Great Lives Podcast
Biographical series in which guests choose someone who has inspired their lives.
Episodes to download
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Susan Calman on Molly Weir
Tue 12 Jan 2016
Comedian Susan Calman chooses the life of actress Molly Weir.
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Martin Jennings on Charles Sargeant Jagger
Tue 5 Jan 2016
Martin Jennings nominates the British sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger.
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Precious Lunga chooses Wangari Maathai
Tue 29 Dec 2015
Matthew Parris explores the remarkable life of Professor Wangari Maathai.
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Alvin Hall chooses James Baldwin
Tue 22 Dec 2015
Matthew Parris meets financial guru Alvin Hall, whose hero is James Baldwin.
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Roger Saul chooses Gertrude Jekyll
Tue 15 Dec 2015
Fashion designer Roger Saul chooses garden designer Gertrude Jekyll
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Dickie Bird on the life of Sir Leonard Hutton
Tue 8 Dec 2015
Dickie Bird champions his hero Sir Leonard Hutton.
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Toyah Willcox on Katharine Hepburn
Tue 29 Sep 2015
Toyah Willcox nominates her hero Katharine Hepburn who she met and worked with.
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Nick Stadlen on Bram Fischer
Tue 22 Sep 2015
Nick Stadlen champions the life of the Afrikaner Revolutionary Bram Fischer.
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Hannah Rothschild on Thelonious Monk
Tue 15 Sep 2015
Hannah Rothschild looks back at the life of jazz musician Thelonious Monk.
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Monica Ali chooses Richard Francis Burton
Tue 1 Sep 2015
The author Monica Ali champions the life of the explorer Richard Francis Burton.
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George Washington Williams
Tue 25 Aug 2015
Ade Adepitan champions the life of George Washington Williams.
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Michael Howard on Elizabeth I
Tue 18 Aug 2015
Michael Howard, Conservative Party former leader, tells Matthew Parris about Elizabeth I.
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Vicky Pryce on Melina Mercouri
Tue 11 Aug 2015
Economist Vicky Pryce nominates the Greek film star and politician Melina Mercouri.
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Ian McKellen on Edmund Hillary
Tue 4 Aug 2015
Sir Ian McKellen nominates mountaineer Edmund Hillary as his inspirational figure.
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Val McDermid on PD James
Tue 2 Jun 2015
Matthew Parris talks to crime writer Val McDermid about the life of PD James.
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David Blunkett on Louis Braille
Tue 26 May 2015
Matthew Parris hears from David Blunkett about the life of Louis Braille. From 2015.
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US Ambassador Matthew Barzun on JG Winant
Tue 19 May 2015
Matthew Parris meets US Ambassador Matthew Barzun to talk about his wartime predecessor.
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Antonia Quirke on Marlon Brando
Tue 12 May 2015
Marlon Brando - greatest actor of the twentieth century?
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Wendy Cope on John Clare
Tue 5 May 2015
Matthew Parris talks to Wendy Cope about her poetic hero John Clare. From 2015.
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Dame Helen Ghosh on James Lees-Milne
Tue 28 Apr 2015
Matthew Parris talks to the National Trust's Dame Helen Ghosh about James Lees-Milne.
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Kulvinder Ghir on Zoran Music
Tue 21 Apr 2015
Comedian and actor Kulvinder Ghir nominates the life of the artist Zoran Music.
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Rachel Johnson on Ottoline Morrell
Tue 14 Apr 2015
Rachel Johnson author and journalist champions the life of Ottoline Morrell.
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Sir Trevor McDonald on Learie Constantine
Tue 7 Apr 2015
The veteran broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald chooses the life of Learie Constantine
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Mervyn King on Risto Ryti
Tue 27 Jan 2015
Mervyn King champions the life of the former Prime Minister of Finland Risto Ryti.
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Eve Pollard on Nora Ephron
Tue 20 Jan 2015
Journalist Eve Pollard explores Hollywood screenwriter Nora Ephron with Matthew Parris.
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Michael Dobbs on Guy Burgess
Tue 13 Jan 2015
Michael Dobbs looks back at the life of Cambridge spy Guy Burgess.
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Philippa Langley on Richard III
Tue 6 Jan 2015
Matthew Parris talks to Philippa Langley about the life of Richard III.
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Tom Solomon on Roald Dahl
Tue 30 Dec 2014
Professor Tom Solomon talks about his former patient, writer Roald Dahl.
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Brian Eno on Lord Young of Dartington
Tue 23 Dec 2014
Brian Eno champions the life and work of social reformer Michael Young.
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Laura Bates on Louisa May Alcott
Tue 16 Dec 2014
Laura Bates tells Matthew Parris why Louisa May Alcott of "Little Women" is her Great Life
Great Rock and Roll Lives
Stories of inspiration from great musicians from Bowie to Billie Holliday
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