Becky Milligan looks back at the extraordinary life of South Africa's new president. From humble beginnings, he became a lawyer, established the country's most powerful trade union organisation and was a key player in negotiating the end of apartheid. After losing out at an earlier attempt to become president, he turned to business and rapidly became one of South Africa's richest men - while also attracting controversy over allegations about his role during the Marikana massacre of striking mine...
Feb 17, 2018•14 min
He's been called the government's "real Mr Brexit", but is little known outside Whitehall. Mark Coles asks who is Oliver Robbins, the Prime Minister's right hand man for the Brexit negotiations? In the last few months Robbins' role has grown, taking the lead on negotiations with Brussels often without the Brexit Secretary, David Davis. This has led some to question whether a senior civil servant should be given so much power. He had a meteoric rise, becoming Tony Blair's Principal Private Secret...
Feb 10, 2018•14 min
This week the Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced that Sara Khan will lead the newly created Commission for Countering Extremism - an appointment which was not welcomed with blanket approval, with some sections of the Muslim community calling on her to quit. Sara Khan is the co-founder of Inspire - a counter-extremism and human rights organisation engaging with Muslim women, which has also engaged with the government's Prevent scheme. The counter-extremism programme has proved controversial, wit...
Feb 03, 2018•14 min
The remarkable story of George Weah, footballing legend turned politician, on his journey from the slums of Monrovia to inauguration this week as president of Liberia. Spotted by Arsene Wenger at a young age, Weah became a star striker in the '90s for Paris St Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea. In 1995 he won the Ballon d'Or as the world's best player, the only African ever to win the honour. Back home, Weah became an inspiration to a generation of Liberians. When he retired from football, he return...
Jan 27, 2018•14 min
Earlier this week Jon Lansman, founder and leader of left-wing political group Momentum, was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee. A 60-year-old veteran of the hard left, Lansman has been credited with helping get Jeremy Corbyn elected as Labour leader and to successfully rallying thousands of activists behind the Momentum movement. But his critics say he can be a dogmatic, even bullying, leader, quick to crush dissent. On this week's 'Profile', Mark Coles speaks to relativ...
Jan 20, 2018•14 min
Following her barn-storming speech about sexual harassment at the Golden Globe awards, Mark Coles charts the rise of talk show host, philanthropist, media proprietor and actress Oprah Winfrey. With calls urging Winfrey to run for President, close friends and former colleagues recount their favourite moments with her on-set and at home. We learn about the woman behind the screen and her remarkable tale of rags to riches, from clothes made out of potato sacks to one of the richest black women in t...
Jan 13, 2018•14 min
It's been a tumultuous week in Iran. Thousands of protestors in more than twenty towns and cities taking to the streets to demand economic and political change. On the programme this week, we update a profile we did of Hassan Rouhani when he first became President of Iran back in 2013. Regarded as more liberal than some of his predecessors - and now in his second term as President - he faces the unenviable task of trying to balance the demands of the Iranian people who want better living conditi...
Jan 06, 2018•14 min
A hunch about Online gambling has made Denise Coates from Bet365 Britain's best paid boss. Chris Bowlby discovers how this elusive figure from Stoke masterminded a global betting revolution. We follow her career from the tough world of 1990s betting shops to today's lucrative round the clock business. But why has hardly anyone - even in her home town - ever heard of her? Producer: Smita Patel Editor: Emma Rippon.
Dec 30, 2017•14 min
Sarah Mullally, appointed this week as the first woman Bishop of London, the third most senior position in the Anglican Church. A former nurse and senior civil servant, she was ordained in 2001. Her surprise appointment followed a brief spell as Bishop of Devon in Crediton. She's expected to attract criticism from more conservative elements of the Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical elements of the church. Mark Coles profiles the most senior woman in the Anglican Church. Presenter: Mark Coles Produce...
Dec 23, 2017•14 min
The Winklevoss twins - Cameron and Tyler - became famous for suing Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he stole their idea for Facebook. This week it was announced they'd made a fortune from Bitcoin. They're former Olympic rowers, and also rowed for Oxford in the 2010 Boat Race. Becky Milligan explores their early life, including talking to their Dad, to discover what drives their ambition. Producers: Smita Patel and Beth Sagar-Fenton.
