Episodes categorised as 'Factual: Life Stories' available now on BBC iPlayer

5/5. A salutary tale warning against messing with the path of true love.

4/5. Willie's father made his last match a month before he died - finding a wife for his son.

3/5. How the cultural and social changes of the 1960s began to impact on life in rural Ireland.

1/5. Jon Ronson looks at one of our deepest fears.

5/9. Christopher Biggins champions the life of the Roman Emperor Nero.

Melanie McFadyean investigates the mysterious life and diary of Opal Whiteley.

2/5. Willie is inducted into the family business by his grandfather.

1/5. Dermot Crowley reads from the memoir by traditional Irish matchmaker Willie Daly.

Kirsty Young's castaway is opera director John Copley.

Physicist Brian Foster explores the role of music in the life of Albert Einstein.

Chris Bowlby profiles the England football manager Fabio Capello.

Fi Glover is joined by Mark Radcliffe. With poetry from Kate Fox.

1/4. The first object out of the box takes Margaret back to a soiree in Vienna in 1895.

John Wilson presents the obituary series.

4/9. Munira Mirza discusses the life of the influential political philosopher Hannah Arendt.

Fi Glover is joined by Brian May. With poetry from Murray Lachlan Young.

3/9. Neil Innes discusses the life of his colleague and friend Vivian Stanshall.

Fi Glover is joined by sports reporter Garry Richardson. With poetry from Susan Richardson

The lives of Paul Samuelson, Yegor Gaidar, Bobby Jaye, Sir John Quicke and Ken Wlaschin.

2/9. Stand-up comedian Rich Hall discusses the life of playwright Tennessee Williams.

Fi Glover is joined by journalist Lynn Barber, author of An Education.

The lives of Liam Clancy, Jim Brown, Barbara Cawthorne and Geoffrey Moorhouse.

1/9. Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes discusses the life of Henry V.

Libby Purves hears the stories of people helped by the 2008 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal.

The Rev Richard Coles is joined by Industry Leader for Technology at Google Sarah Speake.

Marking the lives of Richard Todd, Prof Humphrey Kay, Cecilia Vajda and William Miller.

Fi Glover talks to author Justin Cartwright. With poetry from Luke Wright.

Marking the lives Max Robertson; Elizabeth Soderstrom; Lino Lacedelli; John Craxton.

Fi Glover is joined by the actor Robert Lindsay. With poetry from Kate Fox.

Marking the lives Sir John Crofton, Edward Woodward, Jimmy Hoseason, Derek B, Ralph Bird.

Vanessa Collingridge investigates the life and times of Hildegard von Bingen.

Fi Glover is joined by writer William Boyd. With poetry from Murray Lachlan Young.

Marking the lives of Jeremy Morris; Nien Cheng; Stanley Ellis; Lady Tumim; Robert Rines.

Investigating the impact of racial segregation in the US armed forces in Britain in WWII.

Fi Glover is joined by businessman Harvey Jacobson. With poetry from Susan Richardson.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.

Edward Stourton profiles the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso.

Fi Glover is joined by clinical psychologist and writer Dorothy Rowe.

Marking the lives of Norman Painting, Werner Heubeck, Dr Ignacio Ponseti, David Shepherd.

Top business people discuss the effect that their traumatic childhood had on them.

Are some green lanes and place names in southern England a reminder of a Welsh invasion?

Mary Ann Sieghart profiles comedian and writer Armando Iannucci.

Fi Glover is joined by Dame Joan Bakewell. With poetry from Matt Harvey.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

Residents of Mildenhall remember the aviators who took part in an air race in 1934.

Chris Bowlby takes a look at the man at the centre of a political storm on MPs expenses.

Rev Richard Coles is joined by five-time Olympic gold medal winner Sir Steve Redgrave.

John Wilson presents the obituary series.

Is the skin that binds a book in Bristol the gruesome remains of a listener's ancestor?

Stephen Sackur profiles Alexander Lebedev, the owner of the London Evening Standard.

Fi Glover is joined by the creator and writer of Teletubbies, Andrew Davenport.

The lives of Marek Edelman, Robert S Baker, Dr Sula Wolff and Mercedes Sosa.

Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.

Claire Bolderson profiles Sarah Brown, the wife of the prime minister.

Fi Glover is joined by author and broadcaster Kate Mosse.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

9/9. John Major discusses the life of Rudyard Kipling, poet to the British Empire.

5/5. Listeners' stories about the process of researching the life of an adoptive relative.

Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, is in the spotlight.

Fi Glover is joined by Alan Titchmarsh. With poetry from Susan Richardson.

The lives of John Wild, Troy Kennedy Martin, Willy Ronis, Jim Carroll, Leonie Cohn.

