He's long been one of the most powerful figures in British government, but few outside Whitehall have heard of him. The next Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood has been at the centre of British government for two decades. He's been close to top politicians ranging from Norman Lamont to Tony Blair to David Cameron. And he's been in the thick of controversial episodes such as Black Wednesday, rows within the Brown government, and the global financial crisis. So what's the secret behind the huge influence of a man who shuns the limelight? Chris Bowlby profiles "the insider's insider".

Producer: Smita Patel.

Claire Bolderson profiles Lord Justice Leveson, the judge who is leading the public inquiry into the phone hacking scandal and relationships between politicians, journalists and police officers. Brian Leveson was born and brought up in Liverpool and worked there, as a young barrister, for a number of years before becoming a QC. His later career involved some of the biggest commercial trials of the time - among them BCCI, Polly Peck and Barings. He also prosecuted Ken Dodd on behalf of the Inland Revenue and, in a rare setback, he lost the case. And he's turned his hand to the criminal bar and prosecuted one of the UK's most infamous serial killers - Rosemary West. If he handles the public inquiry into phone hacking successfully, many believe he will be one step closer to the ultimate legal prize - the position of Lord Chief Justice.

Contributors

Producers:

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the easyJet entrepreneur at the heart of the low-budget airline revolution, is the subject of this week's Profile. Stelios - as he is better known - has just set up Fastjet.com in a surprise move that has angered executives at his old company. Presenter Rosie Goldsmith talks to friends, foes and fans of the Greek-Cypriot tycoon.

Producer: Lucy Proctor.

As President Obama announces his deficit reduction plan, which includes the 'Buffett Rule', to increase taxes on America's richest, Profile looks at the billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

At 81 years of age, he's one of the richest men in the world closing in on a personal fortune of nearly 40 billion dollars. Recently Buffett decided to do a small tax survey in his Omaha office to find out what proportion of everybody's salary was being taxed. He discovered that he was paying a much lower share of his income in tax than his staff. So he proposed that that America's tax laws be changed so that he and his "mega-rich friends" pay more income tax.

President Obama took the call.

Mary Ann Sieghart talks to family, friends and Buffett experts to get an insight into the man known as the 'Oracle of Omaha' who many say has inspired a new American tax system.

Producer Deiniol Buxton.

Profile looks at the man who was appointed this week to the top job in policing - the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe.

Described as a tough, straight northerner, he spent five years running the Merseyside police to 2009.

He introduced a zero tolerance approach to crime which he describes as "total policing". Under his leadership there were significant falls in crime and anti-social behaviour.

He is not afraid to court controversy and spoke out against judges for being soft on gun crime.

He adopted a high public profile with regular web-chats and appearances on radio phone-ins.

He has a love of horses and also made regular public appearances on horseback

Danny Shaw talks to former colleagues, politicians and criminologists and others and finds out what drives Bernard Hogan-Howe and what sort of Metropolitan Police Commissioner he might be.

Rick Perry won the seat of Governor of Texas vacated by George W Bush when he was elected President of the United States. Perry has held the post for over ten years, making him the longest serving governor in state history. Now he is seeking nomination as the Republican Party's candidate to oppose Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election. Over last few weeks he's become a front runner to succeed, taking part in a series of televised debates within the last few days.

In this week's Profile, we hear from his former scouting buddies in the small village of Paint Creek where he was raised that "there are only three things to do in Paint Creek: school, church and scouting". They describe the simple farming background that influenced his life and informed his politics. We also hear from Retired Lt General Joseph Weber Marine, a contemporary of Perry at Texas A+M University. The Governor's father was a B17 Gunner in WW2 and flew missions out of the U.K. "I know Rick visited where he'd been and was very interested in looking at the airfields and the history of the U.S. air force working with the RAF." says Weber.

Other contributors to this profile of a possible contender for the next Commander-in-Chief include musician Ted "the Nuge" Nugent who believes Rick Perry is the best hope of making the whole of the United States more like Nugent's adopted home of Texas which has: "the greatest hunting the world, no income tax plus I can carry a machine gun in my trunk". We also hear from Christy Hoppe, Bureau chief of the "Dallas News" who has known Rick Perry for over twenty years about the real story behind the "economic miracle" that some claim Texas has achieved under Perry.

Presenter: Chris Bowlby.

Edward Stourton profiles Vanessa Redgrave, the multi-award and Oscar-winning actress and political activist. A leading member of the Redgrave family of actors, she is the daughter, wife, mother and aunt of some of Britain's best known actors and directors. She has hit the headlines just as often for her political and human rights activities, as for her stage, film and theatre work. This week, she is in the news for supporting the travellers currently facing eviction from a site in Basildon.

Producers: Arlene Gregorius and Harbinder Minhas.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil is a former Justice Minister for the Gaddafi regime and now head of Libya's National Transitional Council. He publicly challenged Gaddafi's authority and offered his resignation but it was turned down and the dictator preferred to keep Mustafa Abdul Jalil close, apparently encouraged by the leader's son Saif al-islam Gadaffi.

Known as a man of integrity and a stickler for the law, he defected in February after visiting the city of Bengazi, and saw peaceful protestors being shot. In May Mr Abdul Jalil did the rounds of European capitals calling on their governments to support the rebel National Transitional Council. But as Nick Ravenscroft reports there are doubts as to whether he has the leadership qualities to manage the disparate groups and steer the country toward democracy.

Producer: Rob Cave.

The Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger is credited with turning around the fortunes of his club and forging a new approach to football management. Known as the 'Professor' and lauded as a genius, he now faces criticism from some of his own loyal fans. Andy Denwood profiles the Frenchman at the heart of English football.

Producer - Gail Champion.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, is centre stage as she deals with the aftermath of riots across England which have shocked the country and led to the recall of Parliament. The police are under scrutiny for their tactics and performance in London particularly, with reported tensions arising between the Home Secretary and the Met Commissioner.

May is a politician who's not afraid to challenge the existing order - and speak the unspeakable. Last year, she told the police that they need to cut their spending and re-organise the way they work. As the chair of the Conservatives in the early 2000s, she said the party was perceived by the public as the "nasty party." It was a start of the rebranding of the Conservatives.

The daughter of a clergyman, she attended an independent convent and a number of state schools before going to Oxford. After graduating, she joined the City - working for a time at the Bank of England. She took the hard route into politics - starting off stuffing envelopes in a constituency office before being elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Merton where she spent the best part of a decade.

She has a reputation for being focussed on the job and having a Thatcheresque work ethic with few outside interests. Simon Cox profiles Theresa May, one of only four women to hold the key offices in British politics.