An insight into the character of an influential figure making news headlines
Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. John Mullan of UCL looks at the life and work of Booker Prize-winning novelist Ian McEwan.
DetailsJoshua Rozenberg profiles Lady Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, who next week comes out of retirement to preside over the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.
DetailsSeries of portraits of people who are currently making headlines. John Inverdale profiles Argentine rugby captain Agustin Pichot, businessman, art collector and campaigner.
DetailsJoshua Rozenberg profiles Lady Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, who next week comes out of retirement to preside over the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Nic Caistor looks at the life of former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Mishal Hussein profiles Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf.
DetailsDavid Grossman of Newsnight profiles the political blogger Guido Fawkes.
DetailsSeries on people who are currently making headlines. Tim Llewellyn profiles Lebanese politician Michel Aoun.
DetailsSeries of portraits of people who are currently making headlines. Business Correspondent Nils Blythe profiles Ratan Tata, head of India's Tata Group.
DetailsRobert Fox assesses why President Bush has picked Lieutenant General David Petraeus to do what’s been described as one of the toughest assignments since Vietnam.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Oliver Morgan profiles Adam Crozier, who has been running the Royal Mail since 2003.
DetailsRobert Fox assesses why Bush has picked Lieutenant General David Petraeus to do what’s been described as one of the toughest assignments since Vietnam.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Clive Coleman profiles Michael Caplan QC.
DetailsChristopher Martin-Jenkins profiles the Zimbabwean who's presided over both one of English cricket's greatest triumphs and humiliating defeats, Duncan Fletcher.
DetailsSeries on people who are currently making headlines. Allan Little profiles Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney.
DetailsProfile of one of Britain's leading actors, Daniel Day-Lewis, who has just won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a ruthless oil prospector in There Will Be Blood.
DetailsJustin Webb hears about the man who appeals to mid-west housewives and hard-bitten political hacks alike. Does Barack Obama have what it takes to get to the White House?
DetailsA look at the man taking on Australian PM John Howard in next month's general election, Kevin Rudd. After 11 years in Opposition, Rudd aims to bring his Labor Party back into power.
DetailsJustin Webb hears about the man who appeals to mid-west housewives and hard-bitten political hacks alike. Does Barack Obama have what it takes to get to the White House?
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. BBC Business Editor Robert Peston looks at the career of Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England.
DetailsJon Silverman profiles the highest ranking woman in the Metropolitan Police, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick.
DetailsMichael Cockerell on the latest twist in the astonishing story of fallen press baron Conrad Black, out of jail for now and promising to wreak vengeance on his many foes.
DetailsJon Silverman profiles Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick.
DetailsSeries on people who are currently making headlines. David Dabydeen profiles Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica.
DetailsStephanie Flanders, Economics Editor of Newsnight, profiles Ben Bernanke, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, who has just stunned markets with a major interest rate cut.
DetailsSeries of portraits of people who are currently making headlines. Science writer and broadcaster Richard Hollingham profiles David King, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Independent film maker Evan Williams examines the shadowy figures in charge of the Burmese regime.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Business correspondent Hugh Pym profiles Adair Turner, the new Chair of the Climate Change Committee.
DetailsChris Bowlby spotlights Alan Milburn, the MP for Darlington who has returned to the political front line in a key advisory role to Gordon Brown.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister and the leader of the SNP, and asks how serious he is about pursuing Scottish independence.
DetailsStephen Sackur profiles Alexander Lebedev, owner of the London Evening Standard. He traces his origins, from KGB officer at the Russian Embassy in London to billionaire businessman.
DetailsAn insight into the Chancellor, Alistair Darling. Business Editor Robert Peston has gained access to people close him. So who is the real Alistair Darling?
DetailsJames Silver examines the life of Andy Coulson, former editor of the News of the World, whose job is to create headlines rather than be the subject of them.
DetailsJames Silver profiles Andy Coulson, who has resigned as David Cameron's director of communications, blaming coverage of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who has gone from being Helmut Kohl's 'little girl' to one of the world's most influential stateswomen.