8/9. Paul Daniels explores the life of Harry Houdini, with help from biographer William Kalush.

4/5. Sally Magnusson and Nick Barratt explore the roots of Britain's immigrant families.

The men and women who founded the gay rights campaign group, Stonewall.

Mary Ann Sieghart profiles fashion designer Christopher Bailey.

Fi Glover is joined by musician and actor Gary Kemp. With poetry from Elvis McGonagall.

The obituary series includes tributes to Brian Barron and Keith Floyd.

7/9. Kate Humble discusses the South African singer and anti-apartheid activist, Miriam Makeba.

3/5. Sam Merry explores his great-grandmother's move from India to Mansfield over 100 years ago

Sue MacGregor reunites key players involved in the secret talks to free Nelson Mandela.

Mary Ann Sieghart profiles Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel.

Fi Glover is joined by businesswoman Martha Lane Fox. With poetry from Matt Harvey.

Celebrating the lives of Keith Waterhouse, Baroness Chapman, Sergei Mikhalkov.

6/9. Boris Johnson nominates Samuel Johnson, writer of the great dictionary.

2/5. Lucille White finds about her great, great-grandmother - was she a daughter of Louis XVI?

Sue MacGregor reunites those caught up in the 1980 siege at the Iranian Embassy in London.

Jonathan Maitland profiles Alex Salmond, SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister.

Fi Glover is joined by Hamish Anderson. With poetry from Kate Fox.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

6/6. As sea-levels rise, Dan Box witnesses one Pacific island community's climate change exodus

5/9. Rolf Harris discusses the life of the Welsh painter Sir Kyffin Williams.

1/5. Stella Collis is united with her German PoW father's military records.

Key players in the relief effort mounted in response to the famine in Ethiopia in 1984.

Mary Ann Sieghart profiles Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister.

Fi Glover is joined by classicist Mary Beard. With poetry from Murray Lachlan Young.

Edward Kennedy; Campbell Bridges; Clive Parsons; Lawrence Lucie.

4/9. Travel writer Dervla Murphy discusses the life of another woman traveller, Freya Stark.

Sue MacGregor reunites some of those involved in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.

Jonathan Maitland profiles the actor Neil Morrissey.

Fi Glover is joined by Madness frontman Suggs. With poetry from Kate Fox.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

3/9. George Galloway chooses British poet and political activist John Cornford.

Lucy Ash profiles Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan.

Fi Glover is joined by Professor Anthony Hollander. With poetry from Murray Lachlan Young.

Jane Little presents the obituary series.

2/9. David Miliband discusses the life of Joe Slovo, a leading member of the ANC.

Clive Coleman profiles the media mogul James Murdoch.

Rev Richard Coles is joined by wildlife film maker Simon King.

Jane Little presents the obituary series.

1/9. Andrew Motion champions the life of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate for over 40 years

Clive Coleman hears about what kind of man Sebastian Coe really is.

Fi Glover is joined by Alain De Botton. With poetry from Matt Harvey.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

2/2. Following the barristers, clerks and staff of one of London's leading law chambers.

Clive Coleman profiles the musician Peter Gabriel.

Fi Glover is joined by Sheila Hancock. David Peace recalls the Yorkshire Ripper murders.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

1/2. Following the barristers, clerks and staff of one of London's leading law chambers.

Claire Bolderson profiles Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court

Fi Glover is joined by Tobias Jones. With poetry from Lemn Sissay.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

James Silver examines the life of Andy Coulson, former editor of the News of the World.

Rev Richard Coles is joined by James Palumbo. With poetry from Kate Fox.

John Wilson presents the obituary series.

Jonathan Maitland profiles Silvio Berlusconi.

Fi Glover is joined by Irish novelist John Boyne. With poetry from Luke Wright.

Matthew Bannister reflects on the lives of Mollie Sugden, Jean Hugel and Prof Tom Reilly.

Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.

Jonathan Maitland profiles the newly-elected Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

Rev Richard Coles is joined by Paul Twivy. With poetry from Elvis McGonagall.

With guests talking about singer Michael Jackson and actress Farrah Fawcett.

Featuring a listener's ancestor who was a hero in a mine rescue in 19th-century Wales.

Barry Norman talks about cricket. Actor Ernest Borgnine chooses his inheritance tracks.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.

With Fi Glover. Plus author Marcus du Sautoy and Lindsay Wagner's inheritance Tracks.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

One of the surviving members of the British whaling fleet recalls life on South Georgia.

Fi Glover is joined by Lucy Worsley, the Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.

Fi Glover is joined by Ed Stourton. With poetry from Susan Richardson.

Matthew Bannister talks about the lives of physicist Herbert York and diver Carl Spencer.

