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This week we delve into the life of the First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan, the first woman to hold the position. Morgan was introduced to politics at a very young age by her parents, who were both councillors.

Some of world football's biggest names have been linked to England's top job since Gareth Southgate hung up his waistcoat. But, for now at least, it is Lee Carsley who takes over as England's interim manager.

The modest, methodical and quietly spoken coach started his footballing journey at Derby County – before making his name at Everton.

Family and charity work are Lee Carsley’s other priorities. He’s a patron of the Solihull Down Syndrome Support Group – after they helped his middle child, Connor following his diagnosis. Lee also volunteers at the Solihull Moors Foundation.

Some say this collection bucket rattler has all the attributes required to lead England to glory, so Mark Coles speaks to his friends, and colleagues to find out more.

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James Graham’s writing obsession started at the age of six in the shadow of Nottinghamshire's former coalmines. Equipped with a typewriter from his mother he created hundreds of stories from the family home in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.

Accelerating through university in Hull and a writing residency in west London, Graham’s work started to attract wider audiences following a break at the National Theatre in 2012. Building on his thrilling political drama This House, he went on to write plays and TV series including Sherwood, Dear England, Quiz, Best of Enemies and Brexit: The Uncivil War.

During this year’s MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he called for more working-class people in TV.

But what next for this prolific playwright? Stephen Smith speaks to his family, friends and colleagues to find out more.

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Production team

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From ‘hillbilly’ roots to becoming Donald Trump’s nominee for vice-president. At 39, if JD Vance is elected, he would be one of America’s youngest ever Vice-Presidents. A lot has been laid bare in his own words, in ‘Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis’. He talks about being raised by his grandparents who moved from the Appalachian Mountains area of Kentucky to Ohio, to a Middle America Rust Belt town looking for a better life. His mother struggled with drug addiction and a string of chaotic relationships. So how did he go from a sometimes unstable, sometimes violent, upbringing to being in the running to take one of the highest offices in American politics? There’s another transformation many wonder about too: why did he change his mind on Trump? Only in 2016 JD Vance said ‘I can't stomach Trump. I think that he's noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place.’ Mark Coles finds out.

Credit: NPR Fresh Air

Presenter: Mark Coles

Shabana Mahmood is the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.

Born in Birmingham in a Kashmiri Pakistani family, she has three siblings, one of whom is her twin. From an early age her father ensured that the children were aware of the world around them, and made them each read five minutes from the Times newspaper every evening.

Inspired by the 1990's TV series, 'Kavanagh QC' to become a lawyer, Shabana Mahmood attended Lincoln College, Oxford University, a year below a certain Rishi Sunak.

After a few years working in law, she changed career and moved into politics, in 2010 winning the seat of Birmingham Ladywood for Labour, which she has held to date. Stephen Smith talks to those who know her.

Presenter: Stephen Smith

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CREDITS

Evan Gershkovich is the Wall Street Journal's Moscow reporter. He's been imprisoned in Russia since March last year, and has just gone on trial there - the first American journalist to be jailed in Russia since the Cold War. He's accused of espionage, something he, his employer and his government all strenuously deny.

To his friends, like Jeremy Berke, he is "the most extroverted person that I've ever met in my whole life". He loves football and is a dedicated Arsenal fan - so much so that he'd get his flatmates in Brooklyn up at 7am on Sunday mornings - despite them having been out on the town together till the early hours - to watch Arsenal matches with him on TV.

The son of Soviet-born, Jewish parents who'd fled to the USA in the late 70s, he grew up speaking Russian at home. Once in Moscow as a reporter, his fellow correspondents - many of whom quickly became friends too - were impressed by his drive, his knowledge of Russia's language and culture, his ease at making contacts, and his willingness to go the extra mile - often literally, to places like the remote Russian republics of Udmurtia and Yakutia.

He's now been detained for fifteen months and counting. Gershkovich's friends and family say his release can't come too soon; they're waiting to welcome him home with hugs, and the desire "to never let him leave again".

Presenter: Mark Coles

Before she became one of the best-selling musicians of all time, Shania Twain worked for the family tree-planting business, singing for tips in lumberjack bars to help make ends meet. Stephen Smith charts the rise of a hard-up Canadian country girl, from a violent family home, to a country-pop crossover superstar.

This year's Glastonbury 'Legends' slot will be the first time some will have seen or heard from Shania in decades - we hear about the disease that robbed her of her voice at the peak of her powers in the early 2000s and, along with a devastating divorce, led to a 15-year gap between albums.

John Kim Bell, former producer and boyfriend

Presenter: Stephen Smith

Sometimes known as the “sultan of swing,” Professor Sir John Curtice has become an institution of election coverage in the UK. But is there more to the man than stats and figures? There might be some broad beans and jam, as Mark Coles finds out.

Rev Dr Lisa Curtice, John’s wife

Presenter: Mark Coles

Who is National Rally's 28-year-old leader, Jordan Bardella? Stephen Smith looks at the life of the boy from the Paris suburbs who joined the far-right as a teenager and rapidly became the face of National Rally, helping to bring success for the party in the European elections.

Contributors

Presenter: Stephen Smith

Rylan Clark is on the cusp of becoming a national treasure. Having defied the odds of most reality TV stars, he has managed to stay the course, cementing his already steady career rise to the top with his most recent television outing with Rob Rinder 'Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour', which showed the viewing public a whole new side to his talents.

Brought up in the East End by his mum, Linda. Rylan or Ross as his family and friends know him, was always performing from a young age, according to his mum. The family moved to Essex when he was around 11 going to school in Upminster, where Ross was a mischievous and talented student.

After a few years in retail he started modelling and went off to Ibiza where he was in tribute bands to Take That and Westlife. His big break came when he appeared on X Factor in 2012. Although he didn't win, he did make an impression, and after winning Celebrity Big Brother his career took off.

Mark Coles charts the rise of Rylan Clark.

Presenter: Mark Coles

Contributors

Scott Bryan, TV critic and broadcaster

Linda Clark, Mother

Bernice Cole, Make-up artist and friend

Nader Dehdashti, Agent and friend

Mark Duncan, Deputy Headmaster, Coopers' Company and Coborn School

Robert Rinder, Broadcaster and barrister

CREDITS

X Factor - Thames and Syco Entertainment

Production Team

Producers: Julie Ball, Diane Richardson & Ivana Davidovic