DetailsJonathan Maitland charts the meteoric rise of Northern Ireland's acting First Minister, Arlene Foster, who is stepping into the shoes of Peter Robinson.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles Armando Iannucci, the comedian and writer behind satirical comedies including On The Hour, I'm Alan Partridge and The Thick of It.
DetailsThe spotlight falls on Arthur Ryan, who has steered clothes chain Primark to top of the UK retail sales league. Tanya Datta is on the trail of the man behind 'Prim-ani'.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Kate Clark examines the life of Asif Ali Zardari, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto.
DetailsJames Silver profiles Baroness Catherine Ashton, the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs, who has been in the headlines over her plans for an EU diplomatic service.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who has visited Europe for talks that could lead to progress on the issue of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles Bob Crow, General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, at the centre of threatened strikes on Britain's railways.
DetailsClaire Bolderson profiles Bobby Jindal, the young Indian-American governor of Louisiana who was chosen to give the Republican response to President Obama's Congressional address.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Paul Henley profiles troubled pop phenomenon Britney Spears.
DetailsClaire Bolderson profiles the satirist Chris Morris. Best known for his cult TV shows The Day Today and Brass Eye, he has tackled subjects considered taboo by many people.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles fashion designer Christopher Bailey, the Yorkshire lad who made his mark in New York and Milan before returning to rescue Burberry.
DetailsAs Colin Firth is honoured with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, Jonathan Maitland profiles the actor tipped to receive an Oscar for his performance in The King's Speech.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Mishal Husain looks at the personality and career of News of the World editor Colin Myler.
DetailsGordon Farquhar assesses the form of Comte Jacques Rogge and asks if he is strong enough to smooth the path of the Olympic torch as it makes its way to Beijing.
DetailsSheena McDonald profiles Dame Liz Forgan, named this week as the first woman to chair the Arts Council.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. John Wilson, presenter of Radio 4's Front Row, profiles Damien Hirst.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles Danny Alexander, Treasury Chief Secretary in the coalition government and Liberal Democrat who will wield the axe as the UK enters a new age of austerity.
DetailsLucy Ash profiles Declan Ganley, the Irish tycoon who has launched his own political party in the UK, Libertas, which aims to bring more democracy to the European Union.
DetailsChris Bowlby presents a profile of Dilma Rousseff, who could become one of the world's most important political leaders, if she succeeds in becoming Brazil's new President.
DetailsChris Bowlby profiles Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the charismatic head of the International Monetary Fund and a man many say is destined to become the next president of France.
DetailsDr Muhammad ElBaradei was the UN's chief nuclear weapons inspector before the Iraq war. He's now begun a new political life in his native Egypt where he may soon run for president.
DetailsEric Daniels, CEO of Lloyds, Britain's biggest bank. Shareholders are still angry after the takeover of HBOS, but he's now set to leave next year with a reported 13m pound pay off.
DetailsWhat makes political heavyweight Eric Pickles tick? Friends and foes assess the character and career of the man charged with cutting town hall spending. Gerry Northam reports.
DetailsAs World Cup year begins, England's football hopes centre on manager Fabio Capello. But despite intense media attention this art-loving Italian remains a distant, mysterious figure.
DetailsChris Bowlby profiles George Mitchell, President Obama's newly-appointed Middle East envoy.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles the Greek prime minister George Papandreou, the man whose job it is to steer his country through its economic crisis.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Sybil Ruscoe profiles Giles Clarke, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
DetailsAhead of the US mid-term elections, Mary Ann Sieghart profiles provocative talk show host and one of the spiritual leaders of the Tea Party movement, Glenn Beck.
DetailsStephen Sackur profiles Greg Stemm, the American behind the controversial exploration of HMS Victory, the predecessor to Nelson's Victory, in the English Channel.
DetailsLucy Ash profiles Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan and almost certain to win the forthcoming election there.
DetailsProfile looks at US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the man with perhaps the single most power and influence over the US economy.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles the Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, whose welfare reforms will be revealed in a White Paper after the Spending Review.
