With power sharing in Northern Ireland restored after a two year hiatus, the DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly has landed herself a top job - Deputy First Minister. It’s the first time a unionist has been in the role. Hailing from a border town in Northern Ireland, County Armagh, she grew up during the Troubles. Her house was damaged in a bomb attack. Having held several positions in Stormont and Westminster, Little-Pengelly has now taken up her new role opposite Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill. Co-opted ...
Feb 10, 2024•15 min
General Sir Patrick Sanders has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, rising through the ranks from Infantry Officer to Head of the Army. It's not a position he expected to reach and says "my first sergeant would never have seen this coming". He's spoken candidly about experiencing depression following a tour in Iraq, having lost a number of his own infantry regiment, encouraging others to seek help. Most recently General Sanders has ignited debate about the size of t...
Feb 03, 2024•15 min
He’s led Liverpool Football Club to countless victories and is adored by fans for his touchline antics. As he announces his departure from Liverpool FC after nine years, Timandra Harkness looks at the life of Jurgen Klopp, from his childhood in the Black Forest to the young player who could run like the wind, before hanging up his boots to become a coach. Presenter: Timandra Harkness and Becky Milligan Production: Ellie House, Phoebe Keane, Diane Richardson Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundel...
Jan 27, 2024•15 min
Stephen Smith looks at the life of the newly appointed French prime minister. The child of film producers, at one stage it looked like he was bound for a career in entertainment. Instead, Gabriel Attal has become the youngest PM in modern French history and he hopes to revive President Macron's government. One of his first tasks will be to lead the French government into the European Parliament elections in June. Contributors Marisol Touraine, former French Minister of Health, chair of Unitaid. ...
Jan 20, 2024•15 min
The ‘New Adult’ romance author topping book charts, and breaking records - she’s even outsold the Bible. Who is Colleen Hoover? The small-town Texan turned hit novelist is a TikTok sensation. Young women film themselves sobbing as they read her books, and queue for hours to meet her. Her meteoric rise to fame, from a small trailer on the family farm, reads like one of her stories. And now, her hit novel - ‘It Ends With Us’ - is set to hit the silver screen. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ellie...
Jan 13, 2024•15 min
Reform UK - formerly known as 'The Brexit Party' - has hit 10% in polls for the first time. And its leader, Richard Tice, is gearing up to contest the next general election. In a press conference this week, he vowed that Reform UK candidates would stand in every seat in England, Wales, and Scotland - posing a threat to Conservative candidates across the country. Dubbed a "bad boy of Brexit", who is the businessman turned politician leading this charge from the right? Presenter: Paul Connolly Pro...
Jan 06, 2024•15 min
Sir Mufti Hamid Patel, chief executive of education trust, Star Academies, which runs schools often in deprived areas, many of which have achieved outstanding results. Sir Mufti Hamid Patel left school in Blackburn at 16, without himself excelling academically. Having worked in local government in Blackburn, he then ran a Muslim girls school before starting Star Academies. The trust has grown to include 34 primary and secondary schools mainly in northern England, the Midlands and East London. Ne...
Dec 30, 2023•15 min
Polly Neate. CEO of the housing and homelessness charity Shelter. Recently rescued in a dramatic cliff top drama, Neate was determined to fight social injustice from an early age. She started life as a journalist and then worked for the charities Action for Children and Women's Aid before taking the top job at Shelter. Her climbing injury has left her on crutches but she continues her professional work campaigning to help the homeless and is still determined to carry on climbing. PRODUCTION TEAM...
Dec 23, 2023•15 min
Tucker Carlson, the American conservative political commentator and newscaster. He was born in California and from the age of six was brought up by his father after his mother left the family home. Tucker Carlson followed in his father's footsteps when he left college and took up a career in journalism. He's worked for CNN, MSNBC and Fox News from which he was 'let go' in April this year. As he launches his own streaming website 'Tucker Carlson Network', Stephen Smith finds out about the man who...
Dec 16, 2023•15 min
Olivia Colman, Oscar winning actress. Stephen Smith charts her career from an appearance at the age of 4 in a school nativity play, through to her current project as Mrs. Scrubbit in the new 'Wonka' film. Olivia Colman first came to public attention as a comedy actress in 'That Mitchell and Webb Look' and then 'Peep Show' but she always felt she could do more. It was being cast in the British film 'Tyrannosaur' that brought her to the attention of Hollywood. Now she's on her way to National Trea...
