Podcasts by Profile
An insight into the character of an influential figure making news headlines
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Olivia Colman from 2023-12-09T19:15
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 'W...
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Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI from 2023-12-02T19:30
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 ...
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Javier Milei from 2023-11-25T19:15
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 ...
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James Cleverly from 2023-11-18T19:15
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 ...
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Antony Blinken from 2023-11-11T19:15
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....
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Sonia Boyce OBE from 2022-04-30T18:15
Her multi-media work celebrates the achievements of women in music and art, challenges racial and sexual bias and asks how our cultural institutions can become more inclusive. From pastels to a ...
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Lisa McGee from 2022-04-23T18:15
Playwright, screenwriter and creator of the hit TV sitcom Derry Girls, about five school friends in 1990s Northern Ireland - getting up to all sorts.
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Marine Le Pen from 2022-04-16T18:15
The far-right politician going head-to-head with Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential elections. Mark Coles charts Marine Le Pen's life and political career, which began alongside her fathe...
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Christian Smalls from 2022-04-09T18:30
Despite being fired by Amazon early in the pandemic, Chris Smalls continued to campaign for better rights and conditions for Amazon employees, setting up the Amazon Labor Union last year. Now the ...
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Martin Lewis from 2022-04-02T18:15
Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert has helped millions of people save money through consumer advice and big campaigns on bank charges and mis-sold PPI credit insurance. But now with the cost of liv...
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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson from 2022-03-26T19:15
She made history in the US this week as the first black woman to go through Senate confirmation hearings for an appointment to America’s all powerful Supreme Court.A person of profound faith, Ketan...
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Jacqueline Wilson from 2022-03-19T19:20
One of Britain’s most popular authors, Dame Jacqueline Wilson is famous for stories of sassy children, troubled teens and struggling parents. Her books explore themes including death, divorce and d...
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Lynsey Addario from 2022-03-12T19:15
She took the defining picture of Putin’s war so far: a family killed by Russian troops as they tried to flee to safety. The US photojournalist, Lynsey Addario, has reported from almost every major...
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Jens Stoltenberg from 2022-03-05T19:15
As the Ukraine crisis continues to escalate, NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, finds himself in the thick of it - tasked with preventing a third world war. Norway’s former prime minister g...
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Sir Nick Clegg from 2022-02-26T19:15
He’s gone into business with Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg, but this isn’t Nick Clegg’s first leadership coalition. He was nicknamed Calamity Clegg but now the papers are calling him Master of t...
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Ben Wallace from 2022-02-19T19:15
The defence secretary topping Tory polls has had some strong words to say about Russian activity on the border of Ukraine. Adrian Goldberg profiles the soldier turned politician Ben Wallace.
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Jimmy Carr from 2022-02-12T19:15
Jimmy Carr has been condemned for his ‘abhorent’ Holocaust joke about the murders of thousands of people from the Roma, Sinti and traveller communities. Mark Coles looks at the life and career of t...
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Volodomyr Zelensky from 2022-01-29T19:15
Zelensky was an actor and comedian who became a household name in Ukraine by starring in a TV series about a teacher who accidentally became president. In a surreal case of life imitating art, Zele...
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Novak Djokovic from 2022-01-15T19:15
Adrian Goldberg profiles the life and career of World No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic. We hear about him practicing in the streets of Belgrade as a child during the war in the former Yugoslav...
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Oksana Lyniv from 2022-01-08T19:30
It’s been quite a year for proudly Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, becoming the first female conductor at the 145-year-old Bayreuth Festival in August and now embarking on a new role as Teatro Co...
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David Murdoch from 2022-01-04T13:36
British curling is looking forward to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics - and all eyes are on head coach David Murdoch, the man in charge of bringing home some medals. All three teams - mixed, male...
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Pharoah Sanders from 2021-12-25T19:15
Pharoah Sanders’s 2021 album Promises has been called a spiritual album for the dark ages. Mark Coles hears how Sanders helped invent a new style of music, after his birth in the southern United St...
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Patrick Vallance from 2021-12-18T19:15
The pandemic has thrust the Government Chief Scientific Adviser into the middle of the clash between politics and science. He’s faced criticism from MPs, the press, and the public. Edward Stourton ...
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Éric Zemmour from 2021-12-11T19:15
He’s twice been convicted of hate speech, believes foreign names should be banned, and has been accused of being a Holocaust denier. Mark Coles looks at the life and career of the journalist turned...
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Lubaina Himid from 2021-12-04T19:15
After becoming the first Black woman – and the oldest person – ever to win the Turner Prize, British artist Lubaina Himid is now enjoying a retrospective at London's Tate Modern.She’s become recogn...
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Jacob Rees-Mogg from 2021-11-20T19:15
Boris Johnson says he "crashed the car" in his handling of the case of the party's former MP Owen Paterson. But if the prime minister was at the wheel, Jacob Rees-Mogg was the backseat driver.The L...
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Kamlesh Patel from 2021-11-13T19:15
He came to Britain as a toddler - one of several thousand Indian immigrants from Kenya. Raised in poverty in 1960s Bradford, Kamlesh Patel was targeted by skinheads – and sought solace playing cri...
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Feargal Sharkey from 2021-11-06T19:15
He shot to fame as a teenage punk star from Derry, enjoyed hits as a solo artist and later worked behind the scenes for years in the music industry. But now Feargal Sharkey is enjoying a belated s...
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Amanda Staveley from 2021-10-30T18:15
Mark Coles finds out how Amanda Staveley went from a long-jumping Yorkshire schoolgirl to one of the most prominent women in football via horse racing, the Middle East, and a former employee she m...
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Katharine Birbalsingh from 2021-10-23T18:15
The UK’s ‘strictest’ headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh has landed a new role as head of the Social Mobility Commission, a public body designed to boost the life chances of the country's most disadv...
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Cush Jumbo from 2021-10-09T18:15
British actress Cush Jumbo is best known for her starring role in US TV dramas The Good Wife and spin-off The Good Fight. Now she’s aiming to set the London theatre scene alight, playing ‘a new kin...
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Olaf Scholz from 2021-10-02T18:15
Olaf Scholz is expected to be the new leader of Germany if he can construct a successful coalition. How did the former mayor of Hamburg appeal to the country's voters? With Adrian Goldberg.
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Sir Ed Davey from 2021-09-18T18:15
Sir Ed Davey is a mallet wielding, man on a mission. That mission is to demolish the Conservative 'blue wall' which he's already made a hole in after the surprise Liberal Democrat victory at the Ch...
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Kanye West from 2021-09-11T18:30
The seminal rapper and billionaire fashion mogul Kanye West's new album Donda is named after his late mother, who was an influential figure in his life. It's gone straight to number one in many cou...
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Sharon Graham from 2021-09-04T18:15
Following a sometimes ugly campaign, Britain's second largest trade union, Unite, has elected its first woman leader, Sharon Graham. But who exactly is she? Jealously guarding her privacy, Unite's...
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Abdul Ghani Baradar from 2021-08-28T18:15
With the fall of Kabul and the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan, this week Mark Coles profiles the man who’s become the public face of the strict Islamist movement - its political leader Mullah...
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George the Poet from 2021-07-24T18:15
George Mpanga, better known as George the Poet, is a British spoken word poet, podcaster and advocate for social change. Born in north London after his parents fled Uganda in the 1980s, he’s become...
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Mark Cavendish from 2021-07-17T18:15
Last October, British sprint cyclist, Mark Cavendish, broke down on TV, fearing he’d cycled the last race of his career. Now the 36 year-old is making sporting history, against the odds. After illn...
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Raheem Sterling from 2021-07-10T18:15
For almost a decade Raheem Sterling has been one of English football’s most talked about players. Born in Jamacia and raised in the shadow of the Wembley arch, he burst onto the scene as a precocio...
