Larry King: The man behind Billie Jean King’s feminist tennis revolution
From Last Word by BBC Radio 4
June 5, 2026 · 28 min
About this episode
The episode explores Larry King's collaboration with Billie Jean King in establishing the women's professional tennis circuit and features discussions on various influential figures in politics and art.
Larry King teamed up with his wife Billie Jean King to start the women’s professional tennis circuit in the USA. Baroness Ramsay was MI6 Head of Station in Helsinki during the Cold War and then became a leading figure in Labour politics. Caroline Marland transformed the financial fortunes of The Guardian newspaper as a senior executive in the 1980s and 90s. Valie Export challenged centuries of misuse of the female body from male artists by exhibiting her own form for controversial performances. Archive used: Women’s Tennis Association, 03/2024; VisNews, 01/05/1981; BBC News, 12/09/1985; Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game, BBC Two, 08/05/2024; BBC Parliament, 02/12/2015; The Money Programme, BBC Two, 14/02/1988; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 01/06/2000 Presenter: Matthew Bannister Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Josie Hardy Editor: Andrea Kennedy
People in this episode
Host: Matthew Bannister
Topics covered
- feminism
- tennis
- Cold War
- politics
- art
- women's rights
Keywords
- Larry King
- Billie Jean King
- women's tennis
- feminism
- Cold War
- politics
- Valie Export
- Caroline Marland
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Women’s Tennis Association, The Guardian, BBC News, BBC Two, BBC Parliament, BBC Radio 4, Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game
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