Profile

The writer, presenter and podcaster Richard Osman has released his latest novel – We Chase Shadows, the second book in his We Solve Murders series. The release follows the success of his Thursday Murder Club novels which have sold millions of copies since the first book was published in 2020. It has since been made into a film produced by Steven Spielberg. Known for his TV presenter role on the hit game shows Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games, Osman started his career in showbusiness as a producer, devising formats for TV game shows which he pitched to broadcasters. He became the creative director of the television company Endemol and landed his first on screen gig on Pointless after standing in as co-presenter during run-throughs for the BBC. With Alexander Armstrong he went on to present over a thousand episodes before stepping down in 2022 to concentrate on his writing. Growing up in Hayworth’s Heath, Sussex, he showed an early interest in games and quizzes as well as TV and radio programmes. When he was 15 year old, he wrote to BBC Radio Sussex’s Turn It Up youth music programme, securing a role behind the microphone. He went on to study politics and sociology at Cambridge University where he first met his presenting partner Alexander Armstrong. Today, Osman presents the Rest is Entertainment podcast with Guardian columnist Marina Hyde.

PRODUCTION: Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Tom Gillett Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

ARCHIVE: Pointless and Richard Osman's House of Games - Remarkable Entertainment Family Fortunes - ATV

The Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff is suddenly the name on everyone's lips. With his careful oratory and intangible 'it factor' comparisons have been made with a young Barack Obama. But who is the 39-year-old from Atlanta? Born in 1987 Ossoff grew up in Georgia where he attended a private school in the wealthy neighbourhood of Druid Hills. While at school Ossoff wrote to the civil rights leader and U.S. representative John Lewis who offered Ossoff an internship. He attended Georgetown University before moving to London to study at the London School of Economics. While in London Ossoff founded a media company where he worked as an investigative journalist producing films about corruption and human rights abuses.

In 2017 he made his first foray into politics when a seat became available in his native Georgia. Despite being a complete unknown Ossoff broke fundraising records for a U.S. House candidate and received a large share of the vote. He didn't win the first time instead securing a seat in 2021. As a Jewish Democrat in a state with strong Republican support many say that Ossoff has his work cut out. Yet he appears to have mass appeal. Having been vouched for by Congressman John Lewis Ossoff has won the trust of many of Georgia's black voters. He's also developed a reputation for forensic takedowns of his opponents in government recently hitting the headlines after taking a crack at Donald Trump and his assistant Natalie Harp. Ossoff has said he has no plans to run for president himself but as veteran Democrat strategist Hank Sheinkopf observes 'He would say that wouldn't he?'

Production: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Annabel Deas and Bethan Ashmead Production Coordinator: Sabine Schereck Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Labour's new chief whip is a Liverpudlian with a broad cultural hinterland. Anneliese Midgley grew up in Knowsley on a housing estate. Her family struggled financially when she was growing up but their fortunes changed when her father got a job at the Halewood Ford factory. They moved to the more affluent area of Penny Lane and as a teenager Annaliese got a job at The Beatles Shop.

Music became a huge part of her life. She hung out with DJs and musicians and was regularly seen behind the decks at cult Liverpool club night, Liquidation, which was run by her friend Daniel Hunt from the band Ladytron. Through him she met Saint Etienne founder Bob Stanley, who she married in 2000, and moved to London where Midgley became a music journalist. The couple later divorced but remain firm friends.

Her first foray into politics was when she made some congestion charge badges for her friends and sent a few to then London Mayor Ken Livingstone who promptly employed her. She worked for him for five years before moving on to Unite union and then going on to work for Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer and TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak.

In 2024 she ran for parliament as the Labour candidate for Knowsley. In her two years in the commons she has established a reputation for getting things done. She fought hard to secure Olivia's law, campaigned for the Hillsborough law and was a key part of getting the government to back down on welfare reform. But perhaps her biggest moment yet was helping to propel the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to power after running his by-election campaign with fellow Labour MP Louise Haigh.

Production: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Annabel Deas and Bethan Ashmead Production Coordinator: Keshia Agyei Sound: Gareth Jones Editor: Justine Lang

The New Labour old boy was at one time a front runner to lead his Party. But after a scandalous resignation from Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, it seemed his political career was over…until now.

James Purnell grew up between France and Guildford. Spending his teenage years at the fee-paying Royal Grammar School, he was known for his distinctive Parisian style and ‘Rupert the Bear’ trousers. A fan of the theatre, golf, and student politics, he began establishing a network that would prove fruitful for a high-flying career. This continued at Oxford - where he studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics - and spent summers interning with up-and-coming Labour politician, Tony Blair.

His career took off early - serving as a councillor in Islingon, Head of Corporate Planning at the BBC, and then Special Advisor to the prime minister all in his 20s. In 2001, he was elected MP for the northern seat of Stalybridge and Hyde, and soon climbed the ranks of government, serving as a minister in Gordon Brown’s government. Purnell weathered storms and scrutiny, before generating a scandal of his own: a failed coup against the prime minister, resigning from the cabinet in 2009.

Now, after decades out of Westminster - with top jobs at the BBC, University of the Arts London, and a corporate advisory and lobbying firm under his belt - he’s back. Andy Burnham, James Purnell’s former flatmate and football buddy, will become prime minister on Monday. And he’s invited his old friend back as his Chief of Staff.

What will the so-called ‘Ant and Dec of New Labour’ do when they take the reigns of government next week?

Production: Presenter: Becky Milligan Producers: Tom Gillett, Ellie House Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele, Siobhan Reed Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: FA TV

The FIFA president grew up in Switzerland as part of an Italian migrant family, and fell in love with football and its administration when he was just a teenager.

Having qualified as a football lawyer and making a name for himself at the European football federation UEFA, Infantino ended up perfectly positioned to take over the presidency of the world body FIFA after the organisation was mired in corruption charges. His promise to give the member associations double the money sealed his bid.

He’s now been president for over 10 years and has overseen FIFA’s expansion, with World Cups in Qatar, Russia and now North America; the growth of the women’s game; more competitions; more controversy - and of course more money.

This week, his love affair with Donald Trump has been thrust into the spotlight after US player Folarin Balogun’s red card was suspended following Trump's appeal to Infantino. Will this latest controversy prove his undoing, or is it just another chapter in a new brazen age?

Production: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Tom Gillett, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele, Siobhan Reed Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

ARCHIVE: FIFA

Donna Ockenden is a senior midwife and healthcare leader who has spent more than 35 years reforming patient safety in UK maternity services.

Born in South Wales, she overcame a difficult childhood marked by poverty, family breakdown, and a period of homelessness.

As a young midwife she cared for a baby named Gina who died from substandard care. This tragic event led to her lifelong 'Gina promise' to devote her career to making childbirth safer for mothers and infants.

Ockenden qualified as both a nurse and a midwife, before moving into senior NHS leadership roles. She transitioned into a formidable independent investigator, widely known for uncovering systemic NHS failures.

In 2017, she was appointed to chair the Ockenden Review into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Her landmark 2022 final report exposed severe deficiencies connected to the deaths of over 200 babies and nine mothers, shifting national perspectives on maternity clinical governance.

Ockenden was later chosen to lead the largest maternity investigation in NHS history at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Her 2026 report has identified hundreds of cases of avoidable harm and prompted national safety reforms.

Outside of healthcare she is an active community advocate, founding the Four Streets Project charity in Chichester to support the local homeless population.

Stephen Smith speaks to friends, families and colleagues who know her best.

Production: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Bethan Ashmead Latham, Annabel Deas Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele, Siobhan Reed Sound: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

The former boyband member and teen heartthrob, Harry Styles, is going into the final week of his sold-out residency at Wembley before continuing his world tour.

After winning music competitions while at school in Cheshire, Styles entered television’s biggest talent show, The X Factor, in 2010. While not making it as a solo star he was grouped together with four other contestants to form One Direction and becoming one of the most successful boybands of all time selling over 100 million records worldwide.

One Direction created a modern-day Beatlemania before going on permanent hiatus in 2016. Since then Style’s has released four solo albums and launched a career beyond music seeing him take on film roles, modelling gigs and become known as a fashionista. His celebrity best friend the actor James Corden, who used to ‘babysit’ the teenage Harry when he first started out in London is among the guests who speak to Mark Coles for this week’s Profile.

Production: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Annabel Deas, Mhairi Mackenzie and Nathan Archer Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele and Siobhan Reed Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Carpool karaoke: The Late Late Show (CBS) Harry Styles singing with White Eskimo (YouTube: OneDirectionNews) Harry Styles X Factor audition tape (ITV, The X Factor UK) Fans screaming at One Direction ‘This is Us’ Premier (YouTube: Poveelive) 'As It Was' by Harry Styles (Erskine and Columbia) 'What Makes You Beautiful' by One Direction ( Syco and Columbia) 'Sign of the Times' by Harry Styles (Columbia) 'Watermelon Sugar) (Erskine and Columbia)

Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe is the newest disruptor in right-wing politics but the path he has taken to get there is a familiar one.

Born in Oxford in 1957 Lowe attended an elite all boys boarding school before studying for a degree in Estate Management. After university he was a commodity broker in the City and went to Japan to work in securities but when British football clubs emerged as attractive financial assets in the 1990's he became chair of Southampton after a reverse takeover. Lowe resigned in 2006 after a decade in charge – having been blamed by many fans for relegation in 2005 after 27 years in the top flight. He made a return but resigned again in 2009 as the club’s holding company went into administration.

Next he decided to try his hand at politics. In 2019 Lowe became an MEP for the Brexit Party before switching to national politics after the UK left the EU in 2020, this time for Reform UK. In 2024 he became MP for Great Yarmouth but after falling out with Reform leader Nigel Farage he became an independent MP and launched his own party, Restore Britain.

Production: Presenter: Becky Milligan Producers: Annabel Deas and Mhairi Mackenzie Production Coordinator: Maria Ogondele Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Credits: @bedbox via YouTube, Rock Against Rupert - Rupert Lowe Michael Wilde out protest (1 February 2009) Channel 4, Reform UK infighting escalates as Farage and Lowe trade blows (9 March 2025) Channel 5 Vanessa, Is it wrong to put your pet down yourself? (24 June 2025) GB News, Rupert Lowe - ‘I wouldn’t hire Boris Johnson for my organisation’ (5 December 2021) Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe - Restore Britain Launch Speech (14 February 2026) Sky News, Restore Britain leader: Farage 'tried to politically assassinate me' (18 June 2026) The News Agents, Rupert Lowe- In His Own Words (15 March 2025) The Spectator, Farage - Lowe is ‘a vengeful man’ (9 June 2026)

Next week, Harry Kane will lead the England men’s squad into their first game of the 2026 World Cup.

Kane has a wealth of experience behind him - he is England’s all-time record goalscorer and has also racked up an extraordinary tally at his current club, Germany’s Bayern Munich. Kane is at the top of his game, but his ascent has been anything but smooth.

Born in east London in 1993, Kane developed a near-obsessive love for the beautiful game. It was a passion he shared with his childhood sweetheart, Kate, who later became his wife.

At the age of eight, Kane joined Arsenal’s academy, only to be released after one season. Then, after signing for Tottenham Hotspur, he spent years out on loan to the likes of Leyton Orient, Norwich City and Millwall.

So how did Kane go from underestimated youngster to world-class striker? Mark Coles looks back at Harry’s life and career so far.

Maggie O'Farrell was born in Northern Ireland in 1972. Keen to move away from The Troubles, her father took a job at the University of Wales and the family moved to Bridgend when Maggie was a child. At the age of eight she was hospitalised with encephalitis. She didn't attend school during this time but instead she discovered literature.

The family then moved to Scotland. After her A' Level's, Maggie O'Farrell travelled south to Cambridge University to study, what else, English Literature. In her twenties she became a journalist working at the Independent on Sunday but her ambitions lay elsewhere.

At the age of twenty eight O'Farrell published her first novel 'After You’d Gone'. Her writing has been described as lyrical, intimate and sensory, writing in a way that physically immerses the reader in a scene.

In 2020 she published Hamnet, her greatest literary success to date, as the world went into lockdown. In 2025 the novel was adapted into a film, directed by Chloe Zhao who describes O'Farrell as someone "interested in the land, the earth, the body and what's hidden underneath".

Production: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Annabel Deas, Bethan Ashmead and Wedaeli Chibelushi Production coordinators: Maria Ogondele and Sabine Schereck Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has received international condemnation after he posted a video showing himself taunting activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces.

