Profile

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.

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

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.

Emily Buchanan profiles the Archbishop of Canterbury and examines his long struggle to stop the Anglican Church from fragmenting. Rowan Williams was tipped at an early age for high office and he is rated as possibly the most intellectually talented Archbishop of Canterbury for a thousand years. Yet after all the high hopes at his appointment, many are disappointed at what they see as a lack of key leadership qualities. Dragged into seemingly endless rows about gay clergy and women bishops, Williams has had to endure a great deal of abuse from some members of the world's 77 million strong Anglican Communion. His period of office has even been described as a crucifixion. Is he misrepresented by Britain's tabloid press or does he actively court controversy? His opposition to the Iraq war, his call for reparations for the slave trade and his candid predictions that last summer's riots could easily be repeated have raised eyebrows among parts of the political establishment. In 2008, he provoked an outcry after say

Profile this week looks at the physicist Peter Higgs who in the 1960s predicted the existence of the so-called "God Particle" which scientists think they glimpsed at CERN this week. The Higgs boson - which has so excited the scientific community this week - is a subatomic particle which gives mass to all matter and the quest to find it has been described as the holy grail of physics.Peter Higgs made his prediction in the mid-1960s when he was a relatively young scientist, adding a crucial element to the Standard Model of the universe. At the time the significance of his work was not widely recognised or understood, and one leading scientific journal even turned down one of his early papers setting out his groundbreaking theory.Higgs, now in his 80s, is very much a theoretical scientist. Colleagues say he has never excelled at practical experiments, and to this day he doesn't get on with computers.What kind of man is he? Samira Ahmed talks to those who know the scientist, and asks what makes him tick.Producers

Samira Ahmed profiles Newt Gingrich, the American former Speaker of the House who is now a leading contender for the Republican nomination to run against Barack Obama in next year's US presidential election. Earlier this year he was largely written off as a presidential contender when many of his staff left his campaign. But now he has made a dramatic comeback.In the 1990s he was one of the Republicans who led the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton for perjury over his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Yet at the same time Mr Gingrich was engaged in his own extra-marital affair with the woman who became his third wife.Samira Ahmed talks to people who have known and worked with Newt Gingrich throughout his career. She hears of similarities between Gingrich and Clinton: both had difficult relationships with their step-fathers, dominating mothers, and both wanted to be transformational figures. But Gingrich appears to lack Clinton's personal charm.Gingrich is both attacked and a

Profile this week takes a look at the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour who has surprised many by announcing he is to quit music for a career in politics. The son of a car mechanic, N'Dour went on to become one of the most influential recording artists in the world. With presidential elections taking place in Senegal next February, Edward Stourton asks if N'Dour has what it takes to succeed on the political stage.Producers: Ben Crighton and Hannah Barnes.

With Parliamentary elections due next week, Chris Bowlby charts the career of 76 year old Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the key figure in Egypt's new political crisis.A young military officer at the time of Suez, Tantawi went on to fight against the Israelis in the wars of 1967 and 1973. Rising through the military ranks, he was appointed Defence Minister by President Hosni Mubarak in 1991. Known as a courteous but inscrutable figure, Tantawi came to be viewed as the loyal heir apparent to President Mubarak. But when the democracy demonstrators of Tahrir Square demanded the President's resignation earlier this year, it was his right hand man Mohamed Tantawi who told the longstanding premier that his time was up. Nine months later the demonstrators are back, frustrated by the slow pace of political change. And this time they are demanding Tantawi's resignation.Producer: Kate O'Hara

Meryl Streep is famous for achieving both critical and box office success throughout her long career. With more academy award nominations than any other actor in history, her face is recognisable worldwide. The young Meryl Streep tasted early success in landmark films such as 'The Deer Hunter' and 'Kramer vs Kramer'. Going on to star in the harrowing 'Sophie's Choice', she picked up the Academy Award for Best Actress and garnered critical acclaim for her mastery of a Polish accent.The box office hit 'The Devil Wears Prada,' where she played a ruthless magazine editor cemented her position as one of Hollywood's most bankable female stars. The 2008 hit musical 'Mamma Mia!' allowed her to indulge her first love of singing and once again demonstrated her remarkable versatility. Now as she takes on the role of another famous woman, former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, Andy Denwood charts her extraordinary career.Reporter - Andy Denwood Producer - Gail Champion.

The Labour MP Tom Watson compared James Murdoch with "a Mafia boss" while questioning him about phone hacking this week. He has led the charge in Parliament against News International, and has been forensically campaigning on phone hacking for years. While many of his Labour colleagues regard him as a hero for his role in taking on the Murdoch empire, Watson wasn't always so popular. A close ally of Gordon Brown, he called for Tony Blair to resign in 2006, although he denied Brown conspired with him to bring down the Prime Minister.Edward Stourton profiles the pioneer blogger and populist campaigner, who is unafraid to take on powerful figures in and out of politics.Producer Bill Law.

The new President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi now finds himself at the centre of the European financial crisis. The appointment of an Italian to this key role, from a country no stranger to inflation and which is itself at risk of defaulting may have raised some eyebrows, but Draghi was once dubbed 'Super Mario' for his combination of financial and diplomatic intelligence. Lesley Curwen profiles the urbane economist and charts his path to the top of European banking.Reporter: Lesley Curwen Producer: Gail Champion.

