defended the Sunday Times in the Thalidomide court case.Heather Stewart, the pilot who risked her life to fly cargo and passengers through war zones in Africa.

Photo: Maureen BakerMatthew Bannister onMaureen 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 TV dramas.Rick Hall who produced classic recordings by soul stars like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Candi Staton in the town of Muscle Shoals Alabama.

Photo: Tom PaleyJulian 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 ITVThe woman credited with groundbreaking work as an architectural archivist, Jill LeverThe horticulturalist and rose grower, John Mattock, who was chairman of the Chelsea Flower Show for twelve yearsThe film and TV director, Peter Duffell, whose work included the mini-series The Far PavilionsAmerican folk singer and musician, Tom Paley.

Photo: Professor Heinz WolffMatthew Bannister onProfessor 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 him.Fritz Lustig who worked as a wartime secret listener, eavesdropping on the conversations of German prisoners of war.And the singer Keely Smith who, with her husband Louis Prima, became one of the most successful Las Vegas acts of the 1950s.

(Photo: Keith Chegwin)Matthew Bannister onThe 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 chairman of Imperial Tobacco and a pioneer of sponsorship deals in sport and the arts.The art historian Virginia Surtees who championed the pre-Raphaelite painters. And Keith Chegwin, much loved children's TV presenter and entertainer.

(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 the 1960s.Jenny MacGregor who rescued thousands of ponies and horses from neglectful or abusive owners.And Johnny Hallyday, France's best known rock star.

(Photo: Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky) Matthew Bannister onThe Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, known for playing leading operatic roles - and for his silver hair and matinee idol looks.Unity Spencer who overcame a dysfunctional upbringing as the daughter of the painter Stanley Spencer to be recognised as an accomplished artist in her own right. Lewis Golden, the war veteran who set up the successful Everest Double Glazing business.John Butler - piano tuner to stars like Oscar Peterson, Sammy Davis Junior and Frank Sinatra.And Joy Lofthouse, one of the last surviving female pilots who delivered Spitfires to their airbases during the war.

Matthew Bannister onLord Imbert, the Commissioner who tried to change the culture of the Metropolitan Police. He invited TV cameras to observe his officers at work, leading to a controversial film of them subjecting a rape victim to aggressive questioning.Pat Hutchins, the children's author and illustrator who created the book "Rosie's Walk" and presented the TV series "Rosie and Jim".Rodney Bewes, the actor best known for playing Bob in the Likely Lads.Charles Manson, one of the most notorious murderers of the 20th century. And David Cassidy, the singer and actor who was a heartthrob for millions of teenage girls in the 1970s.

Matthew Bannister onLord Hutchinson of Lullington, the barrister who appeared in many celebrated cases, including defending the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover and the director of the play Romans In Britain and securing the acquittal of Howard Marks on drug smuggling charges. Linda Nochlin the feminist art historian who wrote a celebrated article in the 1970s entitled "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?"Dennis Banks the Native American activist who campaigned for the rights of his people and took part in the siege of Wounded Knee.Geoff Tootill, who helped to design the world's first stored-programme computer, known as "Baby".

Matthew Bannister on The chef Antonio Carluccio who transformed Italian cooking in the UK.Sima Wali who devoted her life to campaigning for the rights of Afghan women.The Pulitzer Prize winning American poet laureate Richard Wilbur.Mary Reveley, the Yorkshire based race horse trainer who saddled more than two thousand winners.And Dudley Simpson who composed the theme from the TV series Blake's Seven and incidental music for Dr Who.Interviewed guest: William Sitwell Interviewed guest: Suleiman Wali Interviewed guest: Michael Carlson Interviewed guest: Cornelius Lysaght Interviewed guest: Matthew Sweet.

Matthew Bannister onHoward Pendleton who made the Marquee Club a launch pad for scores of rock stars including the Rolling Stones, the Who and David Bowie and started the Reading Festival.Glenn Barr, the Unionist leader who brought Northern Ireland to its knees for thirteen days.Iona Opie who devoted her life to collecting nursery rhymes and studying children's use of stories and language. Gary Flather QC, the eminent lawyer who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and campaigned to make the legal profession more accessible for disabled people. And Sir John Manduell who founded and led the Royal Northern College of Music, building its international reputation.