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Alfie Hewett from 2021-07-03T18:15
He's 23, with 16 Grand Slam titles to his name and focused on winning his first Wimbledon singles title. Yet British wheelchair tennis champion, Alfie Hewett, is facing the end of his career becau...
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from 2021-06-26T18:15
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of Nigeria’s foremost literary voices. Her writing is noted for its touching examination of homeland, identity and feminism. For more than a decade she has been coac...
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Naftali Bennett from 2021-06-19T18:15
The military commando turned self-made tech millionaire who’s now Prime Minister of Israel. The right-wing, nationalist, supporter of Jewish settlement in the West Bank has formed an unlikely all...
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Michaela Coel from 2021-06-12T18:00
The multi-talented performer has just made BAFTA history, after taking top honours for ‘I May Destroy You’, her drama about sexual consent. The TV show – which she created, wrote, directed and star...
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Joanne Anderson from 2021-06-05T18:10
Joanne Anderson has just taken on what many might call one of the toughest jobs in local government - leading the Labour council at the centre of corruption allegations. Liverpool-born and bred...
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Kate Bingham from 2021-05-29T18:15
Kate Bingham took on one of the hardest jobs in the Covid pandemic - finding and procuring the necessary vaccines to stop people dying. A venture capitalist who invests in new drugs, she got the ca...
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Edwin Poots from 2021-05-22T18:15
Edwin Poots has been named as the new leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. A farmer from the outskirts of Lisburn, not far from Belfast. Mr Poots entered political life in 1997 - and, since t...
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Angela Rayner from 2021-05-15T18:00
It's been an eventful few weeks for the Labour Party - especially for its deputy leader, Angela Rayner MP. Over the course of a topsy-turvy weekend, leaked plans to sack her from her role as party ...
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Narendra Modi from 2021-05-08T18:02
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hugely popular, credited with bringing stability and modernisation to his country in his 8 years of leadership. But his critics say lately he has been too...
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Mohsin and Zuber Issa from 2021-04-24T18:00
The rags to riches story of the billionaire brothers from Blackburn, Lancashire who have grown their business from a single petrol station in 2001 to a global empire of six thousand garage forecour...
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Simon Byrne from 2021-04-17T18:15
Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland - who's facing calls to resign over the policing of a republican funeral during the pandemic, sparking violent disorder and protests. Simo...
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Lex Greensill from 2021-04-10T18:15
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 ...
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Emerald Fennell from 2021-04-03T18:15
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 m...
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Pascal Soriot from 2021-03-27T06:00
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, ...
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Piers Morgan from 2021-03-20T06:00
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, thi...
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Keith Ellison from 2021-03-13T06:00
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 offi...
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Anas Sarwar from 2021-03-06T06:00
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 o...
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Carrie Symonds from 2021-02-27T06:00
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 wa...
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Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from 2021-02-21T23:05
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...
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David Martindale from 2021-02-13T19:15
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 Fina...
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Clare Smyth from 2021-02-06T19:15
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 - i...
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Anders Holch Povlsen from 2021-01-30T19:15
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. Hav...
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Russell T Davies from 2021-01-23T19:15
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 ...
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Nadhim Zahawi from 2021-01-16T19:15
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 Conse...
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Pat McGrath from 2021-01-09T19:15
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 tech...
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Naomi Osaka from 2021-01-02T19:15
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. ...
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Brendan O'Carroll from 2020-12-26T19:15
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 befo...
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Viola Davis from 2020-12-19T19:15
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 Os...
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Dr June Raine from 2020-12-12T19:15
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...
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Demis Hassabis from 2020-12-05T19:15
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...
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Allegra Stratton from 2020-11-21T19:15
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 ...
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Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci from 2020-11-14T19:15
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...
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Mark Drakeford from 2020-11-07T19:15
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 politic...
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Prue Leith from 2020-10-31T19:15
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 Afr...
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Sir Edward Lister from 2020-10-24T18:15
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, Edw...
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Steve Rotheram from 2020-10-17T18:15
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. Th...
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Chuck Feeney from 2020-10-03T18:05
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...
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Lewis Hamilton from 2020-09-26T18:05
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 childh...
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Kamala Harris from 2020-09-19T18:05
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 whe...
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Tony Abbott from 2020-09-12T18:15
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 sa...
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Simon Case from 2020-09-05T18:15
Those in the know say he's "the ultimate keeper of secrets" - Simon Case was announced this week as the new Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service. Aged just 41 and with a CV that takes h...
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Dido Harding from 2020-08-29T18:15
Health secretary Matt Hancock announced last week that Public Health England will be replaced with a new National Institute for Health Protection. Baroness Dido Harding, who ran NHS Test and Trace ...
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Professor Sarah Gilbert from 2020-07-25T18:15
The no-nonsense scientist whose team is developing a coronavirus vaccine at record speed. Mark Coles discovers the many talents of Oxford University vaccine specialist, Professor Sarah Gilbert. Pr...
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Roger Stone from 2020-07-18T18:15
President Trump calls him a quality guy, others call him a dirty trickster. Mark Coles looks at the life of political strategist Roger Stone, who’s advised Republican politicians since the 1970s a...
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Bill Browder from 2020-07-11T18:15
As the UK imposes sanctions on 49 people implicated in the deaths of Sergei Magnitsky and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Mark Coles profiles the man whose global anti-corruption campaign has led...
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Sir Ian McKellen from 2020-07-04T18:15
As theatre bosses across the country warn they face devastation amid the coronavirus pandemic, actor Sir Ian McKellen is preparing to tread the boards in an age-blind interpretation of Hamlet. It w...
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Munira Mirza from 2020-06-27T18:15
Boris Johnson says she’s a ‘brilliant thinker’ who inspires him. Now he has chosen Munira Mirza, the head of the No 10 policy unit, as the person to establish a new government commission on racial ...
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Marcus Rashford from 2020-06-20T18:15
The Manchester United forward is credited with forcing a government U-turn this week, following his open letter calling on the government to end child poverty and extend free school meals for child...
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Kathy Sullivan from 2020-06-13T18:15
Former NASA astronaut Dr Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, has made history again by travelling to the deepest known point on earth. Last Sunday, the 68 year-old space-walk...
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Killer Mike from 2020-06-06T18:15
America hasn't witnessed civil unrest like this since the late 1960s. There have been protests and rioting in cities across the US, following the death of a black man, George Floyd, in police cust...
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Suella Braverman from 2020-05-30T18:15
Suella Braverman is a barrister, MP and Brexiteer. In February 2020 she was appointed to the role of Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland. This week sh...
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Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from 2020-05-23T18:15
Mark Coles profiles Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was the first African to be elected Director-General of the World Health Organisation. Three years on, he finds himself at the centre of a pol...
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Rosena Allin-Khan from 2020-05-16T18:15
The coronavirus crisis presents a difficult challenge for opposition MPs seeking to win national support without being accused of opportunistic point scoring. One shadow minister has managed to get...
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Andrew Cuomo from 2020-05-09T18:20
Some on the left of his party think he’s too establishment and Washington thinks he’s a rebel out to do his own thing, but Andrew Cuomo has gained widespread support for his handling of the coronav...
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Kim Yo-jong from 2020-05-02T18:15
Supreme Leader of North Korea had not been seen in public for a number of weeks, setting off a global frenzy regarding his whereabouts and health. Speculation was rife as to who would succeed him...
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Matt Hancock from 2020-04-25T18:15
A look at the life of Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health&Social Care for England. He has been criticised for promises he's made about testing and supply of personal protective equipment fo...
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Dame Vera Lynn from 2020-04-18T18:20
Dame Vera Lynn's story is well known. She's regarded by many as one of Britain's national treasures. Dubbed 'the forces sweetheart' during the Second World War, her songs like 'We'll Meet Again' an...
