Great Lives

Yehudi Menuhin was the original child prodigy. He was born in America in 1916, and was soon playing in concert halls round the world. He also played to the survivors of the German concentration camps,...

10 Aug 202127min

Hans Christian Andersen was 'a very strange orchid,' says Michael Booth. He was born in 1806 in Denmark, and today is still famous for so many stories that every child knows, 156 in total. His own ...

3 Aug 202127min

"Step one: invite notable guest. Step two: get them to talk about someone else."After nearly 500 episodes, Great Lives feels like a stable series, but there have been surprises along the way. From Ber...

3 Jun 202127min

Edward III should be much better known, Rosie tells Matthew Parris. He not only won great battles like Crecy in 1346. He also championed the flourishing of Perpendicular architecture; he understood ...

25 Mai 202127min

Actor, comedian and Author Ben Miller discusses the colourful, complicated and uncompromising life of William Hazlitt.Born in 1778 William Hazlitt is considered one of the greatest critics and essayis...

18 Mai 202127min

Singer-songwriter Arlo Parks has been nominated for three Brit Awards at just 20 years old. Her inspiration for her debut studio album is drawn from American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Matthew P...

12 Mai 202127min

On May 10 1940, the Germans invaded the Low Countries, Winston Churchill became prime minister, and Harry Hopkins moved in to the White House. This remarkable man was President Roosevelt's closest con...

6 Mai 202127min

Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall chooses Scottish poet, author, artist and humourist Ivor Cutler. Ivor Cutler is hard to categorise. Whimsical and uncompromising, depressive yet joyful, childlike and cur...

27 Apr 202127min