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Great Lives Episodes

  1.

    WH Auden

    Broadcaster Jeremy Vine chooses the poet, WH Auden.

  2. Eleanor Roosevelt

    Civil liberties lawyer Helena Kennedy nominates Eleanor Roosevelt.

  3. Max Miller

    Garry Bushell nominates the 'cheeky chappie' who portrayed the voice of the working class

  4. Leon Trotsky

    Christopher Hitchens nominates Leon Trotsky, hero of the Russian Revolution.

  5. Robin Day

    News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy nominates his illustrious predecessor Robin Day.

  6. W G Grace

    Piers Morgan nominates W G Grace as the greatest English cricketer of all time.

  7. Tamara Karsavina

    Broadcaster and agony aunt Anna Raeburn nominates the ballerina Tamara Karsavina.

  8. Ignaz Semmelweis

    Writer Frances Cairncross nominates the forgotten hero of medicine Ignaz Semmelweis.

  9. Johnny Weissmuller

    Athlete Duncan Goodhew nominates the athlete-turned-actor Johnny Weissmuller.

  10. Ella Fitzgerald

    Ivan Massow nominates the great jazz singer, with expert advice from Cleo Laine.

  11. Sigmund Freud

    Matthew Parris presents Craig Brown's nomination of Sigmund Freud.

  12. Julian Clary on Noel Coward

    Matthew Parris presents Julian Clary's nomination of Noel Coward.

  13. Andrew Carnegie

    Jeff Randall explores the life of the businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

  14. Morecambe and Wise

    Penelope Keith champions the achievements of one of the most famous comic duos of all time

  15. Marty Feldman

    DJ Annie Nightingale nominates the late comic Marty Feldman.

  16. Dorothy Parker

    Writer and actress Helen Lederer nominates the writer-poet Dorothy Parker.

  17. Nevil Shute

    Historian and broadcaster Adam Hart-Davis nominates the author Nevil Shute.

  18. Beatrix Potter

    Fiona Reynolds, former director of the National Trust, chooses writer Beatrix Potter

  19. Thomas Cromwell

    Historian and author Derek Wilson proposes 16th century politician Thomas Cromwell.

  20. Zhao Ziyang

    Robert Thomson maps the rise and fall of the reforming Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang.

  21. Vasily Grossman

    Francine Stock presents a discussion about the Soviet writer Vasily Grossman.

  22. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

    Composer Howard Goodall champions the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

  23. R D Laing

    Francine Stock presents a discussion about the Glaswegian psychiatrist R D Laing.

  24. Mae West

    Writer Kathy Lette proposes the blondest bombshell of them all, Mae West.

  25. Duke of Wellington

    Francine Stock presents a discussion about the first Duke of Wellington.

  26. Ronald Reagan

    Lord Powell nominates Ronald Reagan for great life status.

  27. Elizabeth Gaskell

    Amanda Vickery and Jenny Uglow discuss the life of the Elizabeth Gaskell.

  28. Marcus Garvey

    Playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah on Marcus Garvey, the inspirational 20th-century black leader.

  29. John D Rockefeller

    Martin Smith, the Chairman of English National Opera proposes John D Rockefeller.

  30. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Francine Stock presents the biographical details of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's great life.

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