Profile

Maggie O'Farrell was born in Northern Ireland in 1972. Keen to move away from The Troubles, her father took a job at the University of Wales and the family moved to Bridgend when Maggie was a child. At the age of eight she was hospitalised with encephalitis. She didn't attend school during this time but instead she discovered literature.
The family then moved to Scotland. After her A' Level's, Maggie O'Farrell travelled south to Cambridge University to study, what else, English Literature. In her twenties she became a journalist working at the Independent on Sunday but her ambitions lay elsewhere.
At the age of twenty eight O'Farrell published her first novel 'After You’d Gone'. Her writing has been described as lyrical, intimate and sensory, writing in a way that physically immerses the reader in a scene.
In 2020 she published Hamnet, her greatest literary success to date, as the world went into lockdown. In 2025 the novel was adapted into a film, directed by Chloe Zhao who describes O'Farrell as someone "interested in the land, the earth, the body and what's hidden underneath".
Production:
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Annabel Deas, Bethan Ashmead and Wedaeli Chibelushi
Production coordinators: Maria Ogondele and Sabine Schereck
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Justine Lang

Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has received international condemnation after he posted a video showing himself taunting activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces.
His actions also drew rare criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were "not in line with Israel's values". But the incident is not the first time Ben-Gvir has attracted widespread criticism.
Born in 1976 in Jerusalem, Itamar Ben-Gvir became radicalised during the First Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation. He became a follower of the far right politician Meir Kahane and was frequently arrested for various petty crimes. Unable to join the Israeli Army due to his criminal record, he later became a lawyer where he notoriously defended Jewish arsonists who had set fire to a Palestinian home killing two young parents and their 18-month-old son.
In 2021 Ben-Gvir won a seat in the Knesset and following a period of political instability where Benjamin Netanyahu turned to two far right parties to form a coalition to form a government, Itamar Ben-Gvir became National Security minister of Israel.
Contributors:
Leonie Fleishmann - Senior Lecturer, International Politics and Human Rights, City St George's University of London
Ruth Margalit - Contributing writer for New York Times magazine and the New Yorker
Dvir Kariv - Former Isreali intelligence officer
Production:
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Annabel Deas and Bethan Ashmead
Production coordinators: Maria Ogondele and Sabine Schereck
Sound: Neil Churchill
Editor: Justine Lang

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth has been confirmed as Wales' first minister, calling it "the greatest privilege of my life".
Born in Tonteg in south-east Wales, ap Iorwerth moved to Anglesey as a young child. His father was a teacher, prominent singer and composer, and an active campaigner for Plaid Cymru. His mother was also a teacher and went on to become president of several organisations promoting the Welsh language.
After graduating from Cardiff University ap Iorwerth became a journalist and spent two decades as a reporter and presenter with BBC Wales. But in 2013, following the death of his mother, he left broadcasting and successfully contested the Ynys Môn by-election, winning the Anglesey seat in the Senedd.
When the Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price resigned in 2023 ap Iorwerth quickly emerged as the obvious successor for many in the party. He was elected unopposed, at the age of 50. Three years later he has become the first Welsh minister from Plaid Cymru.
Presenter: Becky Milligan
Producers: Annabel Deas and Bethan Ashmead
Editor: Justine Lang
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Sabine Schereck
Sound Designer: James Beard

British cryptocurrency investor and billionaire Christopher Harborne made headlines when it was revealed he gave £5million to Reform Party leader Nigel Farage before he was an MP.
Last year Harborne also gave a single donation of £9m to Reform UK - the biggest ever donation to a UK political party by a living person. He has also previously donated to the Brexit Party and the Conservatives.
Very little is known about the Cambridge-educated businessman, who is also known as Chakrit Sakunkrit.
So how did he make his fortune? And why is he so interested in British politics when he has lived abroad for the last few decades?
Mark Coles talks to journalists Tom Burgis and Ceri Thomas, and family friend Mark Vellacott, to paint a picture of one of the most powerful men funding British politics.
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Keiligh Baker, Beth Ashmead Latham, Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Matt Willis
Programme Coordinators: Sabine Schereck, Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

Nearly 30 years ago, Jamie Oliver hit British TV screens with The Naked Chef, beginning a career arc that has seen him become a bestselling author and social campaigner.
He started helping out in his parents' pub aged just eight, and struggled at school, but after making the move into cookery he flourished, first in top kitchens and then behind the camera.
Cultural ubiquity and campaigning documentaries followed, though his business fortunes took a significant hit after his Jamie's Italian chain collapsed in 2019. Seven years later, he's betting that he's learnt from his mistakes, as he relaunchs the chain. At the same time his campaigning over school food standards has started to bear fruit again.
Stephen Smith speaks to those who know Jamie Oliver best.
Contributors
Genarro Contaldo - chef and mentor
Elişa Roche - chef and former participant in 'Jamie's Kitchen' documentary
Giles Coren - food critic and friend
Ed Loftus - Global Restaurant Group Director for the Jamie Oliver Group
Sheila Dillon - presenter of Radio 4's The Food Programme
Archive:
ITV This Morning interview with Jamie Oliver
An Italian Christmas: Recipes from the River Cafe (BBC)
The Naked Chef (BBC and Optomen Television)
Jamie’s Kitchen (Channel 4, Talkback Productions and Fresh One Productions)
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Beth Ashmead Latham, Nathan Gower, Tom Gillett
Editor: Justine Lang
Programme Coordinators: Rosie Strawbridge, Sabine Schereck, Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: James Beard