Francine Stock – författare

Famous fans choose their favourite writers for BBC Radio 4''s Great LivesFor 20 years, Great Lives has been a cornerstone of the Radio 4 schedules, presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and Matthew Parris. Each week, a well-known personality is invited to select someone who has inspired them. They then discuss the ''Great Life'' with the presenter and a guest expert to decide whether their hero really merits the accolade.This special collection, celebrating the programme''s 20th anniversary, contains the very best episodes featuring authors'' lives - from novelists to poets, playwrights to food writers. The eclectic selections include Armando Iannucci on Charles Dickens, Caroline Criado Perez on Jane Austen, and Rich Hall on Tennessee Williams. Two Prime Ministers, John Major and Boris Johnson, discuss the lives of Rudyard Kipling and Samuel Johnson respectively, while MP Rory Stewart champions Sir Walter Scott and Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate, nominates Alfred, Lord Tennyson.From Fay Weldon on H. G. Wells, to Prue Leith on Elizabeth David, the lives of the guests themselves are revealed to be just as fascinating as those of their chosen candidates for greatness.Illuminating and insightful, these gripping Great Lives episodes track the highs and lows of some of the most illustrious characters in the world of literature, sifting fact from fiction to show why they achieved so much and how they have inspired and influenced so many.List of episodes and date of first broadcast on BBC Radio 4:HG Wells 12.10.2001George Eliot 7.6.2002Lord Byron 19.7.2002Charles Dickins 21.11.2003Edith Wharton 14.5.2004George Orwell 12.11.2004Robert Burns 31.12.2004Elizabeth Gaskell 20.5.2005Robert Louis Stevenson 22.4.2005George Sand 8.4.2005Vasily Grossman 28.10.2005Anton Chekhov 17.4.2007George Bernard Shaw 29.5.2007Elizabeth David 25.9.2007Katherine Mansfield 22.1.2008Charles Bukowski 8.4.2008Dr Samuel Johnson 8.9.2009Rudyard Kipling 29.9.2009Alfred, Lord Tennyson 4.8.2009Tennessee Williams 15.12.2009Bertolt Brecht 06.04.2010Michel de Montaigne 21.09.2010Samuel Beckett 21.12.2010DH Lawrence 14.12.2010Lewis Carroll 3.5.2011Simone de Beauvoir 19.04.2011Hans Fallada 6.9.2011William Shakespeare 30.08.2011Sir Walter Scott 14.8.2012John Updike 07.01.2014Elie Wiesel 13.12.2016CS Lewis 03.01.2017Jane Austen 7.5.2019Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution LtdPresented by Matthew Parris, Francine Stock and Humphrey CarpenterProduced by Perminder Khatkar, Miles Warde, Jolyon Jenkins, John Byrne, Maggie Ayre, Toby Field, Alasdair Cross, Mary Ward Lowery, Peter Everett, Mark Smalley, Isobel Eaton, Jolyon Jenkins, Christine Hall, Lizz Pearson, Beth O''Dea, Paul Dodgson, Nicola Humphries, Chris Ledgard, Melvin Rickarby, Camellia Sinclair, Eliza Lomas, Beatrice Fenton

Well-known personalities pick their favourite entertainers for BBC Radio 4''s Great LivesOne of the BBC''s most acclaimed programmes, Great Lives has been a regular Radio 4 fixture for 20 years, presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and Matthew Parris. Every week, a famous name is invited into the studio to nominate a figure from the past who has inspired them, and discuss their subject with the presenter and a guest expert.Included in this special collection, marking the programme''s 20th anniversary, are the very best episodes featuring the lives of entertainers - artists, comedians, clowns, magicians, sporting heroes and stars of stage and screen. Among them, Julian Clary champions Noël Coward, Anthony Horowitz advocates Alfred Hitchcock, Penelope Keith puts forward Morecambe and Wise and David Bailey plumps for Pablo Picasso. Here, the lives of the celebrity guests are as intriguing as those of the people they pick: as is also the case with Alan Davies on Richard Beckinsale, Mica Paris on Josephine Baker, Ken Dodd on Stan Laurel, Mark