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Dr Anthony Fauci from 2020-04-04T18:15
Anthony Fauci Is a doctor, immunologist and director of the USA’s National Institute of Allergy&Infectious Diseases. He’s also a lead member of the White House coronavirus task force. Mark Coles ta...
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Hania Rani from 2020-03-28T06:00
On Profile this week - it’s a personal one. In lockdown at home because of the coronavirus, presenter Mark Coles has turned to music to help get him through the past few days…captivated by an albu...
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Andrew Bailey from 2020-03-21T19:15
The Bank of England's new governor started work on Monday amid global turmoil. The world economy is in chaos as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. How will he handle the difficult decisions to c...
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Professor Chris Whitty from 2020-03-14T19:15
The coronavirus epidemic is a growing crisis for England's chief medical officer. He has faced criticism from journalists, politicians and public health specialists. Mark Coles finds out about the ...
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David Frost from 2020-02-29T19:15
The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator is hardly a household name and until very recently this former diplomat had no public profile at all. Now David Frost has arguably one of the most challenging jobs ...
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Jurgen Klopp from 2020-02-21T12:10
The manager who's put Liverpool Football Club on the path to winning the treble and has lead them to so many victories, their lead at the top of the table is the biggest in premier league history. ...
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Rishi Sunak from 2020-02-15T19:15
Appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer within just five years of becoming an MP, Rishi Sunak's rise has been rapid. He was parachuted into a safe seat for the Conservative party during the 2015 e...
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Waad al-Kateab from 2020-02-08T19:15
The citizen journalist behind the highly acclaimed film 'For Sama', which tells the story of life, love and motherhood in war-torn Aleppo. Already the winner of 25 awards, including a BAFTA, the d...
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Mike Pompeo from 2020-02-01T19:15
The US Secretary of State caught up in the Ukraine impeachment scandal. Mike Pompeo has a lot on his plate. He’s at the centre of the impeachment investigation into US President Donald Trump, who’...
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Sheku Kanneh-Mason from 2020-01-25T19:15
The young, black cellist from Nottingham making chart history. Sheku Kanneh-Mason was the first ever black winner of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year. He performed with the eyes of the world l...
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Scott Morrison from 2020-01-11T19:30
The Australian prime minister feeling the heat over his response to his country’s bushfire crisis.Pilloried for holidaying in Hawaii while his homeland burned, then heckled on camera by angry victi...
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Dina Asher-Smith from 2020-01-04T19:15
Becky Milligan looks at the life of Dina Asher-Smith, the fastest woman in British history. An athlete who's also a keen historian, role model and lover of the glitz. For years she's been winning...
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Michael Morpurgo from 2019-12-28T19:15
On ‘Profile’ this week - one of Britain’s most celebrated storytellers. Michael Morpurgo has written 180 books over the past half century.Over Christmas, he narrated a new BBC TV film adaptation ...
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John Boyega from 2019-12-21T19:15
Leopards, aliens and Songs of Praise. Mark Coles explores the life of actor John Boyega, whose talent and dedication brought him to the attention of Hollywood. Producers: Linda Pressly and Di Rich...
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Sanna Marin from 2019-12-14T19:15
Pink trams, flying squirrels and a taste for rock music. Mark Coles finds out about the life and character of Finland's new Prime Minister, Sanna Marin. The first to graduate in her family, San...
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Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis from 2019-11-30T19:15
In the headlines this week was Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Ephraim Mirvis. Just weeks before the general election he made it clear that he believed Jeremy ...
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Adam Schiff from 2019-11-16T19:15
Did Donald Trump ‘bribe’ a foreign power – Ukraine - to try to discredit a political rival ahead of next year’s US Presidential race ? On Profile this week, we’re looking at Adam Schiff - the man ...
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Sir Lindsay Hoyle from 2019-11-09T19:15
Mark Coles profiles the new Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, meeting - among others - his pet parrot, Boris.
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Eddie Jones from 2019-11-02T19:15
Becky Milligan explores how a teacher from the Sydney suburbs came to lead England into the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Producer Smita PatelResearcher May Cameron.
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Bridget Riley from 2019-10-26T18:15
We explore the life and career of British artist Bridget Riley as a new retrospective of her work opens at London's Hayward Gallery. She found fame in the sixties with a series of challenging black...
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Bernardine Evaristo from 2019-10-19T18:15
Bernardine Evaristo is the first black British woman to win the Booker Prize. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other shared the 2019 award with Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments. Mark Coles has been finding o...
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan from 2019-10-12T18:15
The president of Turkey has controversially sent troops into northern Syria. The decision has been widely condemned by foreign leaders and at home there are signs that his popularity could be fadin...
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Rudolph Giuliani from 2019-10-05T18:15
This week's Profile is the tale of two Rudys: a divisive figure fighting for his - and Donald Trump’s - political life. And a man who united his nation in its darkest hours. Presenter: Becky Mill...
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Baroness Hale from 2019-09-28T18:15
Baroness Hale, President of the Supreme Court, was wearing a giant spider brooch as she delivered this week’s bombshell ruling that Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful. "Spi...
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Gareth Thomas from 2019-09-21T18:15
The former Wales and British Lions captain, Gareth Thomas, has been headline news this week after announcing he’s living with HIV. In Wales, Thomas is a legend.In 2005, he led the national team t...
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David Gauke from 2019-09-07T18:15
This week David Gauke - MP for South West Hertfordshire - shook the government he served as a cabinet minister only a few weeks ago, voting to stop Boris Johnson taking the UK out of the EU without...
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Peter Navarro from 2019-08-31T18:15
Peter Navarro is the economist and key White House advisor who’s egged President Trump on in his bitter trade war with China. It’s a conflict some fear threatens the stability of the global economy...
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Dominic Cummings from 2019-07-27T18:15
Arguably the most controversial appointment of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s reshuffle was that of 47-year-old Dominic Cummings as his head of Brexit strategy. After serving as Michael Gove’s ...
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Ilhan Omar from 2019-07-20T18:15
Ihlan Omar is the 37-year-old Somali-born US congresswoman - one of only two Muslim women ever elected to Congress - who's become a thorn in President Trump’s side and on the receiving end of his t...
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Ursula von der Leyen from 2019-07-13T18:15
German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen is likely to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission in November. Mark Coles tells her story so far. Producer Smita Patel
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Megan Rapinoe from 2019-07-06T18:29
The US women’s football team has made it to the World Cup final. One American newspaper has described the team's iconic player - Megan Rapinoe - as the most important athlete on the planet right no...
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Mark Sedwill from 2019-06-29T18:15
It's Britain's top civil servant this week: Sir Mark Sedwill, Cabinet Secretary and the UK’s National Security Adviser. He's the first person to juggle both roles at the same time. And - what with ...
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Joshua Wong from 2019-06-22T18:15
Joshua Wong has gone from schoolboy protester to the face of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong - a passionate defender of the territory’s right to self determination. He’s been repeatedly arr...
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Jo Swinson from 2019-06-15T18:15
Jo Swinson is the bookies favourite to win the Liberal Democrat leadership race and take over from Vince Cable. But can this 'millennial' politician from a suburb of Glasgow, be the woman who take...
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Sadiq Khan from 2019-06-08T18:15
This week Sadiq Khan was called a "stone cold loser" and mocked for his compact stature by the President of the United States. But London's mayor hit back. He described the President's behaviour as...
