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Tristram Hunt on Josiah Wedgwood, vase maker general to the universe! Read more
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Josiah Wedgwood, master potter
Tristram Hunt on Josiah Wedgwood, vase maker general to the universe!
Peggy Seeger on her husband Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl - folk singer and labour activist - was born Jimmy Miller in Salford in 1915.
Dorothy Byrne on Catherine of Siena
The president of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge champions the life of the Italian saint
Yanis Varoufakis on Hypatia
The life and brutal death of a gifted mathematician and philosopher from the ancient world
Ruth Rogers on James Baldwin
Ruth Rogers chooses the life of writer James Baldwin.
JRR Tolkien, creator of The Hobbit
Niall Ferguson chooses JRR Tolkien, creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
Rory Sutherland on Johnny Ramone
The advertising guru Rory Sutherland on the founder of the New York punk band, the Ramones
Jeanne Baret, first woman to sail round the globe
Nina Sosanya picks Jeanne Baret, first woman round the globe.
Noor-Un-Nissa Inayat Khan
The muslim princess who became a WW2 Special Agent
William Lever, Lord Leverhulme, founder of Unilever
The mighty soap manufacturer, William Lever, chosen by the boss of Iceland
Lady Hale on Lady Rhondda
Lady Hale on Lady Rhondda.
Roma Agrawal on Mrinalini Sarabhai
The engineer and author Roma Agrawal on Indian classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai.
Spike Milligan
Comedian and poet Henry Normal picks his comedy hero - Spike Milligan.
Brian Cox on Lindsay Anderson
Tom Hopkinson, editor of Picture Post
Donald Macintyre on Tom Hopkinson, editor of Picture Post and Drum.
Janet Ellis on Puffin editor Kaye Webb
Blue Peter's Janet Ellis champions a children's publishing sensation.
Lolita Chakrabarti on actor Ira Aldridge
Lolita Chakrabarti on actor Ira Aldridge.
Gil Scott-Heron
Joe Swift on Gil Scott-Heron
Mr Manchester Tony Wilson nominated by Terry Christian
Terry Christian from The Word on Tony Wilson of Factory Records and The Hacienda.
Rob Newman on Franklin D Roosevelt
Comedian Rob Newman nominates one of his heroes, President Franklin D Roosevelt.
Joan Rhodes, strongest woman in the world
Anna Maxwell Martin proposes Joan Rhodes, variety artiste and strongwoman
Judy Garland
Ethel Gumm, better known as Judy Garland, picked by Susie Boyt.
Pat Nevin on Johan Cruyff
Pat Nevin picks Johan Cruyff, the Dutch footballer who changed how the game was played.
Holly Walsh on BS Johnson
Holly Walsh picks BS Johnson, fiery sixties novelist
Ravi Shankar, India's famous sitar player
Bobby Seagull picks Ravi Shankar.
Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw, Educationalist
Sir John Timpson picks Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw.
Rosalind Franklin picked by Kate Bingham, former head of the UK government's vaccine taskforce
Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to the discovery of DNA.
Romy Gill on poet Amrita Pritam
Chef Romy Gill celebrates a poet whose work was heavily influenced by Partition.
George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood nominated by Lesley Garrett
Soprano Lesley Garrett celebrates the life of George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
Astrid Lindgren, creator of Pippi Longstocking
Cressida Cowell on her hero Astrid Lindgren, creator of Pippi Longstocking.
Bonnie Greer on the Women of the Morant Bay Rebellion
Bonnie Greer nominates the women of the Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica.
