A new production of the family musical Oliver! is about to open in London's West End.

The show's original composer - Lionel Bart - has been lauded as one of the most influential figures in British musical theatre.

But the songwriter - who also wrote hits for the likes of Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele - managed to lose his substantial fortune.

Here - with the help of archive material - Radio 4 presenter Eddie Mair looks at the life of Lionel Bart, and talks to people who knew him well.

Click 'show captions' for picture information. Not all images have captions.

Includes contributions from Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Tim Rice, Sir Cameron Mackintosh,
actress Miriam Karlin, and Lionel Bart's biographer David Roper.

'Talking About Lionel' will be broadcast on Radio 4 at 1030 GMT on Saturday 6 December 2008.
It will then be available for seven days on the BBC iPlayer.

Slideshow production by Paul Kerley. Publication date 4 December 2008.