

Profile
BBC Radio 4
An insight into the character of an influential figure making news headlines
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 12, 2022 • 14min
Lynsey Addario
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 conflict in the twenty-first century, and now she is on the ground in Ukraine, documenting suspected war crimes.Lynsey Addario - who reported on the Taliban before most of the western world knew who they were - has borne witness to war, humanitarian disaster and the worst effects of climate change. She has been kidnapped twice, but still keeps returning to conflict zones. Mark Coles profiles the award-winning photographer whose images continue to make the front pages.Credits:
Lynsey Addario, talking to CBS Evening News’ Norah O’Donnell
Sky News’ Stuart Ramsay and his team being attacked in UkraineProducers: Sally Abrahams and Ellie House
Editor: Damon Rose
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill

Mar 5, 2022 • 15min
Jens Stoltenberg
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 gained international renown for his stoic response to the 2011 terror attacks. Described by NATO colleagues as the ‘Trump whisperer’, he is known for being cool, calm and collected under pressure. Does he have what it takes for this latest challenge?Mark Coles profiles the longest serving NATO chief in a generation.Producers: Sally Abrahams and Ellie House
Editor: Damon Rose Credits:
Professor John J Mearsheimer, courtesy of King's College, Cambridge Politics department
‘No Harm’ by Smerz

Feb 26, 2022 • 14min
Sir Nick Clegg
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 the Metaverse. The former deputy prime minister has turned his fortunes around from a bashing at the ballot box, to becoming Silicon valley’s latest top dog. Mark Coles profiles the man hired to fight Facebook’s fires.

Feb 19, 2022 • 14min
Ben Wallace
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.

Feb 12, 2022 • 14min
Jimmy Carr
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 the controversial comedian. Presenter: Mark Coles
Producer: Joe Kent
Researcher: Drew Miller Hyndman
Editor: Damon Rose

Feb 7, 2022 • 14min
Joe Rogan
Spotify reportedly paid $100m in 2020 for rights to The Joe Rogan Experience, the streaming service's top podcast. The show is said to be downloaded around 200 million times a month.Joe Rogan hosts a variety of guests who discuss their views on a range of issues - but some episodes have featured false and misleading claims.Big names from the music industry, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, have asked Spotify to remove their music from the platform. They have criticised the music streaming service for publishing a podcast that spreads Covid misinformation.Mark Coles traces the life and career of the controversial former martial arts fighter and comedian.Researcher: Drew Miller Hyndman
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Damon Rose

Jan 29, 2022 • 14min
Volodomyr Zelensky
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, Zelensky found himself elected in 2019 with zero political experience. As the threat of a Russian invasion looms, Mark Coles profiles a man on the brink of becoming an unlikely wartime leader.

Jan 22, 2022 • 14min
Sue Gray
From pub landlady to chief interrogator, Adrian Goldberg profiles Sue Gray, the woman who secretly “runs Britain”, and is leading the investigation into Downing Street parties. We hear about her unconventional background, a mysterious career break involving brushes with the IRA, and her meteoric rise to become Whitehall’s most feared inquisitor. She’s been called “the most powerful person you’ve never heard of”. But, will she be able to withstand the pressure of investigating her own boss, the Prime Minister?

Jan 15, 2022 • 14min
Novak Djokovic
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 Yugoslavia, how his views on health and medicine were shaped and how he became the formidable and resilient competitor that he is today.Programme Credits
In Depth with Graham Bensinger
ABC NewsProducer: Ben Crighton
Researcher: Diane Richardson
Editor: Penny Murphy

Jan 8, 2022 • 14min
Oksana Lyniv
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 Comunale di Bologna's first female Music Director.Presenter Mark Coles discovers the family stories and personal challenges which have brought Oksana’s charisma and talent from Western Ukraine to classical music's world stage.Picture Credit: Tristram Kenton, Royal Opera House.Programme Credits:
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
UATV
The Ukrainian Institute in London
DW Classical Music
MDR Television
Choir and Orchestra of the Bayreuther Festspiele
US-Ukraine Foundation Producer: Ben Crighton
Researcher: Diane Richardson