Samira Ahmed profiles Newt Gingrich, the American former Speaker of the House who is now a leading contender for the Republican nomination to run against Barack Obama in next year's US presidential election. Earlier this year he was largely written off as a presidential contender when many of his staff left his campaign. But now he has made a dramatic comeback. In the 1990s he was one of the Republicans who led the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton for perjury over his affai...
Dec 10, 2011•14 min
Profile this week takes a look at the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour who has surprised many by announcing he is to quit music for a career in politics. The son of a car mechanic, N'Dour went on to become one of the most influential recording artists in the world. With presidential elections taking place in Senegal next February, Edward Stourton asks if N'Dour has what it takes to succeed on the political stage. Producers: Ben Crighton and Hannah Barnes.
Dec 03, 2011•14 min
With Parliamentary elections due next week, Chris Bowlby charts the career of 76 year old Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the key figure in Egypt's new political crisis. A young military officer at the time of Suez, Tantawi went on to fight against the Israelis in the wars of 1967 and 1973. Rising through the military ranks, he was appointed Defence Minister by President Hosni Mubarak in 1991. Known as a courteous but inscrutable figure, Tantawi came to be viewed as the loyal heir apparen...
Nov 26, 2011•14 min
Meryl Streep is famous for achieving both critical and box office success throughout her long career. With more academy award nominations than any other actor in history, her face is recognisable worldwide. The young Meryl Streep tasted early success in landmark films such as 'The Deer Hunter' and 'Kramer vs Kramer'. Going on to star in the harrowing 'Sophie's Choice', she picked up the Academy Award for Best Actress and garnered critical acclaim for her mastery of a Polish accent. The box offic...
Nov 19, 2011•14 min
The Labour MP Tom Watson compared James Murdoch with "a Mafia boss" while questioning him about phone hacking this week. He has led the charge in Parliament against News International, and has been forensically campaigning on phone hacking for years. While many of his Labour colleagues regard him as a hero for his role in taking on the Murdoch empire, Watson wasn't always so popular. A close ally of Gordon Brown, he called for Tony Blair to resign in 2006, although he denied Brown conspired with...
Nov 12, 2011•14 min
The new President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi now finds himself at the centre of the European financial crisis. The appointment of an Italian to this key role, from a country no stranger to inflation and which is itself at risk of defaulting may have raised some eyebrows, but Draghi was once dubbed 'Super Mario' for his combination of financial and diplomatic intelligence. Lesley Curwen profiles the urbane economist and charts his path to the top of European banking. Reporter: Les...
Nov 05, 2011•14 min
Profile this week takes a look at the firebrand of Italian politics, Umberto Bossi. The controversial leader of the Northern League party, who takes a strident line on immigration and crime, is currently at the centre of the Euro crisis. Critics accuse Umberto Bossi of holding up Italy's economic reform which is vital for the survival of the Euro. Geeta Guru-Murthy discovers how this former electrician and singer has become such an infamous politician who could have a dramatic effect on Europe. ...
Oct 29, 2011•14 min
Liam Gallagher, John Leckie and John Robb talk about Stone Roses' Ian Brown after the legendary band announced this week that they are reforming. Brown formed the band with school friend John Squire but the rift between the two saw the break-up after just two albums and left a generation of music fans hanging. Brown went on to have a solo career but now he and his former bandmates have made amends. He and the band made a huge mark on music and influenced many who met him including bands such as ...
Oct 22, 2011•14 min
He's long been one of the most powerful figures in British government, but few outside Whitehall have heard of him. The next Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood has been at the centre of British government for two decades. He's been close to top politicians ranging from Norman Lamont to Tony Blair to David Cameron. And he's been in the thick of controversial episodes such as Black Wednesday, rows within the Brown government, and the global financial crisis. So what's the secret behind the huge infl...
