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Last Word Episodes

  1.

    Last Word End of Year Special

    Matthew Bannister and Nick Serpell recall a year when obituarists were in huge demand.

  2. Michael Nicholson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Lord Prior, Rabbi Lionel Blue, Pauline Oliveros

    Julian Worricker on a journalist, an actress, a politician, a rabbi, a composer.

  3. Peter Gibson, AA Gill, Coral Atkins, William Chaloner, Ian McCaskill

    Matthew Bannister on a glazier, a journalist, a carer, a palaeobotanist, a weatherman.

  4. John Glenn, Peter Vaughan, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Greg Lake

    Matthew Bannister on an astronaut, an actor, an Indian politician, a musician.

  5. Andrew Sachs, Fidel Castro, Mose Allison, The Honourable Margaret Rhodes

    Matthew Bannister on an actor, a revolutionary leader, a singer, the Queen's cousin.

  6. Martin Aitchison, Sir Mota Singh QC, William Trevor, Ruth Gruber, David Mancuso

    Kate Silverton on an artist, a judge, a writer, a photojournalist and a party host.

  7. Robert Vaughn, Sir Sigmund Sternberg, Carolyn Hardy OBE, Ewen Whitaker, Claude 'Curly' Putman

    Matthew Bannister on an actor, an astronomer, a gardener, a philanthropist, a singer.

  8. Leonard Cohen, Lt Col Robert Montgomery MC, Janet Reno, Sir Jimmy Young

    Matthew Bannister on a singer, a war hero, a US attorney general, a broadcaster.

  9. Tom Hayden, Valerie Hunter Gordon, Carole Blake, Anne Pashley

    Matthew Bannister on a political activist, an inventor, a literary agent, an opera singer.

  10. Raine, Countess Spencer, James "Jimmy" Perry, Stylianos Pattakos, Howard Davies, Bobby Vee

    Matthew Bannister on a countess, a comedy writer, a Greek general, a director, a singer.

  11. Jean Alexander, Trinh Thi Ngo, Ian Mercer, Joseph Harmatz, Joan Marie Johnson

    Matthew Bannister on an actress, a broadcaster, a naturalist, an 'Avenger' and a singer.

  12. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Dario Fo, Jean Bloxam, Andrew Vicari, Don Buchla

    Matthew Bannister on a king, a playwright, a racing driver, a painter, a musical inventor.

  13. Sir Neville Marriner, Father Gabriele Amorth, Beryl Crockford, Professor Louis Herman, Rod Temperton

    Matthew Bannister on a conductor, an exorcist, a rower, a psychologist and a songwriter.

  14. Shimon Peres, Nathalie Evans, Arnold Palmer, Bill Mollison, Jean Shepard

    Shimon Peres, Nathalie Evans, Arnold Palmer, Bill Mollison, Jean Shepard.

  15. Edward Albee, James Cronin, Caroline Thomson OBE, Sir Frederick Holliday, Charmian Carr

    Matthew Bannister on a playwright, a physicist, a health administrator and a zoologist.

  16. Barry Myers, Eileen Younghusband, Robin Spark, Keith McDougall, Prince Buster

    Matthew Bannister on a director, a filter officer, an artist, a countryman, a ska star.

  17. The Right Rev David Jenkins, Dame Margaret Anstee, Islam Karimov, Richard Neville

    Matthew Bannister on a bishop, a diplomat, a president and an editor.

  18. Joao Havelange, Sonia Rykiel, Gene Wilder, Toots Thielemans

    Matthew Bannister on a FIFA president, a fashion designer, an actor, a jazz musician.

  19. Sir Antony Jay, Donald Henderson, Tom Cholmondeley, Patsy Wright-Warren CBE, Lord Rix

    Julian Worricker on a writer, an epidemiologist, an aristocrat, a nurse, an entertainer.

  20. Bob Kiley, Professor Paul Robertson, Elizabeth Spillius, Shahram Amiri, Tony Chater, Arthur Hiller

    Julian Worricker on a scientist, a musician, a psychoanalyst, a public servant, an editor.

  21. Bishop Edward Daly, Ahmed Zewail, Suzanne Wright, Duke of Westminster, Ivo Pitanguy

    Matthew Bannister on a bishop, a chemist, an autism campaigner, a duke, a plastic surgeon.

  22. Luc Hoffmann, Sylvia Peters, Joe Powell, William Smethurst, Sandy Pearlman

    Matthew Bannister on a naturalist, an announcer, a stuntman, an editor, a rock manager.

  23. Gary S Paxton, Sally Beauman, Thomas Sutherland, Frank Dickens, Marni Nixon

    Matthew Bannister on a hostage, a singer, songwriter and producer, an author, a cartoonist

  24. Abdul Sattar Edhi, Professor Suzanne Corkin, Bernardo Provenzano, Garry Marshall

    Matthew Bannister on a humanitarian, a neuroscientist, a mafia don, a comedy director.

  25. Sydney Schanberg, Beatrice de Cardi, Lord Evans of Temple Guiting, Alvin Toffler, Jimmy Gilbert

    Matthew Bannister on a journalist, an archaeologist, a publisher, a futurist, a producer.

  26. Caroline Aherne, Elie Wiesel, Sir Geoffrey Hill, Lord Mayhew, Michael Cimino

    Matthew Bannister on a comedian, a holocaust survivor, a poet, a politician, a director.

  27. Amjad Sabri, Lorna Kelly, Jerome Bruner, Bob Holman, Scotty Moore

    Matthew Bannister on a singer, an auctioneer, a psychologist, a campaigner, a guitarist.

  28. Dr Sylvia Meek, Sam King MBE, Chips Moman, Ethel Bush GM, Harry Rabinowitz

    Matthew Bannister on a parasitologist, a conductor, a police officer, a mayor, a producer.

  29. Jo Cox MP, Dave Swarbrick, Viktor Korchnoi, Wendy Leigh

    Reeta Chakrabarti on an MP, a musician, a chess player and a writer.

  30. Sir Peter Shaffer, Sir Denys Wilkinson, Peggy Spencer and Muhammad Ali

    Julian Worricker on a playwright, a physicist, a dancer and a boxer.

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