His actions also drew rare criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were "not in line with Israel's values". But the incident is not the first time Ben-Gvir has attracted widespread criticism.

Born in 1976 in Jerusalem, Itamar Ben-Gvir became radicalised during the First Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation. He became a follower of the far right politician Meir Kahane and was frequently arrested for various petty crimes. Unable to join the Israeli Army due to his criminal record, he later became a lawyer where he notoriously defended Jewish arsonists who had set fire to a Palestinian home killing two young parents and their 18-month-old son.

In 2021 Ben-Gvir won a seat in the Knesset and following a period of political instability where Benjamin Netanyahu turned to two far right parties to form a coalition to form a government, Itamar Ben-Gvir became National Security minister of Israel.

Contributors: Leonie Fleishmann - Senior Lecturer, International Politics and Human Rights, City St George's University of London Ruth Margalit - Contributing writer for New York Times magazine and the New Yorker Dvir Kariv - Former Isreali intelligence officer

Production: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Annabel Deas and Bethan Ashmead Production coordinators: Maria Ogondele and Sabine Schereck Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth has been confirmed as Wales' first minister, calling it "the greatest privilege of my life".

Born in Tonteg in south-east Wales, ap Iorwerth moved to Anglesey as a young child. His father was a teacher, prominent singer and composer, and an active campaigner for Plaid Cymru. His mother was also a teacher and went on to become president of several organisations promoting the Welsh language.

After graduating from Cardiff University ap Iorwerth became a journalist and spent two decades as a reporter and presenter with BBC Wales. But in 2013, following the death of his mother, he left broadcasting and successfully contested the Ynys Môn by-election, winning the Anglesey seat in the Senedd.

When the Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price resigned in 2023 ap Iorwerth quickly emerged as the obvious successor for many in the party. He was elected unopposed, at the age of 50. Three years later he has become the first Welsh minister from Plaid Cymru.

Presenter: Becky Milligan Producers: Annabel Deas and Bethan Ashmead Editor: Justine Lang Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Sabine Schereck Sound Designer: James Beard

British cryptocurrency investor and billionaire Christopher Harborne made headlines when it was revealed he gave £5million to Reform Party leader Nigel Farage before he was an MP.

Last year Harborne also gave a single donation of £9m to Reform UK - the biggest ever donation to a UK political party by a living person. He has also previously donated to the Brexit Party and the Conservatives.

Very little is known about the Cambridge-educated businessman, who is also known as Chakrit Sakunkrit.

So how did he make his fortune? And why is he so interested in British politics when he has lived abroad for the last few decades?

Mark Coles talks to journalists Tom Burgis and Ceri Thomas, and family friend Mark Vellacott, to paint a picture of one of the most powerful men funding British politics.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Keiligh Baker, Beth Ashmead Latham, Kirsteen Knight Editor: Matt Willis Programme Coordinators: Sabine Schereck, Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

Nearly 30 years ago, Jamie Oliver hit British TV screens with The Naked Chef, beginning a career arc that has seen him become a bestselling author and social campaigner.

He started helping out in his parents' pub aged just eight, and struggled at school, but after making the move into cookery he flourished, first in top kitchens and then behind the camera.

Cultural ubiquity and campaigning documentaries followed, though his business fortunes took a significant hit after his Jamie's Italian chain collapsed in 2019. Seven years later, he's betting that he's learnt from his mistakes, as he relaunchs the chain. At the same time his campaigning over school food standards has started to bear fruit again.

Stephen Smith speaks to those who know Jamie Oliver best.

Contributors Genarro Contaldo - chef and mentor Elişa Roche - chef and former participant in 'Jamie's Kitchen' documentary Giles Coren - food critic and friend Ed Loftus - Global Restaurant Group Director for the Jamie Oliver Group Sheila Dillon - presenter of Radio 4's The Food Programme

Archive: ITV This Morning interview with Jamie Oliver An Italian Christmas: Recipes from the River Cafe (BBC) The Naked Chef (BBC and Optomen Television) Jamie’s Kitchen (Channel 4, Talkback Productions and Fresh One Productions)

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Beth Ashmead Latham, Nathan Gower, Tom Gillett Editor: Justine Lang Programme Coordinators: Rosie Strawbridge, Sabine Schereck, Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: James Beard

Dame Emily Thornberry, Labour MP and the influential head of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, is in the hot seat as the committee continues its ongoing investigation - dubbed ‘Scandelson’ scrutinising - into the circumstances behind Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.

Born in Guildford in 1960 her mother was a teacher and her father an academic who would go on to be a UN Assistant Secretary General. When Emily was seven her father walked out on the family leaving her mother with no income and three children to look after. They were made homeless and moved to a council estate.

After A Levels she studied law and qualified as a barrister in the mid 80s and spent 20 years as a human rights barrister at the chambers of Michael Mansfield KC.

She was first elected as a Labour MP in 2005. She has since been re-elected 5 times and held a number of Shadow Cabinet positions including Defence, Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Attorney General. But when Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister to many people’s surprise there was no ministerial job for Emily.

Now, as chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, she has the power to scrutinise government decisions and appointments; a role that has seen her grilling members of her own party in recent weeks.

Mark Coles looks back on her life.

Contributors: Michael Mansfield KC Dawn Butler MP Sir Jeremey Hunt MP Lord Christopher Smith Jim Thornberry

Archive : Devil Wears Prada 2 trailer - 20th Century Studios / Wendy Finerman Productions / Sunswept Entertainment

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Tom Gillett and Nathan Gower Editor: Justine Lang Sound mix: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Rosie Strawbridge

Kristalina Georgieva is not like previous heads of the International Monetary Fund. She grew up behind the Iron Curtain in Bulgaria, which was then part of the Soviet bloc. Born in Sofia in 1953, her father was a civil engineer and her mother a shopkeeper. Life was tough because her family weren't part of the Communist Party regime. Her father fell ill when Kristalina was young and she was just fifteen when she went to work at the local food market. She studied economics at the then Karl Marx Higher Economic Institute and then in the late 1980s she headed to London to spend a year at the London School of Economics. Over the last 30 years she's landed top jobs at the World Bank and the European Commission. In 2019, she was appointed managing director of the IMF, becoming the first person from an emerging economy to lead the institution. In the rare moments when she's not working, friends, colleagues and family paint a picture of a fun-loving woman who likes nothing better than dancing and singing. Becky Milligan explores Kristalina's life and career. Contributors Dessislava Kinova - daughter Iliyana Tsanova - friend and Chief Risk Officer at the European Commission Lord Nick Stern - friend and environmental economist Lord Mark Malloch Brown - friend and former World Bank Vice President Ivan Krastev - friend and political scientist Galia Mintcheva - special adviser Archive 60 Minute interview - CBS Face the Nation interview - CBS IMF news conference - UN Audiovisual Library Georgieva at Fortune MPW summit - Fortune Magazine

Producer: Nathan Gower Editor: Justine Lang Sound mix: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

McFly front man and children's author Tom Fletcher has returned to his first love - musical theatre - penning the songs for Paddington the Musical which has just got its sticky paws on seven prestigious Olivier Awards.

Born in Harrow north west London, Fletcher took inspiration from a family love of musical theatre and it wasn't long before he was treading the boards, performing the role of Oliver in the West End at the age of 10.

He went on to the prestigious Sylvia Young theatre school where he also met his future wife Giovanna. In his late teens he auditioned to join the band Busted where he was briefly accepted before being told his services were no longer needed. But so impressed were the record label with his musical ability they decided to create another band and McFly was born.

He's also sold millions of books, many of which he co-wrote with bandmate Dougie Poynter.

Mark Coles looks back at Tom's life and career so far.

Producers: Ben Carter and Tom Gillett Social media producer: Grace Braddock Editor: Justine Lang Sound mix: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge

Viktor Orbán has been a powerful force in Hungarian politics for nearly 40 years, spending 20 of them as Prime Minister. This weekend he’s trying to win a sixth term in the top job, as voters go to the polls in parliamentary elections.

The story of his political career is entwined with the story of Hungarian democracy; at the end of the Cold War, a young Orbán emerged as both canny operator and gifted orator in the anti-Communist youth movement, Fidesz, steering it through splits and ideological shifts into government, first between 1998 and 2002, and then again from 2010 to today.

As a pursuer of self-described ‘illiberal democracy’ who casts the EU as his constant adversary, Orbán has become an icon for the global hard right and, to his critics, a borderline autocrat and populist.

Presenter Stephen Smith speaks to those who know him well to understand the personal side of this very political beast.

Guests: Esther Pataki - former Press Secretary to Viktor Orban David Campanale - Liberal Democrat activist, journalist and fellow of the Danube Institute Zsuzsanna Szelényi - founding Fidesz member and author of Tainted Democracy:Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary Nick Thorpe - BBC Budapest correspondent

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Crighton, Nathan Gower Editor: Richard Vadon Programme Coordinator: Janet Staples Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

From over-worked medics to bent coppers, for the last 30 years Jed Mercurio has been responsible for some of the UK’s most successful TV series, including Cardiac Arrest, Bodies and Bodyguard. But Line of Duty is arguably his biggest hit, and recording has started for the much-anticipated seventh series.

The award-winning screenwriter, director and producer grew up in a working-class family in Staffordshire. His parents, Italian immigrants, were keen he fit in, but friends say Jed was unique from the get-go with big dreams and a determination to be the best.

He initially trained to be a doctor and demonstrated his sharp, witty writing in a medical school magazine. Half-way through his medical training, he joined the RAF and was taught to fly fighter jets, before pivoting to screenwriting.

Mark Coles looks back at his career so far.

Producer: Ben Carter Researcher: Helena Warwick-Cross Editor: Justine Lang Sound engineer: James Beard. Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Dame Sarah Mullally has been installed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury this week. The former nurse from Woking is the first woman to occupy the role of de facto leader of the Church of England and leader of the global Anglican communion.

In contrast to her Eton and Oxford educated predecessor Justin Welby, Sarah Mullally attended her local comprehensive before studying nursing at South Bank Polytechnic. By the age of thirty seven she was appointed Chief nursing officer for the NHS, a meteoric rise that brought with it a six-figure Whitehall salary and meetings with the prime minister. But five years later she threw it in to become a junior priest earning less than twenty thousand pounds a year.

Her supporters see her as a safe pair of hands, a leader who will steady the ship after years of abuse scandals and bitter rows over sexuality and identity. But following her appointment some of the more conservative and evangelical Anglicans have said they will no longer recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

So who is the new Archbishop and what will her tenure hold? Becky Milligan finds out.

Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949, the year after the State of Israel was founded. One of three brothers, Netanyahu spent much of his early years in the United States pursuing his education.

But following his older brother’s death, Netanyahu found himself drawn into a career in the public eye. Using his military experience to advise on security matters, in 1984 Netanyahu became Israel’s Ambassador to the UN and established himself as a champion of Israel on the international stage. But soon, his attention was drawn closer to home.

He returned to Israel and entered the world of politics; in 1993, he became the leader of the Likud party, and was elected prime minister in 1996, a position he's held for much of the following decades.

During his time in power Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as Israel’s protector. However, in recent years, allegations of corruption and lapses in national security have damaged his reputation and polarised Israelis' views about him. His handling of the conflict in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7th attacks has drawn criticism at home and abroad.

Now, Netanyahu has joined forces with the US president Donald Trump to conduct what they termed as ‘major combat operations’ against Iran. But will this war restore Netanyahu’s reputation as ‘Mr Security’, or draw Israel into another intractable conflict?

Mark Coles profiles the longest-serving Israeli prime minister.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Nick Holland and Mhairi MacKenzie Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: Morgan Roberts Editor: Justine Lang

Former Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is now Secretary of State for Energy. A role more important than ever with surging energy costs due to the conflict in Iran. Born in 1969, Ed grew up in London’s Primrose Hill. His father, a Marxist academic, and his mother a human rights activist, Ed’s life was steeped in politics from the beginning. After attending a local state school in North London, he followed in the the footsteps of his older brother, David, to Oxford University and then to the Labour party where Ed climbed the ranks from advisor to MP.

The Miliband brothers battled for the leadership in a historic contest that played out in front of the nation. Ed pipped David at the post, becoming leader of the Labour party in 2010.

After losing the general election to David Cameron in 2015, Ed Miliband stepped away from front line politics. But after coming back into the political spotlight when Keir Starmer appointed him Energy Secretary in 2024, does he have his eye on leadership again?

