Profile

The founder of Netflix, the streaming service that’s turned us all into binge watchers.

It's Christmas and for many that means settling in to watch seasonal TV. But traditional broadcasters have a big rival: Netflix. With 125 million subscribers worldwide it's changed television. So who is Reed Hastings, the man behind the seismic shift in broadcasting, and how did he do it?

Thanks to CBS/60 Minutes for audio of Reed Hastings.

Presenter: Mark Coles

Gail Bradbrook is one of the founders of a radical and rapidly-growing environmental protest group called Extinction Rebellion. Its aim: using non-violent direct action to force governments to tackle climate change. It’s energised a lot of people who’re fed up with what they see as the slow pace of change. And it’s won support from the great and good of the environmental world. One hundred leading academics, authors, politicians and religious leaders have endorsed it. But critics have likened the group to a watermelon; green on the outside, red on the inside. So who is Gail Bradbrook? And where is she leading Extinction Rebellion?

Presenter: Mark Coles

Photo Credit: Martin Lever/Core Periphery

He's the Attorney General who this week told MPs to 'grow up' and 'get real.' Becky Milligan profiles Geoffrey Cox QC, whose rousing Parliamentary performance lost the argument but won admirers. Becky meets a former teacher who recollects a young poet, colleagues who recall flamboyant courtroom appearances and a clerk whose mission was to deliver forbidden treats.

Producers: Phoebe Keane and Diane Richardson

It's almost crunch time for Theresa May as she prepares for the Commons vote on her Brexit withdrawal agreement. The numbers do not appear to be on her side. It's thought as many 100 Conservative MPs are planning to vote against it. The government's chief whip is Julian Smith. It's his rather daunting job to persuade rebel Tory MPs to vote with the PM. Can he do it? We look for clues in his life story so far.

Producer: Oliver Jones

The new chair of the Parole Board, the body that decides when and if the most serious prisoners can be released into the community.

The Parole Board was thrust into the spotlight when it ruled that John Worboys, the "black cab rapist," could be released from jail. Worboys' victims launched a legal challenge and The High Court ruled in their favour, forcing the parole board to perform a u-turn. The head stepped down and the new chair of the Parole Board is Caroline Corby. She'll have to oversee major changes, but she hasn't had a traditional route into criminal justice. She's written children's books and worked in the city. Mark Coles finds out how she travelled this unusual path.

There were extraordinary scenes in New York this week when the Brooklyn Bridge was closed to all traffic apart from a motorcade of heavily-armored cars. They were taking Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán to court. For the US authorities, this moment was a long time coming. And they had every reason to expect trouble. El Chapo - the infamous Mexican drug lord - is one of the most brutal, feared and powerful men in the world. He has slipped through the fingers of justice several times before. Becky Milligan tells the remarkable story of El Chapo's improbable life. The programme contains reference to some violent and distressing acts.

Producer: Phoebe Keane

The story of the youngest woman ever elected to the US congress. Five months ago, nobody knew who Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was. Now she’s been dubbed the future of the Democratic Party. When she dared to challenge a long standing Democratic congressman in June’s primaries, she had no money and no experience. But against all odds she won by a staggering 15 points. She was catapulted into the spotlight and in this week's mid term elections she won a place in the House of Representatives, breaking records to become the youngest woman ever to be voted into Congress.

She grew up in the Bronx but her parents worked hard to send her to a good school in the suburbs. Her father died when she was in her twenties, leaving her working at a taco restaurant to help her Puerto Rican mother pay the bills. She didn't let that stop her and campaigned for Bernie Sanders while waiting tables and serving Margaritas. Fast forward a year, this waitress is now billed as the future of the Democratic Party.

Mark Coles follows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s journey to Congress, speaking to her friends, supporters, critics and those she’s inspired.

Thank you to New York One TV news for the footage of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez winning the Primary.

Brazil's new President-elect has a reputation for speaking his mind regardless of who he offends, earning him the nickname 'Trump of the Tropics'. He's suggested gay neighbours would decrease the value of his home, told a female politician "I would never rape you, because you don't deserve it" and declared his support for torture.

Jair Bolsonaro grew up in a poor village in Sao Paolo and came of age during Brazil's long military dictatorship. He paid his way through school by selling fish he caught with friends in the local river then joined the army, where he made a name for himself as a campaigner for better pay. After leaving the military, he entered politics, winning a seat in Congress. There, he moved between nine different political parties before standing as a candidate for the Presidency.

Edward Stourton traces Jair Bolsonaro's journey to the top of Brazilian politics, speaking to his supporters, to those who have studied his rise and to one of his many critics.

Producer: Oliver Jones

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, is at the centre of a storm over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

This week the Crown Prince broke his silence and denounced the killing. But with Donald Trump calling it “the worst cover up ever” and Western leaders threatening sanctions, will his path to the Saudi throne be blocked?

Helen Grady finds out how the young prince – now aged 33 – came to power so quickly.

A Washington-based analyst tells us why he’d argue the Crown Prince is a reformer, but not the kind the West thought he’d be.

And we talk to a Middle East expert about whether she thinks the Khashoggi killing has damaged Mohammed bin Salman’s reputation.

Producers Smita Patel & Oliver Jones

Government minister Esther McVey has become a lightening rod for anger about benefit cuts and welfare reform.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions knows all about financial struggle, starting out in life as a foster child.

Mark Coles finds out how the former presenter has gone from a breakfast TV sofa to the front benches of the House of Commons.

In a rare interview, Esther’s father Jim tells us why he decided to put his daughter into care, and how he helped kick-start her on-screen career.

We find out what a former producer really thinks of her, and her partner Conservative MP Philip Davies reveals what made him fall for Esther.