Great Leaders' Lives

Household names nominate leaders from the past for BBC Radio 4's Great LivesSince 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 - 06/02/2009Henry V - 08/12/2009Richard Nixon - 17/08/2010Bernard Montgomery - 01/10/2013Richard III - 06/01/2015Elizabeth I - 18/08/2015Dag Hammarskjold - 23/08/2016Neville Chamberlain - 20/09/2016Gandhi - 26/12/2017David Lloyd George - 30/05/2003Queen Elizabeth 1 - 06/06/2003Machiavelli - 02/04/2004Thomas Paine - 23/04/2004Lyndon B Johnson - 07/05/2004Benjamin Disraeli - 28/05/2004Michael Collins - 01/10/2004Arthur Wellesly, the 1st Duke of Wellington - 03/06/2005Genghis Khan - 01/04/2005John Rockefeller - 06/05/2005Ronald Reagan - 27/05/2005Thomas Cromwell - 11/11/2005Leon Trotsky - 08/08/2006Eleanor Roosevelt - 22/08/2006Millicent Garrett Fawcett - 22/12/2006Julius Caesar - 25/05/2007George Washington - 02/10/2007Winston Churchill - 14/09/2010Rommel - 26/08/2014Ida B Wells - 19/08/2014Learie Constantine - 07/04/2015Abraham Lincoln - 26/01/2016Lucrezia Borgia - 12/04/2016Richard the Lionheart - 10/05/2016Dadabhai Naoroji - 27/09/2016Pope John XXIII - 24/01/2017Sitting Bull - 09/05/2017Emma of Normandy - 16/05/2017Constance Markievicz - 19/09/2017Ellen Wilkinson - 01/08/2017Daniel O' Connell - 19/12/2017Catherine the Great - 29/05/2018Jayaben Desai - 10/04/2018Copyright (c) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution LtdPresented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Matthew Parris and Francine StockProduced 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