Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century

Episode 1: Leaders
The lives and achievements of world leaders whose legacies we still live with today.

Sir Trevor McDonald examines the achievements of the people whose decisions affect all our lives: the leaders. He delves into the accomplishments of world leaders such as Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela. He discovers exactly what made each of them stand out, and how we are still living with their legacies to this day.

Episode 2: Explorers
A look at the lives of Ernest Shackleton, Gertrude Bell, Neil Armstrong and Jane Goodall.

20th century exploration began with flag planting in the name of empire, and over the decades, improvements in technology saw explorers take on greater and greater challenges. Dermot O’Leary examines the lives of iconic adventurers such as Ernest Shackleton, Gertrude Bell, Neil Armstrong and Jane Goodall. He uncovers their greatest achievements and explores their historic legacies.

Episode 3: Scientists
Chris Packham assesses the lives of the 20th century’s greatest scientific minds.

The four icons examined in this documentary each made significant contributions to mankind. And each was, in a way, an outsider. But they were all people with the temerity to cast off the shackles of conventional thought and received wisdom, and to dare to approach things differently. Chris Packham assesses the lives and achievements of Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Alan Turing and Tu You You.

Episode 4: Entertainers
Kathleen Turner looks at Charlie Chaplin, Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe and David Bowie.

Hollywood star Kathleen Turner examines the achievements and legacies of four of history’s greatest entertainers. The story of entertainment in the 20th century ranged from vaudeville clowns to Space Oddities, and everything in between. She investigates the lives of Charlie Chaplin, Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe and David Bowie, uncovering their greatest showbiz moments and the impact they had.

Episode 5: Activists
Examining the lives of Emmeline Pank hurst, Gandhi, Helen Keller and Martin Luther King Jr.

Actor and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar explores the lives of the 20th century’s greatest activists, figures who tried to change the world. He examines the achievements of Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller and Martin Luther King Jr, assessing the qualities that made them all great, and the groundbreaking ways in which each of them fought for their causes.

Episode 6: Sports Stars
Exploring the legacies of Pele, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King and Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Clare Balding examines the lives and achievements of four of the 20th century’s most influential sports stars. She assesses the legacies of football star Pele, esteemed boxer Muhammad Ali, tennis giant Billie Jean King and Paralympic great Tanni Grey Thompson. Each of them transcended their sport and had an impact on the century far beyond their professional record.

Episode 7: Artists & Writers
Lily Cole looks at Pablo Picasso, Virginia Woolf, Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol.

Art had for a long time belonged largely to the elite, but in the 20th century it burst out of its gilt frame and into every aspect of our lives. Lily Cole examines four of the 20th century’s greatest cultural figures. She explores the lives of Pablo Pi casso, Virginia Woolf, Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol, finding out what inspired their most celebrated works, and why they still resonate today.

Episode 8: Live final
The public vote for who they believe should be the greatest icon of the 20th century.

In this live final, hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Nick Robinson, the celebrity advocates return to fight their winning icon’s case in an attempt to convince the audience that their figure deserves the accolade. Will it be world leaders, sports stars, entertainers, artists, explorers, scientists or activists that the public will vote for as the 20th century’s greatest icon?