Last Word
Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 531
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2025
Lewis Wolpert, Cicely Tyson, Prince Khalid Abdullah and Captain Sir Tom Moore (pictured)
Matthew Bannister on
The biologist Lewis Wolpert who developed new theories about embryo development and was a passionate communicator of science.
The award winning actor Cicely Tyson, best known for p…
Larry King (pictured), Catherine Ennis, Margaret Weston, Gerry Cottle
Matthew Bannister on
Larry King, the American TV interviewer whose long running show on CNN attracted guests ranging from Presidents to pop stars. Christiane Amanpour pays tribute.
Catherine Ennis, the…
Phil Spector (pictured), Grace Robertson, Paul Nihill
Matthew Bannister on:
Phil Spector, the influential record producer who created the “Wall of Sound”. He died while serving a prison sentence for murdering actress Lana Clarkson.
Grace Robertson, the p…
Michael Apted (pictured), Kay Ullrich, Katharine Whitehorn, Reginald Foster
Julian Worricker on the film-maker Michael Apted, famous for his work on the 7UP documentary series, but who also directed nearly 30 feature films.
Kay Ullrich, an MSP after the first elections to the…
Sir Brian Urquhart (pictured), Albert Roux, Dame Rachel Waterhouse, Gerry Marsden
Matthew Bannister on
Sir Brian Urquhart, the international civil servant and war veteran who played a key role in setting up United Nations peacekeeping forces.
Albert Roux, the French-born chef who, w…
Stella Tennant, George Bizos, Joan Feynman, Rishi Kapoor
Matthew Bannister on Stella Tennant, the iconic fashion model who rose to prominence in the 1990s, becoming the face of Chanel. George Bizos, the South African human rights lawyer who represented Ne…
Millie Small, JJ Williams, Maurice Healy, Dame Fanny Waterman
Julian Worricker on
Millie Jones, the singer who brought ska rhythms and Jamaican culture to a global audience with her hit song My Boy Lollipop.
JJ Williams, the Llanelli, Wales and British Lions wing…
John le Carré (pictured), Patience Thomson, Doug Scott, Dame Barbara Windsor
Matthew Bannister on The author John le Carré , the pen name of David Cornwell, who drew on his own experiences as a spy to elevate the espionage novel to new heights. Patience Thomson, the educa…
Mario Molina, Irina Antonova, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, Peter Alliss (pictured)
Matthew Bannister on
Mario Molina, the chemist who won the Nobel prize for revealing the devastating impact of CFCs on the ozone layer.
Irina Antonova, the director of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow for …
Hamish MacInnes OBE, José Padilla, Anne Rasa
Matthew Bannister on:
Hamish MacInnes, the mountaineer known as “The Fox of Glencoe”. He climbed the Matterhorn aged 16, made four trips to Everest and was a stalwart of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue te…
Diego Maradona, Rosalind Grimshaw, Jan Morris CBE
Pictured: Diego Maradona
Matthew Bannister on:
Diego Maradona, the flawed footballing genius who was worshipped by fans in Argentina and his adopted home city of Naples before drug abuse and scandal ta…
Des O’Connor CBE, Richard Trim OBE, Dr Ataullah Siddiqui, Edith Raymond Locke
Pictured: Des O'Connor
Matthew Bannister on
The comedian Des O’Connor, an all-round entertainer equally at home telling jokes, hosting a chat show or recording an album.
Richard Trim, the radar enginee…
Lord Sacks, John Sessions, Joanna Harcourt-Smith, Jim Radford
Pictured: Lord Sacks
Matthew Bannister on
The former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, a respected scholar and broadcaster who reached out to other faiths, but had trouble reconciling the different strains of op…
Sir Sean Connery, Eavan Boland, Nobby Stiles MBE, Bobby Ball
Pictured: Sir Sean Connery
Matthew Bannister on
Sir Sean Connery, seen by many as the definitive James Bond, he won an Oscar for The Untouchables and was a supporter of the Scottish National Party.
Eava…
David Toole OBE, Professor Valerie Curtis, Frank Bough, Jill Paton Walsh CBE
Pictured: David Toole
Matthew Bannister on
David Toole, the disabled dancer who starred in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics.
Professor Val Curtis, who was known as the Queen of Hygiene for h…
Herbert Kretzmer, James Nash, Tom Maschler, Sister Chiara Hatton Hall
Pictured: Herbert Kretzmer
Matthew Bannister on
Herbert Kretzmer, the journalist turned lyricist, best known for writing the lyrics for the musical Les Misérables.
James Nash, the flamboyant adventurer …
Derek Mahon, Professor Gerta Vrbová, Ang Rita Sherpa, Helena Shenel
Pictured: Derek Mahon
Matthew Bannister on
Derek Mahon, one of Ireland’s greatest poets of recent times, whose work 'Everything’s Going To Be Alright' was read on Irish TV and radio at the start of th…
Kenzo Takada, Colonel John Waddy, Frank Windsor, Ann Getty
Pictured: Kenzo Takada
Matthew Bannister on:
Kenzo Takada, the Japanese-born fashion designer who made Paris his home and was known for his bold use of colour.
Colonel John Waddy, the former head of the…
Sir Harold Evans, Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, Alan Minter, Helen Taylor-Thompson
Julian Worricker on:
The campaigning journalist and editor, Sir Harold Evans, voted the greatest of all time by his peers....
Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, US Supreme Court Justice, who served in that role for …
Juliette Greco, Bob Gore, Dame Georgina Mace, Jiri Menzel
Pictured: Juliette Greco
Julian Worricker on the French singer and actor, Juliette Greco, who rose to fame on the famous Left Bank in Paris after the war....
Bob Gore who revolutionised outdoor clothin…