Profile cover image

Profile

Latest episodes

undefined
Apr 28, 2012 • 14min

Jeremy Hunt

Mary Ann Sieghart profiles Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, who has come under pressure to resign following the release of emails to the Leveson Inquiry. The compromising emails suggest that he or his office was providing inside information to the Murdoch family over the BSkyB takeover bid. He, however, insists that he behaved with complete integrity during the process.Producers: John Murphy Anna Meisel.
undefined
Apr 21, 2012 • 14min

Ralf Hutter

Chris Bowlby profiles Ralf Hutter, the only founding member left of the German electronic band Kraftwerk. Coming from an obscure industrial background, Kraftwerk first formed in 1970, and are now credited with being hugely influential on a host of musicians and on music of diverse types, including electronic, hip hop, house and drum and base. Notoriously uncommunicative with the outside world, Kraftwerk used to only have a fax machine as a point of contact at their studio though Ralf Hutter says even that has now gone. Krafwerk have just completed a major series of concerts in New York and are promising that they will be releasing a new album "very soon" - the first in nearly a decade. Producer: John Murphy.
undefined
Apr 14, 2012 • 14min

Kim Jong-un

After North Korea's controversial rocket launch and celebrations to mark the centenary of the birth of the country's "Great Leader," David Torrance profiles the country's new young leader, Kim Jong-un. Little is known about him in this most secretive of states. But after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il late last year, he has begun to establish his authority in relation to North Korea's military and ruling communist party, and he has been confirmed this week in the most senior political office. He will also have to decide how far to seek rapprochement with the outside world. Has his education, partly in Switzerland, made him a new kind of North Korean leader? Producers: John Murphy, Chris Bowlby.
undefined
Apr 7, 2012 • 14min

Suzanne Collins

With The Hunger Games topping cinema box-office charts, Gerry Northam profiles Suzanne Collins, the children's author who wrote the best-selling books on which the film is based. Her trilogy, set in a post-apocalypse America, is said to have been inspired by a combination of Greek myth and reality television as well as Collins' own upbringing as the daughter of an air-force officer who served in Vietnam. So how much do we know about the woman behind the phenomenon now being described as the US equivalent of Harry Potter? Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.
undefined
Mar 31, 2012 • 14min

Len McCluskey

As the threat of strike action by fuel tanker drivers looms over the Easter break, Mukul Devichand profiles Len McCluskey, the left winger who became general secretary of Unite in 2010. As the UK's biggest union and the Labour party's biggest donor, Unite is often in the headlines - many generated by its leader. Len McCluskey courted controversy by raising the prospect of strikes during the Olympics and was roundly criticised by both the Coalition and the Labour party. He has been an outspoken critic of Ed Miliband's leadership despite having played a key role in getting him elected. This week's Profile asks what Len McCluskey stands for and charts his journey from white-collar worker on the Liverpool docks to the most powerful trade union leader in the country.Presenter: Mukul Devichand Producer: Phillip Kemp.
undefined
Mar 24, 2012 • 14min

Dame Edna Everage

Rosie Goldsmith profiles Dame Edna Everage, one of entertainment's most colourful characters . Dame Edna stepped into the public spotlight in 1950s as a dowdy Melbourne housewife. Over the years her popularity has soared and she has turned into a flamboyant "gigastar". She is known for her outlandish outfits, her wit and her derision of the cult of celebrity. But she is soon to leave the stage - her forthcoming tour of the UK will be her last. . Her manager, Barry Humphries, the man behind the creation of Dame Edna's stage persona, said "she's a little weary of touring and strange hotels". Producers: John Murphy Anna Meisel.
undefined
Mar 17, 2012 • 14min

Jimmy Wales

Claire Bolderson profiles the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, who is working as an unpaid advisor to the UK Government helping open up policy making to the public. He's an information evangelist and his belief in the power of shared knowledge has driven the remarkable success of Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia. With entries on more than 20 million subjects looked at by more than 450 million people per month, Jimmy Wales' creation is one of that handful of internet successes that really have changed our lives. The programme hears from associates of Jimmy Wales and from his critics. And of course from the man himself.Producers: Lesley McAlpine Anna Meisel.
undefined
Mar 10, 2012 • 14min

Francois Hollande

Chris Bowlby profiles the Socialist Party candidate for the French presidential elections, Francois Hollande. He's not a man well known to people in the UK. But within a couple of months, he could be a key figure in European politics and he's promising a radical challenge to economic orthodoxy in France and in the EU. Among his proposals is a 75% tax rate for French euro millionaires and a re-negotiation of the EU's plan to save the Euro. Francois Hollande's challenge is personal not just political. A man once known as 'Mr Pudding', who rides around Paris on a moped, he says he'll be 'president normal', after the bling of the Sarkozy era. Producer: Lesley McAlpine.
undefined
Jan 7, 2012 • 14min

Imran Khan

As two men begin life sentences for the murder of Stephen Lawrence, Andy Denwood profiles Imran Khan the lawyer who helped the teenager's family in their tireless fight for justice. When he was first contacted about the murder of a young black man in south London, Khan was a little known-solicitor who had qualified only 18 months earlier. He's since acted in some of the most high profile cases in recent British legal history. He represented the family of Victoria Climbie at the public inquiry into her death and has also been involved in major terrorist trials, including the 21st July London bombings. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1964, his family emigrated to England four years later. But life in 70's and 80's east London was tough. They were the only Asian family on their street and Khan would often get into fights at school. These early experiences are thought to have motivated him to fight against racism and injustice. They also shaped his political views and he stood in the 1997 general election for East Ham, representing Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party.Producer: Samantha FenwickNB This programme has been edited from the original broadcast in which we wrongly described the Socialist Labour Party as "defunct".
undefined
Dec 31, 2011 • 14min

Michael Acton Smith

Once described as the 'rock star version of Willie Wonka', Michael Acton Smith is emerging as one of the major players in Britain's high tech industry. You may not have heard of him, but any five to eleven year old will know of his Moshi Monsters video game website, where children tend a virtual pet. Moshi Monsters is growing rapidly and has 50 million members worldwide. Acton Smith began his first business in the late 1990s when he was not long out of university. Despite recent success he has suffered major setbacks in the past. Rory Cellan-Jones profiles the 37 year old who is already making waves beyond these shores. Producer: Kate Dixon.

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app