She’s already won a Bafta for her portrayal of a hoodoo healer in the Southern gothic, Sinners. But can British actress Wunmi Mosaku win an Oscar too? Mosaku says her role has helped her connect with her ancestry and find parts of herself she thought she had lost.

Born in Nigeria in 1986, Wunmi moved to Manchester as a very young child, growing up in Hulme and Chorlton with her parents and two sisters. Her first taste of performing came aged seven when she joined Manchester Girls Choir which she remained a member of until she was eighteen.

But it wasn’t just singing where she excelled. Her sixth form drama teachers spotted her talent and she successfully auditioned for RADA. A decade after graduation she won her first Bafta for her portrayal of the mother of the murdered London schoolboy Damilola Taylor. American directors must have been watching as she began spending more time working stateside. She was cast in sci-fi series Lovecraft Country followed by a trip to Baltimore for a role in We Own This City. Then director Ryan Coogler got in touch and now she’s tipped for an Oscar.

Stephen Smith charts the rise and rise of Wunmi Mosaku.

It’s been a busy first year for the US Defense Secretary. From signal chat controversies to Operation Epic Fury, Pete Hegseth has been making headlines.

Born in Minneapolis in 1980, Hegseth had what could be described as an ‘All-American’ upbringing. A basketball player at school he continued playing during his University career at Princeton where he majored in Politics. He also enrolled in the ROTC (reserve officers’ training corps) which turned out to be a career defining decision.

After stints in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth returned home and began his career on the political side lines - heading up two veterans charities. But his campaigning job dried up after a whistle blower report alleged he was drunk and abusive at work. Next he moved to Fox News where he caught the eye of President Trump, a notorious consumer of the right wing network. This was the beginning of Hegseth’s meteoric rise to power.

His confirmation for Defense Secretary hearing saw him answer questions about sexual assault allegations and claims he didn’t have enough experience for the job. But Hegseth successfully defended himself and was soon installed at the Pentagon.

Mark Coles explores how he got there.

Production Team: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Annabel Deas and Katie Solleveld Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: BBC Fox US Army Christ Church

‘Small Prophets’ has quietly taken the world by storm. A whimsy, magical and gentle show providing a tonic to modern life. Its creator, Mackenzie Crook, could arguably described in a similar way.

Born in Sutton-on-hone a village near Dartford in 1971, his creative brilliance was evident to friends early on but instead of drama school he started work at Pizza Hut. Moving to London in his early twenties he shared a flat where dry rot led to the stairs collapsing. But his luck began to change when he took his stand up comedy routine to Edinburgh. He caught the eye of comedian Bob Mortimer and shortly after was cast as Gareth in ‘The Office’ the oddball Territorial Army reservist with one of the worst haircuts on television.

Crook went on to star in quirky independent and blockbuster Hollywood films alike, but aged forty he decided he wanted to write his own material and move behind the camera to direct. His first offering was the critically acclaimed series ‘The Detectorists’. So who is the man behind the magic?

Production team: Presenter: Becky Milligan Producers: Annabel Deas, Tom Gillett and Katie Solleveld Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: BBC Television Treasure Trove Productions Blue House Productions Crooksite

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has long clashed with US President Donald Trump - filing more than 50 lawsuits against the administration to date.

Now, with a new memoir coming out, all signs seem to be pointing at Newsom himself running for the top job in 2028.

Born in San Francisco in 1967, Newsom lived in two worlds - the first, among the wealth and glamour of his father’s friends, the billionaire Getty family, often joining them on luxury trips abroad. The second was a modest home provided by his working single mother, attending the local public school where he struggled with dyslexia.

After launching a successful wine and hospitality business, with backing from the Gettys, Newsom now has two stints as Mayor of San Francisco and two as Governor of California under his belt, and looks to be eyeing up a possible presidential run for the Democrats.

So who exactly is the man once known as ‘Mayor McHottie’ by his fans and ‘Newscum’ by the Trump administration?

Production Team: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Katie Morrison and Gemma Ashman Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

Archive CNN Middle East Eye AP NBC LA Times CBS

It’s awards season - and one name that keeps cropping up is Teyana Taylor.

She’s nominated for her first Oscar, for her role in One Battle After Another, and has already won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and her latest album was just nominated for the Best R&B Grammy.

For many, it would appear Taylor has burst on to the scene from nowhere - but for those who know her, these nominations are the culmination of more than two decades of work in the industry.

Signed at just 15 to Pharrell’s record label, appearing in a Jay-Z music video and choreographing a dance for Beyonce, her early years in New York’s Harlem weren’t exactly the usual teenage experience.

Her 16th birthday was immortalised on the small screen as part of MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen series, before she released her first record and began acting. Now a mother-of-two, Taylor has released four albums to date, starred in her own reality TV series and will make her directorial debut next year.

So, as Hollywood prepares for the award’s night of the year, Stephen Smith examines how she got here.

Production Team: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: MTV The Golden Globes Warner Bros E!

As the 2026 Winter Olympics kick off in Italy, we look to the most powerful woman in sport - the International Olympics Committee President, Kirsty Coventry.

The most decorated African Olympian of all time, the 42-year-old mother-of-two made history as both the first African and the first woman to hold the title when she was elected last year.

Kirsty began swimming from an early age, in the family pool in Harare, Zimbabwe, where her mother gave swimming lessons to local children. Her talent was soon spotted, and she competed in her first Olympics in at just aged 16, going on to compete in four more.

With seven Olympic medals and several World Records under her belt, she decided to take on a role at the International Olympic Committee, quickly climbing the ranks.

Her reign is being closely watched by both her supporters and her detractors - from the decisions she makes around Russian and transgender athletes being allowed to compete, to the challenge global warming creates for running the competition. So, as the Winter Olympics begin, Mark Coles examines how she got here.

Production Team: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: Olympics.com AFP IOC Dominican Convent Primary School Harere Sporting Witness BBC World Service Sky News

The fatal shooting of two Minnesota residents by federal agents has contributed to the fiercest public backlash yet against the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policy. The man widely seen as the driving force behind this controversial approach, is White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller.

Born in 1985 and raised in liberal Santa Monica, California, Miller is the grandson of Jewish refugees. Outspoken from an early age, he made his name as a teenager through conservative talk radio appearances and student newspaper columns, before gaining national attention at Duke University defending members of the lacrosse team falsely accused of rape.

From fringe political outsider to trusted adviser, Miller has gone on to shape some of the most consequential policies of the Trump era, including the so-called Muslim travel ban and family separations at the border. So, as immigration once again dominates the US news agenda, Becky Milligan examines how he got here.

Production Team: Presenter: Becky Milligan Producers: Laurie Kalus, Katie Solleveld, Sophie Van Brugen and Keiligh Baker Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: Fox News Paramount Miller Brewing Co. ABC

The Secretary General of NATO has been dubbed the Trump whisperer after talks with Donald Trump at Davos appeared to help trigger a sudden U-turn on Greenland and threatened tariffs.

Mark Rutte was born in The Hague in 1967, began his career in business at Unilever and entered politics in 2002 eventually becoming the Dutch prime minister where he steered the Netherlands through economic turmoil, domestic crises and global shocks. Appointed Secretary General of NATO in October 2024 he has led the organisation through a tumultuous time in global politics.

Mark Coles takes a closer look at Mark Rutte’s life.

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Keiligh Baker, Katie Solleveld, Sally Abrahams Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele & Gemma Ashman Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: Guardian News, 2024 Sky News tv47 BBC TV Bloomberg News

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that US President Donald Trump’s threat to take Greenland would spell the end of Nato, the trans-Atlantic defence alliance. So who is the woman standing toe to toe with Trump?

A career politician in the truest sense, she was first elected as a member of the Danish Parliament in 2001, the day after her 24th birthday. After nearly two decades at the heart of the country’s politics, where she held roles including Justice Minister and Minister for Employment, she was elected Prime Minister of Denmark in June 2019, aged 41, the youngest leader in Danish history.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing - her premiership has survived a pandemic, an early election, and inflation driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, as the jam-making mother-of-two faces her biggest international challenge to date - Stephen Smith looks back at the life and career of the woman named the ‘second most powerful person in Europe in 2026’ by Politico.

Contributors: Magdalena Andersson, former Swedish Prime Minister Kasper Kildegaard, Danish journalist Kasper Fogh Hansen, friend Ane Halsboe-Jorgensen, Danish Taxation Minister and friend Stig Jensen, Danish academic and tutor Tobias Hamann, Great Danish Bake Off winner

Producers: Laurie Kalus, Katie Solleveld and Keiligh Baker Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young Sound: Gareth Jones Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: BBC News Danish Presidency of the council of the EU 2025 Danish Social Democrats Denmark Broadcasting Corporation

The newly-appointed British ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner, is a career diplomat whose experience spans almost three decades. He was about to take up the role of the UK's ambassador at the UN but after Lord Mandelson was abruptly pulled from his ambassadorial role in the US late last year, Sir Keir Starmer diverted Turner to replace him.

Born in Crawley in 1972, Turner attended the prestigious Marlborough College, before pursuing English literature at the University of Manchester, and later a doctorate at York. After flirting with documentary-making, he pivoted to public service, entering the Cabinet Office in the late nineties. He has closely advised several prime ministers, including Theresa May with whom colleagues say he shared his love of card games.

After an initial posting to Washington ended in 2006, his career has flourished at the foreign office. Mark Coles finds out more about the UK’s new man in DC, as he prepares to navigate ties with the Trump administration in a delicate moment for the so-called ‘special relationship’.

Contributors:

Lord Peter Ricketts, former National Security Adviser Sir Simon Fraser, former Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and current chair of Chatham House. Tom Fletcher, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Rachel Barber-Mack, sister-in-law Richard Cooke, Royal Choral Society musical director Jerry Koehler, Royal Choral Society singer James Perry, friend Richard Warlow, friend Joel Burden, friend

Production team:

Producers: Ben Carter, Katie Solleveld and Laurie Kalus Sound: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Katie Morrison Editor: Justine Lang

Archive:

KTN News Kenya BBC News APTN

Note of Correction:  In this episode we incorrectly referred to the Mau Mau tribe in Kenya. It should have been the Mau Mau uprising.

The new Mayor of New York and at just 34, the youngest since 1892, is sworn in. He is the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation's largest city. Zohran Mamdani was born in Uganda, Africa, to parents of Indian descent and it was a childhood filled with bird song and nature. He was seven years old when his family moved to New York, to Manhattan's Upper West Side and that's where Mamdani began to make his mark. He started making music as rapper, Mr Cardamom but after releasing only a few songs, it seemed politics was a better fit.

Zohran Mamdani ran an impressive campaign, recruiting an army of volunteers 100,000 strong to pound the pavements and knock on doors. His social media videos in multiple languages credited with vastly increasing voter turnout from a range of South Asian communities. A left-wing democratic socialist, his message was laser focused on affordability; he promised to freeze the rents and make buses free, all paid for by a tax on New Yorkers making over $1 million per year. But now he's won the election can he actually deliver on those promises? Mark Coles hears from Mamdani's mother the filmmaker Mira Nair, colleagues and journalists to find out what shaped the man making history.

Contributors Mira Nair - film maker, mother Hari Kondabolu - standup comedian, friend Prof Brian Purnell - chair of the Africana Studies Department at Bowdoin College Cassie Wilson - volunteer for Mamdani's campaign, content creator and comedian Jagpreet Singh - political organiser for South Asian communities in New York, DRUM Beats Nada Tawfiq - BBC Correspondent in New York

Production Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Phoebe Keane, Ben Crighton, Natasha Fernandes and Tom Farmer Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: Gareth Jones Editor: Justine Lang

Karl Bushby, the British man walking around the world, is almost home. The former paratrooper set off from Chile in 1998. He walked through the Americas, crossed the frozen ocean from Alaska to Russia, and last year became the first person to swim the Caspian Sea between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. These are all huge achievements in their own right but for Bushby they were just sections he had to complete to finish his epic journey.

Originally scheduled to finish in 2006, Bushby is now 56 and still going. Geopolitics has played its part, with Russian and Iranian visa rejections some of the main causes of delay.

He arrived in Budapest last month and with the English Channel being the only obvious remaining obstacle to navigate, he should be back in Humberside by this time next year.

Stephen Smith finds out who he is and what's kept him going for so long.