Matthew Bannister onThe campaigning Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who was killed by a car bomb after exposing corruption in politics and business. Fats Domino - the rock and roll pioneer who was second only to Elvis in record sales.Rodney Bickerstaffe, the trade union leader who campaigned for the minimum wage.Geoffrey Schild, the virologist who laid the foundations for the creation of a universal flu vaccine.And Rosemary Leach, the actress best known for roles in Jewel In The Crown on TV, A Room With A View on film and 84 Charing Cross Road on stage.

Matthew Bannister onSean Hughes, the comedian who pioneered stand up with a narrative and was a team captain on "Never Mind the Buzzcocks".Architect David Marks who mortgaged his house as he battled to turn his design for the London Eye into an international landmark.Major Khush Ahmad-ul-Mulk, the last surviving son of the Mehtar of Chitral who ruled the state in the North West of Pakistan for over forty years.Sir Brian Barder who was Britain's ambassador to Ethiopia during the famine of the 1980s. He was involved in delicate negotiations to get aid through to the starving. And Marge Calhoun from California - known as "The First Lady of Surfing". Interviewed guest: Terry Eselun Interviewed guest: Julia Barfield Interviewed guest: Asad Ul Mulk Interviewed guest: Owen Barder Interviewed guest: Jonathan Steele Interviewed guest: Rhona Cameron Interviewed guest: Bruce Dessau.

Julian Worricker on:Lillian Ross, who wrote for the New Yorker, and created a new form of journalism....The Iraqi president after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Jalal Talabani - a prominent Kurdish politician....The boxer Terry Downes, who held the world middleweight title in the 1960s....Sybil Flory, a seamstress who evaded the Japanese in 1941, and found her sister six decades later....Hedley Jones, a Jamaican musician who designed and built the country's first sound systems....and traffic lights....

Matthew Bannister onThe actor Tony Booth, best known for playing Alf Garnett's left wing son-in-law in the TV comedy Till Death Us Do Part - and notorious for his womanising and heavy drinking. His daughter Cherie Blair shares her memories. Lillian Bettencourt who was the richest woman in the world - as heiress to the L'Oreal cosmetics group. She was also embroiled in a bitter court battle over how her fortune should be divided.William G. Stewart, best known as the host of the long running TV quiz "Fifteen to One", He was also a respected producer and director.And the rock star Tom Petty - best known for hits like "Free Fallin'" and "I Won't Back Down".

Matthew Bannister on Hugh Hefner who built the Playboy empire on a best selling magazine. Was he a libertarian who changed attitudes to sex or a sleazy pornographer?Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov who is credited with averting a nuclear disaster during the Cold War.The right wing Conservative M.P. Teddy Taylor best known for his outspoken opposition to the European Union.And actress Liz Dawn who played Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street for nearly thirty years.

Matthew Bannister onDavid Shepherd, the artist who painted trains, aeroplanes and elephants and worked tirelessly to conserve wild animals. Nancy Hatch Dupree, the American born adventurer and writer who devoted her life to creating an archive of Afghan culture and history.Gordon Williams, the Booker prize shortlisted author whose novel The Siege of Trencher's farm became the controversial film Straw Dogs.Pat Albeck the designer known as "the queen of the tea towel" who produced popular fabric designs for John Lewis and the National Trust.Harry Dean Stanton, the gaunt, hollow-eyed actor best known for films like "Paris, Texas" and "Repo Man". Image of David Shepherd courtesy of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

Matthew Bannister onSir Peter Hall, the director who founded the Royal Shakespeare Company, ran the National Theatre and created many acclaimed theatrical and operatic productions.Kate Millett, the radical feminist whose 1970 book Sexual Politics suggested that men's institutionalised power over women is a social construct, rather than innate or biological. Sir Edward Du Cann, the Tory MP and businessman who chaired the 1922 backbench committee, fell out with Edward Heath, and went bankrupt in the 1990s.J.P. Donleavy, the US-born Irish writer whose bawdy tale of Dublin Life - The Ginger Man - sold fifty million copies.

