Greek poet Sappho - intellectual or vamp? Read more
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Sappho
Greek poet Sappho - intellectual or vamp?
Richard Nixon
Historian Dominic Sandbrook discusses the life of Richard Nixon.
Mary Carpenter
Camila Batmanghelidjh discusses the life of her Victorian equivalent, Mary Carpenter.
Simone Weil
Eleanor Bron discusses the life of French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil.
Winston Churchill
Lord Digby Jones chooses Winston Churchill, with contribution from Prof David Reynolds.
Golda Meir
Edwina Currie discusses the life of former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir.
Walt Disney
Gerald Scarfe, merciless political cartoon satirist, chooses an icon who created icons.
Michel de Montaigne
Professor Robert Winston chooses a famous writer from the French Renaissance.
Malcolm McLaren
Public relations expert Mark Borkowski discusses the life of the Sex Pistols' manager.
Samuel Beckett
Business guru Sir Gerry Robinson chooses playwright Samuel Beckett.
DH Lawrence
Poet John Hegley chooses the author of Lady Chatterley's Lover, DH Lawrence.
Sammy Davis Jr
Dancer and actor Lionel Blair chooses his friend, Sammy Davis Jr.
Aneurin Bevan
Lord Kinnock chooses the life of Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the NHS.
JB Priestley
Comedian Barry Cryer nods to his Yorkshire roots by choosing JB Priestley.
Marcus Garvey
Playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah on Marcus Garvey, the inspirational 20th-century black leader.
Gertrude Bell
Physicist Jim al-Khalili nominates Gertrude Bell who shaped modern-day Iraq.
Mary Stott
Katharine Whitehorn chooses journalist and campaigner Mary Stott.
Thomas Edison
Sir Clive Sinclair discusses fellow inventor Thomas Edison with Matthew Parris.
Leonard Bernstein
Conductor Charles Hazlewood chooses Leonard Bernstein.
Simone de Beauvoir
Actress Diana Quick selects philosopher Simone de Beauvoir for Great Lives.
Lewis Carroll
Writer Lynne Truss chooses the creator of Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll.
Kathleen Ferrier
Broadcaster Sue MacGregor nominates singer Kathleen Ferrier who died tragically young.
Paul Robeson
Anna Ford nominates singer, actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson.
Richard Pryor
Skills minister David Lammy puts the case for the revolutionary comedian Richard Pryor.
Edward Lear
Nicholas Parsons nominates Edward Lear, now remembered best for his nonsense verse.
Field Marshal Bill Slim
General Mike Jackson nominates Field Marshal Bill Slim, leader of the WW2 Burma campaign.
Petra Kelly
Green MP Caroline Lucas nominates Petra Kelly, the German Green superstar politician.
AE Housman
Author Colin Dexter nominates scholar and poet AE Housman. With Robert Douglas-Fairhurst.
Juan Manuel Fangio
Stirling Moss nominates the great racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio.
Ian Curtis
Poet Simon Armitage nominates Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.
Joyce Grenfell
Arabella Weir nominates Joyce Grenfell. Biographer Janie Hampton assists.
