"John Clare, I cried last night for you" wrote Wendy Cope in a poem dedicated to the earlier poet, who overcame monumental setbacks - including a poverty-stricken upbringing and a long struggle with mental illness - to write some of the most sensitive poetry in the English language. At one point he was famous as "the English Robert Burns" but his fame dropped away vertiginously and many people now know him solely for his cri de coeur, "I Am." Clare's biographer, Sir Jonathan Bate, joins Wendy in the studio with Matthew Parris to consider how Clare's life is both inspirational and great.

Producer Christine Hall. Published on May 5, 2015.

Wendy Cope on John Clare

Marlon Brando - greatest actor of the twentieth century ? Film critic Antonia Quirke definitely thinks he is. But the star of the Godfather, On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire divides opinion in this lively assessment of his life. With contributions from writer Robyn Karney and Joe Queenan in the United States. Matthew Parris presents.
The producer is Miles Warde. Published on May 12, 2015.

Antonia Quirke on Marlon Brando

This week's Great Life might have become an Afrikaner Nationalist Prime Minister of apartheid South Africa, but instead became its most prominent white opponent. A formidable advocate, he led the defence of Nelson Mandela in the Rivonia Trial.
It is no exaggeration to say Bram Fischer saved Mandela's life, and it is said Mandela would have made him his vice-president, had he lived to see Mandela's release.
He's nominated by former English High Court Judge Sir Nick Stadlen along with Lord Joffe. Matthew Parris is the presenter. The producer is Perminder Khatkar. Published on September 22, 2015.

Nick Stadlen on Bram Fischer

Richard the Lionheart has been portrayed on screen by Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins and Patrick Stewart, quite a starry list. But what is the reality behind the legend of this famous king? Richard's nominator is Timmy Mallett, a legend of children's TV but also unexpectedly a history graduate. Great historical characters, he says, have great stories attached to them, and Richard's life was not short of adventure, particularly on the Third Crusade. Applying a cool head to Richard's life is the historian and broadcaster Helen Castor. She concedes that much of Timmy's enthusiasm is probably deserved. Presenter Matthew Parris attempts to discover the truth about whether the Lionheart was in fact gay.
The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde. Published on May 10, 2016.

Richard the Lionheart

George Fox, born in 1624 in Leicestershire, is best known as the founder of the Quakers. In early life he was apprenticed to a shoemaker, and for a while he worked as a shepherd as well. But it was as a preacher travelling widely across the land that he made his name, and also received the most abuse. As he writes: "... the people fell upon me in great rage, struck me down and almost stifled and smothered me. And I was cruelly beaten and bruised by them with their hands, Bibles and sticks."
Nominating the dissenting George Fox is Ann Limb, chair of the Scout Association. Also in studio, Jonathan Fryer, editor of George Fox and the Children of the Light.
Matthew Parris presents, and the producer in Bristol is Miles Warde. Published on May 24, 2016.

George Fox

Frank Turner chooses Joseph Grimaldi, the first celebrity of Pantomime who changed the face of Clowning forever. Matthew Parris presents, and Mattie Faint is the expert.

Grimaldi was born into a theatrical family, making his stage debut aged two dressed as a monkey and being flung around the stage on the end of a chain by his tyrannical father. The chain snapped but Grimaldi survived, making the papers and turning Grimaldi into a little celebrity. His performances as 'Clown', combining acrobatics, satire and music, made him a big draw for the crowds, and his role in 'Mother Goose' turned him into a huge star. 

He developed the make-up we now associate with clowns but behind this iconic look was a man suffering from depression, extreme physical disintegration and a series of personal tragedies.

Frank Turner, former punk and now folk singer-songwriter, sees himself primarily as an entertainer and has developed an interest in Pantomime and Music Hall. For him, Grimaldi gave everything to his audiences and physically destroyed himself in the process - something he sees as honourable. He describes Grimaldi's farewell speech as one of the most beautiful eulogies to the business of being a performer.

Producer: Toby Field. Published on May 31, 2016.

Frank Turner on Joseph Grimaldi

Biography series exploring the greatest people who ever lived. Matthew Parris interviews an eminent guest and an expert to reveal the truth behind their history heroes.

Great Lives

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