Matthew Bannister on:The flamboyant businessman Sir David Tang who founded the fashion label Shanghai Tang and collected celebrity friends. Tracey Emin pays tribute. Professor Dame Margaret Turner-Warwick who became one of the world's leading authorities on thoracic medicine after suffering from tuberculosis as a child.Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the genial head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.And Walter Becker - who teamed up with Donald Fagen to create the sophisticated music and lyrics of Steely Dan.

Matthew Bannister onDick Gregory, the African American comedian and civil rights activist who was also a dietician to stars like John Lennon and Mohammed Ali.Jeannie Rousseau who spied on the Nazis' secret weapons programme.Wayne Lotter, the South African elephant conservationist who has been shot dead in Tanzania.Sean O'Callaghan, the leading IRA member who turned informer. He helped to stop a bomb attack which would have killed the Prince and Princess of Wales.And the jazz guitarist John Abercrombie.

Brian Aldiss - the gifted science fiction author who inspired the Hollywood movie AI artificial intelligence. Jerry Lewis the American comic who - with Dean Martin found fame as one of the most successful double acts of all time. Blanche Blackwell - the Jamaican society hostess who became Ian Fleming's lover and some believe - the inspiration for the Bond movie character Pussy Galore. Abu Kifah, the Syrian rescue worker who made headlines around the world after pulling a baby alive from the wreckage of a bombed out building - and Sir Bruce Forsyth whose death a week ago today has seen him fondly remembered for his contribution to British entertainment in a career spanning more than seven decades.

Kate Silverton on the "Broadway Diva" Barbara Cook, the American singer and actress who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals Plain and Fancy and Candide; Sister Ruth Pfau 'Mother Teresa' of Pakistan for her work in combating the spread of leprosy; Richard Gordon the anesthetist,whose medical work inspired him to write Dr in The House novels which were made into films and a TV series; Prof. U.R. Rao, Pioneer of India's Space Programme, who brought knowledge to millions of people through digital communications via the many satellites he launched into space.

Matthew Bannister onGlen Campbell - the singer and guitarist best known for hits like Galveston and Witchita Lineman. We talk to the man who wrote them - Jimmy Webb.Dame Helen Alexander, former Chief Executive of the Economist Group and the first woman to head the C.B.I. Clancy Sigal the American writer and activist who was blacklisted during the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s. Prunella Briance who founded the National Childbirth Trust after two traumatic experiences of giving birth.

Matthew Bannister on The actor Robert Hardy, best known for his roles in All Creatures Great and Small and the Harry Potter films and for playing Winston Churchill.David Jones who wrote the Daedalus column in New Scientist magazine and came up with an endless stream of inventive and challenging experiments.Jeanne Moreau the iconic French actress who was actually half English.Mark Wilkinson - the furniture designer once described as 'the Mozart of the kitchen cabinet'And Sam Shepard, the actor and playwright whose work redefined the landscape of the American West.

Matthew Bannister onMary Turner the President of the GMB Union who started her campaigning life by organising her fellow dinner ladies at a North London school.Chester Bennington, lead singer of the band Linkin Park who sold more than seventy million copies of their nu-metal albums.Scharlette Holdman who cajoled lawyers into representing people on death row in American prisons and developed techniques for persuading the courts to mitigate their sentences. Orri Vigfusson the businessman and angler who saved North Atlantic salmon stocks by paying commercial fishermen to stop taking them from the sea.And the film director George A Romero who pioneered the zombie horror movie genre with Night of the Living Dead. Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Paul Waters.