DetailsChris Bowlby profiles Jacob Zuma, the controversial ANC leader who is on course to become the next South African president.
DetailsClive Coleman profiles James Murdoch, son of Rupert and a growing influence within News Corp, who is credited with the development of the satellite broadcaster BSkyB.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles the newly-elected Commons Speaker, John Bercow, who is on a mission to reform the House during one of the most difficult times for Parliament.
DetailsStephen Sackur profiles John McFall, who, in his role as chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Committee, has been grilling top bankers following the economic crisis.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, who has called for St George's Day to be made an official English holiday.
DetailsProfiling John Yates, the senior Metropolitan Police officer who investigated allegations of celebrity phone hacking at the News of the World under the editorship of Andy Coulson.
DetailsUS comedian Jon Stewart has politicians queuing up to appear on the satirical The Daily Show. Chris Bowlby considers the man who's brought satire to the centre of US political life.
DetailsEdward Stourton takes a closer look at the life and career of the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso.
DetailsA Profile of Jude Kelly, a theatre director who made her name at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, and who is now chair of culture, ceremonies and education for the London Olympics Organising Committee.
DetailsNigel Thompson profiles Julian Assange, the controversial frontman of the website WikiLeaks, now accused of having blood on its hands after publishing Afghan military reports.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles the controversial and influential president of the African National Congress Youth League, Julius Malema.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, is in the spotlight.
DetailsA profile of Kevin Pietersen, who has left his job as captain of the England cricket team, despite making a striking impact on the English game with his self-assured approach.
DetailsAllan Little presents an insight into the life of Khalid Meshal, an elusive figure who has risen to prominence through the ranks of Hamas to become the organisation's leader.
DetailsStephen Smith profiles the extraordinary rise of Stefani Germanotta, a girl from New York's Lower East Side whom the world now knows as Lady Gaga.
DetailsEdward Stourton profiles Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs, the highly successful but controversial global investment bank at the centre of fraud allegations.
DetailsRob Bonnet profiles Lord Colin Moynihan, Chair of the British Olympic Association.
DetailsGuardian columnist and legal writer Marcel Berlins profiles Attorney General Lord Goldsmith.
DetailsEdward Stourton profiles Lord Saville of Newdigate, whose report into Bloody Sunday is expected to be handed to the government shortly.
DetailsRob Bonnet profiles Lord David Triesman, the former university radical who is now Chairman of the Football Association.
DetailsRosie Goldsmith profiles Louise Casey, the first Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses for England and Wales.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Brian Hanrahan looks at Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
DetailsMorland Sanders profiles Mark Serwotka, the head of the biggest civil service union who is now on a collision course with the government over plans to cut public sector jobs.
DetailsAt 26, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is now thought to be the world's youngest billionaire. Is he really the character portrayed in the film, The Social Network?
DetailsStephen Sackur profiles MIA, the British-born Tamil singer and artist who has become known for her fiery and politicised style of songwriting and has been nominated for an Oscar.
DetailsAs controversy surrounds his new plans for English schools, what lies behind the rise of education secretary Michael Gove?
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Michael Cockerell tells the story of Michael Martin, speaker of the Commons.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Mishal Husein looks at Michael Nazir Ali, Bishop of Rochester.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Colleagues and friends trace Michelle Obama's journey from a childhood in Chicago to the brink of the White House.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Claire Bolderson looks at the career of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles the actor Neil Morrissey, who captured a global market with Bob the Builder but now risks bankruptcy after the failure of some of his business interests.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. John Kampfner profiles Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.
DetailsRwanda is an African economic success story, but as President Paul Kagame stands for re-election he's accused of crushing the opposition. Is he the country's saviour or a dictator?
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles the Polar explorer Pen Hadow, who is leading the Catlin Arctic Survey to determine the likely meltdown date of the ice cap.
DetailsClive Coleman profiles the musician Peter Gabriel, one of the founders of the World Music festival WOMAD.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. David McKittrick looks at the life and career of the Democratic Unionist Party's deputy leader Peter Robinson.
