After helping to secure strong results for opposition parties in Poland’s most recent election, former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk looks highly likely to return to his country’s top job.

Best known in the UK as a former President of the European Council, Donald Tusk is a political survivor, forged in the struggle and resistance against communist-era Poland in the 1980s, but who then went on to scale political heights at home and abroad again and again. So how did this son of Gdansk and self-confessed former football hooligan become one of Europe’s most enduring politicians?

Paul Connolly speaks to those who watched his ascent first hand.

Presenter: Paul Connolly

Archive:

Speech by Donald Tusk as President of the European Council, 14th October 2016

Adam Kay is a Bafta-winning TV writer, author and comedian who previously worked as a hospital doctor. He's famous for using his medical experiences to highlight the pressures of working in the NHS. He recently spoke out in support of junior doctors and hospital consultants who've been demanding better rates of pay. Despite give up a career in medicine in 2010, celebrity friends occasionally ring him up seeking medical advice.

Presenter: Mark Coles

The Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to become the UK's next prime minister. He first won his seat in Parliament in 2015 after a successful career working as a human rights lawyer and then being appointed the UK's Director of Public Prosecutions. He was previously rumoured to be the inspiration for the handsome but stuffy character Mark Darcy, a lawyer and love interest in the novel Bridget Jones's Diary, written by Helen Fielding. The author has denied the link, however interest in Mr Starmer has started to grow as polls suggest he could get the keys to 10 Downing Street. Steve Smith travels through the 'Starmersphere' speaking to friends, colleagues and critics finding out who he is and what he stands for.

Presenter: Steve Smith

Lachlan Murdoch will become the boss of one of the world's most powerful media empires. His father, Rupert, has said his eldest son will succeed him as chairman of Fox and News Corp. Lachlan's appointment ends years of speculation over which one of the siblings will take control of the businesses their father built.

At one point Lachlan's younger brother James was favourite for the top job but it didn't go his way. So, who is Lachlan Murdoch, how did he win his father's approval and what impact will he make? Timandra Harkness pieces together what we know about him through interviews he's given and by speaking to people who've worked for and observed the Murdochs.

Guest:

Credits: ABC Dynasties

Presenter: Timandra Harkness

Miriam Margolyes is at the peak of her career, even though she's been acting on our screens for decades. Her career started in the 1960 but despite playing many roles on stage, TV and film she is more famous now than ever before. She's in demand not only for her acting talents and presenting documentaries, but also as a sofa guest on chat shows. Her potty mouth, refreshing honesty and shocking stories have won her many laughs and new fans. However, her language isn't for everyone and there have been times, particularly in live broadcasting, when it's got her into trouble. Is who we see and hear on screen and radio the real Miriam Margolyes? Mark Coles looks back at her life and career.

Presenter: MR MARK COLES

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:

Presenter: Mark Coles

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

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

Presenter: Timandra Harkness

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

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