The billionaire banker whose finance firm has collapsed and who is now at the centre of a lobbying scandal involving ex-Prime Minister, David Cameron. Alexander "Lex" Greensill, grew up on his family’s sugar cane and melon farm in Queensland, Australia. After moving to the UK, he went into investment banking, founded a supply chain finance empire - complete with private jets - and, under David Cameron, secured a role in Britain’s Conservative-led Coalition government. After leaving office, the e...
Apr 10, 2021•14 min
Emerald Fennell is the first British woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. The film, that she also wrote - 'Promising Young Woman' - has been called a 'revenge-comedy', a movie for the #MeToo era. Fennell's rise has been meteoric - showrunner for the second series of 'Killing Eve', she's also well-known for her roles in front of the camera, including her portrayal of the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, in 'The Crown'. Becky Milligan tells the story of a prolif...
Apr 03, 2021•14 min
AstraZeneca's CEO faces scrutiny as his company's vaccine, and its roll out, comes under fire. Mark Coles explores the life and career one of big pharma's biggest names. The oldest of four boys, Pascal Soriot grew up in a working class area of Paris. He took the helm at AZ in 2012 after years in top jobs across the world. One of his first challenges was to fight off a takeover from Pfizer. The AZ vaccine, currently not-for-profit, was hailed as a life saver for millions. But with accusations of ...
Mar 27, 2021•14 min
Journalist, controversialist, celebrity - Mark Coles explores the explosive career of Piers Morgan, one of the country's youngest-ever and best-known newspaper editors. In the spotlight, again, this time for storming off the set of ITV's "Good Morning Britain", colleagues, competitors, friends and foes detail a roller-coaster career. If it started with a desire to report from behind the headlines, as years passed he has all too frequently become their subject. Presenter: Mark Coles Researcher: M...
Mar 20, 2021•15 min
The attorney general of Minnesota is the lead prosecutor in the trial for murder of George Floyd who died in May last year. His death became front page news after a video showed a white police officer kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes. It sparked massive civil unrest and forced a wider debate about law enforcement and racial inequality. Keith Ellison's role in the trial which started this week will be closely watched. He was born in Detroit in 1963, one of five brothers to parents wit...
Mar 13, 2021•14 min
The former dentist who’s just become the new leader of Scottish Labour. Anas' childhood was infused with politics - his father became the UK's first muslim MP and his mother devoted a great deal of time to activism and campaigning. But that came at a cost. The family endured racist threats while he was growing up. Now a lot rests on his shoulders. With only nine weeks until the Holyrood elections, can he turn round the party's fortunes in Scotland and in so doing change the make-up of Westminste...
Mar 06, 2021•14 min
Carrie Symonds is Boris Johnson's fiancee and the mother of his baby. She is a also a former special advisor, committed animal rights activist and Brexit supporter. And, not that long ago, she was director of communications for the Conservative Party. It's that political experience that has fuelled questions about how much influence she has over decisions made in Downing Street. The Bow Group think tank this week called for an inquiry into her role. Mark Coles profiles the woman who has been mak...
Feb 27, 2021•14 min
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's journey to head the World Trade Organisation has been particularly note-worthy. She is the first woman and the first African to hold the position. A trained economist, she was at the World Bank during the financial crisis and, as Nigeria’s finance minister, she faced down corruption. It's not just her career that sets her apart. As a child she lived through the Biafran War. Years later she faced another crisis: the kidnapping of her elderly mother. But her friends say sh...
Feb 21, 2021•14 min
David Martindale joined Livingston FC as a volunteer six years ago, picking up bibs and cones after training sessions. Now he is managing a team that's about to play in the Scottish League Cup Final. It has been an unconventional and bumpy rise to the top. Martindale went to jail in 2006, doing time for his involvement in organised crime, Mark Coles talks to his family, friends and football colleagues about his past, his leadership style and what the future may hold. Will his chequered history t...
Feb 13, 2021•14 min
The first female british chef to win 3 Michelin stars at her own restaurant hails from a farm in County Antrim. Mark Coles talks to those who know Clare Smyth well - at home and in the kitchen - including legendary chefs Alain Ducasse and Angela Hartnett. Clare Smyth left Northern Ireland to train in England at just 16 and has gone her own way ever since. A protegee of some of the world's best known chefs, she ran Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant before setting up her own, Core, just three ye...
