Podcast Episodes

Tom Solomon on Roald Dahl

Writer Roald Dahl is well known as the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox and The BFG, but he was also fascinated by medic…

11 years, 5 months ago

Brian Eno on Lord Young of Dartington

Brian Eno has worked with David Bowie, David Byrne and U2 but his choice of Great Life is not a rock star but the sociologist Lord Young of Dartingto…

11 years, 5 months ago

Laura Bates on Louisa May Alcott

Laura Bates, journalist and curator of the Everyday Sexism Project, explains to Matthew Parris why the 19th century children's author Louisa May Alco…

11 years, 5 months ago

Arthur Smith on Emil Zátopek

Matthew Parris – himself current holder of the House of Commons marathon record time – meets comedian Arthur Smith, who also turns out to have been a…

11 years, 5 months ago

Professor Edith Hall on Lucille Ball

Matthew Parris discovers that Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King’s College, London, has a surprising nomination for a Great Life.

She's chosen …

11 years, 8 months ago

Andrew Adonis on Joseph Bazalgette

Matthew Parris hears from Labour peer Lord Adonis why Joseph Bazalgette, the Victorian engineer, has his nomination as a Great Life. Bazalgette, the …

11 years, 8 months ago

Stella Rimington on Dorothy L Sayers

Dame Stella Rimington, former director of MI5 and a celebrated crime writer herself, nominates for a Great Life that of Dorothy L Sayers.

Sayers' fir…

11 years, 8 months ago

Labi Siffre on Arthur Ransome

Singer-songwriter Labi Siffre discusses the life and work of Arthur Ransome.

Siffre says that the Swallows and Amazons books taught him responsibilit…

11 years, 8 months ago

Tom Shakespeare on Gramsci

Dr Tom Shakespeare is a lecturer at the Medical School in the University of East Anglia and prominent campaigner for the rights of the disabled.

He ex…

11 years, 9 months ago

Ray Mears on Rommel

The life of Erwin Rommel, for a time Hitler's favourite general is nominated by Ray Mears. Matthew Parris hears why this German soldier was a "great …

11 years, 9 months ago