Great Leaders' Lives

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