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Profile

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Feb 16, 2019 • 14min

Chris Grayling

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 ferry company with no ferries. He cancelled the contract this week amid much derision in Parliament. Presenter: Mark Coles Producer; Sally Abrahams
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Feb 9, 2019 • 14min

David Adjaye

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 Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. An exhibition featuring his work has just opened in London. Producer: Sally Abrahams Presenter: Mark Coles
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Feb 2, 2019 • 14min

Juan Guaidó

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 more recently when he was picked to head Venezuela's parliament, the National Assembly. US President Donald Trump has recognised Guaidó as the country’s legitimate leader - as has Canada, Brazil, Australia and the European parliament - but, for now, Nicolás Maduro is showing no signs of giving way. In this edition of Profile Edward Stourton traces Guaidó’s life and hears from his family, friends and those who have followed his career. Guaidó grew up in the beachside state of Vargas where his family survived the horrendous 1999 mudslide tragedy. Juan’s mother, Norka Marquez, tells Edward how her family lost everything in that disaster.Producer: Darin Graham
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Jan 26, 2019 • 14min

Nick Boles

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 week. Becky Milligan profiles a rebel who has survived cancer twice and has spent a surprising amount of time throwing shapes on Ibiza dance floors.Researcher: Darin Graham Producer: Smita Patel Editor: Richard Knight
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Jan 19, 2019 • 14min

Roger Whiteside

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. But the success of this faux meat pastry product is just the latest chapter in what is one of the retail turnaround stories of the past decade. Down in the doldrums five years ago these days Greggs is on a – ahem – roll. And it’s largely down to one man, apparently: Roger Whiteside, our subject this week.Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Smita Patel
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Jan 12, 2019 • 14min

Nancy Pelosi

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 Pelosi.It’s a remarkable comeback for her…it puts her third in line to the Presidency itself. Having first done the job back in 2007 when George W Bush was Commander in Chief – now 78, many thought Pelosi was too old this time round. But only a week into the role, she’s already engaged in a bitter war of words with President Trump over his demand for Congress to fund his Mexico border wall. For many, with the Democrats now controlling Congress, Nancy Pelosi is set to become the face of opposition to the President for the next two years. We hear from childhood friends, former colleagues and those who’ve followed her career down the decades.From campaigning for her dad when he was Mayor of Baltimore back in the 1940s to helping President Obama reform American health care, we examine Nancy Pelosi’s life and career and – in these turbulent times – look at the challenges that lie ahead for her. Producer: Smita Patel Researcher: Darin Graham Editor: Penny Murphy
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Jan 5, 2019 • 14min

Stormzy

Grime music's biggest star, Stormzy, says he's from a place "where success doesn't happen". But he's had a remarkable rise to fame. Six years ago Stormzy, real name Michael Omari, was working at an oil refinery in Southampton. Now, he's a millionaire. His success began with his debut album Gang Signs & Prayer, the first grime record to reach number one. It's not just his music that has made him a household name in the UK. During the 2017 General Election, he lent his support to Jeremy Corbyn and at the Brit Awards last year he used his fame to speak out against the Government's response to Grenfell. This summer Stormzy will be the first grime act to headline at Glastonbury, his performance to beamed to million across the world. Producer: Oliver Jones Presenter: Mark Coles
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Dec 29, 2018 • 14min

Melania Trump

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 was modelling that took Melania from small-town Slovenia to New York and her fateful encounter with the future President. But despite being one of the most recognisable woman in the world she remains something an enigma. So who is Melania Trump? What does she believe? And what might she do on the global stage which – however improbably, given her origins in far away Slovenia – she now shares with the President of the United States? Presenter: Becky Milligan Producer: Ben CrightonPhoto by Stane Jerko
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Dec 22, 2018 • 14min

Reed Hastings

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 a big rival: Netflix. With 125 million subscribers worldwide it's changed television. So who is Reed Hastings, the man behind the seismic shift in broadcasting, and how did he do it?Thanks to CBS/60 Minutes for audio of Reed Hastings.Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Phoebe Keane
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Dec 15, 2018 • 14min

Dr Gail Bradbrook

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 tackle climate change. It’s energised a lot of people who’re fed up with what they see as the slow pace of change. And it’s won support from the great and good of the environmental world. One hundred leading academics, authors, politicians and religious leaders have endorsed it. But critics have likened the group to a watermelon; green on the outside, red on the inside. So who is Gail Bradbrook? And where is she leading Extinction Rebellion?Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Arlene Gregorius Photo Credit: Martin Lever/Core Periphery

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