Oct 15, 2011•14 min
Claire Bolderson profiles Lord Justice Leveson, the judge who is leading the public inquiry into the phone hacking scandal and relationships between politicians, journalists and police officers. Brian Leveson was born and brought up in Liverpool and worked there, as a young barrister, for a number of years before becoming a QC. His later career involved some of the biggest commercial trials of the time - among them BCCI, Polly Peck and Barings. He also prosecuted Ken Dodd on behalf of the Inland...
Oct 08, 2011•14 min
Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the easyJet entrepreneur at the heart of the low-budget airline revolution, is the subject of this week's Profile. Stelios - as he is better known - has just set up Fastjet.com in a surprise move that has angered executives at his old company. Presenter Rosie Goldsmith talks to friends, foes and fans of the Greek-Cypriot tycoon. Producer: Lucy Proctor.
Oct 01, 2011•14 min
As President Obama announces his deficit reduction plan, which includes the 'Buffett Rule', to increase taxes on America's richest, Profile looks at the billionaire investor Warren Buffett. At 81 years of age, he's one of the richest men in the world closing in on a personal fortune of nearly 40 billion dollars. Recently Buffett decided to do a small tax survey in his Omaha office to find out what proportion of everybody's salary was being taxed. He discovered that he was paying a much lower sha...
Sep 24, 2011•14 min
Profile looks at the man who was appointed this week to the top job in policing - the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe. Described as a tough, straight northerner, he spent five years running the Merseyside police to 2009. He introduced a zero tolerance approach to crime which he describes as "total policing". Under his leadership there were significant falls in crime and anti-social behaviour. He is not afraid to court controversy and spoke out against judges for being so...
Sep 17, 2011•14 min
Rick Perry won the seat of Governor of Texas vacated by George W Bush when he was elected President of the United States. Perry has held the post for over ten years, making him the longest serving governor in state history. Now he is seeking nomination as the Republican Party's candidate to oppose Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election. Over last few weeks he's become a front runner to succeed, taking part in a series of televised debates within the last few days. In this week's Profile,...
Sep 10, 2011•14 min
Edward Stourton profiles Vanessa Redgrave, the multi-award and Oscar-winning actress and political activist. A leading member of the Redgrave family of actors, she is the daughter, wife, mother and aunt of some of Britain's best known actors and directors. She has hit the headlines just as often for her political and human rights activities, as for her stage, film and theatre work. This week, she is in the news for supporting the travellers currently facing eviction from a site in Basildon. Prod...
Sep 03, 2011•14 min
Mustafa Abdul Jalil is a former Justice Minister for the Gaddafi regime and now head of Libya's National Transitional Council. He publicly challenged Gaddafi's authority and offered his resignation but it was turned down and the dictator preferred to keep Mustafa Abdul Jalil close, apparently encouraged by the leader's son Saif al-islam Gadaffi. Known as a man of integrity and a stickler for the law, he defected in February after visiting the city of Bengazi, and saw peaceful protestors being sh...
Aug 27, 2011•14 min
The Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger is credited with turning around the fortunes of his club and forging a new approach to football management. Known as the 'Professor' and lauded as a genius, he now faces criticism from some of his own loyal fans. Andy Denwood profiles the Frenchman at the heart of English football. Producer - Gail Champion.
Aug 20, 2011•14 min
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, is centre stage as she deals with the aftermath of riots across England which have shocked the country and led to the recall of Parliament. The police are under scrutiny for their tactics and performance in London particularly, with reported tensions arising between the Home Secretary and the Met Commissioner. May is a politician who's not afraid to challenge the existing order - and speak the unspeakable. Last year, she told the police that they need to cut thei...
Aug 13, 2011•14 min
When Iran makes the news it is often that country's flamboyant and provocative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who finds himself under the spotlight. But the man who wields real power in Iran is not Ahmadinejad, nor was it any of his predecessors as president. Instead it is the man who has served as the head of the country's religious structure since 1989, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Ayatollah owes his rise to power to two men - his predecessor as Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruho...
