Main content

Dame June Whitfield, Sir Jack Zunz, Thomas Baptiste, David Austin OBE, Karre Mastanamma

Matthew Bannister on actress Dame June Whitfield, engineer Sir Jack Zunz, actor Thomas Baptiste, rosarian David Austin and cook Mastanamma.

Pictured: June Whitfield

Matthew Bannister on

Dame June Whitfield, the comic actress whose long career spanned classic radio shows and Absolutely Fabulous.

Sir Jack Zunz, the civil engineer who led the construction of the Sydney Opera House and became chairman of Ove Arup.

Thomas Baptiste, the Guyana-born actor who appeared in Coronation Street and The Ipcress File and campaigned for colour blind casting.

David Austin, who devoted his life to breeding new varieties of English roses.

And Mastanamma, the 105-year-old Indian cook who became a sensation on the internet.

Interviewed guest: Greg Hodkinson
Interviewed guest: Stephen Bourne
Interviewed guest: Michael Marriott
Interviewed guest: Onkar Karambelkar
Producer: Paula McGinley

Archive clips from: Absolutely Fabulous, 成人快手 One 19/11/1992; Absolutely Fabulous, 成人快手 One 27/12/2002; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 29/04/1990; Dame June Whitfield in Conversation with Joanna Lumley, Radio 4 30/12/2018; Terry and June, 成人快手 One 10/03/1980; The News Huddlines, Radio 2 21/09/2000; The building of the Sydney Opera House, Huntley Film Archives; ABC: Official Opening of the Sydney Opera House 1973; Till Death Do Us Part, 成人快手 One, 27/06/1966; Black and White in Colour: Television, Memory, Race 1968-1992, BFI / 成人快手 1992; Play for Today: King, 成人快手 One, 03/04/1984; Gardeners' World, 成人快手 Two 06/07/1984; Gardeners' World, 成人快手 Two 14/07/1989; Granny's Life Story: Mastanamma Story, Country Foods, 22/02/2017; Watermelon Chicken by my Granny, Country Foods, 03/03/2017.

Available now

28 minutes

Dame June Whitfield

Born 11 November 1925; died 28 December 2018, aged 93.

Sir Jack Zunz

Born 25 December 1923; died 11 December 2018, aged 94.

Last Word spoke to his friend and colleague Greg Hodkinson, Chairman of Arup.

Thomas Baptiste

Born 17 March 1929; died 6 December 2018, aged 89.

Last Word spoke to Stephen Bourne, historian of black Britain.

David Austin

Born 16 February 1926; died 18 December 2018, aged 92.

Last Word spoke to Michael Marriott, rosarian at David Austin Roses.

Karre Mastanamma

Believed to have been born around 1911; died 2 December 2018, aged about 107.

Last Word spoke to Onkar Karambelkar, journalist with the 成人快手 Marathi Service.

Broadcasts

  • Fri 4 Jan 2019 16:00
  • Sun 6 Jan 2019 20:30

Podcast