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William Lever, Lord Leverhulme, founder of Unilever

Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland, picks the man behind Unilever, William Lever. With Matthew Parris. From 2022.

William Lever was a grocer's son who went on to make a fortune selling soap.

Lifebuoy, Lux ... and eventually Unilever are just some of his creations.

Picking him for Great Lives is Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland.

Joining him is Adam Macqueen, author of The King of Sunlight: How William Lever Cleaned up the The World.

Presented by Matthew Parris.

Produced at BBC Audio in Bristol by Miles Warde.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2022.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Fri 18 Sep 2026 00:00
BBC Radio 4 Extra

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Broadcasts

  • Tue 4 Jan 2022 16:30
    BBC Radio 4
  • Fri 7 Jan 2022 23:00
    BBC Radio 4 FM
  • Thu 17 Sep 2026 10:00
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Thu 17 Sep 2026 16:00
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Fri 18 Sep 2026 00:00
    BBC Radio 4 Extra

Great Rock and Roll Lives

Great Rock and Roll Lives

Stories of inspiration from great musicians from Bowie to Billie Holliday

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  • Great Lives

    Biographical series in which guests choose someone who has inspired their lives.