Dec 09, 2017•14 min
First Secretary of State, Damian Green, is under mounting pressure this week due to allegations of improper behaviour, and claims that pornography was found on a computer in his office back in 2008 - allegations he staunchly denies. Sue Gray, Head of Propriety and Ethics at the Cabinet Office, is leading the inquiry into whether he broke any rules. Gray has been described as "the most powerful person you've never heard of". Mark Coles finds out more about the woman who joined the civil service s...
Dec 02, 2017•14 min
At the Lord Mayors banquet a couple of weeks ago the Prime Minister Theresa May didn't mince her words when she waded into the alleged Russian interference in western countries accusing them of sowing disinformation she declared "We know what you are doing and you will not succeed." This week on Profile we look at the man accused of funding the St Petersburg troll factory which has produced so much pro-Russian material online. Yevgeny Prigozhin has moved from jail to restaurateur and close frien...
Nov 25, 2017•14 min
After the Zimbabwean army moved against Robert Mugabe this week, one man has been hotly tipped to succeed him. The former Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, portrays himself to the west as a free-market enthusiast who could change the fortunes of Zimbabwe. But 'The Crocodile', as Mnangagwa is nicknamed, has been at Mugabe's side since the independence struggle, and is associated with some of the regime's most notorious actions. Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Kate Lamble and Beth Sagar-Fe...
Nov 18, 2017•14 min
Priti Patel was forced to resign as International Development Secretary this week after holding extra curricular holiday meetings in Israel. Luke Jones profiles this passionate Leave campaigner, the ambitious daughter of Indian newsagents, who wants to follow in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher. Presenter: Luke Jones Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton Producer: Siobhan O'Connell.
Nov 11, 2017•14 min
He's worked with almost every US President since Gerald Ford. Paul Manafort, a political lobbyist and Trump's former campaign manager, is under house arrest charged with money laundering and fraud, his lavish lifestyle of luxurious mansions, fast cars and antique rugs laid bare by the FBI. Mark Coles profiles this powerbroker who some say may become a key witness for the investigation into Russia's alleged meddling in the US election. Producers: Beth Sagar-Fenton & Siobhan O'Connell....
Nov 04, 2017•14 min
The Football Association's chairman, Greg Clarke, said this week that the FA had "lost the trust of the public" over its handling of discrimination claims against former England women's manager Mark Sampson. Mark Coles profiles England and Chelsea Ladies player - and whistleblower - Eniola Aluko, who made the claims. Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton Researcher: Nick Raikes.
Oct 28, 2017•14 min
As the EU commission meets to discuss the progress of Brexit negotiations, Mark Coles profiles the man some say really runs Europe, Martin Selmayr - right hand man to the President of the European Commission. Just what impact is the passionate European having on the process of Britain leaving the EU? And does he deserve his reputation as the 'Monster at the Berlaymont'?
Oct 21, 2017•14 min
Edward Stourton profiles former minister, and mistress of the deadpan one-liner, Baroness Trumpington, who this week announced she will retire from the House of Lords at the age of 95. He talks to Ian Hislop, Viscount Astor, friends and family about her extraordinary life, which took her from riches, through the Wall Street Crash, code-breaking at Bletchley Park, into politics and finally to unexpected celebrity status after giving a two finger salute to a fellow peer. One of few politicians wit...
Oct 14, 2017•14 min
It's Barcelona versus Madrid...and we're not talking football. Spain is facing its biggest political crisis for years....the autonomous region of Catalonia considering breaking away from the rest of the country. Mark Coles profiles Spain's right wing Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, as he goes head to head with the Catalan President to try to stop it happening. The programme examines his Galician roots and his grandfather's role in wresting power from the Spanish state back in the 1930s. We follow...
Oct 07, 2017•14 min
This week the Chief Whip will deliver a major speech at the Tory party conference, just before the Prime Minister takes the stage. But who is Gavin Williamson? Mark Coles looks at the life and career of the Yorkshire man who knows about pottery, loves hedgehogs and keeps an eight legged pet on his desk in parliament. And some say, has his sights set on higher political office.
