Profile

Shadow chancellor and former economist Rachel Reeves, who was a national chess champion aged 14.

Scottish screenwriter Lesley Paterson’s debut film, All Quiet on the Western Front, has won seven BAFTAs and has nine Oscar nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay. It took her and co-writer Ian Stokell sixteen years to get their script to screen, with Netflix and German director, Edward Berger. On the way, Paterson competed in extreme off-road triathlons, winning five world titles and putting the prize money towards the adaptation rights for the novel. Now the movie is winning awards and provoking debate among critics. Timandra Harkness talks to family, friends and colleagues about Paterson’s childhood going to ballet classes with knees still muddy from rugby, her journey from Stirling to Hollywood, and how her drive to win has got her through every challenge. Presenter: Timandra Harkness Production team: Sally Abrahams, Georgia Coan and Nathan Gower Editor: Simon Watts Sound engineer: Neva Missirian

Born in Jamaica to parents who were both doctors, Professor Dame Angela McLean was fascinated by science from a young age. After studying maths at university, her PhD thesis involved pioneering work on measles. She’s also done ground-breaking research into HIV/AIDS. During the coronavirus pandemic, Dame Angela played a key role drawing up advice for the government. Mark Coles speaks to friends, family and colleagues to find out more about the ‘no-nonsense’, straight-talking scientist who loves theatre, birdwatching and campfires. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Sally Abrahams and Georgia Coan Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinator: Sabine Schereck Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

Born in London, to Jamaican parents who came to Britain as part of the 1950s Windrush generation, Shirley J. Thompson fell in love with music from a very young age – and it has remained her life’s passion. She’s created music for film, TV, orchestras and opera. Mark Coles talks to family and friends to find out what influences her work. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Sally Abrahams and Georgia Coan Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinator: Sabine Schereck Sound Engineer: James Beard

Irish actor Barry Keoghan spent most of his childhood in foster homes, losing his mother to addiction issues when he was just 12-years-old. He found his passion for acting after answering a casting notice for a short indie film in his local shop window. Keoghan was so determined to succeed that he’s often made his own audition tapes to send to studios. Praised by directors for his natural talent, Keoghan has risen from starring in the Irish drama series ‘Love/Hate’ as a ‘cat killer’ in 2013, to the current hit ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. His moving performance as the comical yet heart-breaking Dominic is wowing critics. So can Barry Keoghan take home all the awards this year? Mark Coles speaks to his friends, colleagues and teachers about his rise from the streets of Summerhill in Dublin to success in Hollywood. Credits Ireland Unfiltered with Dion Fanning In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast The Banshees of Inisherin Director and writer: Martin McDonagh Searchlight Pictures Between the Canals Direc

Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, spent his gap year serving with the Royal Fusiliers. Now he finds himself in the line of fire from striking health workers, in a long-running dispute over pay. His job is to somehow find a solution to the row, without adding to the Treasury’s headaches. Can this rugby-loving sky-diver rise to the challenge? Adrian Goldberg talks to family and friends to find out why some Whitehall officials tremble under his forensic questioning – and why he’s been likened to popular TV detective, Columbo. Presenter: Adrian Goldberg Production team: Sally Abrahams, Diane Richardson and Beth Ashmead-Latham Production co-ordinator: Sabine Schereck Studio engineer: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Penny Murphy

The naturalist, broadcaster, author and campaigner has announced he is taking a three-month sabbatical from his TV work to give himself some ‘brain space’. After rising to prominence in the 1980s as a presenter on the BBC children's TV programme The Really Wild Show, Chris Packham has spent nearly four decades exploring and explaining the natural world on our screens. Along the way he's written books, fronted numerous environmental campaigns, and also raised awareness of living with Asperger's Syndrome. Mark Coles hears from Chris Packham's family, friends and colleagues about his life and career. Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Ben Cooper Researchers: Bethan Ashmead-Latham and Diane Richardson Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot

