Last Word

Apr 11 2025 510 ep. 27 mins 15.6k

Last Word Podcast artwork

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

Society & Culture

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Lord Kalms, Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, Rex Cowan, Wilma Finla

Apr 11 2025 27 mins

Matthew Bannister onLord Kalms, who turned his family’s camera shop into the multi-million-pound Dixons electronics chain. Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, the anthropologist who made an acclaimed TV series about Kenya’s Masai tribe before turning her camera on the UK.Rex Cowan, the lawyer who changed career to become one of the world’s most successful shipwreck hunters.Wilma Finlay,

Val Kilmer, Jane Reed, Sir Torquil Norman, Dr Marika Sherwood

Apr 04 2025 27 mins

Matthew Bannister on The Hollywood actor Val Kilmer, best known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever and The Doors. Jane Reed, the media executive who made Woman’s Own magazine a powerful voice for its readers at a time of changing roles for women in society. Sir Torquil Norman, who used the proceeds from the sale of his successful toy business to restore the fortunes o

Oleg Gordievsky, Renee Goddard, Professor Richard Fortey, Sofia Gubaidulina

Mar 28 2025 27 mins

Matthew Bannister on Oleg Gordievsky, the KGB agent who defected to Britain and became a valued source of secret intelligence during the 1970s and 80s.Renee Goddard, the actress and TV commissioner who fled Nazi persecution only to be interned in Britain.Professor Richard Fortey, the palaeontologist who used his expertise in trilobites to tell stories about the origins of life on e

Group Captain John Allman ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC, Dame Julie Kenny, Tuppy Owens, Dick McTaggart

Mar 21 2025 27 mins

Matthew Bannister on: Group Captain John Allman ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC , the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain during the second world war.Dame Julie Kenny, the successful businesswoman from Rotherham who led the regeneration of one of Britain’s largest stately homes.Tuppy Owens, who campaigned for greater openness about sex – and set up charities to h

Athol Fugard, Janet Pharaoh, Alison Halford, Johnny Green

Mar 14 2025 27 mins

Kirsty Lang on: Athol Fugard, the playwright whose art became synonymous with exposing the inequities of the Apartheid regime in South Africa. Janet Pharaoh, the dancer from Yorkshire who became the artistic director at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Alison Halford who rose through the ranks to become the first female Assistant Chief Constable. Johnny Green, the former roadie and to

Bill Dare, Clint Hill, Valérie André, Gene Hackman

Mar 07 2025 27 mins

Matthew Bannister on Bill Dare, the writer and producer behind some of Radio 4’s best loved comedies, including “The Now Show” and “Dead Ringers”. Jan Ravens pays tribute.Clint Hill, the American Secret Service agent who threw himself across President John F. Kennedy’s body after he was shot in Dallas.Valérie André, the first woman General in the French military who w

Roberta Flack, Dr D G Hessayon, Keith Dewhurst, Rose Hanks

Feb 28 2025 27 mins

John Wilson on:Musician Roberta Flack, best known for The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly. Dr David Hessayon, the author of a series of gardening books known as The Expert guides. His one word advice to keen gardeners was 'mulch'. Keith Dewhurst whose work for television and stage included the National’s unconventional adaptation of Lark Rise to Candleford.

Rick Buckler, Margaret Miles-Bramwell, Harry Stewart Jr, Maureen Halton

Feb 21 2025 27 mins

John Wilson on Rick Buckley, the drummer in The Jam, one of the most popular and influential British bands of the 70s and 80s. Margaret Miles-Bramwell who founded Slimming World in response to what she saw as humiliation tactics by weight loss groups. World War Two fighter pilot Harry Stewart Jr, part of the all-African American Tuskegee Airmen who despite huge successes in

Nigel McCrery, Andrée Dumon, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Diana Melly

Feb 14 2025 27 mins

Matthew Bannister onNigel McCrery, the former police officer who created the popular TV series “Silent Witness” and “New Tricks”.Andrée Dumon, who rescued many allied service men during the Second World War by escorting them along “The Comet Line” from Brussels to Paris.Lord Elis-Thomas, the former leader of Plaid Cymru and the first Presiding Officer of the National A

Tony Martin, Pete Wilkinson, Loretta Ford, Marianne Faithfull

Feb 07 2025 27 mins

Matthew Bannister onTony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who shot dead a burglar and started a national debate about the rights of householders to defend themselves.Pete Wilkinson, the co-founder of Greenpeace UK, known for his high-profile direct-action campaigns. Loretta Ford, who pioneered the role of nurse practitioner in American health care.Marianne Faithfull, the singer and actre