Broadcaster and campaigner Esther Rantzen chooses Queen Elizabeth I. Read more
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Elizabeth I
Broadcaster and campaigner Esther Rantzen chooses Queen Elizabeth I.
Noel Coward
TV producer Peter Bazalgette chooses the actor, lyricist and playwright, Noel Coward.
Dr Samuel Johnson
Poet Kit Wright chooses author and creator of the English dictionary, Dr Samuel Johnson.
Flora Sandes
Kate Adie discusses Britain's first commissioned female officer in World War One.
Sarah Bernhardt
Comedienne Jenny Eclair chooses one of the first acting superstars, Sarah Bernhardt.
Bernardo O'Higgins
Writer Brian Keenan chooses Bernardo O'Higgins, who liberated Chile in the 19th century.
Octavia Hill
Trade unionist and politician Brenda Dean chooses National Trust founder Octavia Hill.
Tommy Cooper
Writer and broadcaster Clement Freud chooses comedian Tommy Cooper.
Charles Dickens
Satirist and writer Armando Iannucci chooses novelist Charles Dickens.
Ian Dury
Comedian Linda Smith nominates musician, actor and artist Ian Dury.
Mary Kingsley
Journalist Ann Leslie chooses the pioneering writer and explorer Mary Kingsley.
Tchaikovsky
Economist Ruth Lea chooses the great Russian composer. Stephen Johnson adds his expertise.
Tom Paine
Writer and political activist George Monbiot chooses 18th-century revolutionary Tom Paine.
Benjamin Disraeli
Kenneth Clarke chooses the Victorian politician, Benjamin Disraeli.
Joseph Banks
Scientist Lord Robert May nominates the naturalist and botanist, Joseph Banks.
Gilbert and Sullivan
Dillie Keane chooses the musical duo Gilbert and Sullivan.
Robert FitzRoy
Baroness Margaret Jay chooses pioneering meteorologist Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy.
Vivien Leigh
Barrister Christina Gorna chooses Oscar-winning Vivien Leigh.
Leonard Woolf
4 Extra Debut. Jilly Goolden nominates writer and political thinker Leonard Woolf.
Burt Lancaster
Broadcaster Gerry Anderson chooses Hollywood legend, Burt Lancaster.
Marvin Gaye
Innovative soul singer Marvin Gaye is the choice of historian and broadcaster Tim Marlow.
Edward Elgar
Writer, broadcaster and charity founder Marjorie Wallace chooses composer Edward Elgar.
Michael Collins
Film producer Lord Puttnam chooses the Irish nationalist leader Michael Collins.
Captain Henry Morgan
Writer and photographer Lucinda Lambton chooses the supposed pirate captain.
George Sand
Mary Kenny nominates the 19th-century French novelist.
Charles M Schulz
Valerie Grove selects Charles M Schulz, creator of the Peanuts cartoon strip.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Poet Douglas Dunn nominates Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Francine Stock presents the biographical details of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's great life.
John D Rockefeller
Martin Smith, the Chairman of English National Opera proposes John D Rockefeller.
Elizabeth Gaskell
Amanda Vickery and Jenny Uglow discuss the life of the Elizabeth Gaskell.
Ronald Reagan
Lord Powell nominates Ronald Reagan for great life status.