

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

Sep 16, 2023 • 15min
Davina McCall
Davina McCall is regularly referred to as the queen of reality TV and has been a familiar face on our screens for decades. From the unpredictable dating show Streetmate, to the iconic Big Brother and now her latest show Your Mum, My Dad, which features middle-aged singles looking for a second chance at love. She’s been open about overcoming addiction, taking drugs with her mum and surviving an overdose in her twenties. Now, with a long list of presenting credits under her belt, she’s turned to making documentaries raising awareness about the symptoms of the menopause and looking at contraception in the UK.Mark Coles looks at the life and career of the fitness fanatic who has even starred in a Kylie Minogue music video.Credits:
My Mum, Your Dad, ITV.
Big Brother, Channel 4.
God’s Gift, ITV.
Streetmate, Channel 4.
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven BartlettPresenter: Mark Coles
Production: Alix Pickles, Diane Richardson, Phoebe Keane
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon

Sep 9, 2023 • 15min
Grant Shapps
The recently appointed defence secretary Grant Shapps is no stranger to getting his teeth into a new job, it’s his fifth cabinet role in less than a year. He's widely seen as a safe pair of hands and an effective communicator but has received criticism over his latest appointment because of his lack of military experience. A married father of three and a cousin of The Clash guitarist Mick Jones, he survived a car crash at the age of 20, which put him in a coma for a week, and also made a full recovery after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Mark Coles looks at the life and career of the cabinet veteran who is a spreadsheet whizz, enthusiastic TikToker and licensed pilot. Presenter: Mark Coles
Production: Alix Pickles, Diane Richardson
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon

Jul 29, 2023 • 15min
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, but his government’s plans for judicial reform have triggered one of the most serious crises of his political career.Timandra Harkness looks at the life of the man who has won six elections and who is known to his supporters as 'King Bibi'.Credits:The Hoover Institution: “Bibi: My Story,” Benjamin Netanyahu On His Life And Times
The 92nd Street Y: Benjamin Netanyahu and David Rubenstein in ConversationPresenter: Timandra Harkness
Production: Sally Abrahams, Diane Richardson, Alix Pickles
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Damon Rose

Jul 25, 2023 • 15min
Dale Vince
The multi-millionaire climate campaigner and Just Stop Oil donor Dale Vince, made his fortune in green energy. He started generating his own power with a homemade windmill before setting up green energy provider, Ecotricity in the 1990s. He’s since commissioned a record-breaking electric car and added a football club and lab-grown diamonds to his sustainable businesses.Mark Coles looks at the life of the eco-entrepreneur who says that the disruption caused by Just Stop Oil protesters is nothing compared to the havoc caused by climate change. Presenter: Mark Coles
Production: Sally Abrahams, Diane Richardson, Alix Pickles
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot
Editor: Richard Vadon

Jul 15, 2023 • 15min
Joe Biden
Joe Biden has been involved in US politics for more than fifty years, becoming one of America’s youngest senators in 1972, when Richard Nixon was in the White House. Now, aged eighty, Biden is the oldest US president in history and is seeking re-election in 2024.He’s experienced terrible tragedies in his life, when his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident in 1972, and the death from cancer of his elder son, Beau, in 2015. Yet he bounced back, serving two terms as vice president under Barack Obama, and finally making it to President in 2021. As he makes another run at the White House, Mark Coles charts his life from the blue-collar town of Scranton, Philadelphia to Washington DC and hears how family plays a very important role in his life.Presenter: Mark Coles
Production team: Diane Richardson, Alix Pickles, Sally Abrahams
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon

Jul 8, 2023 • 15min
Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, is no stranger to media attention. He has made headlines for his controversial statements about poverty, migration and the death penalty. Now he is reported to be a prominent figure in the New Conservatives, a pressure group calling on the Prime Minister to drastically cut migration before the next general election. Yet he started his working life as a Nottinghamshire miner, and worked as a Labour councillor before later switching parties. Mark Coles finds out about his life and career. Presenter: Mark Coles
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production: Viv Jones, Diane Richardson, Alix Pickles
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Jul 1, 2023 • 15min
Sergei Shoigu
Russia's Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, was publicly condemned by Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, during his march on Moscow. Yet despite the criticism, this long-term ally of President Putin remains in post.Timandra Harkness looks at the life and career of the former construction engineer, who once headed Russia's disaster relief programme, becoming a minister under Boris Yeltsin.Presenter: Timandra Harkness
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound: Neil Churchill
Producers: Sally Abrahams, Diane Richardson
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Jun 24, 2023 • 15min
Charlotte Owen
The youngest person ever to receive a life peerage, Charlotte Owen’s elevation to the House of Lords, after less than six years in Westminster - some of it working as an intern - has made newspaper headlines. She’s had a remarkably quick rise through the Conservative party, starting as an intern and ending up a special advisor to then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson - the man who recommended her peerage when he resigned.Charlotte Owen has faced much scrutiny since her peerage was announced but those close to her say she has youth and energy on her side, and is ready to embrace her new role. Mark Coles talks to her colleagues and friends to gain insight into the particularly private future baroness.Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Daniel Gordon, Isobel Gough
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: Nigel Appleton
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

Jun 17, 2023 • 15min
Jack Smith
Jack Smith is no stranger to the courtroom. He counts mob bosses, public officials and war criminals among those he has put behind bars. But no case he has been involved with has been as high profile as the one he is bringing against the former, and possible future, President of the United States - Donald J. Trump. In the last week, he made a very rare public appearance announcing his charges against Trump, unsurprisingly leading to a volley of criticism from the man he will face down in court. A young man from upstate New York, made his way first to Harvard Law School and then, New York City, 250 miles away from his home town. Here he embarked on the impressive legal career that has led to his appointment as Special Counsel. Mark Coles speaks to his old sports teacher and colleagues about his distinguished career so far and why he will not let anything get in his way of presenting the strongest possible case against President Trump. Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Georgia Coan, Kirsteen Knight and Isobel Gough
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: James Beard

Jun 10, 2023 • 15min
Baroness Hallett
Former High Court judge Baroness Hallett is no stranger to a high-profile case, having previously chaired an inquiry into the 2005 London terror attacks. But her most recent appointment as chair of an inquiry looking at the UK's response to the pandemic could be her biggest job to date. In the past few weeks she’s been stuck in a legal battle with the Government after refusing to withdraw her order for them to hand over unredacted material for her investigation. The first female Chair of the Bar Council, Baroness Hallett didn’t come from the usual privilege associated with the top tier of the legal profession. She grew up as the daughter of a policeman and a secretary, moving around a lot in her childhood and going to various state schools before getting a place at Oxford where she went on to specialise in criminal law. Mark Coles speaks to friends and peers about her extraordinary legal career and why she will not sway over Government demands when the COVID inquiry starts next week.Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Georgia Coan, Octavia Woodward and Samantha Haque
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar