Profile

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. Becky meets a former teacher who recollects a young poet, colleagues who recall flamboyant courtroom appearances and a clerk whose mission was to deliver forbidden treats.Producers: Phoebe Keane and Diane Richardson Editor: Richard Knight

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 MPs are planning to vote against it. The government's chief whip is Julian Smith. It's his rather daunting job to persuade rebel Tory MPs to vote with the PM. Can he do it? We look for clues in his life story so far.Producer: Oliver Jones Presenter: Mark Coles

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 that John Worboys, the "black cab rapist," could be released from jail. Worboys' victims launched a legal challenge and The High Court ruled in their favour, forcing the parole board to perform a u-turn. The head stepped down and the new chair of the Parole Board is Caroline Corby. She'll have to oversee major changes, but she hasn't had a traditional route into criminal justice. She's written children's books and worked in the city. Mark Coles finds out how she travelled this unusual path.

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 to court. For the US authorities, this moment was a long time coming. And they had every reason to expect trouble. El Chapo - the infamous Mexican drug lord - is one of the most brutal, feared and powerful men in the world. He has slipped through the fingers of justice several times before. Becky Milligan tells the remarkable story of El Chapo's improbable life. The programme contains reference to some violent and distressing acts.Producer: Phoebe Keane