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 ...
Jul 20, 2024•15 min
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 ...
Jul 13, 2024•15 min
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 ...
Jul 06, 2024•15 min
Before she became one of the best-selling musicians of all time, Shania Twain worked for the family tree-planting business, singing for tips in lumberjack bars to help make ends meet. Stephen Smith charts the rise of a hard-up Canadian country girl, from a violent family home, to a country-pop crossover superstar. This year's Glastonbury 'Legends' slot will be the first time some will have seen or heard from Shania in decades - we hear about the disease that robbed her of her voice at the peak o...
Jun 29, 2024•15 min
Sometimes known as the “sultan of swing,” Professor Sir John Curtice has become an institution of election coverage in the UK. But is there more to the man than stats and figures? There might be some broad beans and jam, as Mark Coles finds out. CONTRIBUTORS Rev Dr Lisa Curtice, John’s wife Phil Tremewan, childhood friend John Leston, friend from university David Dimbleby, broadcaster Paddy O’Connell, BBC broadcaster PRODUCTION TEAM Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ivana Davidovic, Diane Richard...
Jun 22, 2024•15 min
Who is National Rally's 28-year-old leader, Jordan Bardella? Stephen Smith looks at the life of the boy from the Paris suburbs who joined the far-right as a teenager and rapidly became the face of National Rally, helping to bring success for the party in the European elections. CCONTRIBUTORS Cécile Alduy, Professor of French Studies, Stanford University, Political Scientist, Sciences PO Paris Aymeric Durox, National Rally Senator Pascal Humeau, Communications Advisor and Media Trainer Bénédicte ...
Jun 15, 2024•15 min
Rylan Clark is on the cusp of becoming a national treasure. Having defied the odds of most reality TV stars, he has managed to stay the course, cementing his already steady career rise to the top with his most recent television outing with Rob Rinder 'Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour', which showed the viewing public a whole new side to his talents. Brought up in the East End by his mum, Linda. Rylan or Ross as his family and friends know him, was always performing from a young age, according to his m...
Jun 08, 2024•15 min
Alan Bleasdale, the Liverpudlian screenwriter and playwright, is in the spotlight this week as a stage version of his iconic 1980's TV series 'Boys from the Blackstuff' opened at the National Theatre. Born in Liverpool, an only child who first went into teaching, his first public work was 'Scully' for Radio Merseyside, a kind of Liverpudlian Adrian Mole, which he wrote whilst he was still teaching. But it was 'Boys from the Blackstuff' that made him a household name with one of the characters, Y...
Jun 01, 2024•16 min
Ann-Marie Powell, is the exuberant and colourful, garden designer, whose' Octavia Hill 'Garden was one of the eight main gardens in competition at the Chelsea Flower Show this year. After dropping out of college she spent six months travelling in India, Nepal and New Zealand, which inspired her to take up gardening. Attending Capel Manor horticultural college her first job was working in sales for a large nursery. But Ann-Marie's colourful personal style and outgoing personality led her employer...
May 25, 2024•15 min
You may know her from Play School, Bafta or the House of Lords, Baroness Floella Benjamin doesn’t sit still, she’s even appeared in panto. Stephen Smith hears about the remarkable life of the Trinidad-born actress, TV presenter and author, who campaigns passionately for children and the Windrush generation. CONTRIBUTORS Colin Webb, Publisher, 'Coming to England' Nero Ughwujabo, Senior Strategy Adviser - Equality Diversity and Inclusion, The Prince's Trust Lord Simon Woolley, Principal at Homerto...
May 18, 2024•15 min
After over four decades in the SNP and nearly two in government, John Swinney is finally stepping up to the top job for the first time, becoming Scotland’s new First Minister. He’s no stranger to big jobs - it’s actually his second stint as SNP leader - but leading his country and his party is looking tougher than ever, as the SNP finds itself facing formidable challenges. Who is this stalwart of the SNP, and do his life and experiences equip him for the task ahead? Mark Coles talks to friends, ...
May 11, 2024•15 min
Isaac Levido has established a formidable reputation as a election strategist, helping to craft wins both in the UK and Australia. Thought of as a protege of the quasi-legendary election guru Sir Lynton Crosby in his early years, he’s rapidly racked up achievements of his own, propelling both Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson back into office with his brand of data-driven analysis. Stephen Smith opens the black box that is electoral strategising and sets out to understand the mind of the man who ...
May 04, 2024•15 min
Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the founder of parkrun, was born in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa at the age of five, where he was brought up in care with his two siblings. Always a keen middle distance runner, he was a second for a friend in one of South Africa's most gruelling road races. Eventually he moved to the UK to work in IT and raise a family. After a perfect storm of redundancy, marriage breakdown and an injury which prevented him from running with his own club, he decided he'd start a time ...
Apr 20, 2024•15 min
Although Simon Harris reportedly describes himself as an 'accidental politician', he has managed to make a career out of it. His interest in politics was sparked at the age of 15 when he set up a support group in his local town to campaign for better secondary education for autistic people after he saw his parents struggle to get help for his younger brother. From then on his path was set. After a brief dalliance with Fianna Fail he joined the youth wing of the Fine Gael party at 17. He gave up ...
Apr 06, 2024•15 min
Rosemarie Mallett’s star has risen quickly in the Church of England. After a career in academia and a period of disenchantment with the institution, she became a priest in 2005, attracting the attention of senior members of the clergy for her engagement with communities and issues of social justice alike. Bishop Rosemarie was herself born into a situation shaped by slavery, in the then colony Barbados, before coming to the UK as a child. Now a senior cleric, she has co-authored a report on how t...
Mar 30, 2024•15 min
Vaughan Gething this week became Wales’ new First Minister, and the leader of Welsh Labour. He’s the fifth person to hold the post and the first black leader of a national government in Europe. No stranger to breaking barriers, this employment lawyer rose apace to the top of student and trades unions alike, before election to the Welsh Senedd and ministerial office, charged with overseeing first health and then the economy. Mark Coles looks back at how a cricket-mad schoolboy became First Minist...
Mar 23, 2024•15 min
The current Secretary for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, first joined the cabinet in 2010 and has remained there for most of the past 14 years in various posts. He’s served four prime ministers. During that time he has provoked controversy from many areas - from teachers, lawyers, landlords for the policies he has championed. But he has also attracted friends and enemies in his own party due to his decisions over Brexit, leadership bids and party politics. Presenter: Mark C...
Mar 16, 2024•14 min
The millionaire hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall has recently hit the headlines, both for his growing media portfolio and controversy over his social media activity. After an eclectic career spent mostly in the background, from philanthropic work to high-powered finance, Sir Paul seems to be increasingly exerting his influence on the media and politics. He already backs GB News and UnHerd and is reported to be preparing a bid for the Telegraph and Spectator. Stephen Smith asks what shaped an...
Mar 09, 2024•15 min
Mother, widow... and now the face of Russian opposition? Yulia Navalnaya has risen to the spotlight in recent weeks following her husband's death in a Siberian prison. The wife of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has until now remained in the background. Navalnaya chose to focus on bringing up their children, supporting his political work from behind the scenes. When her husband was poisoned in 2020, she fought the authorities to release him to a German hospital for treatment. Navalny ...
Mar 02, 2024•15 min
Frank Auerbach was sent to Britain from Nazi Germany by his parents at the age of 8. Growing up in a Quaker boarding school in Kent, he developed his artistic talents - later to be inspired by the landscapes of war-torn London in the Blitz. Worrying about how he would afford paint for much of his career, an Auerbach piece now commands a price tag in the millions. He has developed a reputation as a recluse - rarely giving interviews, or even attending his own exhibitions. Now, his wartime art 'Th...
Feb 24, 2024•15 min
Timpson - best known for its key cutting and shoe repair services - has become a household name, with over 1000 stores on town high streets and in local supermarkets. But its current CEO, James Timpson, is probably better known for his pioneering work on prison employment. After being impressed by a prisoner in 2002, and offering him a job on release, James Timpson has worked to develop employment schemes for ex-offenders and campaigns for prison reform. Now, ten percent of the Timpson workforce...
Feb 17, 2024•15 min
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
