# Radio Lives

Radio Lives was a long running BBC Radio 4 biographical series consisting of portraits of great radio figures. Running over seven series from 1990–96, each episode featured a personality who was influential either on the air or behind the scenes, and was presented by someone with a keen interest in their subject. The programmes demonstrated a striking range of subjects as varied as Edward R. Murrow (the voice of Britain for an American radio audience at the height of the London blitz) to Kenneth Williams, and William Hardcastle (inaugural presenter of The World at One) to Nancy Spain (socialite). Presenters have included Patricia Routledge, Charles Kennedy, Mark Lawson and Humphrey Carpenter.

## Programmes
### Series 1, 19 July – 23 August 1990

| Subject | Presenter | Producer |
| C. E. M. Joad | June Knox-Mawer | Julian Hale |
| Gracie Fields | Patricia Routledge | Elizabeth Burke |
| J. B. S. Haldane | Professor John Durant | Mark Savage |
| Stephen Potter | Mark Lawson | Hamish Mykura |
| Gilbert Harding | Brian Masters | Nigel Acheson |
| A. P. Herbert | Charles Kennedy | Fiona Couper |

### Series 2, 23 May – 20 June 1991

| Subject | Presenter | Producer |
| Derek McCulloch | Trevor Hill | Simon Elmes |
| Isobel Barnett | June Knox-Mawer | Mark Savage |
| Tommy Handley | Phil Smith | Julian Hale |
| J. B. Priestley | Ronald Eyre | Penny Lawrence |
| William Hardcastle | Christopher Cook | Fiona McLean |

### Series 3, 6 August – 10 September 1992

| Subject | Presenter | Producer |
| Mary Stocks | Anne Karpf | Julian Hale |
| Jimmy Clitheroe | Phil Smith | Simon Elmes |
| Edgar Lustgarten | Jonathan Goodman | Matt Thompson |
| Audrey Russell | Roisin McAuley | Fran Acheson |
| Edward R Murrow | Christopher Cook | Fiona McLean |
| A. G. Street | Sean Street | |

### Series 4, 27 May – 1 July 1993

| Subject | Presenter | Producer |
| Sir Hugh Greene | Alasdair Milne | Julian Hale |
| Jimmy Edwards | Nigel Farrell | Ronni Davis |
| René Cutforth | Peter White | Nigel Acheson |
| Nancy Spain | Natalie Wheen | Matt Thompson |
| Marghanita Laski | David Wheeler | Louise Purslow |
| Louis MacNeice | Humphrey Carpenter | Fiona McLean |

### Series 5, 9 June – 14 July 1994

| Subject | Presenter | Producer |
| Kenneth Williams | Russell Davies | Simon Elmes |
| Hermione Gingold | | Matt Thompson |
| Chester Wilmot | Philip Knightly | Julian Hale |
| Leslie Welch | Jon Stock | Ann-Marie Evans |
| Peter Eckersley | Derek Robinson | Bella Bannerman |
| R. D. Smith | Humphrey Carpenter | Fiona McLean |

### Series 6, 29 June – 3 August 1995

| Subject | Presenter | Producer(s) |
| Gerald Priestland | Robert Fox | Simon Elmes |
| Frankie Howerd | Dylan Winter | Matt Thompson |
| Kenny Everett | Robert Sandall | Chris Paling |
| Eamonn Andrews | Peter White | Nigel Acheson and Kim Normanton |
| Charles Parker | Laurie Taylor | Sally Flatman |
| Jack de Manio | Nick Baker | Cathy Drysdale |

### Series 7, 31 October – 5 December 1996

| Subject | Presenter | Producer |
| Jon Pertwee | Nick Baker | Peter Hoare |
| Brian Redhead | Michael Bywater | Bob Carter |
| Liberace | | Matt Thompson |
| Freya Stark | Peggy Reynolds | Sarah Bowen |
| Russell Harty | Richard Coles | Fiona Couper |
| A. J. Ayer | Laurie Taylor | Julian Hale |