Profile

Elon Musk is the billionaire owner of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, and the co-founder of Paypal. He plans to colonise Mars. Last week that dream might have been scuppered as his SpaceX rocket exploded on the Launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is the first time a rocket has exploded at launch since 1960. It was carrying a satellite Facebook wanted to use to provide internet access to Africa. While investigations continue into what caused last week's explosion, this week Mark Coles explores the life of the man who also wants to make the travel time from London to Manchester 18 minutes and to counter global warming.

Producers: Charlotte Pritchard and Phoebe Keane.

Amber Rudd has risen rapidly through British politics, becoming Home Secretary only six years after being elected an MP in 2010. It's a rise unmatched by any other politician since World War Two. Becky Milligan profiles the woman who has made this leap and stepped into Theresa May's shoes. In an exclusive interview for Profile her sister, Melissa Dunford Wood talks candidly about their childhood, parents and friends, and how her sister was "on the floor" after the unexpected and painful divorce from her ex husband AA Gill.

Last October Seumas Milne, a Winchester- and Oxford-educated left-winger, was granted unpaid leave from his position at The Guardian to enter the world of political spin as executive director of strategy and communications in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party.

The appointment wasn't without controversy. Milne has been labelled a Stalinist by David Cameron and caused division at The Guardian for chairing an event with President Putin. Jeremy Corbyn has chosen a hard-left thinker as his right-hand man.

As the Labour Party hustings come to a close this week, Adam Fleming speaks to friends and colleagues to find out about the man who's at the heart of the Corbyn project.

Producer: Smita Patel.

Mark Coles speaks to family, friends and colleagues of cyclist Laura Trott - the first British woman to win four Olympic golds - to find out how, after winning her first bike race at the age of eight, she has carried on winning ever since.

Producer: Smita Patel.

Poet, painter and virtuoso pianist, Stephen Hough has been described as a polymath. He learned to play on a piano that cost £5 from a local antique shop and went on to become a virtuoso to astonish the world. Becky Milligan speaks to lifelong friends and some of the world's leading names in classical music to profile a man who plays like a dream.

Producers Smita Patel & Ed Davey.

You may not have heard of Sonia Friedman, but she's one of the most important people in British theatre. She's produced many of the biggest stage hits of the past 15 years - including Jerusalem and The Book of Mormon - and is a multiple award winner. This week, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opened in London. It was produced by Sonia Friedman.

Producers: Charlotte Prichard and Sarah Shebbeare.

Edward Stourton profiles the Labour leadership contender, Owen Smith.

Producers: Charlotte Pritchard and Laura Gray.

With no leadership campaign - during which the public might have got to know her better - Theresa May has entered Downing Street with a remarkably low profile. Mark Coles has been talking to people who know her well - including new Cabinet appointees Justine Greening and Chris Grayling - to try to find out who she really is, and what she believes in.

Producer: Smita Patel and Laura Gray.

Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May are vying to be the next Conservative leader and Britain's second ever female prime minister. Mark Coles explores how a little-known junior energy minister was propelled into the limelight by the televised referendum debates and now stands a chance of leading not only her party but also her country. She is a relative newcomer to politics, having been elected to Parliament in 2010 when she won her seat in South Northamptonshire. She cooks an excellent roast dinner and has strong family values. Before becoming an MP she had a long career in the city but this has come under scrutiny this week with some claiming she has exaggerated past roles. We take a closer look at her CV and ask - does it stack up?

Presenter: Mark Coles

Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines.