大象传媒

The Surprise Lives

A runaway rollercoaster of Great Lives.

• 28 mins

Hans Christian Andersen

Author of The Little Mermaid and The Emperor's New Clothes, he was 'a very strange orchid'

• 28 mins

Yehudi Menuhin

Violinist Tasmin Little on her hero, Sir Yehudi Menuhin.

• 28 mins

Althea Gibson

The first black tennis player to win Wimbledon is the choice of Professor Devi Sridhar.

• 28 mins

Frantz Fanon

The anti-colonial writer and psychiatrist from Martinique is the choice of Lindsay Johns

• 28 mins

Josiah Wedgwood, master potter

Tristram Hunt on Josiah Wedgwood, vase maker general to the universe!

• 28 mins

Peggy Seeger on her husband Ewan MacColl

Ewan MacColl - folk singer and labour activist - was born Jimmy Miller in Salford in 1915.

• 28 mins

Dorothy Byrne on Catherine of Siena

The president of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge champions the life of the Italian saint

• 28 mins

Yanis Varoufakis on Hypatia

The life and brutal death of a gifted mathematician and philosopher from the ancient world

• 28 mins

Ruth Rogers on James Baldwin

Ruth Rogers chooses the life of writer James Baldwin.

• 28 mins

JRR Tolkien, creator of The Hobbit

Niall Ferguson chooses JRR Tolkien, creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

• 28 mins

Rory Sutherland on Johnny Ramone

The advertising guru Rory Sutherland on the founder of the New York punk band, the Ramones

• 28 mins

Jeanne Baret, first woman to sail round the globe

Nina Sosanya picks Jeanne Baret, first woman round the globe.

• 28 mins

Noor-Un-Nissa Inayat Khan

The muslim princess who became a WW2 Special Agent

• 28 mins

William Lever, Lord Leverhulme, founder of Unilever

The mighty soap manufacturer, William Lever, chosen by the boss of Iceland

• 28 mins

Lady Hale on Lady Rhondda

Lady Hale on Lady Rhondda.

• 28 mins

Roma Agrawal on Mrinalini Sarabhai

The engineer and author Roma Agrawal on Indian classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai.

• 28 mins

Spike Milligan

Comedian and poet Henry Normal picks his comedy hero - Spike Milligan.

• 28 mins

Brian Cox on Lindsay Anderson

Brian Cox on Lindsay Anderson

• 28 mins

Tom Hopkinson, editor of Picture Post

Donald Macintyre on Tom Hopkinson, editor of Picture Post and Drum.

• 28 mins

Janet Ellis on Puffin editor Kaye Webb

Blue Peter's Janet Ellis champions a children's publishing sensation.

• 28 mins

Lolita Chakrabarti on actor Ira Aldridge

Lolita Chakrabarti on actor Ira Aldridge.

• 28 mins

Gil Scott-Heron

Joe Swift on Gil Scott-Heron

• 28 mins

Mr Manchester Tony Wilson nominated by Terry Christian

Terry Christian from The Word on Tony Wilson of Factory Records and The Hacienda.

• 28 mins

Rob Newman on Franklin D Roosevelt

Comedian Rob Newman nominates one of his heroes, President Franklin D Roosevelt.

• 28 mins

Joan Rhodes, strongest woman in the world

Anna Maxwell Martin proposes Joan Rhodes, variety artiste and strongwoman

• 28 mins

Judy Garland

Ethel Gumm, better known as Judy Garland, picked by Susie Boyt.

• 28 mins

Pat Nevin on Johan Cruyff

Pat Nevin picks Johan Cruyff, the Dutch footballer who changed how the game was played.

• 28 mins

Holly Walsh on BS Johnson

Holly Walsh picks BS Johnson, fiery sixties novelist

• 28 mins

Ravi Shankar, India's famous sitar player

Bobby Seagull picks Ravi Shankar.

• 28 mins