Great Leaders' Lives: A BBC biography collection
Household names nominate leaders from the past for BBC Radio 4's Great Lives
Since its inception in 2001, Great Lives has been one of Radio 4's most popular programmes, presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and Matthew Parris. The format is simple, but compelling: each week, a distinguished personality is invited to select an inspirational figure who has influenced them. Talking with the presenter and a guest expert, they assess the importance of their chosen candidate.
This special collection, celebrating the programme's 20th birthday, comprises the very best episodes featuring leaders' lives, from the worlds of politics, religion, royalty, business and the military. Some are heroes, some tyrants, and several spark controversy. Among them AA Gill puts forward the case for Neville Chamberlain, Maxine Peake chooses Ellen Wilkinson, the Duke of Wellington is picked by Frederick Forsyth, and Leon Trotsky is selected by Christopher Hitchens in a hugely entertaining show that culminated in fireworks. In these cases, and many others, the life of the invited guest is as riveting as that of their subject - who wouldn't want to listen to Ken Livingstone discussing Robert Kennedy, George Monbiot champion Thomas Paine, and Trevor McDonald on Learie Constantine?
From Nancy Dell'Olio on Lucrezia Borgia to Al Murray on Field Marshal Montgomery, these fascinating episodes showcase the lives of some of the most legendary figures from history, revealing their achievements and enduring influence and demonstrating why their greatness is undisputed.
Episode list and date of first broadcast on BBC Radio 4:
Robert Kennedy - 06/02/2009
Henry V - 08/12/2009
Richard Nixon - 17/08/2010
Bernard Montgomery - 01/10/2013
Richard III - 06/01/2015
Elizabeth I - 18/08/2015
Dag Hammarskjold - 23/08/2016
Neville Chamberlain - 20/09/2016
Gandhi - 26/12/2017
David Lloyd George - 30/05/2003
Queen Elizabeth 1 - 06/06/2003
Machiavelli - 02/04/2004
Thomas Paine - 23/04/2004
Lyndon B Johnson - 07/05/2004
Benjamin Disraeli - 28/05/2004
Michael Collins - 01/10/2004
Arthur Wellesly, the 1st Duke of Wellington - 03/06/2005
Genghis Khan - 01/04/2005
John Rockefeller - 06/05/2005
Ronald Reagan - 27/05/2005
Thomas Cromwell - 11/11/2005
Leon Trotsky - 08/08/2006
Eleanor Roosevelt - 22/08/2006
Millicent Garrett Fawcett - 22/12/2006
Julius Caesar - 25/05/2007
George Washington - 02/10/2007
Winston Churchill - 14/09/2010
Rommel - 26/08/2014
Ida B Wells - 19/08/2014
Learie Constantine - 07/04/2015
Abraham Lincoln - 26/01/2016
Lucrezia Borgia - 12/04/2016
Richard the Lionheart - 10/05/2016
Dadabhai Naoroji - 27/09/2016
Pope John XXIII - 24/01/2017
Sitting Bull - 09/05/2017
Emma of Normandy - 16/05/2017
Constance Markievicz - 19/09/2017
Ellen Wilkinson - 01/08/2017
Daniel O' Connell - 19/12/2017
Catherine the Great - 29/05/2018
Jayaben Desai - 10/04/2018
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Matthew Parris and Francine Stock
Produced by Miles Warde, Peter Everett, Christine Hall, Perminder Khatkar, Mark Smalley, Charles Ledgard, Maggie Ayre, Beth O'Dea, Jolyon Jenkins, John Byrne, Polly Weston, Julia Johnson, Mary Ward-Lowery, Isobel Eaton, Toby Field
Francine Stock, Humphrey Carpenter, Joan Bakewell, Matthew Parris (Author), Ann Widdecombe, Christopher Hitchens, Francine Stock, Frederick Forsyth, George Monbiot, Humphrey Carpenter, Matthew Parris, Maxine Peake, Ranulph Fiennes, Ray Mears (Narrator)
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