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Sonita Alleyne from 2019-06-01T18:15
Sonita Alleyne is the jazz-loving businesswoman who's just been appointed Master of a Cambridge College - the first black woman to take on such a role. Presenter: Mark ColesProducer: Ben Carter
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John Bolton from 2019-05-25T18:15
John Bolton is the hawkish and famously moustachioed US national security adviser using the ear of the President to push a hard line on Iran. Producer: Ben Carter
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Simon Armitage from 2019-05-18T18:15
He's the post-punk storyteller with a taste for panto and The Smiths. Becky Milligan profiles the new poet laureate, Simon Armitage. Producer: Ben Carter
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Penny Mordaunt from 2019-05-11T18:15
Penny Mordaunt has just been handed her dream job. This daughter of a former paratrooper has been appointed Britain’s new Defence Secretary following Gavin Williamson’s sacking. She’s the first wom...
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Andy Evans from 2019-05-04T18:15
Andy Evans has been at the forefront of the campaign to secure justice for himself and thousands of others - many who have not survived - affected by what’s been called the worst scandal in NHS hi...
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Loyle Carner from 2019-04-27T18:15
Loyle Carner might not be a household name yet. But in the music world this week he’s the one everyone's talking about; a young British hip hop artist rapping about things the macho world of hip ho...
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Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar from 2019-04-20T18:15
As Libya edges towards civil war, Becky Milligan looks at the life of the man behind the most recent conflict, which began with his military assault on the city of Tripoli.Known as "The Strongman",...
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Danny Rose from 2019-04-13T18:15
The England and Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose says he’s had enough of being on the end of racist abuse at matches and “can’t wait to leave football behind”. On Profile this week, Mark Cole...
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Andrew Moffat from 2019-04-06T18:15
The primary school teacher at the centre of a row over LGBT rights has said he's received threats. Pupils have been pulled out of Parkfield School in Birmingham and parents have protested outside t...
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Oliver Letwin from 2019-03-30T19:15
The Conservative MP Sir Oliver Letwin made headlines this week when he persuaded the Commons to try to agree an alternative plan for Brexit. Mark Coles profiles the member for West Dorset, who has ...
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Jacinda Ardern from 2019-03-23T19:15
The New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has received international attention for her response to the Christchurch attacks. Her call for unity was followed by swift action to tighten the count...
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Tim Berners-Lee from 2019-03-16T19:15
The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is celebrating 30 years of his creation. He's also issued a warning that the Web could plunge towards a "dysfunctional future". Mark Coles l...
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Nan Goldin from 2019-03-09T19:15
Nan Goldin is a cultural icon and pioneer of art photography celebrated for her provocative and intimate photos of drag queens, drug addicts and sex. But recently she has been generating headlines ...
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Jennifer Doudna from 2019-03-02T19:15
CRISPR Cas9 has been described as the greatest biological breakthrough in decades. The hopes resting on this gene editing technology are immense - this week a Swiss drug company announced it is beg...
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Luciana Berger from 2019-02-23T19:30
MP Luciana Berger resigned from the Labour Party this week to join the newly-formed Independent Group. For years she has been the target of sustained anti-Semitic abuse, and has criticised the Labo...
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Chris Grayling from 2019-02-16T19:15
The transport secretary's critics call him “failing Grayling" - an unkind nickname, perhaps, but one made more likely to stick by his infamous decision to award a valuable contract to a Brexit ferr...
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David Adjaye from 2019-02-09T19:15
We’re talking buildings and monuments on Profile this week – looking at the life and career of Sir David Adjaye. The 52-year-old British-Ghanaian architect shot to fame in the US for his 2016 Museu...
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Juan Guaidó from 2019-02-02T19:15
Juan Guaidó - who recently declared himself Venezuela’s president - was elected to the National Assembly in 2011 and won the seat of his home state in 2016. But he only really came to prominence mo...
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Nick Boles from 2019-01-26T19:22
Conservative MP Nick Boles has hatched a plan with Labour's Yvette Cooper to reduce the chances of a 'no deal' Brexit. Their amendment - with cross party support - will be put to the Commons next w...
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Roger Whiteside from 2019-01-19T19:15
There’s only one story this week. People up and down the country are bitterly divided. Yes, it’s the vegan sausage roll. The latest PR-friendly innovation from bakery-turned-fast food chain Greggs....
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Nancy Pelosi from 2019-01-12T19:15
On Profile this week, Mark Coles looks at the most powerful woman in American politics – the veteran Democratic congresswoman and new Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pe...
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Melania Trump from 2018-12-29T19:15
Melania Trump is the second foreign-born First Lady and Donald Trump’s third wife; an ex-model, 24 years his junior, who once posed pregnant in a gold bikini on the steps of her husband’s jet. It w...
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Reed Hastings from 2018-12-22T19:15
The founder of Netflix, the streaming service that’s turned us all into binge watchers. It's Christmas and for many that means settling in to watch seasonal TV. But traditional broadcasters have ...
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Dr Gail Bradbrook from 2018-12-15T19:15
Gail Bradbrook is one of the founders of a radical and rapidly-growing environmental protest group called Extinction Rebellion. Its aim: using non-violent direct action to force governments to tack...
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Geoffrey Cox from 2018-12-08T19:15
He's the Attorney General who this week told MPs to 'grow up' and 'get real.' Becky Milligan profiles Geoffrey Cox QC, whose rousing Parliamentary performance lost the argument but won admirers. B...
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Julian Smith from 2018-12-01T19:20
It's almost crunch time for Theresa May as she prepares for the Commons vote on her Brexit withdrawal agreement. The numbers do not appear to be on her side. It's thought as many 100 Conservative M...
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Caroline Corby from 2018-11-24T19:30
The new chair of the Parole Board, the body that decides when and if the most serious prisoners can be released into the community. The Parole Board was thrust into the spotlight when it ruled th...
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Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman from 2018-11-17T19:15
There were extraordinary scenes in New York this week when the Brooklyn Bridge was closed to all traffic apart from a motorcade of heavily-armored cars. They were taking Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán t...
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from 2018-11-10T19:15
The story of the youngest woman ever elected to the US congress. Five months ago, nobody knew who Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was. Now she’s been dubbed the future of the Democratic Party. When she da...
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Jair Bolsonaro from 2018-11-03T19:15
Brazil's new President-elect has a reputation for speaking his mind regardless of who he offends, earning him the nickname 'Trump of the Tropics'. He's suggested gay neighbours would decrease the v...
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Esther McVey from 2018-10-20T18:15
Government minister Esther McVey has become a lightening rod for anger about benefit cuts and welfare reform. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions knows all about financial struggle, star...
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Eliot Higgins from 2018-10-13T18:15
British blogger Eliot Higgins and his investigative website Bellingcat have been making headlines around the world this week with claims that they’ve uncovered the true identities of two Russian me...
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Malorie Blackman from 2018-10-06T18:30
As the new series of Dr Who launches, Mark Coles profiles the life of new Dr Who script writer and distinguished children's author Malorie Blackman. The former Children's Laureate has been called ...
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Tiger Woods from 2018-09-29T18:15
“One of the greatest comebacks in sporting history”. That’s how US journalists reacted to golfer Tiger Woods winning the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta last weekend.Having struggled with injury...
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Phoebe Waller-Bridge from 2018-09-22T18:30
BBC TV’s ‘Killing Eve’ is all the rage this week - a new drama about an MI5 officer trying to catch a Russian assassin which has earned near unanimous rave reviews . On Profile, Mark Coles examin...
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Judge Brett Kavanaugh from 2018-09-15T18:15
America is bitterly divided. Should conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh be given a seat on the US Supreme Court ?Opponents fear his appointment - if confirmed later this month - will shift the cou...
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John McDonnell from 2018-09-08T18:15
As political rebrands go, it's an unlikely one - say his critics. The shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell - former hard man of the left this week playing peacemaker in a row between Jewish groups a...
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Victor Headley from 2018-09-01T18:15
It's been a long time coming. A sticker on the cover of Jamaican born writer Victor Headley's 1992 novel 'Yardie' said "soon to be made into a major movie".A quarter of a century on, it finally h...
