Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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Joan Bakewell

Humphrey Carpenter

Francine Stock

Matthew Parris

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

Great Leaders' Lives

A BBC biography collection

David Attenborough

Collected together for the very first time, this is the complete Series 1 and 2 of Life Stories, written and presented by Sir David Attenborough. 
 
One of the nation's most popular presenters, Sir David examines 40 marvels of the natural world from his extraordinary and pioneering experiences. 
 
What was Sir David's first pet? Which animal would he most like to be? How did he track down a giant earthworm? Why does he respect rats? And what did he do when confronted by a ten-foot-long reptile? 
 
His enthusiasm is as infectious as ever, and conveys a unique fascination on topics as diverse as the sloth, monstrous flowers, the platypus, dragons, the fire salamander, the coelacanth, the dodo, bird's-nest soup and the large blue butterfly. So listen to these stories to find out the real reason why animals sing, the story behind a 150-million-year-old feather, and what it is about snakes that really unnerves Sir David. 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

David Attenborough's Life Stories

The Complete Collection

Adam Hart-Davis

Science's long history is studded with 'eureka years', when radical and brilliant ideas emerged from the maelstrom of mad, bad and dangerous thinking to transform the way we look at ourselves and our universe. Veteran broadcaster and polymath Adam Hart-Davis guides us through 16 of these pivotal years, examining the ways in which they revolutionised our scientific understanding. 
 
He begins with 1665, uncovering the truth behind the legendary story of Newton's discovery of gravity; and explores how two industrial breakthroughs in 1769 - the spinning frame and the steam engine - were connected with a robot that could apparently play chess. In 555 BC, he asks if Pythagoras really came up with the mathematical theorem that bears his name; and in 1965, he considers how the Cold War and advances in military technology fuelled the race to the moon. 
 
Back in 1650, Adam finds out how the opening of England's first coffeehouse signalled the beginning of a new age of reason; while another everyday invention - the motorcar - sped onto the scene in 1893 thanks to groundbreaking developments by Henry Ford, Karl Benz and Gottfried Daimler. And in 1905, a young man called Albert Einstein changed our view of space and time with one of the most important ideas in modern physics - how's that for a 'eureka year'! 
 
Plus, special episode 'The Eureka Year at Christmas' delves into the technology of the festive season, as Adam finds a dazzling description of the first Christmas tree lit by electric light bulbs, peers at X-rays of teddy bear skeletons and pulls a cracker in the name of scientific investigation. 
 
Full of amazing stories, told with Adam Hart-Davis' trademark enthusiasm and humour, this entertaining series guides us through some of the astounding moments that changed our world. 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
 
Presented by Adam Hart-Davis 
Produced by John Byrne and Mary Ward-Lowery 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 9-30 October 2004 (Series 1), 14-28 January 2006 (Series 2), 29 August-19 September 2007 (Series 3), 11 July-1 August 2008 (Series 4), 26 December 2008 ('The Eureka Years at Christmas')

The Eureka Years

A BBC history of science

Clare English

Clare English meets the entrepreneurs, mavericks, trend-setters and seminal thinkers who have forged a path to the top 
 
Broadcaster and current affairs specialist Clare English talks to 12 extraordinary trailblazers. Here are the inspiring stories of politicians and inventors, scientists and surgeons, models, parents, creatives and founders. All, in their own field and in their own way, have broken new ground and changed the world. 
 
David Blunkett tells how he rose to high political office despite being blind from birth; Kim Cotton discusses the highs and lows of becoming the UK's first surrogate mother; and Ian Ritchie talks about pioneering the first web browser - and reveals the missed opportunity that could have made him millions. From EastEnders actor Michael Cashman, who made history with UK TV's first gay kiss to Professor Sir Alan Cuschieri on spearheading keyhole surgery and David Gow on coming up with the idea of the world's first bionic hand, each has a compelling tale to share. 
 
Also included are three episodes from another BBC Radio Scotland series, Women on Top, in which Clare English chats to successful women about the sacrifices they had to make to reach the top, and whether they really have it all. We hear from Nicola Sturgeon about her life in Scottish politics; Marie Claire editor Marie O'Riordan on the glamour of the fashion industry; and Krissi Murison on becoming NME magazine's first female editor, and whether her gender makes any difference on the job. 
 
Presented by Clare English 
 
Pioneers 
Produced by Philip Sime 
With: David Blunkett, Sir Alec Jeffreys, Kim Cotton, Ian Ritchie, Michael Cashman, James Goodfellow, Michael Apted, Shannon Murray, Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri, Roy Day and Mike Tunstall of The Samaritans, David Gow 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland: 23 December 2010-3 February 2011 (Series 1), 25 August-29 September 2011 (Series 2) 
 
Women on Top 
With Nicola Sturgeon, Marie O'Riordan and Krissi Murison 
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland: 29 January 2009, 15 January 2009 and 17 June 2010 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Pioneers

Lessons from 12 world-leading innovators

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