Feb 06, 2021•14 min
Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen is the biggest private landowner in Scotland and the biggest private shareholder in ASOS, the online fashion company that is in talks to buy Topshop. Having cut his teeth in the family fashion business, Bestseller, and following a series of canny investments, Anders Povlsen has more recently become known for his ambitious plans to ‘rewild’ large areas of Scotland To that end he has bought up hundreds of thousands of acres, now owning more land there than t...
Jan 30, 2021•14 min
Welsh screenwriter and television producer Russell T Davies has been entertaining the country for decades. From his ground-breaking series Queer as Folk to the revamped Doctor Who – his new series for Channel 4 - It’s a Sin - focuses on the 1980s AIDS crisis. The son of two teachers, Davies grew up loving drama and drawing cartoons - early indications of creativity that have served him well ever since. Mark Coles speaks to family and friends to find out more about one of the TV industry's most r...
Jan 23, 2021•14 min
Nadhim Zahawi began life as a Kurdish refugee, fleeing to the UK when he was nine years old. A businessman with an eclectic portfolio, he co-founded pollsters YouGov in 2000 before becoming a Conservative MP in 2010. Now a Minister with one of the most pressing jobs in Government, who is the man responsible for England’s Covid-19 vaccination programme? Mark Coles speaks to friends and colleagues to find out. Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton Researchers: Maia Lowerson and May Cameron Production Coordi...
Jan 16, 2021•14 min
The legendary make-up artist has just become the first in her industry to be made a Dame. Growing up in Northampton without industry contacts or formal training, Pat McGrath taught herself the techniques that have made her one of the most in-demand names in fashion. If you can name a designer label, she's probably worked for them, and now runs her own billion-dollar business. Supermodels, colleagues and friends tell Becky Milligan why she's had such a huge impact. Pat McGrath met Kim Bowen at th...
Jan 09, 2021•13 min
Tennis star Naomi Osaka had a massive year in 2020, becoming the highest earning sportswoman ever, and protesting police violence against black Americans in both her private and professional life. Born in Japan, she's spent most of her life in the US. This year she's set to light up the Tokyo Olympics as one of the stars of the games. What else lies ahead for Naomi Osaka? We hear from those closest to her including her coach and manager, and feature an exclusive interview with campaigner and ten...
Jan 02, 2021•14 min
The creator of Mrs Brown's Boys has had a bumpy ride to stardom. Becky Milligan charts the journey - born the youngest of 11 children in Dublin, he faced bankruptcy and serial disappointments before finding success as the the matriarch of his very own family sitcom. This year it returns - for the 10th consecutive year - to our TV screens over Christmas. Producer: Ben Crighton Editor: Rosamund Jones
Dec 26, 2020•14 min
The academy award winning actor’s latest film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is one of the first big budget releases since the pandemic closed cinemas. Viola Davis is the first black actor to win an Oscar, Emmy and Tony award – a triple crown of the most prestigious awards in film, television and theatre. Born on her grandmother’s farm, a former slave plantation in South Carolina. Davis was raised on the East Coast – in Providence, Rhode Island. As a child growing up in poverty, acting became a mean...
Dec 19, 2020•14 min
After a 30 year career of quiet public service, Dr June Raine has found herself in the spotlight when the UK became the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. As the head of the MHRA she has ultimate responsibility for the process of approving any new Covid-19 vaccines in the UK, and when the eminent American immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci cast doubt over the speed of UK's approval process Dr Raine was forced to make a public response. Becky Milligan finds out more about her life, ...
Dec 12, 2020•14 min
The British artificial intelligence lab DeepMind have made an astonishing breakthrough in one of biology’s toughest problems. The firm announced this week that it had largely cracked the problem of predicting how proteins folds into unique shapes, a challenge scientists have been working on for 50 years. The discovery is expected to accelerate research into illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer’s, and could even help find solutions to climate change. Behind the project is DeepMind’s co-founder, De...
Dec 05, 2020•13 min
This week the political turmoil at Number 10 has made the headlines. One of the prime minister's aides whose star appears to be on the rise is former journalist Allegra Stratton, the government's new press secretary. She'll be fronting televised briefings shortly. Becky Milligan examines her life and her career so far. Producers: Bethan Head and Sally Abrahams.