Profile this week takes a look at the firebrand of Italian politics, Umberto Bossi. The controversial leader of the Northern League party, who takes a strident line on immigration and crime, is currently at the centre of the Euro crisis. Critics accuse Umberto Bossi of holding up Italy's economic reform which is vital for the survival of the Euro. Geeta Guru-Murthy discovers how this former electrician and singer has become such an infamous politician who could have a dramatic effect on Europe.Producers: Emma Rippon and Anna Meisel.

Liam Gallagher, John Leckie and John Robb talk about Stone Roses' Ian Brown after the legendary band announced this week that they are reforming. Brown formed the band with school friend John Squire but the rift between the two saw the break-up after just two albums and left a generation of music fans hanging. Brown went on to have a solo career but now he and his former bandmates have made amends. He and the band made a huge mark on music and influenced many who met him including bands such as Oasis and in their early days, Radiohead. Producer: Wesley Stephenson.

He's long been one of the most powerful figures in British government, but few outside Whitehall have heard of him. The next Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood has been at the centre of British government for two decades. He's been close to top politicians ranging from Norman Lamont to Tony Blair to David Cameron. And he's been in the thick of controversial episodes such as Black Wednesday, rows within the Brown government, and the global financial crisis. So what's the secret behind the huge influence of a man who shuns the limelight? Chris Bowlby profiles "the insider's insider".Producer: Smita Patel.

Claire Bolderson profiles Lord Justice Leveson, the judge who is leading the public inquiry into the phone hacking scandal and relationships between politicians, journalists and police officers. Brian Leveson was born and brought up in Liverpool and worked there, as a young barrister, for a number of years before becoming a QC. His later career involved some of the biggest commercial trials of the time - among them BCCI, Polly Peck and Barings. He also prosecuted Ken Dodd on behalf of the Inland Revenue and, in a rare setback, he lost the case. And he's turned his hand to the criminal bar and prosecuted one of the UK's most infamous serial killers - Rosemary West. If he handles the public inquiry into phone hacking successfully, many believe he will be one step closer to the ultimate legal prize - the position of Lord Chief Justice. Contributors Judge Henry Globe Dominic Carman Sasha Wass QC Producers: Rosamund Jones Linda Pressly.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the easyJet entrepreneur at the heart of the low-budget airline revolution, is the subject of this week's Profile. Stelios - as he is better known - has just set up Fastjet.com in a surprise move that has angered executives at his old company. Presenter Rosie Goldsmith talks to friends, foes and fans of the Greek-Cypriot tycoon.Producer: Lucy Proctor.

As President Obama announces his deficit reduction plan, which includes the 'Buffett Rule', to increase taxes on America's richest, Profile looks at the billionaire investor Warren Buffett. At 81 years of age, he's one of the richest men in the world closing in on a personal fortune of nearly 40 billion dollars. Recently Buffett decided to do a small tax survey in his Omaha office to find out what proportion of everybody's salary was being taxed. He discovered that he was paying a much lower share of his income in tax than his staff. So he proposed that that America's tax laws be changed so that he and his "mega-rich friends" pay more income tax. President Obama took the call. Mary Ann Sieghart talks to family, friends and Buffett experts to get an insight into the man known as the 'Oracle of Omaha' who many say has inspired a new American tax system.Producer Deiniol Buxton.

Profile looks at the man who was appointed this week to the top job in policing - the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe. Described as a tough, straight northerner, he spent five years running the Merseyside police to 2009. He introduced a zero tolerance approach to crime which he describes as "total policing". Under his leadership there were significant falls in crime and anti-social behaviour.He is not afraid to court controversy and spoke out against judges for being soft on gun crime. He adopted a high public profile with regular web-chats and appearances on radio phone-ins.He has a love of horses and also made regular public appearances on horsebackDanny Shaw talks to former colleagues, politicians and criminologists and others and finds out what drives Bernard Hogan-Howe and what sort of Metropolitan Police Commissioner he might be.

Rick Perry won the seat of Governor of Texas vacated by George W Bush when he was elected President of the United States. Perry has held the post for over ten years, making him the longest serving governor in state history. Now he is seeking nomination as the Republican Party's candidate to oppose Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election. Over last few weeks he's become a front runner to succeed, taking part in a series of televised debates within the last few days. In this week's Profile, we hear from his former scouting buddies in the small village of Paint Creek where he was raised that "there are only three things to do in Paint Creek: school, church and scouting". They describe the simple farming background that influenced his life and informed his politics. We also hear from Retired Lt General Joseph Weber Marine, a contemporary of Perry at Texas A+M University. The Governor's father was a B17 Gunner in WW2 and flew missions out of the U.K. "I know Rick visited where he'd been and was very interes

Edward Stourton profiles Vanessa Redgrave, the multi-award and Oscar-winning actress and political activist. A leading member of the Redgrave family of actors, she is the daughter, wife, mother and aunt of some of Britain's best known actors and directors. She has hit the headlines just as often for her political and human rights activities, as for her stage, film and theatre work. This week, she is in the news for supporting the travellers currently facing eviction from a site in Basildon. Producers: Arlene Gregorius and Harbinder Minhas.