Sep 30, 2017•14 min
On Profile this week, we look at the life and career of the world's top diplomat - the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. When he opened the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the 68 year old former Portuguese Prime Minister warned the world was in danger, "in pieces" and needed putting back together again. So, who is he and how does he plan to go about it ? Mark Coles talks to childhood friends, political colleagues past and present - even Portugal's President - who help explain t...
Sep 23, 2017•14 min
Edward Stourton looks at Jake Wood, founder of Team Rubicon, the international disaster relief group staffed by veterans as it works in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. He finds out what motivates the former marine and talks to General David Petraeus and General Sir Nick Parker, former UN worker Ben Parker and friends, family and colleagues.
Sep 16, 2017•14 min
Nikki Haley is US ambassador to the UN and one of the most intriguing figures in the Trump administration. Chris Bowlby discovers how an Indian family background and life in the US deep South shaped her. How has she mixed Sikh heritage with a meteoric rise in South Carolina conservative politics? What's her relationship with Donald Trump really like? Is she aiming for the presidency? Producers: Smita Patel & Bob Howard Editor: Emma Rippon.
Sep 09, 2017•14 min
Profile this week looks at the life and a career of a politician at the centre of political deadlock in Northern Ireland. 40 year old Michelle O'Neill is Sinn Fein's new leader in the north. She was appointed in January after Martin McGuinness stood down, but has yet to make her debut leading her party in the Northern Ireland Assembly because power sharing has been suspended. This week, Sinn Fein and the rival DUP both blamed each other for the impasse - rejecting each others terms for getting t...
Sep 02, 2017•14 min
Mark Coles profiles Crawford Falconer, the New Zealander who could prove key to Britain's post-Brexit future. Falconer is a 63 year old former Kiwi trade negotiator. This week, he started a new job at the Department for International Trade....in charge of negotiating UK trade deals with the rest of the world once Britain leaves the EU. Friends and former colleagues shed light on his government career in New Zealand as well as his time chairing talks at the World Trade Organisation. We also hear ...
Aug 26, 2017•14 min
Becky Milligan profiles the pop superstar, Taylor Swift who has recently won a case against an ex-DJ over her claim that she was sexually assaulted when he groped her during a pre-concert photo opportunity in 2013. Taylor Swift is a multi award winning, platinum selling American singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, before moving to Nashville, Tennessee at age 14 to pursue a career in country music. There, she was signed by an independent record label. Her second album released in ...
Aug 19, 2017•14 min
This summer, Moeen Ali has broken several cricketing records. He's become the first player ever to score more than 250 runs and take 25 wickets in a four match Test Series Mark Coles profiles the spin-bowler and batsman - who grew up in the Midlands, started playing the sport at a young age, and who has inspired today's England fans to chant about his facial hair. Producers: Nina Robinson and Hannah Sander.
Aug 12, 2017•13 min
General John Kelly is the man they hope can bring order to Trump's office. We follow his journey from a working class Boston neighbourhood to the White House. A decorated Marine General, an Iraq war veteran, who is adored by his troops and known for making tough decisions, General John Francis Kelly has come a long way from his beginnings born to an Irish Catholic family in the working class Brighton neighbourhood of Boston. From his first mission delivering 10'000 tonnes of beer to troops in Vi...
Aug 05, 2017•14 min
Lady Brenda Hale has been announced as the new president of the UK Supreme Court - the first woman to hold the post. Lady Hale has a long track record as a female pioneer in the legal profession and has been critical of the lack of diversity within the judicial system. Born in Yorkshire, she was an outstanding student, passing the 11 plus exam a year early. She took a different route into the judiciary, having pursued a career as a legal academic first, rather than spend years working as a barri...
Jul 29, 2017•14 min
Mark Coles profiles the broadcaster Chris Evans, who this week made headlines after his 2.2 million pound salary was revealed in the BBC's Annual Report.
Jul 22, 2017•14 min