Contributors Jonny Beardsall - Journalist and milliner Keith Bushby - Dad Genevieve Gil - Friend Dimitri Kieffer - Crossed the Bering Strait with Bushby Angela Maxwell - Swam the Caspian Sea with Bushby Art Mortvedt - Friend Damaris Mortvedt - Friend Kevin Shoesmith - Journalist

Production Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Crighton, Alex Loftus and Mhairi MacKenzie Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Editor: Nick Holland Sound: Gareth Jones

Dame Mary Berry has been teaching Brits to cook for more than half a century. Aged 90, she remains a staple on our screens at Christmas.

Born in Bath in 1935, Berry was the middle child of two brothers. She struggled in school and studied Home Economics class instead of Maths.

Berry left school with no qualifications but continued to pursue her love of cooking, training at the famous Le Cordon Bleu school in France.

In 1971, she began her TV career with slots on shows like Collector’s World and Good Afternoon with Judith Chalmers, where she’d teach viewers how use newfangled items like freezers and tinfoil.

Over the next four decades, Berry would go on to write dozens of cookbooks, feature in and present her own cooking programmes, and teach thousands to cook in her Aga lessons, which she hosted in her own home.

But it was her role as a judge on Bake Off that introduced her to a new generation of viewers, and cemented her as one of the nations best-loved cooks.

Stephen Smith looks back on her decades-long career.

Contributors: Belles Berry – Mary Berry’s daughter Maragret Berry – Mary Berry’s sister in law Rosie Millard – Journalist Kirsty Wark – Journalist and presenter Candice Brown – Winner of the Great British Bake Off 2016

Production Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Tom Gillett, Mhairi Mackenzie and Alex Loftus Editor: Nick Holland Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: Gareth Jones

David Harewood, who turned sixty this week, returns as Othello for the third time on stage. It’s a role he first took on in 1997, becoming the first black actor to play the part at London’s National Theatre.

Growing up in multicultural Birmingham in the sixties and seventies, he was born to immigrants from Barbados.

Described as gregarious by his teachers at school, Harewood showed an interest in entertaining from an early age and subsequently trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts.

In his early twenties, he had a psychotic breakdown, something he spoke about in a recent documentary.

A string of roles in TV and film followed. And then came his breakthrough role as CIA agent David Estes in the acclaimed hit US TV show Homeland.

Mark Coles looks back at his career.

Contributors Gary Turner – childhood friend Pete Mortiboys – school physical education teacher Jeremy Harrison – Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts (RADA) classmate and friend Afua Hirsch – broadcaster, journalist and author of the book Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging Tom Morris – Theatre director and colleague Toby Jones – Actor and colleague Production Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Carter, Laura Cain Editor: Nick Holland and Justine Lang Sound: Gareth Jones Archive Audio of David Harewood as Othello, 2025, Theatre Royal Haymarket, clean from trailer David Harewood: Psychosis and Me documentary, 2019, for BBC, production company: Films Of Record Limited

Stephen Smith profiles the former racing driver and marketing guru who's turned around McLaren's fortunes and led them to Formula 1 glory. Born in California in 1971, friends and colleagues paint a picture of a fiercely competitive man with ‘noble intentions’.

After dropping out of high school Zak Brown’s life changed after meeting former F1 world champion Mario Andretti when he was 15. He traded watches he’d won on the Wheel of Fortune game show to buy a go-kart.

Brown won races as a driver but never really hit the big time. He then set up the world’s most successful motorsports marketing company before being lured to the F1 grid by McLaren in 2016. The team were in dire straits and in serious need of a cash injection. In less than 10 years, Brown has completely turned around the team’s fortunes and led them to back-to-back constructors’ championships. But will his refusal to favour one of his two drivers cost both of them the drivers’ championship?

Contributors: Mackenzie Astin - childhood friend Mario Andretti - former F1 champion Will Buxton - former F1 commentator, journalist, broadcaster Ben Hunt - motorsport journalist and author of Forever Forward Lawrence Baretto - F1 commentator

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Mhairi Mackenzie, Ben Crighton Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: James Beard

Archive: The Bottom LIne, BBC 5LIve Wheel of Fortune - CBS Sky Sport

The Coventry MP who left the Labour party and joined Jeremy Corbyn's new left-wing ‘Your Party'. Zarah Sultana's husband and friends tell us how her upbringing shaped her politics and reveal her questionable taste in music. 'I think she would describe her taste as no taste', claims her husband Craig Lloyd. She was born in Birmingham to political parents who were both members of the Labour party. Her father even took her on a Labour party delegation to the occupied West Bank when she was a student, an important trip that inspired her to join those campaigning for a free Palestine and she's continued campaigning ever since. Her political career hasn't always been smooth sailing, leaving the Labour party over a row about lifting the two-child benefit cap. However her friends say she is driven by something deeper than her own career aims, she's trying to reshape British politics.

Guests: Craig Lloyd, husband Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor of parliament's The House magazine Ian Byrne, Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill Georgie Robertson, friend and activist Barnaby Raine, friend and activist

Production team: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mhairi MacKenzie, Phoebe Keane and Tom Farmer Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele Sound: Gareth Jones Editor: Justine Lang

Credits: Married At First Sight, CPL productions Ladybarn Primary School, Facebook

Marjorie Taylor Greene is a darling of MAGA. But this week a disagreement with Trump over the Epstein files has seen him brand her as a traitor.

Born in 1974 in the suburbs of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a conventional upbringing. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Administration, and later owned her family’s construction business and a stake in a CrossFit gym.

But like so many Americans, Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign was a turning point for Marjorie Taylor Greene. In 2020, the newly-styled ‘MTG’ ran for election in her home state, winning a seat to the House of Representatives. Soon she was a recognised name on the national stage, known for her provocative style and endorsement of conspiracy theories.

In the years since, MTG has aligned herself so closely with the president that some called her ‘Trump in heels’. But her campaigning for the release of the Epstein files has caused a rift between her and her one-time hero.

Stephen Smith spoke to Professor Gina Yannitel Reinhardt, senior POLITICO staff writer Michael Kruse, QAnon expert Gabriel Gatehouse, political scientist Andra Gillespie and Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Patricia Murphy, about career, her life in politics and what this rift could mean for her future.

Production Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Sally Abrahams, Phoebe Keane, Mhairi MacKenzie Editor: Justine Lang Sound: Rod Farquhar

Archive CNN interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, 16 November 2025 Bloomberg News: Marjorie Taylor Green speech in the House of Representatives, 4 February 2021 ‘Marjorie Taylor Greene Confronts David Hogg’, @marjorietaylorgreene6928, 21 January 2020 The Newsagents interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, 6 March 2024

David Hockney has died aged 88. This programme was broadcast in 2025.

David Hockney is arguably Britain’s most loved living artist. He's known as a colourful character, not only because of his vibrant, colour rich paintings of Californian landscapes, glittering blue pools, and thick Yorkshire woodlands, but also his own carefully curated image from the 1960s- bright blond hair and oversized thick black round glasses. He was born in Bradford in 1937, and knew by the age of 10 he wanted to be an artist. He studied at the Royal College of Art, and by his mid 20s he was key player in London’s bohemian pop-art scene. He then moved to LA in pursuit of sunshine and inspiration.

He delights in using new technology to create; from the polaroid, to the fax machine, and his iPad.

Now, more than 60 years into his career, aged 88, David Hockney is not slowing down.

His image has recently been depicted by drones in a light-show in the skies above Bradford, in a colourful tribute to the city’s most famous son.

Becky Milligan speaks to his muse, the textile designer Celia Birtwell, art historian Marco Livingstone, dancer and contemporary Wayne Sleep and art critic Waldemar Januszczak.

Production Presenter: Becky Milligan Producers: Ben Crighton, Mhairi MacKenzie and Marie Lennon Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Editor: Justine Lang Sound Editor: Gareth Jones

Archive BBC Imagine…Summer 2009: David Hockney – A Bigger Picture (Coluga Pictures) BBC The Interview: David Hockney - A Life in Art (2025) “Joie de Vivre” clip courtesy of Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (2011)

Afua Kyei, Chief Financial Officer at the Bank of England, has been named Britain's most influential black person.

She grew up in South London, reading copious numbers of Enid Blyton books and listening to Boyzone, got 6 A levels and went to university a year early. She studied chemistry at Oxford and Princeton, but then had a change of heart . She became a chartered accountant and - in 2019 at the age of just 36 - she was appointed Chief Financial Officer at the Bank of England, the Bank's youngest and first ever black executive officer in its 325 year history.

Mark Coles looks back at the life of this year’s most influential Black Briton talking to Afua's friends, family and colleagues to discover how she combines parenting four children under the age of nine with balancing the books at the Bank of England.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Adele Armstrong and Mhairi MacKenzie Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Editor: Justine Lang Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones

Photo credit: Nick Moorhead

As Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour party comes under increasing pressure and criticism, we profile a man who may well be waiting in the wings. Andy Burnham, a Labour stalwart who started his political career in the Blair and Brown era, seems determined to have his say in the party’s future too. Last month, he caused a political storm when he was widely interpreted as openly challenging Sir Keir Starmer’s authority during the party conference, confirming that MPs had contacted him about returning to Westminster to run for the party leadership. It’s not his first brush with the Labour leadership - he lost two contests in the 2010s before leaving Westminster to win the Greater Manchester mayoralty, a role which has further increased his profile and earned him the nickname ‘King of the North’, a nod to his popularity within the region. Stephen Smith speaks to his friends, family and political peers to find out what shaped one of the most influential figures in today’s Labour party, and whether his criticism of the government could propel him to the top job, or keep him from it. Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Crighton, Nathan Gower, Alex Loftus and Mhairi MacKenzie Editor: Justine Lang Sound Editor: Gareth Jones and Duncan Hannant Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive: Perisher: Million Pound Captains (BBC) Boys from the Blackstuff (BBC)

Sanae Takaichi is the first female prime minister of Japan.

Once the drummer in a heavy metal band, she is now a staunch conservative, tough on immigration and against same sex marriage. More Iron Lady than Iron Maiden, the 64-year-old models her strong leadership style on Margaret Thatcher.

She entered politics in 1993, the same year as future prime minister Shinzo Abe. A loyal ally, she quickly rose the ranks in his cabinet. After several unsuccessful leadership attempts, she finally became prime minister on October 21st 2025.

To some this is a victory for women in Japan, but others see her conservative views as evidence there is still a long way to go. Mark Coles voyages into the world of Japanese politics to find out.

Production Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Crighton, Mhairi MacKenzie and Alex Loftus Japanese fixer: Ryuzo Tsutsui Editor: Justine Lang Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Editor: Duncan Hannant

Luke Littler, the 18-year-old darts star, is already one of the most famous people in British sport. This week he won yet another title, the World Grand Prix.

Born in Warrington, he started throwing arrows while he was still wearing nappies. By the time he was 10, Littler was competing in under-21 competitions and would win his first senior title at 14.

He shot to national fame in early 2024 when he reached the world championship final aged 16. Despite losing the match, he sparked ‘Littlermania’, drawing huge crowds and introducing a whole new generation to the sport. Earlier this year, he managed to do one better and became the youngest ever World Darts Champion.

Stephen Smith traces his meteoric rise.

Production Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Crighton, Mhairi MacKenzie and Alex Loftus Editor: Justine Lang Sound Editor: Neil Churchill

Marina Abramović is the self proclaimed ‘grandmother of performance art’. Her latest work, a reimagining of Slavic fertility rites, opened in Manchester earlier this week.

Notorious for committing extreme acts to her body, the Serbian first achieved fame with her “Rhythm 0” performance, where she stood still in a room and invited guests to do anything they liked to her. They removed her clothes, cut her neck and held a loaded gun to her head.

Many of her biggest works were made in collaboration with German artist Ulay, her one-time romantic partner. They ended their relationship in 1988 by walking from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China and meeting in the middle.

In 2010, she received international acclaim for her performance The Artist is Present. It saw her sit in a chair for eight hours a day, 6 days a week for three months. She invited anyone to sit across from her. It famously ended with Abramović reuniting with Ulay.

Mark Coles looks back at her career.

Production Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Cooper, Mhairi MacKenzie and Alex Loftus Editor: Justine Lang Sound Editor: Duncan Hannant

Archive Abramović/ Ulay - Light/ Dark (1977) Abramović/ Ulay - AAA-AAA (1978) The Artist is Present trailer (2012) TED Talk - An Art Made of Trust, Vulnerability and Connection (2013) BBC - This Cultural Life: Marina Abramović (2024) Marina Abramović at Glastonbury (2024) Abramović - Balkan Erotic Epic (2025)

Kristi Noem is the controversial Secretary of Homeland Security. A staunch MAGA loyalist, she's in charge of ICE detention facilities, including one in Dallas, Texas, that was attacked this week.

As the face of the Trump administration's intensified raids and arrests by US Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) agents, Kristi Noem has become a lightening rod in America, both loved and hated for her combative approach and her many viral media moments - some call her the 'ICE Barbie'.

A former South Dakota Snow Queen winner, she's risen fast from her cowgirl roots. There's even talk of a run for president in 2028.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Lucy Proctor, Ben Crighton and Natasha Fernandes Researchers: Alex Loftus and Adriana Urbano Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele Editor: Justine Lang Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

Deborah Griffin is a pioneer of women's rugby. She played in the first known women's game in England in 1978 and helped create the first Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991.

Having never picked up a rugby ball until she created a team at university in the late seventies, Griffin quickly became one of the sport’s most instrumental figures.

The RFU originally had little interest in female teams, so Griffin and her rugby friends established a separate Women’s Rugby Football Union in 1983. The WRFU and the RFU integrated in 2012 and the women's game exploded. Deborah Griffin took up her presidency of the RFU this past summer.

As England's Red Roses play in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, Griffin's name and those of other pioneers of the sport are stitched inside their official team jackets.

Stephen Smith talks to friends and colleagues about Deborah Griffin’s central role in bringing women's rugby to the fore.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Lucy Proctor, Alex Loftus and Adriana Urbano Editor: Justine Lang Sound Editor: Gareth Jones

Peter Mandelson has been sacked from his role as British Ambassador to the US over his association with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. It is the third time he has been forced to leave government.

An instrumental part of Tony Blair’s landslide election victory in 1997, Mandelson was rewarded with a seat in the cabinet. But he was soon forced to resign as Business Secretary after failing to declare a six-figure loan from a fellow minister.

His second resignation came in 2001 after making his way back into the cabinet as Northern Ireland Secretary. Mandelson was accused influencing the passport applications of the wealthy Hinduja brothers, although was later exonerated.

Mark Coles examines how despite these controversies, the man once dubbed the "Prince of Darkness" was able to keep getting himself into powerful positions.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Crighton, Alex Loftus and Adriana Urbano Editor: Justine Lang Sound Editor: Gareth Jones

Zack Polanski scored a resounding victory in The Green Party leadership election on a platform promising bold communication and "eco-populism".

Polanski has had an unorthodox path into politics, previously working as an actor, hypnotherapist and mental health counsellor. But he’s been dogged by a 2013 article in The Sun involving a reporter who claimed he helped her try to boost her bust size through the power of thought.

Born in 1982, Polanski is gay and Jewish, and changed his name at 18 to embrace the identity erased by his family's anglicised surname. His first foray into politics was joining The Liberal Democrats, and he stood unsuccessfully for Camden Council and The London Assembly. He joined the Greens in 2017, and was elected to City Hall in 2021, becoming the party's deputy leader the following year.

In his pitch for the leadership, he linked the climate crisis to inequality and called for radical action to fix it. Now leader of The Green Party, Polanski has vowed to "take the fight to Labour", telling The Labour Party,"We are here to replace you."

Stephen Smith talks to friends and colleagues tracing Polanski’s journey from actor to politician.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Lucy Proctor and Ben Crighton. Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Nick Holland

South African – born space physicist Michele Dougherty has been awarded the honorary title of Astronomer Royal. She becomes the first woman to hold the title in the 350 – year -old history of the role. Although her all-girls school in Durban did not offer science as an option, her father sparked her love for planetary science when he built a telescope in the back garden of the family home. After qualifying as a mathematician and moving to Germany for a fellowship, Dougherty changed focus and joined teams working on two major space missions. Dougherty played a big role in major discoveries in the solar system, including the revelation that jets of water vapour shoot out of one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus, meaning it may be able to support life. She even managed to convince Nasa to turn a spacecraft around to take a closer look! Mark Coles speaks to colleagues and friends who describe her as a supportive and strong team leader always happy to celebrate other people’s successes.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ivana Davidovic and Emma Gibson Editor: Nick Holland Sound Editor: James Beard

PHOTO: Michele Dougherty/Imperial College London

From Disney to Microsoft, via Vodafone and Virgin Media, Cindy Rose has been a top executive at some of the world’s best known companies. Born and raised in the US, one of her early passions was figure skating – a sport she confessed left her covered in bumps and bruises. After qualifying as a lawyer, she later switched to corporate roles, relocating to Europe then London. Her time at Disney included a shift dressed as Mickey Mouse’s loyal hound, Pluto, welcoming guests to the Californian theme park. Now she’s set to become the new CEO of the troubled FTSE ad giant, WPP – where her experience in tech and AI look set to be an asset. Stephen Smith talks to friends and colleagues to find out how Cindy Rose made it from law to leadership – and the challenges she faces as head of one of the world’s biggest advertising groups.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Natasha Fernandes, Alex Loftus, Sally Abrahams Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Bridget Harney

Credits: Cindy Rose at London Tech Week, 2018 Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, addressing Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing CBS Mornings (2014) Claudia Winkleman, Liquid News, 24 July 2002 Greenpeace scale Disney offices in London, 2004. Source: Greenpeace.

Piers Litherland has been called a modern-day Indiana Jones. He’s a former banker-turned-archaeologist who led the discovery of the lost tomb of Tutankhamun's relative, Thutmose II. As a child, Litherland was obsessed with Egypt. It was a passion that never left him, even as he pursued a career in finance. But it was only after a chance meeting with an eminent Egyptologist from Cambridge that he decided to ditch the office job and follow his heart. Since then, Litherland has headed a joint Anglo-Egyptian mission in Egypt’s Western Wadis - funding the project himself. Then, in February 2025, his team made what’s been called ‘the discovery of the century’ - the tomb of Thutmose II, an ancestor of Tutankhamun. Litherland said he cried when he realised what he'd found. Stephen Smith speaks to friends, family and colleagues of Piers Litherland, charting his life and passion that led to the discovery of the first tomb of an Egyptian King since Tutankhamun in 1922.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Crighton and Natasha Fernandes Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: James Beard Editor: Nick Holland Credits: Archive recording and audio logs of archaeological dig, Rabee Eissa and Jenny Litherland

Zohran Mamdani is the Democratic candidate for New Yok City mayor after a stunning victory in the primary race. If he goes on to win the mayoral election in November he will become the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation's largest city. His nomination came as a shock to some in the mainstream Democratic party who worry his policies are too extreme and could alienate swing voters. Before turning to politics Mr Mamdani had a brief career in the music industry. Mark Coles interviews his friends and family about his rise from rap artist to politician.

Presenter: Mark Coles

Producers: Natasha Fernandes and Ben Crighton

Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Sound: Gareth Jones

Editor: Nick Holland

Credits: CBS New York “Zohran Mamdani claims victory in NYC Democratic mayoral primary” The Late Show with Stephen Colbert “Colber Talks NYC Mayroal Race with Candidates Zohran Mamdani & Brad Lander” Zohran Mamdani’s Instagram and TikTok abc News "Trump threatens to arrest NYC mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani"

Charlie xcx is known to fans for her avant-garde, innovative approach to pop music. For many, the singer-songwriter, who’s won 5 BRIT awards and 3 Grammys, is one of the most influential figures in 21st century pop. Born Charlotte Aitchison in Cambridge in 1992 and raised in Essex, she was still at school when she began posting songs on MySpace and performing at warehouse raves, eventually landing a record deal in 2010. Her stage name, Charli xcx is a nod to her MSN screen name from when she was younger. Charli xcx first had success writing and collaborating on hits for other people. Her 2024 album, Brat, became a global pop culture phenomenon and was even embraced by US Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, for a while. Mark Coles charts her career from wannabe teenage rave DJ to major label star.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Natasha Fernandes and Sally Abrahams Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: David Crackles Editor: Nick Holland

Credits: CBS “America Decides”, July 2024. Abigail De Kosnik, associate professor for the Berkeley Center for New Media. BBC 3 Charli XCX: Alone Together, D&Productions Ivor Novello Awards 2025 !Franceskaar! Charli xcx, 2008 CBS News Shorts, 2024

Current Director-General of Technology and Innovation, Blaise Metreweli, was recently appointed as the new chief of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. She’s the first woman to assume the role. She attended Westminster School, where she got a glimpse of leadership in her role as head girl. In 1995, she went on to study Anthropology at Cambridge University. Beyond the lecture halls, Blaise Metreweli was a keen sportswoman. In 1997, the Cambridge women's team she was in beat their rivals Oxford University in the Boat Race. After graduating, she set her sights on an international career, applying to be a diplomat but was diverted to work for MI6 instead. During her time serving as a spy, she was reportedly posted to Europe, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Crighton and Natasha Fernandes Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Nick Holland

Actress and disability campaigner, Liz Carr, is probably best known for her role as forensic examiner, Clarissa Mullery, in the TV crime drama, Silent Witness. She’s also done comedy, theatre and even written a musical, about what she calls ‘assisted suicide’. Last year she fronted the award-winning BBC TV documentary, Better Off Dead, making the case against assisted dying.

Born and raised in Merseyside, Liz Carr became seriously ill when she was seven and has used a wheelchair since she was eleven. Whilst studying law at Nottingham University, she got involved in politics, disabled rights and activism. As her public profile grew she became a powerful voice in the debates over assisted dying.

As the assisted dying bill returns to the Commons this week, with MPs debating and voting on a series of contentious amendments, Mark Coles speaks to Liz’s friends and colleagues about her acting, comedy and campaigning.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Sally Abrahams and Nik Sindle Production co-ordinator: Janet Staples Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Nick Holland

Credits: Silent Witness: ‘Covenant part 2’ (2017) BBC/Cipango Productions Audiovisuelles/Dir. David Drury Better Off Dead (2024); Burning Bright Productions/ BBC/Dir. James Routh Hardtalk – Stephen Sackur interviews Liz Carr Abnormally Funny People, 2005, Edinburgh Fringe show Dirty Dancing (1987) Great American Films Limited Partnership/Vestron Pictures/Dir. Emile Ardolino

Donald Trump calls Susie Wiles the “ice maiden” for her ability to stay cool under pressure. It’s an invaluable skill in her role as White House Chief of Staff - responsible for who has access to the President.

Aged 68, Susie Wiles has spent more than 40 years in Republican politics – steering powerful men to elected office. She’s worked for US presidents, governors, mayors and Congress members. But she likes to stay out of the limelight.

Most of her experience has been in Florida, where she’s had a string of political success stories. Including big names like Senator Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis – running their campaigns to become governor of the Sunshine State.

Back in 2015, Donald Trump was a long shot for President, so he turned to Wiles for help winning Florida. His victory in the state helped him clinch the White House in 2016.

As Trump’s campaign manager for the 2024 run, Susie Wiles is widely credited with running what many regard as Trump’s most disciplined and strategic campaign.

Susie Wiles grew up in New Jersey. Her father, Pat Summerall, was a professional football player and later a famous sports broadcaster. But, he was an alcoholic and he credits his daughter for helping him overcome his addiction.

Stephen Smith talks to friends, colleagues and commentators to find out how events in Susie Wiles’ life have shaped her to become one of President Trump’s most trusted advisors – doing a job widely considered to be one of the most important in Washington.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Bob Howard and Sally Abrahams Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: David Crackles Editor: Nick Holland

Credits: Susie Wiles interview with Lara Trump on Fox News, March 2025 The Apprentice, Episode1, Series 1, 2004 on NBC. Produced by Mark Burnett and Donald Trump CNN Florida Gubernatorial Debate - Ron DeSantis vs Andrew Gillum Oct 21, 2018

Tom Fletcher heads the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and has been at the forefront of recent efforts to deliver aid into Gaza. Last week, he was criticised for making inaccurate claims about the impact of the Israeli blockade. No stranger to tough jobs, he was previously a foreign policy advisor to three British Prime Ministers and the UK Ambassador to Lebanon as the country dealt with the civil war in neighbouring Syria. He once fought the mayor of Nairobi in a boxing match and had a mortar round land in his swimming pool at the British embassy in Beirut. One of four siblings, he was born in Folkestone, where he attended the Harvey Grammar School before studying at Oxford University. Prior to his UN role he was Principal of Hertford College and has written books on diplomacy as well as novels.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Tom Gillett, Lucy Pawle and Jo Casserly Editor: Nick Holland Sound: Gareth Jones Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

In April 2024 Rosemary Coogan became only the third person from the UK to qualify as an astronaut after completing basic training with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Originally from Northern Ireland, she excelled academically and holds two master's degrees from Durham University and a PhD in astronomy from the University of Sussex. She became an ESA astronaut after a challenging selection process which whittled down 22,000 applicants. The agency hopes to send Rosemary to the International Space Station by 2030.

