Last Word

Matthew Bannister onThe comedian Caroline Aherne who created Mrs Merton and the Royle family and struggled with the pressures of fame.Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel. Described by President Obama as "one of the great moral voices of our time", he won the Nobel Peace Prize. The poet Sir Geoffrey Hill whose work focused on English history, landscape and religion.The Conservative politician Lord Mayhew. As Northern Ireland Secretary under John Major, he laid the foundations for the peace process.And the film director Michael Cimino - best known for the Deer Hunter which won five Oscars. Producer: Dianne McGregor.

Matthew Bannister onThe Pakistani qawwali singer Amjad Sabri. A huge star in his homeland, he was shot dead in his car in Karachi. The auctioneer Lorna Kelly who turned her back on a glittering New York lifestyle to work with Mother Teresa.The psychologist Jerome Bruner whose work brought new insight into how children learn.Bob Holman who gave up his academic career to live and work with people on housing estates. And Scotty Moore who played guitar on many of Elvis Presley's biggest hits. Producer: Dianne McGregor.

Matthew Bannister onThe parasitologist Sylvia Meek who led the fight to reduce deaths from malaria. Harry Rabinowitz who conducted the music for many films and TV series, including the English Patient and Upstairs Downstairs.Ethel Bush who was one of the two first policewomen to be awarded the George Medal for bravery. Sam King, the RAF veteran from Jamaica who later travelled to Britain on the Empire Windrush and became Mayor of Southwark.And Chips Moman, the record producer who worked with Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Willie Nelson.

Julian Worricker on:The playwright Sir Peter Shaffer, most famous for 'The Royal Hunt of the Sun, 'Equus' and 'Amadeus'...The physicist, Sir Denys Wilkinson, considered an expert on the electromagnetic properties of nuclear isotopes...The dancer, Peggy Spencer - also a choreographer, adjudicator and dance event organiser...And the man voted the sportsman of the last century, heavyweight boxer and civil rights campaigner, Muhammad Ali.

Reeta Chakrabarti on:The MP Jo Cox , who was brutally killed in the street, after meeting local people in the West Yorkshire constituency she representedThe musician Dave Swarbrick, who found fame with the folk group Fairport Convention - and who celebrated the premature publication of his obituary by a newspaper, 17 years before his death.The chess player Viktor Korchnoi, a grandmaster of the international circuit, who defected from the Soviet Union and whose career became enmeshed in Cold War politics.And the showbiz writer Wendy Leigh, who produced racy celebrity biographies and steamy novels, and who had a long affair with the publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell.

Matthew Bannister onCarla Lane who wrote hit TV comedies including The Liver Birds, Bread and Butterflies. Wendy Craig pays tribute. The ICI Chairman Sir Denys Henderson, who fought off a takeover bid from Lord Hanson and split the company into two parts.Jane Fawcett, the former debutante who worked with the code-breakers at Bletchley Park and then fought to conserve many of Britain's greatest Victorian buildings.And Alan Devereux who for nearly fifty years played Sid Perks in the Archers.

Matthew Bannister onProfessor Robert McNeill Alexander - the father of animal biomechanics, who revealed how fast dinosaurs could run.The Australian TV producer Reg Grundy who was behind a string of popular hits, including Neighbours, Wheel of Fortune and Prisoner Cell Block H. Sally Brampton, the founding editor of British Elle magazine who wrote a powerful book about her struggle with depression. And Tony Cozier, the West Indian cricket commentator who was a much loved member of the Test Match Special team.

Matthew Bannister onGareth Gwenlan the TV producer and Head of BBC Comedy behind a string of hits including Only Fools and Horses. Sir David Jason pays tribute.Sir Harry Kroto, the Nobel prize winning chemist who helped to discover new forms of carbon.Michael 'Dandy Kim' Caborn-Waterfield, the charming, well dressed scoundrel who started the Ann Summers chain of sex shops and was imprisoned in France for stealing thousands of pounds from the movie mogul Jack Warner.The paediatrician Lilly Dubowitz who developed revolutionary tests to assess new born babiesAnd the Congolese singer and flamboyant dresser Papa Wemba.

Matthew Bannister onThe Reverend Daniel Berrigan, the American Catholic priest who devoted his life to campaigning for peace. He was arrested many times for protests against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons. Jenny Diski who wrote celebrated novels, essays including her travelogue Skating to Antarctica and her latest memoir In Gratitude.Lord Walton, the eminent neurologist who wrote an influential paper on muscle diseases.And Guy Woolfenden, long serving musical director at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sir Trevor Nunn pays tribute.

Matthew Bannister onThe economist Lord Peston who advised the Labour governments of the 60s and 70s. His son Robert Peston and Lord Hattersley pay tribute. The women's cricket coach Ruth Prideaux who steered England to victory at the 1993 World Cup.The Chilean President Patricio Aylwin who is credited with restoring democracy after nearly 17 years of military dictatorship.The physicist Professor Sir David Mackay, known as 'the cleverest man in Cambridge' and a debunker of myths about climate change.And the actor Gareth Thomas best known for his leading role in the TV series Blake's Seven.