From over-worked medics to bent coppers, for the last 30 years Jed Mercurio has been responsible for some of the UK’s most successful TV series, including Cardiac Arrest, Bodies and Bodyguard. But Line of Duty is arguably his biggest hit, and recording has started for the much-anticipated seventh series.

The award-winning screenwriter, director and producer grew up in a working-class family in Staffordshire. His parents, Italian immigrants, were keen he fit in, but friends say Jed was unique from the get-go with big dreams and a determination to be the best.

He initially trained to be a doctor and demonstrated his sharp, witty writing in a medical school magazine. Half-way through his medical training, he joined the RAF and was taught to fly fighter jets, before pivoting to screenwriting.

Mark Coles looks back at his career so far.

Producer: Ben Carter

Dame Sarah Mullally has been installed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury this week. The former nurse from Woking is the first woman to occupy the role of de facto leader of the Church of England and leader of the global Anglican communion.

In contrast to her Eton and Oxford educated predecessor Justin Welby, Sarah Mullally attended her local comprehensive before studying nursing at South Bank Polytechnic. By the age of thirty seven she was appointed Chief nursing officer for the NHS, a meteoric rise that brought with it a six-figure Whitehall salary and meetings with the prime minister. But five years later she threw it in to become a junior priest earning less than twenty thousand pounds a year.

Her supporters see her as a safe pair of hands, a leader who will steady the ship after years of abuse scandals and bitter rows over sexuality and identity. But following her appointment some of the more conservative and evangelical Anglicans have said they will no longer recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

So who is the new Archbishop and what will her tenure hold? Becky Milligan finds out.

Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949, the year after the State of Israel was founded. One of three brothers, Netanyahu spent much of his early years in the United States pursuing his education.

But following his older brother’s death, Netanyahu found himself drawn into a career in the public eye. Using his military experience to advise on security matters, in 1984 Netanyahu became Israel’s Ambassador to the UN and established himself as a champion of Israel on the international stage. But soon, his attention was drawn closer to home.

He returned to Israel and entered the world of politics; in 1993, he became the leader of the Likud party, and was elected prime minister in 1996, a position he's held for much of the following decades.

During his time in power Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as Israel’s protector. However, in recent years, allegations of corruption and lapses in national security have damaged his reputation and polarised Israelis' views about him. His handling of the conflict in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7th attacks has drawn criticism at home and abroad.

Now, Netanyahu has joined forces with the US president Donald Trump to conduct what they termed as ‘major combat operations’ against Iran. But will this war restore Netanyahu’s reputation as ‘Mr Security’, or draw Israel into another intractable conflict?

Mark Coles profiles the longest-serving Israeli prime minister.

Presenter: Mark Coles

Former Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is now Secretary of State for Energy. A role more important than ever with surging energy costs due to the conflict in Iran.

The Miliband brothers battled for the leadership in a historic contest that played out in front of the nation. Ed pipped David at the post, becoming leader of the Labour party in 2010.

After losing the general election to David Cameron in 2015, Ed Miliband stepped away from front line politics. But after coming back into the political spotlight when Keir Starmer appointed him Energy Secretary in 2024, does he have his eye on leadership again?

She’s already won a Bafta for her portrayal of a hoodoo healer in the Southern gothic, Sinners. But can British actress Wunmi Mosaku win an Oscar too? Mosaku says her role has helped her connect with her ancestry and find parts of herself she thought she had lost.

Born in Nigeria in 1986, Wunmi moved to Manchester as a very young child, growing up in Hulme and Chorlton with her parents and two sisters. Her first taste of performing came aged seven when she joined Manchester Girls Choir which she remained a member of until she was eighteen.

But it wasn’t just singing where she excelled. Her sixth form drama teachers spotted her talent and she successfully auditioned for RADA. A decade after graduation she won her first Bafta for her portrayal of the mother of the murdered London schoolboy Damilola Taylor. American directors must have been watching as she began spending more time working stateside. She was cast in sci-fi series Lovecraft Country followed by a trip to Baltimore for a role in We Own This City. Then director Ryan Coogler got in touch and now she’s tipped for an Oscar.

Stephen Smith charts the rise and rise of Wunmi Mosaku.

It’s been a busy first year for the US Defense Secretary. From signal chat controversies to Operation Epic Fury, Pete Hegseth has been making headlines.