In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith explores the life and career of the woman who has a chance of becoming the first person from the UK to walk on the moon.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Tom Gillett and Lucy Pawle Editor: Nick Holland Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Earlier this month the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also made President Trump's National Security Advisor. The last person to undertake both roles simultaneously was Henry Kissinger in the 1970s. The son of Cuban immigrants, Mr Rubio has had a turbo-charged career; rising from junior positions in his home city of Miami, to the US Senate which he reached before he turned 40 and now a Cabinet position where he dominate US foreign policy.

As a boy he dreamed of being President and he made his first attempt in 2016. The Republican primaries were brutal, with candidates trading deeply personal insults. It was assumed that Mr Rubio's relationship with the eventual winner of that contest - Donald Trump - had been fatally damaged. But they continued their working relationship and today Rubio serves as one of the President's most trusted advisors.

Will Marco Rubio be tempted to run once again for the White House? And what forces have shaped his stellar political career?

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Tom Gillett and Lucy Pawle Editor: Matt Willis Sound: David Crackles Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison

Reform UK triumphed in May’s local elections, winning many more council seats up for grabs than the other major parties. Behind the scenes, the party has gone through major changes. Millionaire businessman and donor Zia Yusuf was appointed chairman last summer, and has been credited with professionalising the party. The son of Sri Lankan immigrants, he made his money co-founding a luxury concierge business, before moving into politics; and all before the age of 40. But where do his ambitions lie beyond being chairman? And where does the future of the party lie beyond the central figure of Nigel Farage? In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith explores the life, career and journey of the man some say is responsible for Reform UK’s growing success. Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Lucy Pawle and Nik Sindle Researcher: Gabriel May Editor: Max Deveson Sound: Gareth Jones Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive: ‘Communication Problems’ - Fawlty Towers BBC / writers: John Cleese and Connie Booth

President Trump shocked the world earlier this year when he announced plans to impose tariffs affecting nearly all goods entering America.

But rather than coming as a surprise, the US President had made the policy one of the key cornerstones of his re-election campaign. He'd also implemented some tariffs during his first term in office too.

Despite strong opposition to the move, President Trump enjoys the unflinching support of economist Peter Navarro, who is seen by many as the architect of the agenda. Having advised the US President during his first term in office, Navarro is back in the White House to see it through.

In this episode of Profile, Mark Coles explores the life, career and journey of Trump's key economic advisor on global trade.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Cooper, Lucy Pawle and Smita Patel Researchers: Chloe Scannapieco and Darin Graham Editor: Max Deveson Sound: Gareth Jones Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive C-SPAN Politico

Canadians are gearing up to vote in a snap General Election.

It's been called by Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England, who in recent months replaced Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party. Carney is hoping to receive a fresh mandate from the public, and face down US President Donald Trump, whose rhetoric towards America's neighbour in the north has become increasingly belligerent since returning to the White House.

It's been a long journey for 60-year-old Carney - from growing up in a small town in Canada's Northwest Territories all the way to the very highest levels of international diplomacy.

In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith charts the life and career of the man hoping to become Canada's Prime Minister.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Cooper and Lucy Pawle Researcher: Chloe Scannapieco Editor: Max Deveson Sound: James Beard Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison

Archive CPAC CP24 Global News The Guardian

Beloved Britpop band Pulp have released their first new music in almost a quarter of a century, the single 'Spike Island'.

Their talismanic frontman Jarvis Cocker has always been the band's star turn, with his second-hand 70s style, mesmeric stage presence and biting lyrics.

Following some difficult early years in his hometown of Sheffield, Cocker formed the band in 1978, but had to wait over a decade before breaking through on the crest of the Britpop wave in the mid-90s. The band released some of the most memorable and well-loved songs of the era, including 'Common People' and 'Disco 2000'.

But his very public bottom-baring protest against Michael Jackson at the 1996 Brit Awards thrust him even more firmly into the public's imagination, and the fame he had craved for so long quickly took a darker turn.

Mark Coles speaks to some of the most important people in Jarvis's story, including current and former bandmates Candida Doyle, Nick Banks and Richard Hawley, and his sister Saskia.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Ben Cooper Researcher: Chloe Scannapieco Editor: Max Deveson Sound: Gareth Jones Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Stephen Smith profiles the actor Lesley Manville, winner of a second Olivier theatre award. From growing up in Hove to her long-time collaboration with film-maker Mike Leigh, Manville has a reputation as the complete professional. With contributions from Mike Leigh, Director Rob Icke, Actor Tim McCullan, former teacher Julia Clarey, Observer critic Susannah Clapp and friend Rebecca Blond.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Production Team: Bob Howard, Chloe Scannapieco, Devian Maside Editor: Max Deveson Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Steve Witkoff started out as a New York lawyer, until a late night encounter with Donald Trump in a sandwich shop inspired him to move into real estate. Known as "Smoking Steve", he has amassed a property empire worth millions, become friends and golf buddies with Trump, and has now been appointed as his Middle East Envoy and go-to international negotiator and trouble shooter.

To his critics he's dangerously unqualified and out of his depth. To his supporters, he's the straight-talking fresh pair of eyes needed to resolve deeply entrenched conflicts.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Josephine Casserly, Chloe Scannapieco, Devian Maside Editor: Max Deveson Sound Engineer: James Beard Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Jack Thorne is co-author of Netflix drama Adolescence. But this is far from his first rodeo, over a 20 year career, his writing has appeared in many iconic British dramas, from Shameless and This is England '86 to His Dark Materials. He started out as a playwright and hasn't lost his love for theatre, having written West End box office hit, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Jack is known in the industry for his compulsive work ethic, political edge and capacity for empathy.

Stephen Smith speaks to the people close to Jack, including early collaborator and Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya, actor Morven Christie, and Jack's dad, Mike Thorne.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Josephine Casserly and Chloe Scannapieco Editor: Max Deveson Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive Adolescence, Plan B, Netflix This is England ‘86, Warp Films and Film4 Production, Channel 4 Skins, Netflix

Jonathan Powell, the UK’s National Security Adviser, is used to operating behind the scenes: he’s spent decades working as a diplomat, negotiator and mediator. Recent events in the US and Ukraine have thrust him into the spotlight. After the fiery Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, Powell has been credited with advising Ukraine and ensuring that lines of communication were kept open. He travelled to Kyiv to meet Zelensky and played a key role in fashioning a plan for a ceasefire and the steps that might follow.

Powell began his career in the foreign office before becoming Tony Blair’s chief of staff. He was crucial to the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement which helped bring peace to Northern Ireland. Since then, he’s worked on resolving conflicts and crises all over the world in places like Colombia, Mozambique and Libya.

Mark Coles talks to his friends, family and former colleagues to find out how this veteran negotiator became one of the most important figures shaping British foreign policy.

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Viv Jones, Hugh Sheehan, Clare Williamson, Mantej Deol Editor: Bridget Harney Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has one the toughest tasks in Labour’s domestic programme: tackling the burgeoning welfare bill.

Next week, the government is expected to announce reforms to the welfare system. There is unease over the plans within the party, with some Labour MPs saying they fear drastic cuts could push vulnerable people into poverty. The move could split the party and put Liz Kendall in a difficult position.

A grammar school girl, Kendall went on to study history at Cambridge, where she liked to revise while sunbathing and listening to Wham. She became MP for Leicester West in 2010, and ran for Labour leader in 2015, but came away with just 4.5% of the vote. Now on Keir Starmer’s front bench, her supporters say she’s not afraid of a fight and willing to take on some of the party’s sacred cows.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Viv Jones, Chloe Scannapieco, Hugh Sheehan, Keiligh Baker Editor: Bridget Harney Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

As the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas is the bloc's top diplomat. So when EU leaders gathered in Brussels this week to thrash out a new defence plan for Ukraine, Kallas was in the thick of things.

Before taking up the EU role she was Prime Minister of Estonia, the nation's first female leader. She was born in 1977 in the Estonian capital Tallinn, then part of the Soviet Union, into a family bound up with her country’s centuries-old struggle for independence. A Russia hawk and fierce critic of Putin, she is already on the Kremlin’s wanted list.

Mark Coles has been talking with her friends and political allies to understand how Kaja Kallas came to be called "Europe's Iron Lady".

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Viv Jones, Chloe Scannapieco, Keiligh Baker, Hugh Sheehan Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

He’s the former corporate lawyer, who has a pilot's licence and loves music, but has never before been a government minister.

Friedrich Merz was born in the west German town of Brilon in 1955 into a prominent conservative, Catholic family. He joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) while still at school, before going on to study law.

Merz then worked as a lawyer and judge for a few years, but he always had his eye on politics.

He was elected to the European Parliament in 1989, and his journey to the top has been a winding one.

Sidelined by Angela Merkel before she became chancellor, he quit parliament entirely to pursue a lucrative series of corporate jobs and was written off as yesterday's man.

But with the CDU topping the ballot in Germany's elections earlier this year, he is now on the brink of clinching the job he has coveted for so long.

In a programme originally broadcast last month in the aftermath of Merz's election victory, when the prospect of a CDU coalition with the far-right AFD - now off the cards - was still a possibility, and Donald Trump's fiery meeting with President Zelensky was fresh in everyone's memory, Stephen Smith set out to find out how Merz bounced back.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Arlene Gregorius, Caroline Bayley, Chloe Scannapieco Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele, Janet Staples

Credits Audio of Friedrich Merz at the Munich Security Conference by Bayerischer Rundfunk Audio of swearing-in ceremony of Angela Merkel, 2005, by ZDF Audio of French President Macron at the White House courtesy of the White House

His 14 year-stint at the top of European politics has earned him a distinguished record of domestic and international achievements.

Mark Rutte, born in The Hague in 1967, embarked on a career in business after leaving university and held several positions at Unilever.

His career in Dutch politics started in 2002, and four years later – as leader of the VVD party – he became prime minister.

During his tenure, he steered the Netherlands through times of significant national and global upheaval. From economic crisis, to the coronavirus pandemic.

And now, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 14th Secretary General, he faces his next challenge – leading Europe’s response to recent Russia-US talks over Ukraine.

Mark Coles takes a closer look at Mark Rutte.

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mantej Deol, Chloe Scannapieco Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte with the President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, 20 Feb. 2025 Mark Rutte cycles away from his office, on his last day as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, tv47 Yes Minister, BBC TV, Comedy Greats

Having helped mastermind Labour's renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, one of British politics best-known figures has just embarked on his latest role.

And, it's a long way from Hartlepool, in the post-industrial North-East of England, where he first became an MP.

Born in 1953, Peter Mandelson started on the road to party politics as a researcher at the Trades Union Congress. After a stint as a TV producer, he left to take up the role of Labour's director of communications, but his real ambition was a place in Parliament.

Even his sternest critics accept he is a slick political operator and a good networker, but he’s a controversial figure – with a big challenge ahead.

Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the UK’s new ambassador to the US, and the man once dubbed the "Prince of Darkness".

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mantej Deol, Marianna Brain, Chloe Scannapieco Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young

Credits London Weekend Television station ident 1970s Jon Culshaw, Imposter Syndrome UK tour

Despite just winning a seventh consecutive presidential term, a look at Alexander Lukashenko’s early life reveals rather humbler origins.

Brought up by a single mother in a poor village in eastern Belarus, he first made his mark as the manager of a farm in the late 1980s.

After moving into politics at the end of that decade, he quickly established his reputation as a man with authoritarian instincts – and by 1994, he was elected president of Belarus for the first time.

Ever since, he has managed a balancing act between Russia, his closest economic and political partner, and overtures to the West. But, the country’s faced sanctions following its role in the invasion of Ukraine, while many Western governments have labelled this latest election as a sham.

Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the man often referred to as Europe's last dictator.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Sally Abrahams, Charlotte McDonald and Nathan Gower Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young Credits Animal Farm by George Orwell, recording produced by Ciaran Bermingham Narrated by Roger Ringrose

A mathematician and cyber defence expert, Poppy Gustafsson has been handed an integral role within government, as the prime minister attempts to grow the economy and attract international investment.

She was born in 1982, to parents John and Gilly. Her father ran an agricultural sales business, while her mother was a journalist.

In her early career, Poppy Gustafsson worked for a venture capital firm before co-founding Darktrace, a cybersecurity company, in 2013. She would go on to take the role of co-CEO in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020.

Darktrace was among the first companies in its field to use artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning to improve cyber-security.

So, as ministers attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, what tricks does this one time CEO of the Year have in store?

Mark Coles has been taking a closer look.

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Sally Abrahams and Bethan Ashmead Latham Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young

She is the renowned scientist who studied environmental engineering, and went on to hold the role of mayor of Mexico City during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Late last year, Claudia Sheinbaum made further history.

"For the first time in the 200 years of the [Mexican] Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico," she said before taking office.

Born in 1962, Claudia Sheinbaum’s father was a chemical engineer and her mother, a biology professor. Both parents descended from Jewish immigrants from Europe who settled in North America.

She’s enjoyed remarkably high poll ratings since taking office, but critics suggest she will live under her mentor’s shadow, and her biggest test is yet to come.

As Donald Trump gets ready to enter the White House for a second time, Claudia Sheinbaum has already had to respond to his suggestion to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

So what lies ahead? Stephen Smith has been talking to her friends, colleagues and peers to find out more about Mexico’s history-maker.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Sally Abrahams and Bethan Ashmead Latham Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young

Credits Emilia Perez, Trailer Director, Jacques Audiard; Production companies: Why Not Productions, Page 114, Pathe, France 2 Cinema, Saint Laurent Productions

"Claudia: El Documental", Director: Rodrigo Imaz; @ClaudiaSheinbaumP https://youtu.be/NDuUL-RQvMU

The Nobel Peace Prize, 2007, Nobelprize.org

He's been described as the best connected man in the business world. Allan Leighton’s the arch-moderniser who's led some of the UK's most well-known companies.

His career started at Mars Confectionery in the mid-70s, working his way up through the business over nearly two decades. But, it was in the 90s that Allan Leighton really made his name.

He moved to Asda in 1992, becoming Chief Executive four years later. There he was credited with a successful turnaround of the supermarket and oversaw its acquisition by Wal-Mart in 1999.

By the 2000s, Allan Leighton had left Asda to 'go plural', as he put it, and went on to take prominent positions in companies including Royal Mail, Co-Op, Dyson and lastminute.com. But late last year, the supermarket chain came calling again.

Mark Coles has been talking to his friends and peers to understand where Allan Leighton came from and what’s in store for him at Asda.

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Nathan Gower and Sally Abrahams Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young

Credits: Marketing Academy: Rene Carayol interviews Allan Leighton Mars Maltesters, TV advert 1970s Walmart Rollback TV advert 1998 Asda Rollback TV advert

He’s been described by his new bosses at the Football Association as, "one of the best coaches in the world".

Thomas Tuchel has also earned a reputation as a “control freak”, with “charming” yet “divisive” attributes.

Born in Krumbach, Bavaria in 1973 his football journey began as a youngster when his father coached him at his local club. After growing into a promising defender, a knee injury brought his playing career to an end at the age of 25, but he’d already turned his eye to coaching.

Spells at Augsburg, Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich followed. As did the honours, including a Champions League title.

But, as he now embarks on the international stage, Mark Coles has been talking with Thomas Tuchel’s friends and colleagues to find out more about the man leading the Three Lions.

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Bob Howard and Drew Hyndman Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: John Scott Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Oh! What’s occurrin'? Good question…

This week’s Profile, with Stephen Smith, is focusing in on a woman born in Bridgend in south Wales, who loved to participate in musical theatre as a child – and went on to create one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms.

With a degree in drama under her belt from the University of Warwick, Ruth Jones initially found work at BBC Wales in both TV and radio comedy. She soon branched out into theatre, before gaining a role in the popular ITV series Fat Friends.

It was there that she would work with James Corden for the first time. But not the last. The pair went onto create BBC Three hit, Gavin & Stacey in 2007. Seventeen years on, the sitcom has just provided us with one last trip to Barry Island and Billericay.

So grab a chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna, prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan, nine poppadoms and listen to this episode of Profile on the woman known for her iconic role as Nessa.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Cooper and Diane Richardson Editors: Ben Mundy and Sarah Wadeson Sound: John Scott Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits Gavin & Stacey 2008 Christmas Special: BBC / Baby Cow Productions Little Britain: BBC Barry Islands In The Stream: BBC / Comic Relief / Mercury Records

Since it was privatised over a decade ago, there's been speculation around the future of the UK's troubled postal service, Royal Mail.

Now the government has approved its purchase by the Czech billionaire, Daniel Křetínský, a relative unknown here in the UK.

Born in communist Czechoslovakia in 1975, Křetínský was a teenager when the Berlin Wall came down. He started his career as a lawyer, but after taking a job in an investment firm soon acquired a reputation as a financial prodigy. He went on to make his fortune in energy investments, but has since expanded to become a big player in the media scene, as well as buying stakes in businesses in Western Europe, especially France and the UK.

In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith finds out more about the man who's set to take on the challenge of turning around a once cherished national institution.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Nathan Gower and Ben Cooper Editor: Sarah Wadeson Sound: John Scott Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits Canal+

Through his passion for stop motion and modelling clay, we have come to love his silent (but wise) dog and well-meaning owner.

Wallace and Gromit are Nick Park’s most famous creations, but what more do we know about this Preston born Oscar winner?

He would use his mother’s home movie camera to record his early films; he studied animation at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire; and joined Aardman Animations in the mid-80s.

Over the last few decades, Nick Park has gained critical acclaim for feature films, Chicken Run and Early Man. So, as we await the latest Wallace and Gromit offering this Christmas, Mark Coles has donned the RIGHT trousers to take a closer look at the multi-award winning animator.

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Bob Howard and Natalie Ktena Editor: Richard Vadon Sound: Gareth Jones Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive Credits Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out directed by Nick Park (Aardman Animations/National Film and Television School) Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl directed by directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham (Aardman Animations) Creature Comforts directed by Nick Park (Aardman Animations) Chicken Run directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park (Aardman Animations/Pathé/DreamWorks Animation) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit directed by Nick Park and Steve Box (Aardman Animations/DreamWorks Animation) Wallace & Gromit Christmas Jumper Ident (Aardman Animations for the BBC) Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park on WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL at AFI Fest 2024 (American Film Institute) The Bike Ride (Collett Dickenson Pearce)

From using a skateboard to baking sourdough, Tom Molnar leads an eclectic life.

Born in the United States, he earned a degree in Ecology at Dartmouth College, before going on to gain experience in corporate strategy and client management. It was during those years, that he noticed a gap in the market for quality bread.

Tom Molnar joined forces with Ran Avidan and Gail Mejia in 2005, and their Gail’s story began in a small corner of North London. Nearly 20 years later, the chain has become omnipresent on high streets all over the country and looks set to yield a handsome sum amid speculation that its owners have appointed a Wall Street bank to oversee an auction.

Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the visionary behind one of Britain’s fastest-growing chains.

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ben Cooper and Natalie Ktena Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits

BBC / Gordon Murray Puppets Gentleman's Journal

She is the self-styled "proud Yorkshirewoman" at the centre of an extraordinary week at Westminster.

Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind a bid to legalise assisted dying for the terminally ill in England and Wales, was born in West Yorkshire in 1976.

Before her life in politics, she worked in furniture sales and as an exercise instructor, before becoming a lecturer in health and exercise in her late 20s. But it was the murder of her sister Jo Cox in 2016 that saw her thrust into the public eye.

After years promoting social cohesion with the Jo Cox Foundation and More In Common, in 2021 she became an MP in the same constituency her sister had represented.

Mark Coles talks to family, friends and political allies, to understand the views and events that have shaped the woman at the centre of an intense, and highly charged debate.

Production Team

Producers: Nathan Gower and Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele

From television commercials in the 1970s, to today’s toga-ripping, chariot-flipping sequel to Gladiator.

Sir Ridley Scott is one of Britain’s greatest film directors.

The grammar school boy, born in South Shields, spent part of his childhood in Germany before pursuing his passion for art at school in Hartlepool and then the Royal College of Art.

But the camera appealed to Scott as much as the canvas, and Stephen Smith has been talking with the Hollywood titan’s friends, family and peers to find out more about him - and his work.

Contributors Jake Scott - Director Arthur Max - Production Designer Francine Stock - Film Critic Michael Broers - Historian David Scarpa - Screenwriter Janty Yates - Costume Designer

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Nathan Gower and Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits Alien (1979): 20th Century-Fox, Brandywine Productions Gladiator (2000): DreamWorks Pictures, Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment Napoleon (2023): Apple Studios, Scott Free Productions, Columbia Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing) Gladiator II (2024): Scott Free Productions, Lucy Fisher/Douglas Wick Productions, Paramount Pictures

Born in communist East Germany, to a German mother and Iranian father, Sahra Wagenknecht has long been the face of the country’s hard left.

But her own breakaway political movement, supporting a higher minimum wage as well as an end to weapons deliveries to Ukraine, appears to be gaining further support.

And with Germany set to hold elections early next year, following the collapse of the governing coalition, some think the 54-year-old will play a pivotal role in the future politics of the EU's largest economy.

In this edition of Profile, Mark Coles takes a closer look at the leader of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

Contributors Nina Haase - Chief Political Correspondent at Deustche Welle (DW) Wolfgang Herles - Journalist and Filmmaker James Angelos - Germany News Editor at POLITICO Fabio De Masi - German MEP for BSW political party Amid Rabieh - Deputy Leader of German BSW political party

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Emma Close, Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Janet Staples

Credits Deutsche Welle (DW)

She is one of the highest-ranking women in the Labour Party, now holding the position of home secretary.

Yvette Cooper, born in Inverness in 1969, grew up in Hampshire and went on to forge a career in politics full of firsts.

She served as the first female chief secretary to the Treasury. She also became the first minister to take maternity leave, and she was one half of the first married couple in the cabinet - alongside Ed Balls.

But not everyone is convinced Yvette Cooper has the answers to the big problems in her in-tray, particularly on the small boats issue.

Stephen Smith talks to friends and political allies, to understand the views and events that have shaped this veteran Labour politician.

Contributors Alan Johnson - former Labour Minister Harriet Harman - Labour Politician Tim Loughton - former Tory MP Stephanie Flanders - Economist and Journalist

Production Team Producers: Emma Close and Nathan Gower Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits 1991 Harvard Commencement Address 1992 Bill Clinton Campaign Speech Tony Blair 1997 Election Victory Speech

From his hilltop glass mansion in ancient Tbilisi, he’s accused of cultivating Georgia’s shift from the west over the past decade.

And, with his political party’s recent victory in the parliamentary elections, that trajectory appears set to continue for some time yet.

Bidzina Ivanishvili is the guiding force behind the Georgian Dream party, but what else do we know about the mysterious billionaire?

In this edition of Profile, Mark Coles takes a closer look at the man who keeps animals, collects rare trees, and who spent much of the 1990s in Russia founding companies.

Contributors Tom De Waal - Senior Fellow with the Carnegie Europe think tank Natalia Antelava - Journalist Lincoln Mitchell - Lecturer of International Affairs at Columbia University Tedo Jakaridze - Georgia’s Foreign Minister Neil MacFarlane - Professor Emeritus of International Relations at the University of Oxford

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Cooper, Marianna Brain, Kirsteen Knight Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits IMEDI TV

The Liverpool-born comedian, known for his razor-sharp wit, has traded in his stand-up routines for some serious dance moves of late.

Chris McCausland is the first blind contestant to take part in the BBC show, Strictly Come Dancing - and he's being tipped as a possible winner.

In his 20s, Chris lost most of his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa. But that didn’t slow down his career. He's been lighting up the comedy scene since 2003, with regular appearances on hit programmes like 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Would I Lie to You. He's also taken to the iconic stage of Live at the Apollo.

In this edition of Profile, Stephen Smith talks to some of his closest friends, fellow comedians and former colleagues about his life, Strictly success - and the time he attended a job interview in the wrong trousers.

