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Last Word

BBC Radio 4
BBC
Malaria
MI5
London
Sly Dunbar
Shipwrecks
CIA
Cold War
Dr. Lowitja O'donoghue
World War II
Pope Francis
Dick Cheney
Scottish Parliament
Deborah Cameron
Nicholas White
Lord Wallace
Yvonne Brewster
Mary May Mcgee
Civil Rights Movement
Nora Cortiñas

Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes590Founded16 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Personal JournalsDocumentarySociety & Culture

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Artwork for Last Word

Latest Episodes

Margaret Papandreou was the American born wife of the socialist Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou. When her husband was elected in 1981, Margaret refused to disappear into the background. Instead, she embarked on a series of high-profile campai... more

American evangelist Jim Bakker built up the multi-million dollar Praise the Lord TV network, but ended up in prison after being convicted of fraud. Often working alongside his wife Tammy Faye, Jim became one of the best-known evangelical preachers in... more

Margaret Hamilton was a trailblazer in her field, leading the team who developed the software for Nasa's Apollo missions. This was where the term "software engineering" was first coined. Margaret's work in the 1960s, ultimately enabled the astronauts... more

Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare - Jeffery Archer - was a top sprinter in his 20s, an MP at 29, a multi-million best-selling author and a close confidant of Conservative Prime Ministers, his career came crashing down following unwise investments, a s... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

George Papandreou
Former Greek prime minister and son of Margaret Papandreou
Episode: Margaret Papandreou: The American-born first lady and champion of gender equality in Greece
Peter Lord
Aardman Animations co-founder
Aardman Animations
Episode: Margaret Papandreou: The American-born first lady and champion of gender equality in Greece
Jon Wood
Publisher who worked with Malcolm Edwards at Orion
Orion
Episode: Margaret Papandreou: The American-born first lady and champion of gender equality in Greece
Kate Mosse
Author of Labyrinth
Episode: Margaret Papandreou: The American-born first lady and champion of gender equality in Greece
Sarah Barker
Daughter of festival founder Tarby Davenport and successor in running Weird and Wonderful Wood
Weird and Wonderful Wood
Episode: Margaret Papandreou: The American-born first lady and champion of gender equality in Greece
John Wigger
Author of “PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Evangelical Empire”
Episode: The rise and fall of Jim Bakker: From multi-millionaire televangelist to convicted fraudster
Sean O'Brien
Poet and friend of Douglas Dunn for more than 50 years
Episode: The rise and fall of Jim Bakker: From multi-millionaire televangelist to convicted fraudster
Sally Inch
Midwife and colleague of Chloe Fisher
Episode: The rise and fall of Jim Bakker: From multi-millionaire televangelist to convicted fraudster
Dougie Stevenson
Lena Martell's longtime recording manager and band pedal steel guitarist
Episode: The rise and fall of Jim Bakker: From multi-millionaire televangelist to convicted fraudster

Hosts

Jasmine Dottie Waller
Host of Last Word (BBC Radio 4 obituary programme)
Keelin Carew
Host of the programme

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 330 ratings
  • Great Programme

    Informative biographical details, well presented. People are dying to get onto this programme!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Teac 2021
    Australia9 months ago
  • Always something to absorb

    Really - my music collection has expanded thanks to this podcast- I never expected that.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    paulsplanet
    United Kingdom4 years ago
  • 😭😭😭😭😭😭

    Techno blade now please 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    hgjfvghjhfjgfghjgfhfjhg
    United States4 years ago
  • Death loses its sting!

    The range of people is excellent and interesting: a good listen.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Grandmatriarch
    United Kingdom5 years ago
  • It’s 2022

    In 2022 why dose Matthew Bannister think it’s ok to say “ taken the Micky “ dose he not know that it’s an anti Irish saying from the last century?

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    kelly
    United Kingdom5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the biographical depth and compassionate tone.
A few critical comments note occasional pacing or brevity in some episodes.
Quality of guests and stories is consistently engaging for fans of obituary-forward storytelling.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Margaret Papandreou: The American-born first lady and champion of gender equality in Greece
Q: What was the inception of the Weird and Wonderful Wood Festival? How did that begin?
Sarah Barker describes it as bringing together her mother's passions for arts, crafts, music, making things, nature and bringing people together.
Margaret Papandreou: The American-born first lady and champion of gender equality in Greece
Q: How did she meet your father?
George Papandreou says his parents met by chance in a dentist's waiting room, where Margaret was studying French and asked Andreas if he knew the language.
Margaret Hamilton: the woman who helped put man on the moon
Q: What was her role in the hierarchy, and how much power did she exert over the atrocities that were carried out?
Allan Little says Plavšić was one of two deputy presidents under Radovan Karadžić and one of the guiding lights behind the idea of an ethnically pure Serbian state in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Margaret Hamilton: the woman who helped put man on the moon
Q: Am I right in thinking, Kevin, that there was actually an incident on Apollo 8?
Kevin Fong says James Lovell made the kind of input Hamilton had warned could trigger a failure. The incident activated the feared problem, and Hamilton's team worked for about nine hours to recover the mission.
The rise and fall of Jim Bakker: From multi-millionaire televangelist to convicted fraudster
Q: What was her approach? How would you sum up her approach?
Fisher taught people to observe breastfeeding, respect the mother and baby, and help women who had chosen to breastfeed without pressuring anyone.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Last Word

What is Last Word about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Obituary-focused conversations span politics, medicine, science, culture, and the arts, using memories, expert recollections, and archival material to paint multi-faceted portraits of recently deceased figures. Episodes highlight reformist leadership, medical breakthroughs, cultural icons, and public service, weaving personal anecdotes with professional legacies. The approach tends to blend reverence with critical context, often featuring tributes from colleagues, historians, and family, making it informative, human, and curious for listeners who enjoy biographies, historical context, and cross-disciplinary storytelling.

Where can I find podcast stats for Last Word?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Last Word. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Last Word and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Last Word get?

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How many subscribers and views does Last Word have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Last Word has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Last Word?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Last Word:

1. Great Lives
2. Profile
3. Private Passions
4. This Cultural Life
5. Desert Island Discs

How many episodes of Last Word are there?

Last Word launched 16 years ago and published 590 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Last Word?

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Where can I see ratings and reviews for Last Word?

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What guests have appeared on Last Word?

Recent guests on Last Word include:

1. George Papandreou
2. Peter Lord
3. Jon Wood
4. Kate Mosse
5. Sarah Barker
6. John Wigger
7. Sean O'Brien
8. Sally Inch

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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