Great Lives Episodes Episode guide
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Sigmund Freud
Matthew Parris presents Craig Brown's nomination of Sigmund Freud.
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Julian Clary on Noel Coward
Matthew Parris presents Julian Clary's nomination of Noel Coward.
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Andrew Carnegie
Jeff Randall explores the life of the businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
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Morecambe and Wise
Penelope Keith champions the achievements of one of the most famous comic duos of all time
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Marty Feldman
DJ Annie Nightingale nominates the late comic Marty Feldman.
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Dorothy Parker
Writer and actress Helen Lederer nominates the writer-poet Dorothy Parker.
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Nevil Shute
Historian and broadcaster Adam Hart-Davis nominates the author Nevil Shute.
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Beatrix Potter
Fiona Reynolds, former director of the National Trust, chooses writer Beatrix Potter
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Thomas Cromwell
Historian and author Derek Wilson proposes 16th century politician Thomas Cromwell.
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Zhao Ziyang
Robert Thomson maps the rise and fall of the reforming Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang.
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Vasily Grossman
Francine Stock presents a discussion about the Soviet writer Vasily Grossman.
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Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Composer Howard Goodall champions the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
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R D Laing
Francine Stock presents a discussion about the Glaswegian psychiatrist R D Laing.
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Mae West
Writer Kathy Lette proposes the blondest bombshell of them all, Mae West.
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Duke of Wellington
Francine Stock presents a discussion about the first Duke of Wellington.
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Ronald Reagan
Lord Powell nominates Ronald Reagan for great life status.
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Elizabeth Gaskell
Amanda Vickery and Jenny Uglow discuss the life of the Elizabeth Gaskell.
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Marcus Garvey
Playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah on Marcus Garvey, the inspirational 20th-century black leader.
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John D Rockefeller
Martin Smith, the Chairman of English National Opera proposes John D Rockefeller.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Francine Stock presents the biographical details of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's great life.
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Robert Louis Stevenson
Poet Douglas Dunn nominates Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island.
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Charles M Schulz
Times journalist Valerie Grove nominates the 'Peanuts' cartoonist Charles M Schulz.
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Ian Dury
Comedian Linda Smith nominates musician, actor and artist Ian Dury.
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Noel Coward
TV producer Peter Bazalgette chooses the actor, lyricist and playwright, Noel Coward.
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Elizabeth I
Broadcaster and campaigner Esther Rantzen chooses Queen Elizabeth I.
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Bernard Manning nominates Mother Teresa
Comedian Bernard Manning assesses the achievements of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
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Sir Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Forsyth, nominated by the political writer and broadcaster Steve Richards