Podcast Episodes

Baroness Oona King on Ida B Wells

Matthew Parris leads a discussion on Ida B. Wells the African American civil rights and women's rights activist who was a political trailblazer. She…

11 years, 9 months ago

Jazzie B on James Brown

Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B tells Matthew Parris why he nominates James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul”, for this series.

Jazzie B, who was awarded a CBE f…

11 years, 9 months ago

Jonathan Meades on Edward Burra

Writer Jonathan Meades nominates the English artist Edward Burra, who died in 1976, for "great life" status, arguing that he deserves to be better kn…

11 years, 9 months ago

Ernest Hemingway

Michael Palin first came across his Great Life when he was studying for school exams, and his love of Ernest Hemingway has never gone away. He, along…

12 years ago

John Craven on Brunel

Countryfile presenter John Craven proposes Victorian Engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, as a great life. He's joined by engineering historian Julia E…

12 years ago

Isy Suttie on Jake Thackray

Jake Thackray hated being known as the north country Noel Coward, but at the height of his fame the description stuck.

His songs are very British, bu…

12 years ago

Emma Kirkby on Henry Purcell

Soprano Emma Kirkby discusses the life of English composer Henry Purcell with Matthew Parris.

Despite dying at the age of 36, Purcell was arguably th…

12 years ago

Deborah Moggach on Arnold Bennett

Novelist and screenwriter, Deborah Moggach, nominates the Potteries writer Arnold Bennett, whose work she thinks has been wrongly overlooked, as he w…

12 years, 1 month ago

Marcus du Sautoy on Jorge Luis Borges

Mathematician Marcus de Sautoy champions the blind Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. He is fascinated by the connection between the creator of …

12 years, 1 month ago

Sir Mark Walport on Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Mark Walport, the government's Chief Scientific Advisor champions the life of Sir Hans Sloane, founder of the British Museum. Along with expert M…

12 years, 1 month ago