Profile

Becky Milligan looks at the life of Dina Asher-Smith, the fastest woman in British history. An athlete who's also a keen historian, role model and lover of the glitz. For years she's been winning championships and breaking records. But will the great British hope win gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

Producer: Smita Patel

On ‘Profile’ this week - one of Britain’s most celebrated storytellers.

Michael Morpurgo has written 180 books over the past half century.

Over Christmas, he narrated a new BBC TV film adaptation of his 2014 children’s story ‘Mimi And The Mountain Dragon’.

Morpurgo is best known for ‘War Horse’ - a book about a horse bought by the British army to serve in the First World War and its young owner’s attempts to bring it home to safety.

Turned into a National Theatre play, then a Hollywood movie – it’s made him a household name.

Mark Coles hears from Morpurgo’s wife, brother, biographer and close friends talk about what inspired his writing - the profound impact war had on him as a child and the father he didn’t know for years.

We hear about his time in the army, the charity he set up to give city children experience of the countryside – and why now in his mid 70s, he’s taken up his love of singing again.

Producer Smita Patel

The programme contains music from the BBC TV Film, "Mimi & the Mountain Dragon", composed by Rachel Portman

Leopards, aliens and Songs of Praise. Mark Coles explores the life of actor John Boyega, whose talent and dedication brought him to the attention of Hollywood.

Producers: Linda Pressly and Di Richardson

Pink trams, flying squirrels and a taste for rock music. Mark Coles finds out about the life and character of Finland's new Prime Minister, Sanna Marin.

The first to graduate in her family, Sanna Marin entered politics at the age of 20 and rose quickly through the ranks of the Social Democratic (SDP) party becoming an MP in 2015. She now leads a five-party governing coalition.

Mark Coles asks colleagues and friends what drives the world's youngest Prime Minister.

We’re profiling the relatively little known RMT union leader Mick Cash this week.

Train guards have begun what they say will be 27 days of strike action across the entire South Western Railway region in December.

More than 600,000 journeys a day are being affected.

The aim, says 59 year old Mick Cash, is to prevent SWR introducing new driver-only controlled trains next year.

Mark Coles tries to find out more about the man.

In the headlines this week was Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Ephraim Mirvis.

Just weeks before the general election he made it clear that he believed Jeremy Corbyn was unfit to become PM because of his record on dealing with anti-Semitism within the Labour party - though Mr Corbyn said the party had taken "rapid and effective" action.

Edward Stourton traces the Chief Rabbi's story, which begins with a childhood in apartheid South Africa. His tenure as Chief Rabbi has been marked by a few liberalising initiatives, which have ruffled feathers and caused some disquiet within the wider Jewish community.

But observers might wonder if the initiatives have gone far enough. He is used to controversy within his own community, but unused to being in the wider public's gaze.

So what persuaded Ephraim Mirvis to enter the political fray and what does his intervention tell us about the man?

Producer: Rosamund Jones

The American rapper and singer nominated for eight Grammy Awards - more than any other artist this year. A global chart-topping success, Lizzo has captivated audiences across the world this year from the Glastonbury festival to America’s Video and Music Awards. A classically trained flautist, her flute even has 250,000 Instagram followers. But she isn’t just celebrated for her music, she’s known for inspiring self-love and acceptance too, earning her icon status in the body positivity movement.

Presenter: Mark Coles

Did Donald Trump ‘bribe’ a foreign power – Ukraine - to try to discredit a political rival ahead of next year’s US Presidential race ?

On Profile this week, we’re looking at Adam Schiff - the man tasked with finding out.

A leading Democrat Congressman and former lawyer, Schiff chairs the House Intelligence Committee and is leading the impeachment investigation.

President Trump calls him biased…a “pencil neck, low life” who’s conducting a “hoax witch-hunt”.

Mark Coles talks to Schiff’s close friends, critics and former colleagues to find out what he’s really like…and why – before getting into politics - he wanted to be a Hollywood movie writer.

Producer: Smita Patel

Mark Coles profiles the new Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, meeting - among others - his pet parrot, Boris.

Becky Milligan explores how a teacher from the Sydney suburbs came to lead England into the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Producer Smita Patel