Gatiss on Peter Cushing and many, many others.From Simon Callow on Orson Welles, to Fiona Shaw on Eleonora Duse, these engaging episodes put some of the world''s best-known entertainers under the spotlight, examining their achievements and probing their personalities to find out what made them so inspiring, influential and extraordinary.List of episode and date of first broadcast on BBC Radio 4:Umm Kulthum 22.11.02Tommy Cooper 14.11.03Charles M Schulz 15.4.05Mae West 7.10.05Morecambe & Wise 4.4.06Noël Coward 18.4.06Johnny Weissmuller 9.5.06Tamara Karsavina 23.5.06Max Miller 15.8.06Joan Littlewood 5.1.07Richard Beckinsale 9.1.07Lilian Baylis 7.8.07Thora Hird 11.12.07Groucho Marx 15.1.08Peter Cushing 1.4.08Joyce Grenfell 20.5.08Richard Pryor 12.8.08Harry Houdini 22.9.09Gerald Durrell 27.9.11Stan Laurel 4.9.12Pablo Picasso 19.01.10John Ford 08.05.12Karel Reisz 11.09.12Dave Allen 14.01.14Lucille Ball 30.09.14Alfred Hitchcock 05.04.16Joseph Grimwaldi 31.05.16Gracie Fields 02.08.16Orson Welles 08.05.18Josephine Baker 15.05.18Eleonora Duse 10.09.19Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution LtdPresented by Humphrey Carpenter and Matthew ParrisProduced by John Byrne, Christine Hall, Beatrice Fenton, Perminder Khatkar, Miles Warde, Toby Field, Mary Ward-Lowery, Lucy Lunt, Jolyon Jenkins, Sarah Langan, Tim Dee, Maggie Ayre, Peter Everett, Mark Smalley, Camellia Sinclair, Beth O''Dea

Household names nominate leaders from the past for BBC Radio 4''s Great LivesSince its inception in 2001, Great Lives has been one of Radio 4''s most popular programmes, presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and Matthew Parris. The format is simple, but compelling: each week, a distinguished personality is invited to select an inspirational figure who has influenced them. Talking with the presenter and a guest expert, they assess the importance of their chosen candidate.This special collection, celebrating the programme''s 20th birthday, comprises the very best episodes featuring leaders'' lives, from the worlds of politics, religion, royalty, business and the military. Some are heroes, some tyrants, and several spark controversy. Among them AA Gill puts forward the case for Neville Chamberlain, Maxine Peake chooses Ellen Wilkinson, the Duke of Wellington is picked by Frederick Forsyth, and Leon Trotsky is selected by Christopher Hitchens in a hugely entertaining show that culminated in fireworks. In these cases, and many others, the life of the invited guest is as riveting as that of their subject - who wouldn''t want to listen to Ken Livingstone discussing Robert Kennedy, George Monbiot champion Thomas Paine, and Trevor McDonald on Learie Constantine?From Nancy Dell''Olio on Lucrezia Borgia to Al Murray on Field Marshal Montgomery, these fascinating episodes showcase the lives of some of the most legendary figures from history, revealing their achievements and enduring influence and demonstrating why their greatness is undisputed.Episode list and date of first broadcast on BBC Radio 4:Robert Kennedy - 06/02/2009Henry V - 08/12/2009Richard Nixon - 17/08/2010Bernard Montgomery - 01/10/2013Richard III - 06/01/2015Elizabeth I - 18/08/2015Dag Hammarskjold - 23/08/2016Neville Chamberlain - 20/09/2016Gandhi - 26/12/2017David Lloyd George - 30/05/2003Queen Elizabeth 1 - 06/06/2003Machiavelli - 02/04/2004Thomas Paine - 23/04/2004Lyndon B Johnson - 07/05/2004Benjamin Disraeli - 28/05/2004Michael Collins - 01/10/2004Arthur Wellesly, the 1st Duke of Wellington - 03/06/2005Genghis Khan - 01/04/2005John Rockefeller - 06/05/2005Ronald Reagan - 27/05/2005Thomas Cromwell - 11/11/2005Leon Trotsky - 08/08/2006Eleanor Roosevelt - 22/08/2006Millicent Garrett Fawcett - 22/12/2006Julius Caesar - 25/05/2007George Washington - 02/10/2007Winston Churchill - 14/09/2010Rommel - 26/08/2014Ida B Wells - 19/08/2014Learie Constantine - 07/04/2015Abraham Lincoln - 26/01/2016Lucrezia Borgia - 12/04/2016Richard