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Harry Leslie Smith, Pete Shelley, Monica Sims, Professor Wendy Atkin OBE, Ivan March

Matthew Bannister on campaigner Harry Leslie Smith, singer Pete Shelley, Radio 4 Controller Monica Sims, epidemiologist Wendy Atkin, music critic Ivan March

Pictured: Pete Shelley

Matthew Bannister on

Harry Leslie Smith who grew up in poverty in Yorkshire. He became an outspoken campaigner for the welfare state and a social media star in his nineties.

Pete Shelley, lead singer and songwriter of Buzzcocks.

Monica Sims, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ executive who ran children's TV, then became Controller of Radio 4.

Wendy Atkin, the epidemiologist who devised a breakthrough screening test for bowel cancer.

Ivan March, the music critic who set up a record lending library and co-wrote the Penguin Stereo Record Guide.

Interviewed guest: John Smith
Interviewed guest: Owen Jones
Interviewed guest: Gillian Reynolds
Interviewed guest: Edward Barnes
Interviewed guest: Dr Amanda Cross
Interviewed guest: Martin Cullingford
Reader: Tony Turner
Producer: Neil George

Archive clips from: Labour Party Conference, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Parliament 24/09/14; Harry Leslie Smith: Comment is Free, The Guardian 23/03/16; Afternoon Edition, 5 Live 07/10/14; 5 Live Breakfast, 07/12/18; The Seven Ages of Rock, 6 Music 05/04/18; The Buzzcocks Story, 6 Music 31/07/14; Interviews with Monica Sims from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Oral History Collection; ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ News, 12/04/02; Today, Radio 4 28/04/10.

Available now

28 minutes

Harry Leslie Smith

Born 25 February 1923; died 28 November 2018, aged 95.

Last Word spoke to his son John Smith, and Guardian columnist Owen Jones.

Pete Shelley

Born 17 April 1955; died 6 December 2018, aged 63.

Monica Sims

Born 27 October 1925; died 20 November 2018, aged 93.

Last Word spoke to radio critic Gillian Reynolds, and Edward Barnes, former ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ television executive.

Professor Wendy Atkin OBE

Born 5 April 1947; died 2 October 2018, aged 71.

Last Word spoke to her former colleague Dr Amanda Cross, Reader in Cancer Epidemiology at Imperial College London.

Ivan March

Born 5 April 1928; died 1 November 2018, aged 90.

Last Word spoke to Martin Cullingford, editor of Gramophone magazine. 

Broadcasts

  • Fri 7 Dec 2018 16:00
  • Sun 9 Dec 2018 20:30

Podcast