Episode description

Chris Patten, Lord Patten of Barnes, nominates a great life who was born a peasant and became a Pope.

Pope John XXIII did well at school but was no star. He wasn't a striking figure of a man and struggled to keep his weight under control.

There was nothing about him that stood out and his election as Pope took many by surprise. But he was the man who began to push the Roman Catholic church into the modern world.

Presenter: Matthew Parris.

With Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge.

Producer: Perminder Khatkar

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.