Born in Minneapolis in 1980, Hegseth had what could be described as an ‘All-American’ upbringing. A basketball player at school he continued playing during his University career at Princeton where he majored in Politics. He also enrolled in the ROTC (reserve officers’ training corps) which turned out to be a career defining decision.

After stints in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth returned home and began his career on the political side lines - heading up two veterans charities. But his campaigning job dried up after a whistle blower report alleged he was drunk and abusive at work. Next he moved to Fox News where he caught the eye of President Trump, a notorious consumer of the right wing network. This was the beginning of Hegseth’s meteoric rise to power.

His confirmation for Defense Secretary hearing saw him answer questions about sexual assault allegations and claims he didn’t have enough experience for the job. But Hegseth successfully defended himself and was soon installed at the Pentagon.

Mark Coles explores how he got there.

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‘Small Prophets’ has quietly taken the world by storm. A whimsy, magical and gentle show providing a tonic to modern life. Its creator, Mackenzie Crook, could arguably described in a similar way.

Born in Sutton-on-hone a village near Dartford in 1971, his creative brilliance was evident to friends early on but instead of drama school he started work at Pizza Hut. Moving to London in his early twenties he shared a flat where dry rot led to the stairs collapsing. But his luck began to change when he took his stand up comedy routine to Edinburgh. He caught the eye of comedian Bob Mortimer and shortly after was cast as Gareth in ‘The Office’ the oddball Territorial Army reservist with one of the worst haircuts on television.

Crook went on to star in quirky independent and blockbuster Hollywood films alike, but aged forty he decided he wanted to write his own material and move behind the camera to direct. His first offering was the critically acclaimed series ‘The Detectorists’. So who is the man behind the magic?

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California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has long clashed with US President Donald Trump - filing more than 50 lawsuits against the administration to date.

Now, with a new memoir coming out, all signs seem to be pointing at Newsom himself running for the top job in 2028.

Born in San Francisco in 1967, Newsom lived in two worlds - the first, among the wealth and glamour of his father’s friends, the billionaire Getty family, often joining them on luxury trips abroad. The second was a modest home provided by his working single mother, attending the local public school where he struggled with dyslexia.

After launching a successful wine and hospitality business, with backing from the Gettys, Newsom now has two stints as Mayor of San Francisco and two as Governor of California under his belt, and looks to be eyeing up a possible presidential run for the Democrats.

So who exactly is the man once known as ‘Mayor McHottie’ by his fans and ‘Newscum’ by the Trump administration?

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It’s awards season - and one name that keeps cropping up is Teyana Taylor.

She’s nominated for her first Oscar, for her role in One Battle After Another, and has already won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and her latest album was just nominated for the Best R&B Grammy.

For many, it would appear Taylor has burst on to the scene from nowhere - but for those who know her, these nominations are the culmination of more than two decades of work in the industry.

Signed at just 15 to Pharrell’s record label, appearing in a Jay-Z music video and choreographing a dance for Beyonce, her early years in New York’s Harlem weren’t exactly the usual teenage experience.

Her 16th birthday was immortalised on the small screen as part of MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen series, before she released her first record and began acting. Now a mother-of-two, Taylor has released four albums to date, starred in her own reality TV series and will make her directorial debut next year.

So, as Hollywood prepares for the award’s night of the year, Stephen Smith examines how she got here.

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As the 2026 Winter Olympics kick off in Italy, we look to the most powerful woman in sport - the International Olympics Committee President, Kirsty Coventry.

The most decorated African Olympian of all time, the 42-year-old mother-of-two made history as both the first African and the first woman to hold the title when she was elected last year.

Kirsty began swimming from an early age, in the family pool in Harare, Zimbabwe, where her mother gave swimming lessons to local children. Her talent was soon spotted, and she competed in her first Olympics in at just aged 16, going on to compete in four more.

With seven Olympic medals and several World Records under her belt, she decided to take on a role at the International Olympic Committee, quickly climbing the ranks.

Her reign is being closely watched by both her supporters and her detractors - from the decisions she makes around Russian and transgender athletes being allowed to compete, to the challenge global warming creates for running the competition. So, as the Winter Olympics begin, Mark Coles examines how she got here.

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