DetailsAs Liverpool prepares for the launch of its year as the European Capital of Culture, James Silver looks at the life and career of soap opera king Phil Redmond.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles the writer Philip Pullman, whose latest book, The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ, has prompted letters damning him to eternal hell.
DetailsChris Bowlby profiles Philip Blond, the theologian who has become an unexpected new influence on Conservative Party policy.
DetailsWho is Pope Benedict XVI? Ahead of his visit to the UK in September, Jane Little delves into his background and paints a portrait of a man many people know little about.
DetailsPrince William's wedding this year will hugely increase his global status and image. So who and what has shaped him and his royal role since the trauma of his mother's death?
DetailsChris Bowlby profiles Rahm Emanuel, President Elect Barack Obama's chief of staff.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the UN's climate change panel and a key player in the climate change debate.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles the American diplomat Richard Holbrooke, the US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
DetailsThe Rt Rev John Broadhurst, the Bishop of Fulham and chairman of Forward in Faith, the mainly Anglo-Catholic organisation opposed to the ordination of women.
DetailsChris Bowlby profiles Sara Payne, whose daughter, Sarah, was murdered by a paedophile in 2000 and has been appointed to the role of Victims' Champion by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
DetailsClaire Bolderson profiles Sarah Brown, the wife of the prime minister, who once again introduced him at the Labour Party Conference and she is growing in popularity among delegates.
DetailsClaire Bolderson looks at the colourful life of the senator elect for Massachusetts, Republican Scott Brown.
DetailsClive Coleman hears from Sebastian Coe's geography teacher, Ken Livingstone and his former boss and judo partner William Hague about what kind of man Coe really is.
DetailsJonathan Maitland profiles Silvio Berlusconi and asks what has made him so successful in spite of being dogged by a string of controversies.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Peter Biles profiles Simba Makoni, who is standing against Robert Mugabe in this week's election.
DetailsColin Patterson talks to associates and family of Simon Cowell to find out how the X-Factor supremo has come to dominate the music industry and our television schedules.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles the Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, a key figure in the controversy over Gordon Brown's alleged bullying of Downing Street staff.
DetailsAs police forces face significant cuts in their budgets, Gerry Northam profiles Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers.
DetailsClaire Bolderson profiles Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer of England, who has proposed minimum alcohol pricing to try and change the country's binge drinking culture.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles Sir Roderic Lyne, the Iraq Inquiry panellist asking the toughest questions. He is a former Ambassador to Moscow and private secretary to John Major.
DetailsSir Thomas Legg is the lawyer who has been combing through the past five years of MPs' expenses. Chris Bowlby takes a closer look at the retired, previously unknown civil servant.
DetailsHugh Pym profiles Sir Victor Blank, the chairman of Lloyds TSB. Thanks to recent events, Sir Victor Blank could come to be regarded as the man that kept the British economy afloat.
DetailsClaire Bolderson profiles Sonia Sotomayor. Nominated to the Supreme Court by President Obama, she would, if confirmed by the Senate, become the first Hispanic to hold the post.
DetailsProfile looks at Steve Hilton, David Cameron's director of strategy and the man credited with successfully rebranding the Conservative Party.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Mishal Husain looks at Susan Rice, a rising star in Barack Obama's inner circle of policy advisors.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Grant Ferrett looks at the life of South African President Thabo Mbeki.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. BBC Kathmandu correspondent Charles Haviland examines the history and culture of the Gurkhas.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles Tidjane Thiam, the Ivory Coast-born chief executive of Prudential and the first black person to head a FTSE 100 company.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Lucy Ash looks at the career of Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, widely tipped to be a future Prime Minister.
DetailsSeries of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. Chris Bowlby spotlights one of the most combative European politicians - Czech leader Vaclav Klaus.
DetailsClive Coleman profiles Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. Who were his influences and what is his vision for the Church?
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart examines the career and character of Yvette Cooper, the new Shadow Foreign Secretary and one half of the famous Labour political couple.
DetailsMary Ann Sieghart profiles Zaha Hadid, the world's leading female architect.
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