Nov 21, 2020•14 min
Early results from the world's first effective coronavirus vaccine showed it could prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19. The vaccine had been developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech and was one of 11 vaccines that had reached the final stages of testing. Mark Coles explores the lives and careers of Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci - the little known Turkish-German husband-and-wife team responsible for the development of the vaccine. First broadcast on Saturday 14th ...
Nov 14, 2020•14 min
As Wales eases its covid restrictions, Profile explores the life and various careers of the country's First Minister. Born and brought up in rural Wales, before entering the world of Labour politics Mark Drakeford worked as a social worker and an academic. And Mark Coles discovers that those are not his only interests. Tending his allotment, playing music and body boarding in all weathers also loom large. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Luke Radcliff and Ben Carter
Nov 07, 2020•14 min
The business woman and Great British Bake Off judge now working with the government to improve NHS food - her independent review demanding healthier meals for hospital patients. Born in South Africa, it was time spent in Paris which sparked Prue Leith's love of food. Transferring to London, she started a food empire in her bedsit, going on to open a catering college and a Michelin star restaurant. She took on public roles too, becoming the first woman on the board of British Rail, charged with f...
Oct 31, 2020•14 min
The chief strategic advisor to PM Boris Johnson who thrives on getting things done and who was once regarded as Margaret Thatcher's favourite council leader. A former alarms company executive, Edward Lister's political career began in the London Borough of Wandsworth which was at the forefront of Thatcherism at the turn of the 1980s. A council leader for nearly two decades, he made the leap to City Hall when Boris Johnson made him his deputy - and he's been a trusted aide and fixer ever since. D...
Oct 24, 2020•14 min
The former bricklayer steering Liverpool through the latest coronavirus lockdown. Liverpool was the first region to face the toughest restrictions as the second wave of the pandemic takes hold. The man in charge of dealing with this new crisis is the first mayor of the city region, Steve Rotheram. Becky Milligan charts his rise, from a 16-year-old school leaver to prominent politician. Producer: Ben Crighton Researcher: Luke Radcliff
Oct 17, 2020•14 min
The man from Indiana who's "a heartbeat away" from the US presidency. Mark Coles tells the story of how a Catholic boy with Democratic Party leanings became a born-again evangelical and a hero of the Republican right. With President Donald Trump's recent bout with Covid-19, there has been more and more attention paid to the man next in line for the Oval Office. But there are doubts about whether a majority of the American public agree with the vice-president's strictly socially conservative view...
Oct 10, 2020•14 min
Billionaire Chuck Feeney said he would give away all of his money by 2020 – and he’s done it. An entrepreneur from childhood, he amassed a huge fortune in the duty-free business, before spending it on projects ranging from concert halls in Ireland to AIDS support in South Africa. For many years the money was only given out on condition of secrecy, that his name should never be mentioned in connection with the donations. Mark Coles finds out what’s driven this unique mission - and what his family...
Oct 03, 2020•13 min
Lewis Hamilton could be about to equal Michael Schumacher's incredible record of 91 Grand Prix wins - but can he achieve even more? The first black Formula 1 driver has been a champion since childhood, when he ran rings around the adults with his remote control car. Three decades on he's tipped to equal and even exceed the long standing record - but is he now determined to achieve as much off the track as on it? We hear from those who know Hamilton best, including an exclusive interview with his...
Sep 26, 2020•14 min
The woman who could soon be "a heartbeat away" from the presidency. This week voters in some states started sending in their ballot papers for the US presidential election. If the Democrats win when results are announced in November, it's vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris who'll be second in line to the Oval Office. She would be the first black person, the first woman and the first person of Indian descent to become VP. But what is Kamala Harris really like? Why has she attracted critici...
Sep 19, 2020•14 min
Why is the former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott such a controversial choice for trade adviser? Appointed by the Government to help negotiate post-Brexit deals for the UK, his supporters say he's a persuasive political operator and already has three free trade agreements under his belt. But others have been staggered by his appointment, saying he has a track record of sexism and homophobia, and will prove an "embarrassment" to the UK. Mark Coles speaks to colleagues, critics and even Abbo...
Sep 12, 2020•14 min
