Mel Giedroyc on Vera Gedroits

Vera Gedroits was the daughter of a Lithuanian prince and a German-Russian mum. So begins the tale of one of our more extraordinary Great Lives - doctor, author, physician to the imperial court and the first female military surgeon in Russia. Born in 1870, Vera studied in St Petersburg and Lausanne. According to her biographer, she rejected female clothes, enjoyed bear hunting, and started her career as a fearless battlefield surgeon in 1904. Rebellious by nature, she ejected Rasputin from her hospital ward, survived the Russian revolution of 1917, and became a professor of medicine in Kiev where she lived openly with Countess Nirod.

Her nominator is comedian and writer, Mel Giedroyc, who says her appearances on the Eurovision Song Contest have been career highlights. Also in studio is Miranda Seymour, author of the brilliant 'I, Vera: The Many Lives of Vera Gedroits, a Radical Princess'.

This joyful episode marks the final appearance of Matthew Parris as presenter of Great Lives, a role he has enjoyed for sixty one series over two decades. The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.