Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Saturdays at 7pm.
Episodes available:
Indefinitely 
Sat, 11 May 13
Duration:
14 mins
This week the football world ascended dizzying heights of breathlessness over the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. But as one footballing titan steps down, another - a man who is, in some ways, the antithesis of Sir Alex - is about to step up to take on one of the highest-profile jobs in world football. Tim Franks profiles Pep Guardiola, and asks whether he could be Sir Alex's successor as perhaps the most successful manager in the game.
Sat, 4 May 13
Duration:
15 mins
As she wages war against tax avoidance, Margaret Hodge, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee is becoming one of the most high-profile women in British politics. Her latest role comes towards the end of a controversial career in which she has won admirers and detractors. And as Edward Stourton discovers, her political journey is set against the background of a turbulent personal life that began as the daughter of Jewish refugees in Egypt.
Sat, 27 Apr 13
Duration:
14 mins
Alisher Usmanov has just been named the richest man in Britain. Making his fortune in the collapsing Soviet Union his business interests have stretched from plastic bags to minerals, telecoms, Facebook and Arsenal Football Club. As Mark Coles discovers, Usmanov's rise has not been straightforward, nor free of controversy.
Sat, 20 Apr 13
Duration:
14 mins
Robert Mueller took on the job one week before the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Now, as he approaches retirement, the FBI is again dealing with the aftermath of an attack on American soil. Mark Coles profiles the long-serving and influential head of the FBI.
Sat, 13 Apr 13
Duration:
14 mins
Opera star Elizabeth Llewellyn had an obvious singing talent from and early age. Her school-teachers in south London encouraged her to take lessons and go to concerts, and she won a place at the Royal Northern College of Music.However ill-health forced her to drop out, her talent lying dormant. Years later, she joined an amateur choir, her new colleagues urged her to take her voice more seriously. She auditioned for the Glyndebourne chorus and from that point on her rise has been meteoric. Mary Ann Sieghart presents.
Sat, 6 Apr 13
Duration:
14 mins
The online retailer Amazon.com has revolutionised shopping as we know it. What began as a small start-up in a Seattle suburb has rapidly grown into arguably the most significant technology company on the planet, making its founder, Jeff Bezos, a billionaire many times over. Using his vast fortune to pursue a childhood dream of space exploration, he has built a secretive research programme in a remote part of Texas. But who exactly is Jeffrey Preston Bezos? Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane
Sat, 30 Mar 13
Duration:
14 mins
Lucy Winkett is a former Canon of St Paul's and a favourite to become the first female Bishop in the Church of England. Profile looks at her life and speaks to those close to her.
Fri, 22 Mar 13
Duration:
15 mins
Magnus Carlsen is the world’s highest rated chess player at only 22 years old. He played chess legend Gary Kasparov when he was 13, and achieved a draw. Profile speaks to those closest to him and asks if this wunderkind will be the next world champion?
Sat, 16 Mar 13
Duration:
15 mins
Powerful Chinese businesswoman Zhang Xin is the billionaire CEO of a property development business but she's also a philanthropist and is vocal about issues ranging from democracy to smog. So what’s behind the rise of one of the key figures in the new China?
Sat, 9 Mar 13
Duration:
15 mins
Justin Bieber is an international pop phenomenon and internet sensation. He has 21 million followers on twitter and his first hit song was the most watched video on You Tube. Mark Coles profiles this multi-millionaire teenager who has upset his UK fans recently. Are the pressures of such huge fame beginning to show?
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Castaways choose eight records, a book and a luxury to take with them to the mythical desert island. Full listings can be found on the Desert Island Discs website. Archive episodes are broadcast on…
Sat, 26 Dec 70
23 minutes
Radio 4’s obituary programme, marking the lives of significant figures who have died recently, presented by Matthew Bannister and broadcast every Friday at 16.00. The podcast episode is published on…
Fri, 3 May 13
27 minutes
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