Dec 09, 2023•14 min
It is only a year since the controversial AI chatbot, ChatGPT was launched by Open AI, the company founded by this week's profilee, Sam Altman. For him the past year may have felt like a roller coaster but surely nothing compares with the last two weeks. Over the course of a week, he lost his job at Open AI and was immediately offered a job by Microsoft who'd invested heavily in the business. Next, Open AI employees threatened to resign in solidarity with their founder if he was not reinstated. ...
Dec 02, 2023•15 min
The new President of Argentina, Javier Milei swept into power winning fifty-five percent of the popular vote. He's threatened to take a chainsaw to the economy, replace the peso with the dollar and blow up the Central Bank. With looks more reminiscent of a seventies rock star, will this unconventional economist be able to solve the hyperinflation that is crippling Argentina's economy once more. Or will his lack of experience and support in government cause this self-professed anarcho-capitalist ...
Nov 25, 2023•15 min
Born and raised in south east London, James Cleverly once dreamed of being an artist, then opted for an army career. But never expected to become a politician. Yet now, after swiftly climbing the cabinet ladder, the high-flying statesman has made the step up from Foreign Secretary to Home Secretary. But with a bulging in-tray - including the government's troubled plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda - can he rise to the challenge? Charismatic, convivial and sometimes cautious, does James Clev...
Nov 18, 2023•15 min
As President Biden's top diplomat, Antony Blinken is in the eye of the storm as the conflict rages in Israel and Gaza. The US Secretary of State has been preparing for this role his whole life. But has he got what it takes? After a gilded upbringing - living in New York and Paris, an Ivy League education and a passion for music - he reluctantly turned his back on rock and roll to pursue a career at the top of politics, becoming a confidante of three US presidents. Stephen Smith talks to friends ...
Nov 11, 2023•15 min
The US pop superstar, Taylor Swift, who's just become a billionaire entirely through music. Recent success includes a new re-recorded album, her live tour and accompanying film.
Nov 04, 2023•15 min
One of Britain's most popular comedians, Sir Lenny Henry, has spent nearly 50 years in show business. His new TV drama series 'Three Little Birds' is inspired by his mother's generation, who came to Britain from the Caribbean to make a new start in post-Windrush Britain. Timandra Harkness charts his life from impersonator and stand-up comedian, to Shakespearean actor, scriptwriter and campaigner for diversity in the media. She discovers how his talent as an entertainer was first discovered as a ...
Oct 28, 2023•15 min
After helping to secure strong results for opposition parties in Poland’s most recent election, former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk looks highly likely to return to his country’s top job. Best known in the UK as a former President of the European Council, Donald Tusk is a political survivor, forged in the struggle and resistance against communist-era Poland in the 1980s, but who then went on to scale political heights at home and abroad again and again. So how did this son of Gdansk and sel...
Oct 21, 2023•15 min
Adam Kay is a Bafta-winning TV writer, author and comedian who previously worked as a hospital doctor. He's famous for using his medical experiences to highlight the pressures of working in the NHS. He recently spoke out in support of junior doctors and hospital consultants who've been demanding better rates of pay. Despite give up a career in medicine in 2010, celebrity friends occasionally ring him up seeking medical advice. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Nick Holland and Natasha Fernandes E...
Oct 14, 2023•15 min
The Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to become the UK's next prime minister. He first won his seat in Parliament in 2015 after a successful career working as a human rights lawyer and then being appointed the UK's Director of Public Prosecutions. He was previously rumoured to be the inspiration for the handsome but stuffy character Mark Darcy, a lawyer and love interest in the novel Bridget Jones's Diary, written by Helen Fielding. The author has denied the link, however interest i...
Oct 07, 2023•15 min
Lachlan Murdoch will become the boss of one of the world's most powerful media empires. His father, Rupert, has said his eldest son will succeed him as chairman of Fox and News Corp. Lachlan's appointment ends years of speculation over which one of the siblings will take control of the businesses their father built. At one point Lachlan's younger brother James was favourite for the top job but it didn't go his way. So, who is Lachlan Murdoch, how did he win his father's approval and what impact ...
Sep 30, 2023•15 min
Miriam Margolyes is at the peak of her career, even though she's been acting on our screens for decades. Her career started in the 1960 but despite playing many roles on stage, TV and film she is more famous now than ever before. She's in demand not only for her acting talents and presenting documentaries, but also as a sofa guest on chat shows. Her potty mouth, refreshing honesty and shocking stories have won her many laughs and new fans. However, her language isn't for everyone and there have ...
Sep 23, 2023•15 min
Davina McCall is regularly referred to as the queen of reality TV and has been a familiar face on our screens for decades. From the unpredictable dating show Streetmate, to the iconic Big Brother and now her latest show Your Mum, My Dad, which features middle-aged singles looking for a second chance at love. She’s been open about overcoming addiction, taking drugs with her mum and surviving an overdose in her twenties. Now, with a long list of presenting credits under her belt, she’s turned to m...
Sep 16, 2023•15 min
The recently appointed defence secretary Grant Shapps is no stranger to getting his teeth into a new job, it’s his fifth cabinet role in less than a year. He's widely seen as a safe pair of hands and an effective communicator but has received criticism over his latest appointment because of his lack of military experience. A married father of three and a cousin of The Clash guitarist Mick Jones, he survived a car crash at the age of 20, which put him in a coma for a week, and also made a full re...
Sep 09, 2023•15 min
Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, but his government’s plans for judicial reform have triggered one of the most serious crises of his political career. Timandra Harkness looks at the life of the man who has won six elections and who is known to his supporters as 'King Bibi'. Credits: The Hoover Institution: “Bibi: My Story,” Benjamin Netanyahu On His Life And Times The 92nd Street Y: Benjamin Netanyahu and David Rubenstein in Conversation Presenter: Timandra Harkness...
Jul 29, 2023•15 min
The multi-millionaire climate campaigner and Just Stop Oil donor Dale Vince, made his fortune in green energy. He started generating his own power with a homemade windmill before setting up green energy provider, Ecotricity in the 1990s. He’s since commissioned a record-breaking electric car and added a football club and lab-grown diamonds to his sustainable businesses. Mark Coles looks at the life of the eco-entrepreneur who says that the disruption caused by Just Stop Oil protesters is nothing...
Jul 25, 2023•15 min
Joe Biden has been involved in US politics for more than fifty years, becoming one of America’s youngest senators in 1972, when Richard Nixon was in the White House. Now, aged eighty, Biden is the oldest US president in history and is seeking re-election in 2024. He’s experienced terrible tragedies in his life, when his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident in 1972, and the death from cancer of his elder son, Beau, in 2015. Yet he bounced back, serving two terms as vice pres...
Jul 15, 2023•15 min
Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, is no stranger to media attention. He has made headlines for his controversial statements about poverty, migration and the death penalty. Now he is reported to be a prominent figure in the New Conservatives, a pressure group calling on the Prime Minister to drastically cut migration before the next general election. Yet he started his working life as a Nottinghamshire miner, and worked as a Labour councillor before late...
Jul 08, 2023•15 min
Russia's Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, was publicly condemned by Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, during his march on Moscow. Yet despite the criticism, this long-term ally of President Putin remains in post. Timandra Harkness looks at the life and career of the former construction engineer, who once headed Russia's disaster relief programme, becoming a minister under Boris Yeltsin. Presenter: Timandra Harkness Editor: Richard Vadon Sound: Neil Churchill Producers: Sally Abrahams, Diane Rich...
Jul 01, 2023•15 min
The youngest person ever to receive a life peerage, Charlotte Owen’s elevation to the House of Lords, after less than six years in Westminster - some of it working as an intern - has made newspaper headlines. She’s had a remarkably quick rise through the Conservative party, starting as an intern and ending up a special advisor to then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson - the man who recommended her peerage when he resigned. Charlotte Owen has faced much scrutiny since her peerage was announced but th...
Jun 24, 2023•15 min
Jack Smith is no stranger to the courtroom. He counts mob bosses, public officials and war criminals among those he has put behind bars. But no case he has been involved with has been as high profile as the one he is bringing against the former, and possible future, President of the United States - Donald J. Trump. In the last week, he made a very rare public appearance announcing his charges against Trump, unsurprisingly leading to a volley of criticism from the man he will face down in court. ...
Jun 17, 2023•15 min
