Great Lives

Ade Edmondson - star of The Young Ones, The Comic Strip Presents, Bottom and much more besides - chooses the singer Sandy Denny.
"I think a large part of my Englishness comes from Sandy Denny," he says of the singer perhaps best known for her work with Fairport Convention.
The programme includes archive of Richard Thompson, Mick Houghton and Sandy herself, plus help from Patrick Humphries, who interviewed Sandy Denny shortly before her early death aged just 31.
The producer for BBC Studios is Miles Warde

Tony Garnett was born in Birmingham and, after a brief career as an actor, found a new role behind the scenes of The Wednesday Play. These rapidly gained a reputation in the sixties for social realism, and together with Ken Loach and Roger Smith, Tony produced short, pioneering films that are still famous today. Cathy Come Home was a shocking expose of homelessness, while Up The Junction contained a trip to the abortionist that drew hundreds of complaints. Tony's own mother had died following an illegal backstreet abortion, and his father committed suicide shortly after. Ken Loach reckons that tragedy hung over him his whole life.
Nominating Tony Garnett is Harry Bradbeer, winner of multiple awards for his involvement in series such as Fleabag and Killing Eve. He worked with Tony Garnett on the hit nineties tv series about young lawyers in London, This Life. Also contributing to this special episode of Great Lives are Susanna Capon, who was a trainee script editor on The Wednesday Play; and Ken Loach himself, now almost ninety and interviewed in his current hometown of Bath by producer Miles Warde.
The presenter is Matthew Parris and Great Lives is a BBC Studios production in Bristol.

Peter Cook was at the centre of the satire boom of the early sixties, both on stage with Beyond the Fringe and with his Soho club, The Establishment. Later he became a famous double act with Dudley Moore, and was also less well known as Lord Gnome, the proprietor of Private Eye.
"I can't believe that after 600 episodes of Great Lives, no one has ever nominated him before."
A funny half hour on the life of Peter Cook, featuring archive of him both young and old. Jon Harvey makes the case for this comedy great along with the voices of biographer Harry Thompson, Jonathan Miller, Ian Hislop, Richard Ingrams, and - in an interview from 1993 - Chris Morris. Also includes an extract of The Strange Death of the Establishment from Radio 4 in 2004
The producer for BBC Studios is Miles Warde

Writer and podcaster Coco Khan nominates the little-known but formidable Edith Garrud, a woman who turned Edwardian expectations on their head. A pioneer of ‘Suffrajitsu’, she taught women Japanese martial arts so they could defend themselves from arrest. Joining Coco is Dr Naomi Paxton, who brings Edith Garrud to life as a woman who promoted her cause through public performance.
The programme was produced by Hannah Hufford.

"Gladstone became prime minister at 82, and not as a figurehead. That is the Gladstone who has inspired me." Trevor Lyttleton.
Born in 1809, William Gladstone's political life straddled the century - he moved from the tories to the liberal party, was Chancellor of the exchequer and became Prime Minister an unequalled four times. Queen Victoria didn't like him, but campaigner Trevor Lyttleton sees him as a champion for the amazing abilities of older people everywhere. Trevor is the founder of Re-Engage, a long running charity which aims to conquer loneliness among the elderley.
Joining Trevor and Matthew Parris in studio is Dr Ruth Windscheffel from York St John University.