Last Word

Matthew Bannister onThe Conservative politician Lord Parkinson. He masterminded the 1983 election victory but was forced to resign when his affair with his secretary was revealed.Bill Mitchell, who lived and breathed the Yorkshire Dales, editing the Dalesman magazine and writing hundreds of books.Paddy Doherty, the Irish Republican activist who played a leading role in Derry's 1969 Battle of the Bogside. Henry Worsley, the former SAS soldier and explorer who died whilst attempting the first solo unaided crossing of Antarctica.And Dr Gladys-Marie Fry, the folklorist who chronicled the African American experience.

Matthew Bannister onGlenn Frey - singer, guitarist and songwriter with The Eagles - who sold millions of albums in the 1970s.Lord Weidenfeld, the influential publisher, party giver and networker - and, in later life, rescuer of Christians from Syria and Iraq. The writer and activist Jeanne Cordova - a former nun who campaigned for lesbian rights.Haskell Wexler, the cinematographer who won an Oscar for the film "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?".And Gilbert Kaplan, the multi millionaire businessman who conducted Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony more than a hundred times.

Matthew Bannister on David Bowie, art expert, fashion icon and media manipulator. Alan Rickman, the actor most famous for playing villains from the Sheriff of Nottingham to Professor Snape. Olwyn Hughes, the sister of the poet Ted Hughes who fiercely guarded his literary legacy and that of his late wife Sylvia Plath. And Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, the Radio 1 and 2 DJ who presented Junior Choice.

Matthew Bannister onRobert Stigwood, the impresario who managed Eric Clapton and The Bee Gees, produced Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita and the movies Saturday Night Fever and Grease. Patricia Torrens the first adviser on diet to the Department of Health. Pierre Boulez, the avant garde French composer and conductor who pioneered serialism and the use of electronics.Lord Ezra who was chairman of the National Coal Board in the 1970s.And Natalie Cole, the acclaimed singer who battled drug addiction and sang a posthumous duet with her father Nat King Cole.

Recording engineer, Eric Tomlinson, who worked on the score for Star Wars and added music to Charlie Chaplin's silent films.Elsie Tu, social campaigner, legislator and educationalist in Hong Kong.Author, Peter Dickinson, who twice received the prestigious Carnegie medal for his work.Entrepreneur, Lillian Vernon, whose catalogue business was the first company owned by a woman to be listed on the US Stock Exchange.Motorhead frontman, Lemmy, who's credited with introducing punk sounds into heavy metal.Producer: Maire Devine

Matthew Bannister and Economist Obituary Editor Ann Wroe recall some of the most memorable lives of 2015, including a diver, a scientist and a singer. Producer: Edwina Pitman.

Matthew Bannister on The Irish cyclist, strong man and farm labourer Mick Murphy who won a famous victory in the 1958 round Ireland race. The Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi who boasted that he tricked the Americans into invading his country. The American soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs, who was the first black singer to appear at La Scala in Milan. Ther last surviving Indian king from the days of the British Raj. Brajraj Mahapatra ended his days in poverty. And Holly Woodlawn, the transgender actress who starred in Andy Warhol's film "Trash" and Lou Reed's song "Walk On The Wild Side"

Matthew Bannister on The Israeli chemical weapons expert Marcus Klingberg, who was revealed to have been spying for the Soviet Union. The Scottish writer William McIlvanney, best known for his Jack Laidlaw crime novels. Val McDermid pays tribute. Setsuko Hara, one of Japan's most popular film actresses. Joel Elkes, the pharmacologist who pioneered the use of drugs to treat schizophrenia. And John Peel, the anthropologist who studied Nigeria's Yoruba people.

Matthew Bannister on General Sir Robert Ford who was Commander Land Forces Northern Ireland at the time of the Bloody Sunday shootings. Hazel Adair, the TV scriptwriter behind hit series like Compact, Emergency Ward 10 and Crossroads. Professor Jane Wardle, the behavioural scientist who transformed our understanding of cancer screening and prevention. Gerry Byrne, the Liverpool left back who was part of the England World Cup winning squad in 1966. And PF Sloan, the enigmatic musician who wrote the number one hit "Eve of Destruction"

Matthew Bannister on TV pioneer Peter Dimmock. An accomplished presenter and also a BBC executive, he directed the coverage of the Queen's coronation in 1953. Also SOE agent Alix d'Unienville. In the days before D Day she was parachuted into occupied France with a suitcase containing forty million francs. Yolanda Sonnabend who designed some of the UK's best loved ballets Maggie Eales who rose from the secretarial pool at ITN to become the company's Foreign Editor. Jon Snow pays tribute. And George Barris who created some of the most exotic vehicles in TV and film, including the Batmobile, the Munsters' Koach and the intelligent car in Knight Rider.