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Samuel Beckett

Business guru Sir Gerry Robinson chooses playwright Samuel Beckett.

• 30 mins

DH Lawrence

Poet John Hegley chooses the author of Lady Chatterley's Lover, DH Lawrence.

• 30 mins

Sammy Davis Jr

Dancer and actor Lionel Blair chooses his friend, Sammy Davis Jr.

• 30 mins

Aneurin Bevan

Lord Kinnock chooses the life of Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the NHS.

• 30 mins

JB Priestley

Comedian Barry Cryer nods to his Yorkshire roots by choosing JB Priestley.

• 30 mins

Marcus Garvey

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

• 30 mins

Gertrude Bell

Physicist Jim al-Khalili nominates Gertrude Bell who shaped modern-day Iraq.

• 30 mins

Mary Stott

Katharine Whitehorn chooses journalist and campaigner Mary Stott.

• 30 mins

Thomas Edison

Sir Clive Sinclair discusses fellow inventor Thomas Edison with Matthew Parris.

• 30 mins

Leonard Bernstein

Conductor Charles Hazlewood chooses Leonard Bernstein.

• 30 mins

Simone de Beauvoir

Actress Diana Quick selects philosopher Simone de Beauvoir for Great Lives.

• 30 mins

Lewis Carroll

Writer Lynne Truss chooses the creator of Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll.

• 30 mins

Kathleen Ferrier

Broadcaster Sue MacGregor nominates singer Kathleen Ferrier who died tragically young.

• 30 mins

Paul Robeson

Anna Ford nominates singer, actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson.

• 30 mins

Richard Pryor

Skills minister David Lammy puts the case for the revolutionary comedian Richard Pryor.

• 26 mins

Edward Lear

Nicholas Parsons nominates Edward Lear, now remembered best for his nonsense verse.

• 30 mins

Field Marshal Bill Slim

General Mike Jackson nominates Field Marshal Bill Slim, leader of the WW2 Burma campaign.

• 30 mins

Petra Kelly

Green MP Caroline Lucas nominates Petra Kelly, the German Green superstar politician.

• 30 mins

AE Housman

Author Colin Dexter nominates scholar and poet AE Housman. With Robert Douglas-Fairhurst.

• 26 mins

Juan Manuel Fangio

Stirling Moss nominates the great racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio.

• 30 mins

Ian Curtis

Poet Simon Armitage nominates Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.

• 30 mins

Joyce Grenfell

Arabella Weir nominates Joyce Grenfell. Biographer Janie Hampton assists.

• 30 mins

Graham Greene

War reporter Tim Butcher chooses an exploration into the strange world of Graham Greene.

• 30 mins

Kirsty MacColl

Broadcaster Janice Long champions the life and work of singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl.

• 30 mins

Eduardo Paolozzi

Restaurateur Antonio Carluccio nominates the Scottish artist Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.

• 30 mins

William Shakespeare

Poetry curator Daisy Goodwin nominates the Bard himself, William Shakespeare.

• 30 mins

Hans Fallada

Fast Show comic Simon Day tells Matthew Parris why he is fascinated by writer Hans Fallada

• 30 mins

Hildegard Von Bingen

Cerys Matthews on why 12th-century nun Hildegard von Bingen qualifies as a great life.

• 30 mins

Gerald Durrell

Former footballer Graeme le Saux champions conservationist Gerald Durrell.

• 30 mins

Emily Dickinson

The reclusive American poet Emily Dickinson is the choice of fellow poet Gwyneth Lewis.

• 30 mins