Contributors Kevin Mathews - childhood friend Neil Churchill - childhood friend Justin Moorhouse - Comedian, Radio DJ and Actor Jimmy Tarbuck - Comedian Jane McCarry - Actress Sasha Boback - Producer of You Heard It Here First

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Caroline Bayley, Julie Ball, Natasha Fernandes Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits Live at the Apollo, Open Mike Production, 04/01/2018

He's the man who masterminded Labour's general election campaign, and now holds one of the most important positions in Downing Street.

Morgan McSweeney was recently appointed the prime minister's chief of staff, after Sue Gray quit the role. But what do we know about him?

Born in Macroom, County Cork, he moved to London aged 17. He soon joined the Labour party under Tony Blair, working in a junior role at their headquarters.

He rose through the ranks, forging a reputation as a skilled campaign strategist, and has been credited with being the brains behind this year's landslide victory.

Mark Coles speaks to the people who know him - from school friends back home in Ireland, to others who've worked with him.

Contributors Jon Cruddas - MP for Dagenham and Rainham. Ann Murphy - Journalist at Irish Examiner Katy Balls - Political Editor at The Spectator Liam O’Brien - childhood friend Nick Forbes - former boss at LGA Patrick Maguire - Journalist at The Times Donal Mulcahy - friend

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Bob Howard, Caroline Bayley, Ellie House, Natasha Fernandes Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

She’s a girl from New York's Lower East Side whom grew up to a life of stardom and is now known by just one name.

Gaga, a classically trained pianist, has secured Grammy-winning songs like Poker Face and Rain on Me. While her performance in A Star Is Born was Oscar-nominated.

Along the way, there’s been a meat dress, a high-profile stance against US military policy, and a collaborative album with Tony Bennett.

Her latest work, Harlequin, is a companion album to her new big screen performance in Joker: Folie à Deux.

From all-conquering song thrush to screen favourite, Stephen Smith has been find out about the life of Gaga.

Contributors Annie Zalesk - Music Journalist Wendy Starland - Singer-Songwriter Giles Hattersley - Features Director at British Vogue Jonathan Van Meter - Journalist writing for US Vogue

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Diane Richardson, Kirsteen Knight, Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits Joker: Folie à Deux (Official Trailer) - Writer/director/producer Todd Phillips. Warner Bros A Star is Born (Official Trailer) - Director Bradley Cooper. Warner Bros The inauguration of Joe Biden, 2021, CSPAN The Late Show, RTE 2016 Academy Awards

He’s not yet completed a hundred days in his new job, but David Lammy finds himself overseeing the UK’s response to rising tensions in the Middle East.

Born to Guyanese parents in north London, and raised by his mother from the age of 12 after his father left them, the foreign secretary is known for his advocacy for social justice, equality, and human rights.

His journey to the top of British politics began with a legal career – becoming the first black Briton to study a masters in law at Harvard. At 27, David Lammy became Parliament’s youngest MP when he was elected in Tottenham, and he went on to become a junior minister under Sir Tony Blair.

In opposition, he spent some of his time on Labour’s back benches – though now finds himself front and centre, facing countless fast-moving global challenges.

Mark Coles meets some of the people who know David Lammy best - from childhood friends, to his beloved 'Aunty May'.

Contributors Decca Aitkenhead - Chief Interviewer, The Sunday Times Paul Waugh - Labour MP for Rochdale Ben Rhodes - Political Commentator Mayfield Griffith - David Lammy's godmother

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Di Richardson, Michaela Graichen and Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Janet Staples

Archive United Nations General Assembly Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, 11 May 2018 Channel 4 News

It’s a tiny computer with a catchy name: Raspberry Pi. But what's the story behind the man who thought up this affordable device?

His name is Eben Upton. He has gone from being a child desperate to make computer games, to the head of a company described as a ‘city darling’.

The firm reported higher than expected profits in its first report, after being listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Stephen Smith has been speaking to Eben Upton’s childhood friends, former colleagues and some big hitters in tech and business.

Contributors Holly Williams - Business Editor, Press Association Hermann Hauser - Co-founder of Amadeus Capital Partners Harriet Green - former Chair and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific Pete Thornhill - school friend Victoria Drew - school friend David Cleevely - Entrepreneur and former Raspberry Pi Chairman

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Julie Ball, Farhana Haider, Ben Morris, Michaela Graichen Editor: Tom Bigwood Sound: Gareth Jones Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive Centre for Computing History, Cambridge Kerbal Space Program, Take-Two Interactive, publisher Private Division, developer Squad Sensible Soccer, Developer Sensible Software

Some call it one of the trickiest jobs in the country. How do you stop the small boats trying to cross the English Channel and smash the smuggling gangs?

The government has appointed Martin Hewitt to the role- he’s leading the UK’s new border security command. It’s a tough job, so can he do it?

Martin Hewitt is a former senior police officer and chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. He is also the man who oversaw the policing of Covid lockdowns.

Mark Coles has been speaking to some of his colleagues, former colleagues and the journalists who reported on him.

Contributors Tim Smith - Chief Constable, Kent Police Danny Shaw - former BBC Correspondent Festus Akinbusoye - former Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire Ruth Turner - Senior Director at the Forward Institute Dal Babu - former Chief Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police Vikram Dodd - Guardian Police and Crime Correspondent

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Farhana Haider, Ben Morris, Ben Cooper, Michaela Graichen Editor: Richard Vadon Sound: Gareth Jones Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

This week we delve into the life of the First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan, the first woman to hold the position. Morgan was introduced to politics at a very young age by her parents, who were both councillors. Her early career was spent working in broadcasting before her political career began at the age of 27, elected as the youngest Member of the European Parliament in 1994. She went on to take up a seat in the House of Lords and was Welsh Health Secretary during the Covid pandemic. Stephen Smith talks to friends and political figures, hearing how a girl from a deprived part of Cardiff, became the most powerful person in Wales. Contributors Lord Neil Kinnock - former Labour Leader Gloria Yates - Neighbour Ruth Mosalski - Political Editor of Wales Online Ceri Innes Parry- Childhood Friend Claudia Velez – School Friend Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Diane Richardson, Julie Ball, Ben Morris Editors: Ben Mundy, Alex Lewis Sound: James Beard Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Some of world football's biggest names have been linked to England's top job since Gareth Southgate hung up his waistcoat. But, for now at least, it is Lee Carsley who takes over as England's interim manager.

The modest, methodical and quietly spoken coach started his footballing journey at Derby County – before making his name at Everton.

Family and charity work are Lee Carsley’s other priorities. He’s a patron of the Solihull Down Syndrome Support Group – after they helped his middle child, Connor following his diagnosis. Lee also volunteers at the Solihull Moors Foundation.

Some say this collection bucket rattler has all the attributes required to lead England to glory, so Mark Coles speaks to his friends, and colleagues to find out more.

Contributors Becci Fox - CEO, Solihull Moors Foundation Kevin Turner - former PE Teacher, Cockshut Hill School Kevin Kilbane - former footballer, Everton Football Club Jack Gaughan - Northern Football Reporter, Daily Mail

Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Di Richardson, Farhana Haider, Drew Hyndman and Ben Morris Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: John Scott Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive RAMS TV The Football Association Match of The Day 11/12/04 (BBC) BBC Radio 5 Live

James Graham’s writing obsession started at the age of six in the shadow of Nottinghamshire's former coalmines. Equipped with a typewriter from his mother he created hundreds of stories from the family home in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.

Accelerating through university in Hull and a writing residency in west London, Graham’s work started to attract wider audiences following a break at the National Theatre in 2012. Building on his thrilling political drama This House, he went on to write plays and TV series including Sherwood, Dear England, Quiz, Best of Enemies and Brexit: The Uncivil War.

During this year’s MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he called for more working-class people in TV.

But what next for this prolific playwright? Stephen Smith speaks to his family, friends and colleagues to find out more.

Contributors Anne Ellis - Mother David Morrissey - Actor Kate Wasserberg - Artistic Director, Theatr Clwyd Dr Sarah Jane Dickenson - Senior Lecturer, University of Hull Martin Humphrey - Former Head of Creative Arts, Ashfield School, Nottingham Susannah Clapp - Theatre Critic for The Observer

Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Julie Ball, Ben Cooper, Miriam Quayyam Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: John Scott Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive 2012 National Theatre production of This House written by James Graham and directed by Jeremy Herrin. The cast in the extract features Phil Daniels playing Bob Mellish, Philip Glenister playing Walter Harrison and Lauren O’Neil playing Ann Taylor.

Picture BBC/PA Media

From ‘hillbilly’ roots to becoming Donald Trump’s nominee for vice-president. At 39, if JD Vance is elected, he would be one of America’s youngest ever Vice-Presidents. A lot has been laid bare in his own words, in ‘Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis’. He talks about being raised by his grandparents who moved from the Appalachian Mountains area of Kentucky to Ohio, to a Middle America Rust Belt town looking for a better life. His mother struggled with drug addiction and a string of chaotic relationships. So how did he go from a sometimes unstable, sometimes violent, upbringing to being in the running to take one of the highest offices in American politics? There’s another transformation many wonder about too: why did he change his mind on Trump? Only in 2016 JD Vance said ‘I can't stomach Trump. I think that he's noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place.’ Mark Coles finds out.

CONTRIBUTORS Jon Husted, Lieutenant Governor of the state of Ohio Hayley Bemiller, Reporter on Ohio newspaper the Columbus Dispatch Josh Glancy, Editor of News Review at The Sunday Times Michael Hartley, President Swing State Strategies Bryan Lanza, former member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team

PRODUCTION TEAM Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Phoebe Keane, Diane Richardson Editor: Penny Murphy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

CREDIT NPR Fresh Air

Shabana Mahmood is the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.

Born in Birmingham in a Kashmiri Pakistani family, she has three siblings, one of whom is her twin. From an early age her father ensured that the children were aware of the world around them, and made them each read five minutes from the Times newspaper every evening.

Inspired by the 1990's TV series, 'Kavanagh QC' to become a lawyer, Shabana Mahmood attended Lincoln College, Oxford University, a year below a certain Rishi Sunak.

After a few years working in law, she changed career and moved into politics, in 2010 winning the seat of Birmingham Ladywood for Labour, which she has held to date. Stephen Smith talks to those who know her.

CONTRIBUTORS William Audland, KC 12 Kings' Bench Walk Chambers David Gauke, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Jane Haynes, Journalist Birmingham Live/Mail Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, former Chair of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio. Lord Tom Watson, former MP West Bromwich East and Deputy Leader of the Labour party

PRODUCTION TEAM Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Diane Richardson, Julie Ball Editor: Penny Murphy Sound: Hal Haines Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Rosie Strawbridge

CREDITS Kavanagh QC - Central TV for ITV productions

Evan Gershkovich is the Wall Street Journal's Moscow reporter. He's been imprisoned in Russia since March last year, and has just gone on trial there - the first American journalist to be jailed in Russia since the Cold War. He's accused of espionage, something he, his employer and his government all strenuously deny.

To his friends, like Jeremy Berke, he is "the most extroverted person that I've ever met in my whole life". He loves football and is a dedicated Arsenal fan - so much so that he'd get his flatmates in Brooklyn up at 7am on Sunday mornings - despite them having been out on the town together till the early hours - to watch Arsenal matches with him on TV.

The son of Soviet-born, Jewish parents who'd fled to the USA in the late 70s, he grew up speaking Russian at home. Once in Moscow as a reporter, his fellow correspondents - many of whom quickly became friends too - were impressed by his drive, his knowledge of Russia's language and culture, his ease at making contacts, and his willingness to go the extra mile - often literally, to places like the remote Russian republics of Udmurtia and Yakutia.

He's now been detained for fifteen months and counting. Gershkovich's friends and family say his release can't come too soon; they're waiting to welcome him home with hugs, and the desire "to never let him leave again".

CONTRIBUTORS Joshua Yaffa, Moscow Correspondent of the New Yorker magazine, friend of Evan Gershkovich Jeremy Burke, MBA student at Columbia university, and Editor-in-chief of “Cultivated” media, friend of Evan Gershkovich Deborah Ball, Deputy World Editor of Wall Street Journal Nora Biette-Timmons, friend of Evan Gershkovich Pjotr Sauer, Russia Correspondent of The Guardian, friend and colleague Danielle Gershkovich, sister of Evan

PRODUCTION TEAM Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Arlene Gregorius, Julie Ball Editor: Penny Murphy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele