Profile

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 previously been in the news for - among other things - accidentally letting burglars into his home.

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 country’s gun laws. Edward Stourton looks at the rise of this young leader.Producer: Phoebe Keane(Jacinda Ardern DJing audio courtesy of Marty Duda and The 13th Floor)

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 looks at the life of the pioneering computer scientist.Producer: Phoebe Keane

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 not for her art but for her activism. The photographer has been fighting the US opioid epidemic after battling her own addiction to prescription painkillers.CORRECTION: In this edition of Profile we said Nan Goldin has protested on the steps of the Museum of Modern Art. In fact she has protested on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Producers: Viv Jones and Tural AhmedzadeProtest audio courtesy of Mike Quinn

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 beginning a landmark clinical trial using CRISPR on a patient with a dangerous blood disease. Mark Coles profiles one of the creators of the technology, the American biochemist Jennifer Doudna. Clarification: In 2018 a federal court confirmed that the patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to the Broad Institute, MIT and Harvard concerning CRISPR editing of eukaryotic genomes do not interfere with patent claims filed by the University of California, Berkeley where Jennifer Doudna is based. A new decision in February 2019 has granted Jennifer Doudna and her team the patent at the heart of this intellectual property dispute. Jennifer Doudna and her team have been granted several substantial patents for CRISPR technology.Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Viv Jones, Tural Ahmedzade

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 Labour Party's handling of the issue. One of the reasons she gave for leaving the party is that she has come to view it as "institutionally anti-Semitic”. Her resignation comes within days of her facing a vote of no-confidence in her Liverpool Wavertree constituency, which was withdrawn after a bitter row.Presenter: Becky Milligan Producer: Viv Jones, Tural Ahmedzade Editor: Penny Murphy

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

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

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

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