Nan Goldin has been documenting her life through photography since her teens, revealing and intimate portraits exploring issues from sex and drug addition to domestic violence and parenthood. Laura Poitras's film celebrating Nan's work, 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' has been nominated for an Oscar. Mark Coles looks at the life of the acclaimed artist, whose addiction to prescription opioids made her determined to hold Purdue Pharma and their owners the Sackler family accountable for the US Opioid addiction crisis. The campaign resulted in galleries and museums around the world cutting financial ties with the Sacklers, because of their link to the prescription opioid OxyContin. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Viv Jones, Tural Ahmedzade and Ben Cooper Editor: Richard Vadon

After suffering a fall that has left him paralysed, the playwright, screenwriter and author has begun sharing his thoughts with the world from his hospital bed. Born in suburban Bromley to an English mother and a Pakistani father, Hanif Kureishi turned to the arts to escape his everyday surroundings growing up. He became one of the most celebrated writers of his generation. Mark Coles hears from Kureishi's friends, family and old colleagues, as he explores the life and career of the man whose works include The Buddha of Suburbia and My Beautiful Laundrette. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Cooper and Diane Richardson Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

As the threat of teacher strikes looms over schools in England, Mark Coles looks at the life and career of Education secretary and Conservative MP for Chichester, Gillian Keegan. Friends and colleagues reveal how coming of age in Liverpool during the 1980s shaped her political views, leading her to a successful international career in business before entering politics. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Cooper and Diane Richardson Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

Paul Nowak has taken up his post as General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress at a time when workers across multiple sectors are striking for better pay deals to help with the cost-of-living crisis. It's the worst period of industrial unrest since the 1980s. Nowak, who's from Merseyside, has spent his entire adult life fighting for workers' rights. How will the TUC negotiate with a government which says pay rises are unaffordable and inflationary, and which now plans to tighten the rules on strike action? Adrian Goldberg investigates Paul Nowak's life - which includes a career off the picket line as an amateur musician. Presenter: Adrian Goldberg Producers: Ben Cooper and Diane Richardson Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

It's hard to remember that the actor who plays straight-talking cop Catherine Cawood in crime drama Happy Valley, set to return on New Year's Day, was once ditzy barmaid Raquel in Coronation Street. From musicals to soaps to hit drama series, Sarah Lancashire has had a long and varied career on her way to becoming one of the Britain's best loved actors. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Lucy Proctor and Matt Toulson Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

People across the country will be turning to TV chefs this week to help plan the festivities - and, arguably, nobody does Christmas better than Nigella. Mark Coles takes a look at the life of Nigella Lawson, the daughter of a famous Chancellor of the Exchequer who became the Queen of Christmas cooking. Friends recall their favourite memories, many of them culinary. And journalist Gilly Smith, author of Taste and the TV Chef, explains why Nigella has become a global food star. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Lucy Proctor and Matt Toulson Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

As nurses strike and the Health Service faces winter pressures, Mark Coles looks at the life and career of Shadow Health Secretary and Labour MP for Ilford North, Wes Streeting. Friend and colleagues reveal how childhood poverty and a cancer diagnosis have shaped the views and aspirations of the man tipped to be a future leader of the Labour party. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Cooper and Diane Richardson Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

Oliver Dowden, the MP for Hertsmere, has worked closely with four Prime Ministers, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and now Rishi Sunak, one of his best friends in parliament. He's made his mark quietly, mainly behind the scenes - but as Culture Secretary during the pandemic, he managed to secure extra funding to support the arts. As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, some might argue Oliver Dowden is now the second most powerful person in government. He's been given the key job of organising the government response to the current wave of strike action. Away from work, Dowden is a patriot, a monarchist and a man who enjoys pub lunches and walks in the countryside with his family and pet dog, Betsy. Adrian Goldberg speaks to friends and colleagues who give us an insight into a man whose nicknames run from Olive to The Undertaker. Contributors George Osborne, Chair, British Museum; Former Chancellor of the Exchequer. Sir John Hayes, MP for South Holland and The Deepings. Annabelle Dickso

