Chi-chi Nwanoku on Jessye Norman
On the 11th June 1988, Jessye Norman performed a spine-tingling rendition of 'Amazing Grace' to a packed Wembley Stadium in London.This was the climax of a concert marking the 70th birthday of Nelson ...
19 Sep 202327min
Ninette de Valois
The Godmother of English - and Irish - ballet, Dame Ninette De Valois or ‘Madam’ as she was known to those around her. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of b...
5 Sep 202327min
Sophie Scott on Hattie Jacques
She was born Josephine Edwina Jacques in 1922.Hattie Jacques’ career began in music hall before graduating onto 1950s BBC radio comedies such as ‘Educating Archie', 'ITMA' and 'Hancock's Half Hour' m...
15 Aug 202327min
Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore and London Zoo
Sir Stamford Raffles is championed as the pioneering founder of London Zoo. It's a famous name.There's Raffles Hotel and Raffles Hospital, plus the rafflesia, the largest flowering plant in the world,...
8 Aug 202327min
Susie Dent on Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German writer whose books explored themes around family, beauty and the creeping threat of fascism in Europe. Mann's best-known 'Death in Venice' revealed the author's attraction to...
1 Aug 202327min
Tony Benn
"It's the complicated ones I enjoy the most." Matthew ParrisEllie Gibson picks Labour politician Tony Benn, who was a rock star politician in older age, but a divisive figure in his own party.Tony Ben...
1 Juni 202327min
Jon Ronson picks Terry Hall of The Specials
When Jon Ronson was growing up, he went to see The Specials play in Cardiff. "I went on my own to Sophia Gardens," he says. "The crowd was fantastically wild. There’s a lot to not like about the feral...
16 Maj 202327min
Sir Edward Coke, prosecutor of Guy Fawkes
Sir Edward Coke was born in Norfolk in 1552. He's best known as a judge and Parliamentarian, the link says Jesse Norman between Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights. He was also, the programme c...
10 Maj 202327min