Matthew Bannister on Chuck Blazer who embezzled millions of dollars from the international football organisation FIFA, then turned whistle blower to incriminate his former colleagues. Maryam Mirzakhani, the Iranian mathematician who became the first woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal. The architect Bryan Avery who designed the drama school RADA and the London Imax cinema.Peter McHugh, the former Fleet Street journalist who helped to turn round the fortunes of TV-am and then became director of programmes at GMTV. And Martin Landau the versatile Hollywood actor who won an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's film Ed Wood. Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onSimone Veil, the Holocaust survivor who became a leading French politician and President of the European Parliament.Graham Rose who directed some of the best loved TV commercials, including the award winning Photo Booth for Hamlet Cigars. Tom Isaacs who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at the age of 27 and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for research by walking right round the coastline of Britain. The Chinese literary critic and dissident Liu Xiaobo who was one of the "four gentlemen" of the Tiananmen Square protests. He died while serving an eleven year sentence for advocating democracy. Ken Hirst, secretary of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band for 42 years. Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onBarry Norman - best known for presenting the BBC television's Film programme,on radio he also fronted the Today Programme and the News Quiz.Gordon Wilson, the leader who re-built the Scottish National Party after electoral defeat and internal division.Jazz pianist and composer Geri Allen who played in a wide range of styles and was committed to the advancement of women in jazz. John Thompson, the regulator who presided over the introduction of independent local radio in the UK.And Jack O'Neill who made a successful business out of his obsession with surfing. Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onLord Joffe, the lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela at the infamous Rivonia trial. He went on to co-found the Allied Dunbar insurance company and sat as a Labour peer in the House of Lords. Michael Bond who created Paddington Bear, the Herbs and the guinea pig Olga Da Polga.Ann Louise Gilligan the former nun who campaigned for her same sex marriage to be recognised in Irish law.Carla Fendi, one of five sisters who turned their family business in Rome into a global fashion brand.And John Avildsen who directed two Rocky films and the Karate Kid.Producer: Neil George.

Julian Worricker on:Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of Germany at the time of the country's re-unification.Anita Pallenberg, artiste and muse to three of the Rolling Stones.Scientist, Brian Bellhouse, who invented the needle-free injection.Naseem Khan, a pioneering figure within the minority ethnic arts scene in Britain.Brian Cant, children's TV presenter, most famous for his twenty years on Play School.

Matthew Bannister onArms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, known for his lavish life style, he acted as a middle man between governments and arms suppliers.Countess Mountbatten, godmother to Prince Charles, she was badly wounded in the IRA bomb attack which killed her father, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and her son Nicholas. Adam West, the actor best known for playing Batman on TV.Kailash Puri, the Indian born writer who became an agony aunt to thousands of Punjabi readers.And Vin Garbutt, the folk singer known as "The Teesside Troubadour."Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onMiriam Rodríguez Martínez- the Mexican woman whose daughter was killed by drug cartels - and who led a campaign for justice for thousands of missing people.Lord Soulsby - the first vet to be made a peer. He was an expert on parasites nicknamed "Lord of the Worms."Peter Sallis the actor best known for his role as Norman Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine - and for being the voice of Wallace in Wallace and Gromit. Lady Anne Piper, the novelist who campaigned for nuclear disarmament.Jiří Bělohlávek, the Czech-born chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the first non-native English speaker to preside at the Last Night of the Proms.

Julian Worricker on:The broadcaster, John Noakes, who was famous for his daredevil exploits on Blue Peter for thirteen years....Manuel Noriega, who flirted with the Americans as leader of Panama, and ended up being jailed by them....The dancer for whom one photograph of her on railings on Blackpool promenade shot her to fame, Pat Stewart....Wing Commander Rex Sanders, lead navigator on a series of top secret missions over the Soviet Union...And the American rock musician, Gregg Allman, whose band created the sound known as Southern Rock.Producer: Neil George.