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Inga Beale from 2018-07-28T18:15
In 2014, one of the oldest financial institutions in the City of London, Lloyd's, appointed its first ever female chief executive, Inga Beale. Next year, she will step down from the role. A champi...
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Jacob Collier from 2018-07-21T18:15
The vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and YouTube star Jacob Collier has some very famous fans. Music industry titan Quincy Jones described him as an absolute genius and asked to work with him.But ...
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Dominic Raab from 2018-07-14T18:15
Dominic Raab has been thrust into the key government role of Brexit secretary following the resignation David Davis. The 44-year-old was tipped for high office from the moment he was elected to th...
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Serena Williams from 2018-07-07T18:15
Serena Williams has dominated the tennis scene since 1999 with 23 grand slam titles to her name. Last year she added marriage and motherhood to her achievements. In September 2017, Serena Williams...
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Matteo Salvini from 2018-06-30T18:15
Since Matteo Salvini was sworn in as Italy's Interior Minister, his controversial stance on immigration, Roma people and the European Union has made the headlines. The press have dubbed him the E...
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Dominic Grieve from 2018-06-23T18:15
Labelled 'the rebel who forgot to rebel', who is Dominic Grieve? Some political commentators thought the Conservative MP, and former Attorney General, could inflict a significant parliamentary defe...
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Gareth Southgate from 2018-06-16T18:15
Footballer Gareth Southgate's career has been haunted by a decisive penalty he missed against Germany in the semi-final of Euro '96. Even when he went on honeymoon to Bali a Buddhist monk reminde...
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George Soros from 2018-06-09T18:15
Characterised as both a benevolent philanthropist and as a meddling influence, George Soros has been present at some of the most defining moments in modern history. Soros was born into a Hungarian...
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Mary Lou McDonald from 2018-06-02T18:15
The leader of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald has been a face of the campaign to scrap a ban on abortions. In a referendum, voters in the Republic of Ireland voted overwhelmingly to overturn the abo...
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Giuseppe Conte from 2018-05-26T18:30
Few Italians had heard of Giuseppe Conte when they found out he would most probably become their new prime minister. President Sergio Mattarella approved his nomination as prime minister after a d...
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Donald Glover from 2018-05-19T18:15
You may know him as Childish Gambino, the creator of viral video hit 'This is America' or as the Emmy award winning actor and director of comedy drama Atlanta. Mark Coles profiles Donald Glover, ...
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Gina Haspel from 2018-05-12T18:15
Donald Trump's choice for CIA director, Gina Haspel. Mark Coles profiles the controversial figure whose nomination has forced her out of the shadows to face difficult questions. Gina Haspel descri...
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Sajid Javid from 2018-05-05T18:15
Born in Rochdale to Pakistani parents, the new Home Secretary Sajid Javid had a modest start in life. His father worked as a bus driver before moving to Bristol to open a women's clothes shop - the...
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David Lammy from 2018-04-28T18:45
Tottenham MP David Lammy has been leading the parliamentary charge for the Windrush generation as they fight for their residency rights. Mark Coles charts the life and career of one of parliament's...
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Kendrick Lamar from 2018-04-21T18:15
Mark Coles profiles Pulitzer Prize winning rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose concepts and ideas are changing hip-hop culture. Lamar won the award for his latest album Damn, which also collected five G...
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Karen Pierce from 2018-04-14T18:00
Karen Pierce is the UK's new Permanent Representative at the UN in New York, Britain's most senior ambassadorial post. She only started in the role three weeks ago and has been thrown in at the dee...
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Stormy Daniels from 2018-03-31T18:15
Taking on Trump, horse trials and dancing dogs. Presenter Mark Coles explores the life of Stormy Daniels, the award winning adult film actress who's revolutionising the porn industry and has previo...
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Nigel Oakes from 2018-03-24T19:15
Nigel Oakes was a pioneer of 'behaviour dynamics', the art of influencing people. He set up a successful company, Strategic Communications Limited, which boasts clients from NATO to the UK governme...
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Margarita Simonyan from 2018-03-17T19:15
As RT's editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan runs a news network described by US intelligence as "the Kremlin's principal international propaganda outlet". Formerly known as Russia Today, RT risks b...
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Sir Bradley Wiggins from 2018-03-10T19:15
Cycling hero Bradley Wiggins was accused by MPs this week of "crossing an ethical line" by taking medication that could have enhanced his race performance. Rising from a rocky start to become Great...
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Staffan de Mistura from 2018-03-03T19:15
As the United Nations' Special Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura is said to have one of the toughest jobs in the world. Edward Stourton talks to the people who know him best to find out what drive...
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Daniel Kaluuya from 2018-02-24T19:15
Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya has already won BAFTA's Rising Star award and now he's been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. The 28-year-old Londoner is up against acting giants Daniel Day-Lewis...
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Cyril Ramaphosa from 2018-02-17T21:15
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...
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Oliver Robbins from 2018-02-10T19:15
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...
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George Weah from 2018-01-27T19:30
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...
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Jon Lansman from 2018-01-20T19:30
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, Lan...
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Oprah Winfrey from 2018-01-13T19:30
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. Wit...
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President Hassan Rouhani from 2018-01-06T19:15
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 updat...
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Denise Coates from 2017-12-30T19:15
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 fol...
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Sarah Mullally from 2017-12-23T19:15
Sarah Mullally, appointed this week as the first woman Bishop of London, the third most senior position in the Anglican Church. Aformer nurse and senior civil servant, she was ordained in 2001. He...
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The Winklevoss Brothers from 2017-12-09T19:15
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 ...
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Yevgeny Prigozhin from 2017-11-25T19:15
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 sow...
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Emmerson Mnangagwa from 2017-11-18T19:26
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-...
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Priti Patel from 2017-11-11T19:15
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, th...
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Paul Manafort from 2017-11-04T19:15
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,...
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Eniola Aluko from 2017-10-28T18:15
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 Mar...
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Martin Selmayr from 2017-10-21T18:15
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 ...
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Baroness Trumpington from 2017-10-14T18:15
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 ...
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Mariano Rajoy from 2017-10-07T18:15
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 ...
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Gavin Williamson from 2017-09-30T18:15
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 car...
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Antonio Guterres from 2017-09-23T18:15
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...
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Nikki Haley from 2017-09-09T18:15
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 shape...
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Michelle O'Neill from 2017-09-02T18:15
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 ...
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Crawford Falconer from 2017-08-26T18:15
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...
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Taylor Swift from 2017-08-19T18:15
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 opp...
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General John Kelly from 2017-08-05T18:17
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 w...
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Lady Brenda Hale from 2017-07-29T18:15
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 an...
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Chris Evans from 2017-07-22T18:15
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.
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Rob Goldstone from 2017-07-15T18:15
Mark Coles profiles Rob Goldstone, the man at the centre of the Donald Trump junior/Russia saga. This week it emerged that Rob Goldstone fixed a meeting between Donald Trump junior and a Russian la...
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Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from 2017-07-08T18:15
The Gulf region is in crisis this weekend after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt condemned Qatar's response to a series of demands they've made. Qatar's four Arab neighbours broke links wit...
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Sir Martin Moore-Bick from 2017-07-01T18:15
Mark Coles profiles Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the retired judge leading the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire Sir Martin was born in Wales and educated at Cambridge. His career has spanned...
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Emmanuel Macron from 2017-06-24T18:30
Emmanuel Macron has become France's youngest-ever President at the age of 39. He created a new political movement out of nothing and defeated the populist Marine Le Pen of the Front National. But w...
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Leo Varadkar from 2017-06-19T09:09
Mark Coles looks at the life of Leo Varadkar, head of Fine Gail, the country's governing centre right party and the newly appointed Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland. Varadkar has made history...
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Cornelia Parker from 2017-06-03T18:15
Mark Coles profiles sculptor and installation artist Cornelia Parker, this year's official election artist. Parker's work has involved spectacular acts of destruction, from flattening brass band in...
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David Lynch from 2017-05-27T18:15
Mark Coles profiles the director David Lynch, whose classic TV series Twin Peaks has just returned to the screen after 25 years. Obsessed with drawing and painting from an early age, Lynch's moth...
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Robert Mueller from 2017-05-20T18:15
Mark Coles profiles Robert Mueller who's just been appointed as special counsel to oversee the investigation into Russian interference in the US election. Mueller retired as director of the FBI fou...
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Kelvin MacKenzie from 2017-05-13T18:15
Former editor and columnist of The Sun Kelvin MacKenzie is to leave the paper after comparing Everton footballer Ross Barkley to a gorilla. It's not the first time MacKenzie has attracted controver...
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Jean-Claude Juncker from 2017-05-06T18:15
The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has been called 'the chief Eurocrat' by the British press and accused of looking to bully Britain during the Brexit negotiations. But ...
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Aretha Franklin from 2017-04-29T18:15
Aretha Franklin has won hearts - and 18 Grammy awards - with her astonishing voice. But this week a bust up with another iconic singer revealed her spikier side. Always a sensation on stage, there ...
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Sam Warburton from 2017-04-22T18:15
Welsh rugby union star Sam Warburton has been given perhaps the game's most prestigious role - captain of the British&Irish Lions - for a second time. Mark Coles talks to those who know him, as he ...
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Rex Tillerson from 2017-04-15T18:15
On Profile this week, we look at the life and career of new US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. He flew to Moscow this week to urge Russia to abandon its support for Syria's President Assad foll...
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Eric Monkman from 2017-04-01T18:15
University Challenge contestant Eric Monkman has become a social media sensation thanks to his intense delivery and incredible general knowledge, with "Monkmania" sweeping the nation. But just how ...
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Catherine Corless from 2017-03-25T19:15
Catherine Corless has made headlines around the world for exposing the horrifying story of a mass grave of almost 800 infants at a former institution for unmarried mothers run by nuns. Corless has ...
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Philip Hammond from 2017-03-18T19:15
The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, made a U-turn on his Budget this week. Just seven days after announcing a rise in National Insurance Contributions for some self-employed people, the policy was reve...
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Sergey Kislyak from 2017-03-11T19:15
Who is Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador at the heart of a massive global controversy? Sergey Kislyak - Russia's convivial Ambassador to Washington - has been in the eye of a media storm sinc...
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Cressida Dick from 2017-03-04T19:15
Cressida Dick - the newly-appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police - is the first woman to lead the force in its 188-year history. Dick's career has been exceptional, but not without contr...
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Naomie Harris from 2017-02-25T19:15
Brought up by a single mum in Finsbury Park, North London, Naomie Harris now finds herself nominated for an Oscar for her role in Moonlight and this week received an OBE from the Queen. She's had a...
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John Bercow from 2017-02-11T19:15
The Speaker of the House of Commons - John Bercow - stunned MPs this week when he announced he was "strongly opposed" to US President Donald Trump addressing Parliament when he visits Britain. It'...
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Simon Stevens from 2017-01-28T19:17
Mark Coles profiles the man who runs NHS England. He oversees a workforce of one and a half million people, a budget of over £100 billion. According to some he's the fourth most powerful person in ...
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Mike Pence from 2017-01-22T06:00
Becky Milligan profiles the man who could be the next President of America. Mild mannered, disciplined and a seasoned politician, Mike Pence was largely unknown until he was selected by Donald Trum...
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Arlene Foster from 2017-01-14T19:17
Arlene Foster had been hoping to celebrate her first twelve months in charge of Northern Ireland this week. Instead, she's found herself forced out of office.It's got little to do with religion, ...
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Dippy the Diplodocus from 2017-01-07T19:17
It's the end of an era. Dippy the dinosaur has left the building.Gifted to King Edward VII in 1905, a 70 foot long cast of a fossilised dinosaur skeleton discovered in America has been on display...
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David Davis from 2016-12-31T19:17
David Davis will be a major figure in the coming year as minister in charge of Brexit. In this week's Profile, Chris Bowlby hears how he was was shaped by a council house upbringing, SAS training, ...
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Raymond Briggs from 2016-12-24T19:17
On Profile this week we explore the life and career of one of the world's best loved children's illustrators. Over the last half century - much to his horror - Raymond Briggs has become a part of C...
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Arron Banks from 2016-12-10T19:17
Skinny dipping with Nigel Farage, punching a business partner, and bankrolling Brexit - Edward Stourton tells the story of Arron Banks. What next for the man who spent more than £7 million campai...
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Sharon White from 2016-12-03T19:17
On Profile this week Mark Coles looks at the life and career of Sharon White. The daughter of immigrant parents who came to Britain from Jamaica in the 1950s, she rose rapidly through the ranks of...
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Michel Barnier from 2016-11-26T19:17
Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK are months away. And - as we keep hearing - there will be no discussion before notification (of the now infamous Article 50). But we do know who will ...
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Stephen Bannon from 2016-11-19T19:17
On Profile this week, Mark Coles, examines the life and career of Stephen Bannon - dubbed by some as the 'most powerful, most dangerous political operative in America today'. A former US Navy eng...
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Gina Miller from 2016-11-12T19:17
To some, she is a saboteur of democracy, a woman using her massive wealth and friends in high places to subvert the judgement of 17.4 million voters in the European Union referendum. To others, thi...
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Glenda Jackson from 2016-10-29T18:20
As Glenda Jackson returns to the West End stage, Mark Coles profiles the Oscar-winning actor and former Labour MP, with contributions from her son Dan Hodges, Hollywood actor George Segal and legen...
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Professor Alexis Jay from 2016-10-22T18:15
As jobs go, it's a daunting one. Three predecessors have already resigned. On Profile this week Mark Coles profiles Professor Alexis Jay, the fourth and latest person appointed to chair the indepen...
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Lee Kun-Hee (Chairman, Samsung) from 2016-10-15T19:00
Samsung started out as a tiny exporter of dried fish. Today it's one of the world's biggest tech giants; the family-run business accounts for about a quarter of South Korea's entire GDP. This week...
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Professor David J Thouless from 2016-10-08T18:15
British Professor David Thouless won this year's Nobel Prize for contributions to the field of topology. Two other British physicists, Professor J. Michael Kosterlitz and Professor Duncan Haldane s...
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Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy from 2016-10-01T18:17
When Theresa May became Prime Minister she appointed Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy as her joint Chiefs of Staff. It's a role first imported from the US by Tony Blair, when he brought in Jonathan Powe...
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Emma Walmsley from 2016-09-24T18:15
Emma Walmsley will be one of just seven female bosses in the country's top 100 companies when she takes the helm of GSK next year. The pharmaceutical giant is worth £80bn, making it the most valuab...
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Rodrigo Duterte from 2016-09-17T18:15
The new President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, is in the news this week because he's threatening to send home some of America's troops and "re-orientate" his country's foreign policy away f...
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Amber Rudd from 2016-09-03T18:20
Amber Rudd has risen rapidly through British politics, becoming Home Secretary only six years after being elected an MP in 2010. It's a rise unmatched by any other politician since World War Two. B...
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Seumas Milne from 2016-08-27T18:15
Last October Seumas Milne, a Winchester- and Oxford-educated left-winger, was granted unpaid leave from his position at The Guardian to enter the world of political spin as executive director of st...
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Laura Trott from 2016-08-20T18:15
Mark Coles speaks to family, friends and colleagues of cyclist Laura Trott - the first British woman to win four Olympic golds - to find out how, after winning her first bike race at the age of eig...
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Stephen Hough from 2016-08-13T19:00
Poet, painter and virtuoso pianist, Stephen Hough has been described as a polymath. He learned to play on a piano that cost £5 from a local antique shop and went on to become a virtuoso to astonish...
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Sonia Friedman from 2016-07-30T19:00
You may not have heard of Sonia Friedman, but she's one of the most important people in British theatre. She's produced many of the biggest stage hits of the past 15 years - including Jerusalem and...
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Owen Smith from 2016-07-24T05:00
Edward Stourton profiles the Labour leadership contender, Owen Smith. MP for Pontypridd since 2010, Mr Smith is challenging Jeremy Corbyn, saying that he's not up to the job.A former colleague at ...
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Theresa May from 2016-07-16T18:15
With no leadership campaign - during which the public might have got to know her better - Theresa May has entered Downing Street with a remarkably low profile. Mark Coles has been talking to people...
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Andrea Leadsom from 2016-07-09T17:00
Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May are vying to be the next Conservative leader and Britain's second ever female prime minister. Mark Coles explores how a little-known junior energy minister was propel...
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Stephen Crabb from 2016-07-02T19:00
Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines.
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Michael Eavis from 2016-06-25T19:00
Synonymous with Glastonbury Festival, Michael Eavis is the bearded impresario of one of the biggest parties on earth. But this is no hedonistic figure: in reality, Eavis is a near-teetotal Method-i...
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Amanda Spielman from 2016-06-18T18:30
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced Amanda Spielman is set to take over as chief inspector of schools in England. But the decision has provoked some controversy. Teaching unions have poi...
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Mike Ashley from 2016-06-11T18:00
This week the Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley gave evidence to a Business Select Committee inquiry into working conditions at his firm. In a rare public appearance, he admitted that the company h...
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Nicolas Maduro from 2016-06-04T18:15
The Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, has vowed to keep alive the defiant revolution begun by Hugo Chavez. And that revolution has global radical support. But with growing economic chaos and st...
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Jose Mourinho from 2016-05-28T19:00
To many, including himself, Jose Mourinho is the most successful football manager in the world - the 'special one'. He has won league titles in all of the countries he's worked in. But he is also ...
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Ruth Davidson from 2016-05-21T18:49
Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, is credited with detoxifying the Tory brand in Scotland. A kick-boxing, Territorial Army-trained, gay Christian with working-class roots, she's ...
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Carolyn McCall from 2016-05-14T18:15
Chief executive of Easyjet, Dame Carolyn McCall, is one of the UK's most successful businesswomen. Initially seen as an outsider, she has won over staff and investors, piloting the airline into the...
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Sir Martin Sorrell from 2016-04-23T18:20
Sir Martin Sorrell has spent the last three decades transforming a maker of wire shopping baskets into the world's largest advertising firm. The self-proclaimed workaholic bought a stake in Wire an...
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Jamie Vardy from 2016-04-16T18:30
Mark Coles looks at the life and career of footballer Jamie Vardy. In just four years Vardy has gone from being a relative unknown, being paid a few hundred pounds a week at a non-league club, to o...
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Sanjeev Gupta from 2016-04-09T18:30
Mark Coles profiles Sanjeev Gupta who this week met the Business Secretary Sajid Javid to discuss a possible deal to buy Britain's biggest steelworks at Port Talbot. In recent months he's invested ...
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Sophie Okonedo from 2016-04-02T19:00
Mark Coles profiles the actress, Sophie Okonedo, star of the new Sunday night drama, Undercover. She plays a successful barrister who discovers her life is based on a series of lies. Okonedo has...
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Nick Denton from 2016-03-26T19:20
n 2002 the British journalist Nick Denton created Gawker in the US, a website which made its name breaking news and celebrity gossip. Last week a US court ordered the site to pay Hulk Hogan $140 m...
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Frauke Petry from 2016-03-19T19:15
"Ambitious", "cold-hearted" and "calculating"; just some of the words used to describe Frauke Petry, leader of Germany's Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party. She has suggested German border pol...
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Jenny Beavan from 2016-03-05T19:20
For more than 30 years Jenny Beavan has been designing beautiful and historically accurate costumes, for film and stage. But though she cares intensely how the costumes look on the actors and on sc...
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Hartwig Fischer from 2016-01-02T19:17
Chris Bowlby profiles the German art historian and curator Dr Hartwig Fischer, who this year takes over one of the most important jobs in UK culture: director of the British Museum. What can the mu...
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Maggie Smith from 2015-12-26T19:17
Millions will miss Lady Violet's withering one-liners now that Downton Abbey is over. Chris Bowlby profiles one of Britain's most successful actors: Maggie Smith. Her extraordinary career has spann...
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Mark Clarke from 2015-11-28T19:15
Mark Clarke was once a rising star in the Conservative Party. He was a prominent figure who started and led 'RoadTrip2015', a project to bus young Conservatives into marginal seats to campaign door...
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Aung San Suu Kyi from 2015-11-07T19:17
Known by many in her country as 'The Lady', Aung San Suu Kyi has become one of the world's most famous female politicians. And yet she has never exercised any power in Myanmar, formerly known as Bu...
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Baroness Tina Stowell from 2015-10-31T19:15
She's the self-proclaimed Beyoncé of the House of Lords, calling herself a 'single lady' and an 'independent woman'. Baroness Tina Stowell is the Leader of the Upper House. She was in the spotlight...
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Justin Trudeau from 2015-10-24T18:15
He's been a boxer, a bouncer and a bungee jumping coach. Now he's the Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau is going back to his childhood home, 24 Sussex Drive, the PM's residence in Ottawa. Hi...
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Mohammed Bin Nayef from 2015-10-17T18:31
Saudi Arabia's human rights record is firmly back in the spotlight. A teenage boy on death row for protesting. A British pensioner expecting to be lashed. Britain no longer willing to help train th...
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Bernie Sanders from 2015-10-10T18:07
Bernie Sanders is a socialist and a grump. But is he also a future US president?
Some 20,000 people recently turned out to hear Sanders speak - the sort of crowd Barack Obama would have b...
Gina Rinehart from 2015-10-03T18:15
Gina Rinehart - one the world's richest women - is about to realise a lifelong dream: to own and operate her very own iron-ore mine. Rinehart's life has been defined by huge success and the stagger...
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Lord Ashcroft from 2015-09-26T19:00
Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines.
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The Eagle Twins from 2015-09-19T18:14
Perching on Labour's new front bench are high-flying twin sisters: Angela and Maria Eagle. Angela is the new shadow business secretary. Maria has been given the defence brief.
Mark Coles ...
Michel Houellebecq from 2015-09-05T18:15
He’s the bad boy of French literature. Loved and hated in equal measure. But who is Michel Houellebecq?
Ed Stourton profiles the controversial novelist who loves to provoke.
Sir John Chilcot from 2015-08-29T18:20
Sir John Chilcot has been at the heart of some of the most important political events in recent decades - often in the background, unnoticed by most.
It's only in recent years, since he wa...
Michelle Mone from 2015-08-15T19:00
Founder of the Ultimo lingerie brand Michelle Mone's rags to riches tale.
Clever use of PR has helped make Michelle Mone one of Britain's most recognisable businesswomen. Now she has been...
Jeremy Corbyn from 2015-08-08T19:00
Suddenly everyone's taking Jeremy Corbyn seriously. Dismissed by many as a fringe 'unelectable' figure in the Labour leadership campaign, a bearded vegetarian lover of Latin American revolutionarie...
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Donald Trump from 2015-08-01T18:30
Billionaire Donald Trump, leading Republican candidate in the US Presidential race was in Scotland this week. Mark Coles asks if he has what it takes to get him to the White House.
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Mhairi Black from 2015-07-25T18:20
Mhairi Black was yet to graduate when she was elected to the House of Commons in May - the youngest Member of Parliament for over a century. She overturned a 16,000 majority and ousted the veteran ...
