Great Lives

Biographical series in which guests choose someone who has inspired their lives.

Radio 4,609 episodes

Episodes

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Peaches Golding on Shirley Chisholm
Peaches Golding OBE, nominates African American politician Shirley Chisholm.
02 May 2017,30 mins
Anton Du Beke on Arnold Palmer
Anton Du Beke chooses the golfer Arnold Palmer to discuss with Matthew Parris.
25 Apr 2017,30 mins
Ermonela Jaho on Mother Teresa
The Albanian opera singer Ermonela Jaho chooses the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
18 Apr 2017,30 mins
Germaine Greer on Dame Elizabeth Frink
Germaine Greer nominates sculptor Dame Elizabeth Frink. Presented by Matthew Parris.
11 Apr 2017,30 mins
Gary Kemp on EW Godwin
Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet chooses architect-designer, Edward William Godwin.
04 Apr 2017,30 mins
Chris Patten on Pope John XXIII
Chris Patten nominates Pope John XXIII. With Professor Eamon Duffy and Matthew Parris.
24 Jan 2017,30 mins
Len Goodman on Lionel Bart
Len Goodman champions Lionel Bart, the man who created the musical Oliver, as his hero.
17 Jan 2017,30 mins
Akram Khan on Srinivasa Ramanujan
One of the UK's leading choreographers nominates the Indian mathematician Ramanujan.
10 Jan 2017,30 mins
Suzannah Lipscomb on CS Lewis
CS Lewis, author of the Narnia Chronicles, chosen by historian Suzannah Lipscomb.
03 Jan 2017,30 mins
Ruth Holdaway on Helen Rollason
Ruth Holdaway champions sports broadcaster, Helen Rollason.
30 Dec 2016,30 mins
Orlando Murrin on Dinu Lipatti
Matthew Parris invites Orlando Murrin to discuss the life of Romanian pianist Dinu Lipatti
20 Dec 2016,30 mins
Sir Ben Kingsley on Elie Wiesel
Sir Ben Kingsley champions the life of holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel as his great life.
13 Dec 2016,30 mins
Cary Grant
Lucy Porter, the comedian and writer, champions Cary Grant as her Great Life
06 Dec 2016,30 mins
Cyrus Todiwala on Dadabhai Naoroji
Cyrus Todiwala picks Dadabhai Naoroji who in 1892 became Britain's first Asian MP.
27 Sep 2016,30 mins
AA Gill on Arthur Neville Chamberlain
AA Gill nominates Arthur Neville Chamberlain as his great life.
20 Sep 2016,30 mins
Eliza Carthy on Caroline Norton
Eliza Carthy chooses Caroline Norton who campaigned for women in the 19th-century.
13 Sep 2016,30 mins
Maureen Lipman on Dame Cicely Saunders
Maureen Lipman champions the life of hospice campaigner Dame Cicely Saunders.
06 Sep 2016,30 mins
Tony Hawks on Marshall Rosenberg
The life of the creator of nonviolent communication Marshall Rosenber, with Matthew Parris
30 Aug 2016,30 mins
Dag Hammarskjold
Matthew Parris on the life and death of Dag Hammarskjold
23 Aug 2016,30 mins
Sara Pascoe on Virginia Woolf
Sara Pascoe champions Virginia Woolf, author of 'Mrs Dalloway' and 'A Room of One's Own'.
16 Aug 2016,30 mins
Alex Salmond on Thomas Muir
Alex Salmond chooses Thomas Muir, whom he describes as the father of Scottish democracy.
09 Aug 2016,30 mins
Hilary Devey on Gracie Fields
The life of Dame Gracie Fields is championed by Hilary Devey. From 2016.
02 Aug 2016,30 mins
Frank Turner on Joseph Grimaldi
Frank Turner chooses Joseph Grimaldi who changed the face of Clowning forever.
31 May 2016,30 mins
George Fox
George Fox, founder of the Quakers, nominated by Ann Limb
24 May 2016,30 mins
Charles Moore on Gordon Hamilton-Fairley
Cancer pioneer Gordon Hamilton-Fairley, killed by an IRA bomb when he was just 45.
17 May 2016,30 mins
Richard the Lionheart
Timmy Mallett chooses Richard the Lionheart. With Helen Castor and Matthew Parris.
10 May 2016,30 mins
Graeme Lamb on Christine Granville
Lt-Gen Sir Graeme Lamb champions wartime spy Christine Granville. Matthew Parris chairs
03 May 2016,30 mins
Sudha Bhuchar chooses the life of Zohra Sehgal
Playwright and actress Sudha Bhuchar nominates the life of actor Zohra Sehgal.
26 Apr 2016,30 mins
Ray Peacock chooses the life of Lenny Bruce
Comedian Ray Peacock nominates the controversial life of Lenny Bruce.
19 Apr 2016,26 mins
Nancy Dell'Olio chooses the life of Lucrezia Borgia
Nancy Dell'Olio champions the much maligned Lucrezia Borgia.
12 Apr 2016,30 mins