Olena Zelenska delivered a moving speech to MPs and peers this week, calling for military support for Ukraine by describing the terror of air raids and evoking memories of World War II. The Ukrainian first lady has also addressed the US Congress and appeared on the cover of Vogue but stepping into the limelight has not been easy for the comedy writer, who is more comfortable behind the camera. Adrian Goldberg profiles Olena Zelenska, speaking to some of the friends and colleagues who know her best. Contributors Irina Pikalova, 'Kvartal 95' executive producer. Stylist Natalya Kamenska. Rachel Donadio, Journalist, Vogue. Iuliia Mendel, Author The Fight of Our Lives. Ukrainian Chef, Levgen Klopotenko. Presenter: Adrian Goldberg Producers: Diane Richardson and Natasha Fernandes Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele Editor: Simon Watts Studio Engineer: Rod Farquhar

Stand-up comic, broadcaster and LGBT rights activist, Joe Lycett, appeared to shred £10,000 of his own hard-earned comedy cash in protest at footballer David Beckham’s refusal to step down as an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup - a country where homosexuality is banned. He didn't really do it - but it's the latest in a series of stunts that have become the comedian's calling card. Friends, relatives and colleagues reveal how Joe Lycett went from drama-loving schoolboy to 'Esther Rantzen in a sparkly jumpsuit'. Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Lucy Proctor and Diane Richardson Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele Editor: Simon Watts Studio Engineer: Rod Farquhar

Wales are heading to their first football World Cup since 1958. Their captain is Gareth Bale, who was once the most expensive footballer in the world. Born in Cardiff in 1989, Gareth was first spotted at the age of 9 by Southampton. He become their second-youngest player of all time when he broke into the first-team aged 16, and enjoyed two seasons with the south coast club before moving to the Premier League with Tottenham. It was in North London that Bale announced himself on the European stage, eventually securing a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid for a then-world record fee. After nearly a decade in Spain, where he won some of football's biggest prizes, he surprised many by moving to the MLS to play for Los Angeles FC earlier this year. Gareth Bale's meteoric rise also coincided with a renaissance of the Welsh national team's fortunes - they'd regularly struggled to qualify for major tournaments in the decades before he broke onto the scene. With their World Cup campaign kicking off against the USA

This week the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced its first ever nationwide strike. Pat Cullen, the RCN's General Secretary and Chief Executive, will lead them into industrial action which is expected to start in December. Born in Northern Ireland, Pat Cullen was inspired by her older sisters to train as a nurse during the Troubles. After roles at Northern Ireland's Department of Health, and Public Health Agency, Cullen joined the RCN's Northern Ireland branch in 2016. Three years later, she led the union's first-ever strike, seeking pay parity for Northern Irish nurses with those working elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Since 2021, Pat Cullen has been the interim leader of the RCN at national level. Drawing on her experiences in Northern Ireland, she's now campaigning for better wages and conditions for nurses across the UK. Timandra Harkness takes a look at Pat Cullen's life and career. Producer: Ben Cooper Researcher: Matt Toulson Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele

Since entering Parliament in 2017, the MP for Saffron Walden has rapidly risen through the ranks to a seat at the Cabinet table as Trade Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities. Kemi Badenoch surprised some in Westminster when she reached the fourth round of the Conservative leadership election this summer. Her forthright views on British colonialism and trans issues have won her admirers on the political right, but also been heavily criticised by LGBTQ campaigners. So who is Kemi Badenoch? How has her childhood in Nigeria influenced her political outlook? And how does she like to unwind? Mark Coles investigates. Researcher: Alice Struthers Producers: Ben Cooper and Matt Toulson Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele Sound engineer: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Simon Watts