the Lionheart - 10/05/2016Dadabhai Naoroji - 27/09/2016Pope John XXIII - 24/01/2017Sitting Bull - 09/05/2017Emma of Normandy - 16/05/2017Constance Markievicz - 19/09/2017Ellen Wilkinson - 01/08/2017Daniel O'' Connell - 19/12/2017Catherine the Great - 29/05/2018Jayaben Desai - 10/04/2018Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution LtdPresented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Matthew Parris and Francine StockProduced by Miles Warde, Peter Everett, Christine Hall, Perminder Khatkar, Mark Smalley, Charles Ledgard, Maggie Ayre, Beth O''Dea, Jolyon Jenkins, John Byrne, Polly Weston, Julia Johnson, Mary Ward-Lowery, Isobel Eaton, Toby Field

Distinguished guests nominate a great musician for BBC Radio 4''s Great LivesFor 20 years, Great Lives has been a linchpin of Radio 4, presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and Matthew Parris. In it, a household name is invited to choose one of their heroes to discuss with the presenter and a guest expert. But will their chosen person live up to intensive scrutiny, and merit the description of having led a great life?In this special collection, celebrating the programme''s 20th anniversary, the very best episodes featuring musicians'' lives are collected together. From Marvin Gaye to Lonnie Donegan, here are examples both classical and contemporary. Simon Armitage expresses his admiration for on Ian Curtis, Phill Jupitus nominates Joe Strummer, pianist Joanna MacGregor selects Nina Simone, and former Children''s Laureate Michael Morpurgo champions Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Whether it''s Hanif Kureishi on David Bowie or Stuart Maconie on Ralph Vaughan Williams or the lives of the proponents are every bit as interesting as those of their nominees.Fascinating and engaging, these captivating episodes follow the ups and downs of some of the most iconic musicians of all time, separating the truth from the myths to reveal just what made them so great, and why they continue to influence and inspire us today.List of episodes and date of first broadcast on BBC Radio 4:Louis Armstrong 12.7.02Sergei Rachmaninoff 11.4.03Pyotr Tchaikovsky 16.4.04Marvin Gaye 5.11.04Sir Edward Elgar 19.11.04Mozart 19.4.05Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 21.10.05Ella Fitzgerald 2.5.06Nina Simone 19.9.06Joe Strummer 3.4.07Billie Holiday 1.5.07John Cage 04.09.07Paul Robeson 29.4.08Ian Curtis 6.5.08Alan Freed 26.8.08Pavarotti 9.12.08Thomas Beecham 21.04.09John Coltrane 12.05.09Miriam Makeba 15.09.09Agustin Barrios Mangore 26.1.10Malcolm McLaren 07.12.10Kathleen Ferrier 26.04.11Kirtsy McColl 09.08.11Lonnie Donegan 03.1.12Ralph Vaughan Williams 25.12.12Fela Kuti 13.8.13Jacqueline Du Pre 1.04.14Dinu Lipatti 20.12.16Captain Beefheart 03.04.18Miles Davis 17.04.18David Bowie 31.07.18Ferruccio Busoni 30.04.19Brian Epstein 14.5.19Herbert Howells 06.08.19Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution LtdPresented by Humphrey Carpenter, Matthew Parris and Francine StockProduced by Mark Smalley, Miles Warde, Perminder Khatkar, Peter Everett, Isobel Eaton, Jolyon Jenkins, John Byrne, Maggie Ayre, Christine Hall, Julia Johnson, Mark Smalley, Chris Ledgard, Beth O''Dea, Lucy Lunt, Eliza Lomas, Melvin Rickarby

Francine Stock explores how the Great War shaped culture and society between 1914 and 1918The First World War was the great military and political event of its time. But it was also an imaginative event: one that profoundly altered the ways in which men and women thought about the world, and about culture and its expressions. In this compelling five-series programme, journalist and presenter Francine Stock scrutinises the diverse responses of artists and entertainers to the bitter realities of war, and reveals how their new perspectives entered the public consciousness.Each series focuses on a specific year of the conflict, beginning with 1914, as the written word was mobilised; the music