8/8. Journalist Misha Glenny remembers the life of anti-Mafia campaigner Giovanni Falcone.

Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.

Fi Glover is joined by author Anthony Horowitz. With poetry from Luke Wright.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

7/8. Dr Michael O'Donnell discusses celebrated singer, actor and choreographer Fred Astaire.

The story of John Bellingham, the only person to murder a British Prime Minister.

Richard Coles is joined by Bangladeshi writer Tahmima Anam. With poetry from Matt Harvey.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

6/8. Musician Andy Sheppard chooses influential saxophonist John Coltrane.

The experiences of a painter and decorator from Sale in 19th-century China.

Fi Glover is joined by journalist and writer Melissa Benn.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

5/8. Broadcaster and DJ Colin Murray chooses Frank Sinatra.

Could a leaf collection in Southport provide valuable historical research?

Marjorie Lambert talks about how her foster daughter shattered her life.

Sue MacGregor talks to the Beirut hostages John McCarthy, Brian Keenan and Terry Waite.

Fi Glover is joined by author Jodi Picoult, with poetry from Murray Lachlan Young.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

4/8. Ruby Wax discusses the life and work of Carl Gustav Jung.

Professor Mark Stoyle goes in search of the Civil War dead from the siege of Lyme Regis.

Sue MacGregor brings together a group of people to tell the story of Thalidomide.

Profile of Philip Blond, the theologian who has become an influence on the Conservatives.

Fi Glover is joined by performance artist Bobby Baker, with poetry from Kate Fox.

Featuring JG Ballard, Jack Jones, Peter Rogers, Lord George and Zeke Zarchey.

Identical twin sisters talk about their different choices to follow Islam and Christianity

3/8. David Mellor promotes the life of conductor Sir Thomas Beecham.

Historian Professor Richard Holmes explains how the militia worked in the 18th century.

Gillian Gibbons talks about her arrest in Sudan in 2007 for calling a teddy bear Mohammed.

Sue MacGregor brings together some of those involved in the 1990s Brit Art movement.

Chris Bowlby profiles ANC leader Jacob Zuma.

Fi Glover is joined by Sir Robert Worcester, founder of MORI London.

Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

Sean Street tells the story of the German wildlife sound recordist Ludwig Koch.

2/8. Polly Toynbee, David Steel and Dick Taverne argue in praise of Roy Jenkins.

Bridget Long tries to confirm a family story about her late father during World War Two.

8/8. Clement Attlee's lack of charisma did not prevent him transforming post war Britain.

Journalist Colin Freeman was kidnapped in Somalia and held hostage for 40 days.

Sue MacGregor brings together people who were involved in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

Fi Glover is joined by basketball player turned presenter turned psychologist John Amaechi

John Wilson presents the obituary series.

1/8. Television and radio presenter Stuart Hall discusses his lifelong hero, Napoleon Bonaparte

Could a listener's hotel in North Wales once have been the court of Llewellyn the Great?

7/8. Stanley Baldwin led Britain between the wars and was the first premier to master radio.

Sue MacGregor brings together some of the original members of the National Theatre.

Mary Ann Sieghart profiles Zaha Hadid, the world's leading female architect.

Fi Glover is joined by Professor Anthony Hollander. Plus poetry from Susan Richardson.

6/8. David Lloyd George, who led Britain in the First World War with a presidential approach.

With Prue Leith. Plus Brad Moss - a practitioner of parkour, or street running.

5/8. Benjamin Disraeli, who turned his skills as a novelist to politics.

Presenter Clare Balding is joined by Sandra Howard. The poet is Murray Lachlan Young.

4/8. Lord Palmerston, whose colourful private life masked his skill at manipulating the press.

Richard Coles is joined by Sara Stockbridge. Plus poetry from Luke Wright.

3/8. Sir Robert Peel, who put the national interest before party interest.

Clare Balding is joined by Colonel Bob Stewart, with poetry from Kate Fox.

2/8. Nick asks if history has been fair to Lord North, the prime minister who lost America.

Richard Coles is joined by design curator Libby Sellers, with poetry from Matt Harvey.

1/8. Sir Robert Walpole, the first and longest-serving prime minister.

Clare Balding is joined by DJ Bob Harris. With poetry from Elvis McGonagall.

Richard Coles is joined by crime writer Dennis Lehane. With poetry from Susan Richardson.

Clare Balding is joined by former cricketer and writer Ed Smith.

4/4. Melvyn visits Darwin's home at Down House in Kent.

3/4. How Darwin was eventually persuaded to publish On the Origin of Species in November 1859.

2/4. How Darwin's work during the Beagle expedition influenced his theories.

1/4. Darwin's early life in Shropshire and his three years at Cambridge.

Lana Vandenberghe's role in the Jean Charles de Menezes case.