Great Lives Episodes Episode guide
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Petra Kelly
Green MP Caroline Lucas nominates Petra Kelly, the German Green superstar politician.
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Lewis Carroll
Writer Lynne Truss chooses the creator of Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll.
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Kathleen Ferrier
Broadcaster Sue MacGregor nominates singer Kathleen Ferrier who died tragically young.
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Simone de Beauvoir
Actress Diana Quick selects philosopher Simone de Beauvoir for Great Lives.
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Leonard Bernstein
Conductor Charles Hazlewood chooses Leonard Bernstein.
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Thomas Edison
Sir Clive Sinclair discusses fellow inventor Thomas Edison with Matthew Parris.
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Mary Stott
Katharine Whitehorn chooses journalist and campaigner Mary Stott.
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Gertrude Bell
Physicist Jim al-Khalili nominates Gertrude Bell who shaped modern-day Iraq.
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JB Priestley
Comedian Barry Cryer nods to his Yorkshire roots by choosing JB Priestley.
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Aneurin Bevan
Lord Kinnock chooses the life of Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the NHS.
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Sammy Davis Jr
Dancer and actor Lionel Blair chooses his friend, Sammy Davis Jr.
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Samuel Beckett
Business guru Sir Gerry Robinson chooses playwright Samuel Beckett.
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DH Lawrence
Poet John Hegley chooses the author of Lady Chatterley's Lover, DH Lawrence.
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Malcolm McLaren
Public relations expert Mark Borkowski discusses the life of the Sex Pistols' manager.
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Walt Disney
Gerald Scarfe, merciless political cartoon satirist, chooses an icon who created icons.
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Michel de Montaigne
Professor Robert Winston chooses a famous writer from the French Renaissance.
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Winston Churchill
Lord Digby Jones chooses wartime leader, Winston Churchill.
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Golda Meir
Edwina Currie discusses the life of former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir.
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Simone Weil
Eleanor Bron discusses the life of French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil.
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Mary Carpenter
Camila Batmanghelidjh discusses the life of her Victorian equivalent, Mary Carpenter.
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Richard Nixon
Historian Dominic Sandbrook discusses the life of Richard Nixon.
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Sappho
Greek poet Sappho - intellectual or vamp?
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John Lennon
John Lennon is the life nominated by writer John Harris. Matthew Parris presents.
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Arthur Wharton
Viv Anderson champions the life of Arthur Wharton, the first black professional footballer
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Carl Sagan
Physicist Brian Cox reveals how Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV show changed his life.
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Charlotte Guest
Sarah Hogg chooses as her champion Lady Charlotte Guest.
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Matthew Flinders
Sir Stuart Rose discusses the life of the cartographer who mapped Australia.
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Buckminster Fuller
TV producer John Lloyd discusses the life of American architect Richard Buckminster Fuller
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Douglas Jardine
Peter White discusses the controversial England cricket captain Douglas Jardine.
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Robin Hood
Human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith discusses Robin Hood.
