WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827)
Radical author of England’s alternative national anthem.
What he did: was born to dissenting parents; spoke out against slavery, sexism, and the “dark satanic mills” of the 18th century; was charged with treason.
What he said: “I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s.”

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770-1850)
Romantic father figure and Lakes poet.
What he did: Introduced the demotic into poetry; wrote about his love for nature in a way that changed our perception of it; became Poet Laureate.
What he said: “Nature never did betray / The heart that loved her”.

SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE (1772-1834)
Disturbed genius who longed for redemption.
What he did: wrote the unfinished Kubla Khan in a “reverie” induced by opium; suffered from feelings of persecution.
What he said: “‘Oh let me be awake, my God! / Or let me sleep alway’”.

LORD BYRON (1788-1824)
Inspired and debauched: the first celebrity.
What he did: moved abroad to escape censure for his many sexual adventures (partners included his half-sister Augusta and a teenage choirboy).
What he said: “Pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin’s a pleasure.”

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY (1792-1822)
Free spirited poet with a “fire in his eye”.
What he did: was expelled from Oxford for atheism; pamphleteered for Irish independence; wrote a protest poem about Peterloo massacre.
What he said: “Let a great Assembly be / Of the fearless and the free.”

JOHN KEATS (1795-1821)
Poster-boy poet obsessed with beauty and death.
What he did: had affair with Fanny “the minx” Brawne; waslabelled a “fanciful dreaming tea-drinker” by critics; died of tuberculois aged 25.
What he said: “Here lies one whose name was writ in water.”

NEW SCHOOL

TONY BENN (1925-)
“Old Testament prophet” and left-wing Labour MP.
What he did: followed his Liberal MP father into politics; renounced peerage; supported miners’ strike; proposed Bill to abolish the monarchy.
What he said: “We are not just here to manage capitalism but to change society.”

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH (1926-)
Documentary-maker and national treasure.
What he did: Introduced colour into British television; brought wildlife into the living rooms with groundbreaking nature series; was knighted in 1985.
What he said: “The natural world is (what) makes life worth living.”

BRIAN WILSON (1942-)
Sun‘n’smiles pop star with a tormented, visionary soul.
What he did: composed Pet Sounds and the “lost masterpiece” Smile under the influence of LSD; heard voices in his head threatening to kill him.
What he said: “I want to write a teenage symphony to God”.

ANGELINA JOLIE (1975-)
Rebellious actress and “third sexiest woman in the world”.
What she did: had a series of tumultuous relationships, drank her second husband’s blood, declared “love” for her brother, hinted at potential bisexuality.
What she said: “I need more sex, OK? Before I die, I wanna taste everyone in the world.”

MO MOWLAM (1949-2005)
Forthright Labour MP and Northern Ireland Secretary.
What she did: described herself as a “devout atheist”; oversaw talks for Good Friday Agreement; forcefully opposed the war in Iraq.
What she said: “Things can only get better if we stick together. Keep it peaceful.”

KURT COBAIN (1967-1994)
Reluctant spokesperson for Generation X.
What he did: fell for Courtney Love; suffered from bronchitis; succumbed to heroin; was hounded by journalists; committed suicide aged 27.
What he said: “It's better to burn out than to fade away.” (quoting Neil Young)

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