Aug 06, 2011•14 min
With a year to go until London 2012 Shari Vahl profiles John Armitt CBE, Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority and charged with delivering the £9bn project on time and budget.
Jul 30, 2011•14 min
There were cheers and jeers in the House this week when Elizabeth Filkin was named as head of the enquiry to advise on cleaning up the relationship between the Met and the media following the hacking scandal. As former Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards she challenged vested interests at Westminster, until she was 'hounded out' by MPs in 2002 after questioning the probity of some of their number. She took on Keith Vaz - who this week chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee's questioning ...
Jul 23, 2011•14 min
Rupert Murdoch is the head of News Corporation and at the centre of the political and public storm over phone hacking and the payment of police officers. Steve Hewlett profiles the 80 year old whose high risk and audacious business gambles built an empire, but is now seeing the alleged high risk behaviour of some of its former employees threaten to undermine it. Producer: Nicola Dowling.
Jul 16, 2011•14 min
Jonathan Maitland profiles Nick Davies, the investigative journalist behind the story of the News of the World phone-hacking allegations that are dominating the headlines. Nick Davies decided to become an investigative journalist after he saw the film All the President's Men, about the US journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who revealed the Watergate story that brought down president Richard Nixon. Thirty-five years later, Nick Davies is considered one of Britain's top investigative jour...
Jul 09, 2011•14 min
The IMF elects the French Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde as its new Managing Director. Front-runner Ms Lagarde, who's used to breaking glass ceilings in the world of politics and economics, becomes the first female head of this international financial institution. A yoga and exercise enthusiast - she once represented France in synchronised swimming - she wears Chanel and treasures the simple pleasures of her rural retreat in Normandy. A healthy contrast perhaps to the challenges facing the ...
Jul 02, 2011•14 min
Bashar al-Assad of Syria is facing a serious challenge to his rule in the form of widespread political protest across the country. Simon Cox examines how instead of training to be an eye doctor in London he was thrust into the role of leader of an Arab state in the of a political storm. Had his brother not died, Bashar would almost certainly have been destined for a quiet life outside politics and far from the spotlight. He came to power in 2000 on a wave of hope for political and economic refor...
Jun 25, 2011•14 min
Martin Amis has a reputation as a literary bad boy and has caused a stir in a recent interview with a French magazine talking about the 'moral decrepitude of England' and saying he would 'prefer not to be English'. It's not the first time Amis has courted controversy: he offended Muslims by saying they 'ought to suffer until they get their house in order' and earlier this year he riled children's authors by saying 'If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book'. Those who'...
Apr 23, 2011•14 min
On the day of her resignation, Edward Stourton profiles the former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks. He asks how she became one of the most powerful women in Britain - and charts the mixture of charm and ruthlessness which took her to the top. Producer: Ben Crighton.
Apr 16, 2011•14 min
In the week that artist Ai Weiwei was detained by the Chinese authorities, Mary Ann Sieghart profiles the outspoken designer of the 'Bird's Nest' Olympics stadium. Reporter - Mary Ann Sieghart Producer - Ben Crighton (The programme includes material from Alison Klayman's documentary: Ai Weiwei - Never Sorry).
Apr 09, 2011•14 min
In the week that singer-songwriter Adele's critically acclaimed second album retains the UK top spot for the ninth consecutive week, Colin Paterson asks whether she can beat the record set by Madonna to become the female solo artist with the longest-running album at number one for consecutive weeks. At just 21 years old, how did this 'ordinary girl' from North London conquer the charts? Reporter - Colin Paterson Producer - Gail Champion.
Apr 02, 2011•14 min
Morland Sanders profiles the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa. A key pillar in cobbling together international legitimacy for the coalition mission in Libya was support from the League of Arab States. But after bombing runs began, Amr Moussa appeared to criticise the coalition strikes as beyond the scope of the United Nations mandate. Is this apparent wavering a lack of consensus in the Arab League and does this limit its influence? How successful has the League been under the le...
Mar 26, 2011•14 min