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Seymour Hersh from 2015-05-16T18:30
Mark Coles profiles the muckraker's muckraker, American journalist Seymour Hersh, who has challenged the official story of how Osama Bin Laden was killed.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer...
Sir Christopher Geidt from 2015-05-14T10:30
The last couple of weeks of the election campaign - and the erroneously narrow polls which highlighted the role of The Queen in the event of a hung parliament - brought to the attention of the publ...
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Loretta Lynch from 2015-05-02T18:30
Earlier this week, Loretta Lynch was sworn in as the new US Attorney General. Brought up in North Carolina the daughter of a Baptist minister father and a mother who picked cotton as a young girl, ...
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Aidan Turner from 2015-04-25T18:15
Mark Coles profiles Aidan Turner, the Irish actor who stars in Poldark, the BBC's most successful drama for a decade. Turner has won legions of fans as the brooding, scythe-wielding Cornish hero in...
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Ronnie O'Sullivan from 2015-04-18T18:30
With five World Championship titles already under his belt, Ronnie 'The Rocket' O'Sullivan will compete in Sheffield this weekend hoping to secure a sixth. He is seen by many as the greatest snooke...
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The Teletubbies from 2015-04-11T18:30
We learned this week that Jane Horrocks, Jim Broadbent and Fearne Cotton are to voice a new run of the hit children's TV series Teletubbies. It's estimated that around a billion children in over 12...
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Trevor Noah from 2015-04-04T18:15
This week Comedy Central announced that South African comedian Trevor Noah is to take over from Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show.
It was a surprise to many that a relative unknown was...
Leanne Wood from 2015-03-28T19:30
On Thursday evening seven party leaders will meet in an ITV studio for the much-anticipated general election debate. Some of them are - it's fair to say - rather less well known than others. Many v...
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Dolce & Gabbana from 2015-03-21T19:30
Italy's famous couture couple Dolce & Gabbana have fallen out with Elton John over off-colour comments they made about IVF babies and gay families. But they have no shortage of fans. Becky Milligan...
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Nigel Dodds from 2015-03-14T19:15
Mark Coles profiles the DUP's leader at Westminster, Nigel Dodds, one of a number of possible post-election kingmakers. Dodds, furious to find his party excluded from the leaders' debates, is now b...
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Qassem Suleimani from 2015-03-07T19:17
Iraqi army and militia forces are fighting to take back Tikrit from the so-called Islamic State. Pulling the strings on the Iraqi side is an Iranian: Major-General Qassem Suleimani, the 'shadow com...
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Natalie Bennett from 2015-02-28T19:30
After a rocky campaign launch, the Green leader Natalie Bennett has been in the headlines this week. Mark Coles hears how she moved from journalism in provincial Australia to British politics, and ...
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Yanis Varoufakis from 2015-02-21T19:17
The casually-dressed Greek finance minster Yanis Varoufakis has, in challenging the eurozone, become - almost overnight - one of the most important politicians in Europe. In this edition of Profile...
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Lord Green from 2015-02-14T19:17
Mark Coles profiles the former HSBC boss and trade minister Lord Green after an uncomfortable week in which revelations about HSBC's Swiss arm aiding tax evasion dominated the headlines.
O...
Frank Field from 2014-12-13T19:17
Chris Bowlby profiles the veteran Labour MP and co-author of this week's report on hunger, Frank Field, who is one of the most unusual politicians in Britain.
Variously described as "indep...
Ashraf Ghani from 2014-12-06T19:17
The presidential election in Afghanistan was drawn-out and controversial. The man who emerged as the winner is a United States-trained anthropologist who is described by friends as one of the world...
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Arminka Helic from 2014-11-29T19:17
One of the less likely political partnerships of recent years has been that of the Conservative Foreign Secretary William Hague and the Hollywood actor and director Angelina Jolie.
They j...
Grace Mugabe from 2014-11-22T19:17
Grace Mugabe has been an almost silent figure at her husband, Robert Mugabe's side for almost two decades. Now she is starting to flex her own political muscles, which some are interpreting as a bi...
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Benedict Cumberbatch from 2014-11-15T19:17
An insight into man of the moment, Benedict Cumberbatch. Code-breaker, physicist, Victorian sleuth. Overnight he became an object of obsession with a Cumber-cult following of adoring fans, spawning...
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Christopher Nolan from 2014-11-01T19:17
Film director Christopher Nolan's latest $160m blockbuster Interstellar opens next week. Mark Coles examines the more humble beginnings of his film making career at University College London and as...
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Sir Andrew Green from 2014-10-25T18:17
Migration Watch UK's founder Sir Andrew Green is to become a member of the House of Lords. Presenter Jo Fidgen talks to Sir Andrew's old friends and colleagues in an attempt to find out what motiva...
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Richard Flanagan from 2014-10-18T18:17
Writer Richard Flanagan is the 2014 winner of the Man Booker Prize. His novel "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" is a story set among prisoners of war, forced by the Japanese to work on the Thai-B...
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Douglas Carswell from 2014-10-11T18:17
Douglas Carswell has become UKIP's first elected MP in Westminster. A free-thinking Eurosceptic Conservative, Carswell was never shy to criticise "our supine, spineless Parliament". Nonetheless his...
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Ricky Tomlinson from 2014-09-27T18:15
Ricky Tomlinson is a top TV actor with starring roles including Brookside and The Royle Family. But he has a controversial trade union past, and was once imprisoned for picketing during a strike. A...
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Shane Smith from 2014-09-20T20:17
How did Shane Smith - a hard-partying, tattooed former Ottawa punk rocker - turn a community magazine into an international multi-media empire?
Mark Coles looks at the life of one of the f...
Rona Fairhead from 2014-09-06T20:17
Edward Stourton profiles Rona Fairhead, the woman nominated to replace Lord Patten as chair of the BBC Trust. She's a high achiever who excelled at school and in the world of business, but her nomi...
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Petro Poroshenko from 2014-08-30T20:17
There is every sign this weekend that Russia's proxy war with Ukraine could become a full-blown conflict between states.
The crisis now coming to a head has been in the making ever since U...
Nicholas Macpherson from 2014-08-23T20:17
Sir Nicholas Macpherson, largely unknown outside Whitehall, has become a key figure in the Scottish independence debate. And as head of the Treasury since 2005, he's been at the centre of Britain's...
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Haider al-Abadi from 2014-08-16T20:17
As Iraq's divisive Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki steps down, hopes are now pinned on his likely successor, Haider al-Abadi to restore trust with the Kurdish and Sunni communities and fight off the...
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Karren Brady from 2014-08-09T20:17
Jo Fidgen explores the life and times of Karren Brady, successful in business, TV star in The Apprentice and now a rising political star in the Conservative party. How did she succeed in the male-d...
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Radoslaw Sikorski from 2014-08-02T20:17
Becky Milligan profiles Poland's foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, a one-time teenage rebel, Oxford networker, daring reporter - and now a key voice in the Ukraine crisis and an important force ...
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Mazher Mahmood from 2014-07-26T20:17
The so-called "fake sheikh" - investigative journalist Mazher Mahmood - hit the headlines this week after singer Tulisa Contostavlos's drugs trial, which was triggered by one of his newspaper inves...
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Nicky Morgan from 2014-07-19T20:17
After this week's cabinet reshuffle Mark Coles profiles Nicky Morgan. Who exactly is the new education secretary?
Producer: Smita Patel.
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss from 2014-07-12T20:17
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss has been chosen this week to lead a major enquiry into abuse allegations. But the choice has proved controversial, with claims that she is too close to the establishment. A s...
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Elizabeth Warren from 2014-05-10T20:17
Speculation abounded this week as to whether Elizabeth Warren hopes to be the Democratic candidate in the next US election.
Elizabeth Warren has had a rapid rise to prominence since her el...