industry embraced both patriotism and escapism; and painters including Kandinsky created some of their most powerful work. Stock shows how the aftershocks of war sparked the rise of modernism and the avant-garde in 1915, and looks at how trauma was addressed in the works of Freud and the compositions of Debussy. Moving on to the following year, she demonstrates how the carnage at Verdun and the Somme inspired Dadaism, galvanised creators from Picasso to Apollinaire - and made the tank into an unlikely icon on the home front.Looking at 1917, Stock tells the story of the Harlem Hellfighters and how jazz conquered France; finds out about the popular cross-dressing theatre troupes who were taking the Front Line by storm; and listens as the first meeting between poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen is celebrated in a landmark violin performance using instruments made in memory of the duo. She concludes by examining the war''s final deadly year, as US troops arrive on the Western Front, Charlie Chaplin makes a film about a private with dreams of becoming a war hero; the Austro-Hungarian Empire falls; and Elgar, Stanley Spencer and Rebecca West anticipate the end of the hostilities and the soldiers'' return.Production creditsPresented by Francine StockProduced by Tom Alban, Mark Burman, Caitlin Smith, Mark Rickards, Clare Walker, Georgia Catt, Sarah Shebbeare, Elizabeth DuffyProduction Coordinator: Anne SmithEditors: John Goudie, Philip SellarsReaders: Clive Hayward, Heather Craney, Sean Baker, Susan Jameson, Sam Rix, Sargon Yelda, Brian Protheroe, Nicola Ferguson, Nick Underwood, Lucy Doyle, Sean Murray, Ryan Whittle, Liam Fernandez, Cameron Percival and other members of the Radio Drama CompanySinger: Eloise IrvingPianist: Simon TownleyFirst broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:Series 1Words for Battle 8 March 2014With Catriona Pennell, Samuel Hynes, Tim Kendall, Sophie De Schaepdrijver, Mark Derez, Jan Van Impe, Gerhard HirschfeldArf a Mo, Kaiser: Popular Culture on All Fronts 15 March 2014With Eloise Irving, Simon Townley, John Mullan, Susan Scott, Rachel Moore, Gerhard Hirschfeld, Stefan Goebel, Hubertus Jahn, Anita O''BrienKandinsky, Khaki and Kisses 22 March 2014With Jane Potter, David Boyd Haycock, Richard Cork, Stacy Gillis, Stefan GoebelSeries 2Glimpses of a Modern World 18 April 2015With Genevieve Bell, Pat Mills, Samuel Hynes, Guillaume de Syon, Richard Slocombe, Stewart Kelly, Bryony Dixon, Mark WollaegerA Cubist War 25 April 2015With James Taylor, Nicholas Rankin, Susan Harrow, Santanu Das, Peter Stanley, Christian LieblWar on the Mind 2 May 2015With David Code, Anna Farthing, Edgar Jones, John Forrester, Dorothy Price, Matthew HollisSeries 3Bleeding France 9 April 2016With Jay Winter, Alice Kelly, Linda Robertson, Sylvie Leray-BurimiThe Tank and the Home Fires 16 April 2016With Cathy Haill, Helen Brooks, Kimberley Reynolds, Diana Thompson, Vincent Thompson, Richard Slocombe, David Wiley, Alistair FraserDada and Defiance 23 April 2016With Toby Thacker, Alan Dein, Jed Rasula, Jan Rueger, Emily Finer, Boris DralyukSeries 4The Jazz Kings Go to War 12 August 2017With Max Brooks, Reid Badger, Adriane Lentz-Smith, Noble Sissle JrReality and Reconstruction 19 August 2017With Steve Burnett, Catherine Walker, Boris Dralyuk, Richard Cork, Sylvain Bellanger, Suzannah Biernoff, James Partridge, Sarah CrellinAn Intimate War 26 August 2017With Jason Crouthamel, Anke Vetter, Kevin Clarke, Jay Winters, Laraine Porter, Simon RothonSeries 51918: Chaplin Goes to War 8 September 2018With David Luben, Claggett Wilson Read, Lucie Dutton, Ailsa Grant Ferguson1918: Vienna and the Fall of an Empire 15 September 2018With Michael Haas, Marcus Patka, Ivan Ristic, Nicolai GutemanThe Return of the Soldier 22 September 2018With Boris Dralyuk, Martin Sorrell, Toby Thacker, Jane Potter, David Haycock, Ann Danks© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.