Andrea Catherwood onBrendan Duddy, the businessman from Derry who played a key but unsung role in the Northern Ireland peace process hosting secret talks between MI6 and the IRA.Nina Lowry, the first woman to become an Old Bailey judge, who helped toughen up sentencing on sex crimes.Roger Ailes, the controversial figure who conceived and ran Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Network for two decades before being ousted over sexual harassment claims.Osmund Reynolds, a founder of neo-natal medicine who's pioneering work changed the outcome for a generation of premature babies.And Sir Roger Moore, the actor and film star best know for his portrayal of British secret agent 007, James BondProduced by Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onRhodri Morgan the former Welsh First Minister, known as the Labour Party's "Father of Welsh devolution". Michael Wearing the TV producer behind award winning series like "Boys From The Blackstuff" and "Edge of Darkness".Helen Szamuely who helped to start the Anti Federalist League - which became the UK Independence Party.The Moors murderer Ian Brady.And the DJ Robert Miles - best known for his international hit "Children". Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onThe Swiss climber Ueli Steck, famous for his daring high speed ascents of the world's most challenging mountains without the use of oxygen.Lord Williams the human rights expert who advised three Labour Foreign secretaries.Sylvia Moy who co-wrote many of Stevie Wonder's best known songs, including "I Was Made To Love Her" and "My Cherie Amour."Captain James Dickson, the experienced seaman who was winched down onto the deck of the oil tanker Braer when it ran aground in high seas on the coast of Shetland.And Jon Prinz, the food scientist and custard expert described by Heston Blumenthal as "brilliant and barking mad in equal measure". Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onRobert Pirsig, author of the best selling book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.Shobha Nehru, the Hungarian woman who married into India's most powerful political dynasty - and used her position to confront Prime Minister Indira Ghandi about human rights abuses. Michael Ballhaus, the cinematographer who worked closely with Martin Scorsese.Leo Baxendale, the cartoonist and publisher who created the Bash Street Kids and Minnie the Minx.And Bruce Langhorne, the guitarist on some of Bob Dylan's best known songs. Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onThe film director Jonathan Demme - best known for the multi Oscar winning films Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia.Robert Taylor who helped to develop the first networked computers - a forerunner of the internet - and inspired the creation of modern personal computers.Cathy Hopkins who campaigned for the residents of St Helena to get back their British citizenship.Peter Farrer, the Liverpool tax inspector who enjoyed cross dressing and became an expert on the history of women's costume. And Dorothy Torry, secretary to six BBC Directors General, including Lord Reith. Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onThe theatre director Michael Bogdanov, who co-founded the English Shakespeare Company. His National Theatre production of the Romans In Britain led to an obscenity trial. The ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno who fell in love with the music of an obscure tribe of pygmies in the Central African Republic and went to live with them.Sheila Abdus Salaam, who became the first African American woman to serve as a judge on New York's highest court.Dick Potts, the ecologist who worked to save Britain's grey partridge population.Don Rickles, the American comedian who made his name by insulting Frank Sinatra and was the voice of Mr Potato Head in the Toy Story films.

Julian Worricker on:The society columnist and Holocaust survivor, Masha Leon....Actor Tim Pigott-Smith and director Christopher Morahan, who worked together on ITV's The Jewel in the Crown....Playwright Parv Bancil whose work tackled issues affecting young British Asians....Marthe Gosteli, who was at the forefront of the campaign to get women the vote in Switzerland....And the broadcaster, host of 'Sounds of the Sixties', Brian Matthew.

Matthew Bannister on the Black Power activist and journalist Darcus Howe. He was a leading campaigner for equal rights in the 1970s and 80s.Athletics coach Andy Coogan who spent three and a half years as a prisoner of the Japanese during the second world war.Dr Sylvia Moody, the clinical psychologist who pioneered greater understanding of dyslexia in adults.The Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko who became a star in the West during the 1960s.Peter Shotton - who was at school with John Lennon, played the washboard in the Quarrymen and made his fortune from a chain of American-style diners.

Matthew Bannister onPlaywright and novelist David Storey who drew on his experiences as a professional rugby league player in some of his work. The South African anti apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada who spent twenty six years in prison with Nelson Mandela and then became his parliamentary adviser.Barbara Buss who edited Woman Magazine in its 1970s heyday.And Lucky Gordon, the drug dealer, jazz singer and cook whose brief relationship with Christine Keeler led to the uncovering of the Profumo Affair in the 1960s. Producer: Neil George.

Matthew Bannister onMartin McGuinness, who went from being a violent IRA commander to a peace making politician.Chuck Berry, hailed as the father of rock n roll by musicians from Keith Richards to John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen.The Nobel prize winning poet Sir Derek Walcott, who brought the Caribbean experience to the wider world. Salome Karwah, who survived Ebola in her native Liberia, went back to help other sufferers and then died from complications after childbirth.And Colin Dexter, creator of the immortal detective Inspector Morse. Producer: Neil George.