Great Lives

In her book The Taming of the Queen, Philippa Gregory asks a simple question of her subject, Katherine Parr. Who would marry a serial killer?

Katherine Parr has been largely overlooked because she su…

It was an extraordinary journey, and a life that reads like a fairy tale. Xuanzang was born at the start of the seventh century in China. He studied as a monk and travelled for 16 years - first westw…

“I was astonished by the experience of standing there, where the two oceans met. I knew at that very moment this would be my concept: the meeting of worlds". Okwui Enwezor.

For centuries, the art est…

Comedian and presenter Tom Allen first discovered Kenneth Williams as a young boy, watching the Carry On films and listening to Round the Horne with his mum.

He joins Matthew Parris and Kenneth's bio…

Ernie Bevin led an extraordinary life. Born in Somerset in 1881, his father is unknown and his mother died when he was eight. He left his job as a farm labourer age 11 and moved to Bristol, where he …

“We’re talking here about a woman who was Mexican, dark skinned, disabled and queer, who produced art and didn’t allow her disabilities to define her. She defined who she was on her own terms,"

So sa…

September 1943, and German troops have just landed in gliders to rescue Benito Mussolini from the mountain resort where he was being held. “I knew my friend Adolf Hitler would not desert me,” he said…

Dolly Alderton's love of Doris Day began when she watched Calamity Jane as a young child.

And for Dolly, the incandescent film star was as much of a poster girl as The Spice Girls. But Dolly's view o…

Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe, chooses the life of infamous Leeds United Captain, Billy Bremner.

Billy Bremner played for Leeds as a midfielder from 1959 until 1976. He scored 1…

When actress Sally Phillips first saw Myrna Loy, she burst into tears.

It was in a film called The Best Years of Our Lives, about three veterans returning to their wives after the Second World War. …

Actor and comedian Daniel Rigby chooses the creator of Acorn Antiques, As Seen on TV and Dinnerladies, Victoria Wood.

Victoria grew up in a bungalow high up on the moors in Lancashire. The rooms were …

Ursula le Guin was born in California, USA in 1929.

Her books - including A Wizard of Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness - have been described as masterpieces.

Yet she battled prejudice all her li…

"One of the best things a children's writer can do is to implant sign posts in childhood to things that are good, and to the small pleasures that will get you through life" Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Tove …

Chef , writer and presenter Rick Stein chooses the lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison.

As a 21 year old man travelling the world, a young Rick Stein discovered The Doors and became fascinated by t…

When Andi Oliver first read Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye' she felt as though someone climbed inside her head.

Morrison's books saved the chef and broadcaster's life - both emotionally and cerebral…