Lord Powell nominates Ronald Reagan for great life status. Read more
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Ronald Reagan
Lord Powell nominates Ronald Reagan for great life status.
Duke of Wellington
Francine Stock presents a discussion about the first Duke of Wellington.
Mae West
Writer Kathy Lette proposes the blondest bombshell of them all, Mae West.
R D Laing
Francine Stock presents a discussion about the Glaswegian psychiatrist R D Laing.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Composer Howard Goodall champions the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Vasily Grossman
Francine Stock presents a discussion about the Soviet writer Vasily Grossman.
Zhao Ziyang
Robert Thomson maps the rise and fall of the reforming Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang.
Thomas Cromwell
Historian and author Derek Wilson proposes 16th century politician Thomas Cromwell.
Beatrix Potter
Fiona Reynolds, former director of the National Trust, chooses writer Beatrix Potter
Nevil Shute
Historian and broadcaster Adam Hart-Davis nominates the author Nevil Shute.
Dorothy Parker
Writer and actress Helen Lederer nominates the writer-poet Dorothy Parker.
Marty Feldman
DJ Annie Nightingale nominates the late comic Marty Feldman.
Morecambe and Wise
Penelope Keith champions the achievements of one of the most famous comic duos of all time
Andrew Carnegie
Jeff Randall explores the life of the businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Julian Clary on Noel Coward
Matthew Parris presents Julian Clary's nomination of Noel Coward.
Sigmund Freud
Matthew Parris presents Craig Brown's nomination of Sigmund Freud.
Ella Fitzgerald
Ivan Massow nominates the great jazz singer, with expert advice from Cleo Laine.
Johnny Weissmuller
Athlete Duncan Goodhew nominates the athlete-turned-actor Johnny Weissmuller.
Ignaz Semmelweis
Writer Frances Cairncross nominates the forgotten hero of medicine Ignaz Semmelweis.
Tamara Karsavina
Broadcaster and agony aunt Anna Raeburn nominates the ballerina Tamara Karsavina.
W G Grace
Piers Morgan nominates W G Grace as the greatest English cricketer of all time.
Robin Day
News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy nominates his illustrious predecessor Robin Day.
Leon Trotsky
Christopher Hitchens nominates Leon Trotsky, hero of the Russian Revolution.
Max Miller
Garry Bushell nominates the 'cheeky chappie' who portrayed the voice of the working class
Eleanor Roosevelt
Civil liberties lawyer Helena Kennedy nominates Eleanor Roosevelt.
WH Auden
Broadcaster Jeremy Vine chooses the poet, WH Auden.
Julia Ward-Howe
Elaine Showalter nominates the 19th-century American writer Julia Ward-Howe.
Stanley Baldwin
Former minister Lord John Biffen nominates Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.
Nina Simone
Joanna Macgregor nominates the chanteuse and civil rights activist Nina Simone.
Charles Darwin
Businessman and academic, Adair Turner looks at the life of Charles Darwin.
John H Hammond
Joe Boyd shines a spotlight on the career of record producer John H Hammond.