Joan Bakewell – författare

Joan Bakewell has led a varied, sometimes breathless life: she has been a teacher, copywriter, studio manager, broadcaster, journalist, the government''s Voice of Older People and chair of the theatre company Shared Experience. She has written four radio plays, two novels and an autobiography ­- The Centre of The Bed. Now in her 80s, she is still broadcasting. Though it may look as though she is now part of the establishment - a Dame, President of Birkbeck College, a Member of the House of Lords as Baroness Bakewell of Stockport - she''s anything but and remains outspoken and courageous. In Stop the Clocks, she muses on all she has lived through, how the world has changed and considers the things and values she will be leaving behind.Stop the Clocks is a book of musings, a look back at what she was given by her family, at the times in which she grew up - ranging from the minutiae of life such as the knowledge of how to darn and how to make a bed properly with hospital corners, to the bigger lessons of politics, of lovers, of betrayal. She talks of the present, of her family, of friends and literature - and talks too of what she will leave behind. This is a thoughtful, moving and spirited book as only could be expected from this extraordinary woman.

''An inspiration to anyone who still finds old age too distressing a prospect to take seriously'' The TimesOld age is no longer a blip in the calendar, just a few declining years before the end. Old age is now a major and important part of life: It should command as much thought - even anxiety - as teenagers give to exam results and young marrieds how many children to have . . . I am in my 80s and moving towards the end of my life. But in a more actual sense, I have moved from my dear home of 50 odd years into another . . . the home where I will be until the end. Writing here of how it has happened is in a sense a reconciliation with what cannot be avoided, but which can be confrontedWhen Joan Bakewell, Labour Peer, author and famous champion of the older people''s right to a good and fruitful life, decided that she could no longer remain in her old home, she had to confront what she calls ''the next segment of life.''Disposing of things accumulated during a long life, saying goodbye to her home and the memories of more than fifty years, thinking about what is needed for downsizing - all suddenly became urgent and emotional tasks. And then there was managing family expectations. Some new projects such as planning the colours and layout of a new, smaller flat, were exciting and some things - the ridding herself of books, paintings, memento - took courage.So much of the world is on the move- voluntarily or not - and so many people are living to a great old age. In using the tale of her own life , Joan Bakewell tells us a story of our times and how she is learning to live to the sound and tune of The Tick of Two Clocks: the old and the new.

ALL THE NICE GIRLS captures the danger and excitement of wartime Britain with a sweeping story of heroic deeds and painful separations, illicit love and battles at sea, and above all, of the poignancy of longing and loss. 1942, and the war is not going well. As part of the war effort the Ashworth Grammar School for Girls signs up for the Merchant Navy''s Ship Adoption Scheme. The headmistress, who lost her lover in the First World War, believes the project will broaden the horizons of her girls, especially Polly and Jen, bright sixth formers eager to live and love despite it all. Then Josh Percival, captain of the adopted ship, the SS Treverran, comes with his men to visit Ashworth. The choices that follow will disrupt all their lives, reverberating even to the next generation, when, decades later, life and love are on the line again . . .

Liverpool late 1950s. This is a story of three people: a suppressed mother; a father, projectionist at the local cinema which has seen better days; and their daughter Martha. It is a time of many escapes: Nureyev defects in London; Gagarin escapes the earth''s atmosphere to be the first man in space; the Beatles escape the dreariness of Liverpool to seek their fortune in Hamburg. In Britain the drab 50s are giving way to the lively 60s and the young sense it.

With shades of Billy Liar, and Absolute Beginners, this novel brilliantly captures that longing for freedom. Sixteen year old Martha is leaving home.

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

''Honest and intriguing ... beautifully written.'' Observer''Joan Bakewell was everywhere at every stage: reporting on the Cuban missile crisis, interviewing Allen Ginsberg and Vaclav Havel, taking chunks out of the Berlin Wall when it fell...draped in the kaftan of Sixties sophistication.'' Independent on SundayJoan Bakewell''s life and times spans the Blitz in Manchester, Cambridge during the glittering era of Michael Frayn, Peter Hall, Jonathan Miller et al, London at its most exciting in the swinging sixties and the world of the media and the arts from the 60s to the present. As she reflects on the choices she has made and the influences that shaped her, she confronts painful childhood memories of her mother''s behaviour and describes both her affair with Harold Pinter and her two marriages with remarkable honesty. Throughout she uses her own experience to explore the extraordinary change in women''s roles during her lifetime. This is no ordinary celebrity autobiography but a memoir that is beautifully written, frank and absorbing, which draws a thought-provoking portrait of Britain in the last 70 years.Dame Joan Bakewell was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship in 2019.

Mortality is often on Joan Bakewell''s mind. She''s in her eighties, many of her friends have died and older relatives went long ago - and yet death is a topic we rarely discuss. It''s become clear: we need to talk about death.In this groundbreaking series, Baroness Bakewell and expert guests discuss death and dying, exploring the choices open to us and confronting the questions we fear the most. This is no abstract pursuit, however, as the team tackle the most pressing practical issues at the end of our lives, like how to have the most painless death possible, how to leave your body to science or be buried at sea, who pays for your funeral if you die penniless, and what happens to our online presence after we''re gone?While the UK ranks as one of the best places to die in the world, over half of British people die on an often busy hospital ward. Furthermore, many die in pain with painkillers like morphine often prescribed too late and in too low a dose to help us. Broadcasting legend and two time BAFTA winner Baroness Bakewell demystifies the dying process and discusses the choices open to us in the final days and hours. By speaking openly about these issues, we are empowered to take control of our own death, make sure all of our wishes are followed and, ultimately, die well.1 Stand By Me2 Ease My Pain3 Death Itself4 Give My Body to Science5 My Digital Legacy6 Bury Me at Sea7 My Dying Wish8 I Can''t Afford to Die9 Death Unexplained