<description>&lt;p&gt;David Harewood, who turned sixty this week, returns as Othello for the third time on stage. It’s a role he first took on in 1997, becoming the first black actor to play the part at London’s National Theatre. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up in multicultural Birmingham in the sixties and seventies, he was born to immigrants from Barbados. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Described as gregarious by his teachers at school, Harewood showed an interest in entertaining from an early age and subsequently trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his early twenties, he had a psychotic breakdown, something he spoke about in a recent documentary. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A string of roles in TV and film followed. And then came his breakthrough role as CIA agent David Estes in the acclaimed hit US TV show Homeland.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mark Coles looks back at his career. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contributors:
Gary Turner – childhood friend
Pete Mortiboys – school physical education teacher
Jeremy Harrison – Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts (RADA) classmate and friend
Afua Hirsch – broadcaster, journalist and author of the book Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
Tom Morris – Theatre director and colleague
Toby Jones – Actor and colleague
 
Production team: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Ben Carter, Laura Cain
Editor: Nick Holland and Justine Lang
Sound: Gareth Jones
 
Archive
LIST COPYRIGHTED ARCHIVE USED
Audio of David Harewood as Othello, 2025, Theatre Royal Haymarket, clean from trailer.
David Harewood episode of BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs, 2022.
David Harewood: Psychosis and Me documentary, 2019, for BBC, production company: Films Of Record Limited.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The screen and stage actor reprising his role as Shakespeare’s Othello.

David Harewood, who turned sixty this week, returns as Othello for the third time on stage. It’s a role he first took on in 1997, becoming the first black actor to play the part at London’s National Theatre. Growing up in multicultural Birmingham in the sixties and seventies, he was born to immigrants from Barbados. Described as gregarious by his teachers at school, Harewood showed an interest in entertaining from an early age and subsequently trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts. In his early twenties, he had a psychotic breakdown, something he spoke about in a recent documentary. A string of roles in TV and film followed. And then came his breakthrough role as CIA agent David Estes in the acclaimed hit US TV show Homeland.Mark Coles looks back at his career. Contributors:
Gary Turner – childhood friend
Pete Mortiboys – school physical education teacher
Jeremy Harrison – Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts (RADA) classmate and friend
Afua Hirsch – broadcaster, journalist and author of the book Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
Tom Morris – Theatre director and colleague
Toby Jones – Actor and colleague
 
Production team: Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Ben Carter, Laura Cain
Editor: Nick Holland and Justine Lang
Sound: Gareth Jones
 
Archive
LIST COPYRIGHTED ARCHIVE USED
Audio of David Harewood as Othello, 2025, Theatre Royal Haymarket, clean from trailer.
David Harewood episode of BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs, 2022.
David Harewood: Psychosis and Me documentary, 2019, for BBC, production company: Films Of Record Limited.

David Harewood

<description>&lt;p&gt;Stephen Smith profiles the former racing driver and marketing guru who's turned around McLaren's fortunes and led them to Formula 1 glory. Born in California in 1971, friends and colleagues paint a picture of a fiercely competitive man with ‘noble intentions’.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After dropping out of high school Zak Brown’s life changed after meeting former F1 world champion Mario Andretti when he was 15. He traded watches he’d won on the Wheel of Fortune game show to buy a go-kart.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brown won races as a driver but never really hit the big time. He then set up the world’s most successful motorsports marketing company before being lured to the F1 grid by McLaren in 2016. The team were in dire straits and in serious need of a cash injection. In less than 10 years, Brown has completely turned around the team’s fortunes and led them to back-to-back constructors’ championships. But will his refusal to favour one of his two drivers cost both of them the drivers’ championship?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contributors: 
Mackenzie Astin - childhood friend
Mario Andretti - former F1 champion 
Will Buxton - former F1 commentator, journalist, broadcaster 
Ben Hunt - motorsport journalist and author of Forever Forward
Lawrence Baretto - F1 commentator &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Mhairi Mackenzie, Ben Crighton
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound: James Beard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Archive:
The Bottom LIne, BBC
5LIve
Wheel of Fortune - CBS
Sky Sport&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The former racing car driver and marketing guru leading McLaren to Formula 1 glory.

Stephen Smith profiles the former racing driver and marketing guru who's turned around McLaren's fortunes and led them to Formula 1 glory. Born in California in 1971, friends and colleagues paint a picture of a fiercely competitive man with ‘noble intentions’.After dropping out of high school Zak Brown’s life changed after meeting former F1 world champion Mario Andretti when he was 15. He traded watches he’d won on the Wheel of Fortune game show to buy a go-kart.Brown won races as a driver but never really hit the big time. He then set up the world’s most successful motorsports marketing company before being lured to the F1 grid by McLaren in 2016. The team were in dire straits and in serious need of a cash injection. In less than 10 years, Brown has completely turned around the team’s fortunes and led them to back-to-back constructors’ championships. But will his refusal to favour one of his two drivers cost both of them the drivers’ championship?Contributors: 
Mackenzie Astin - childhood friend
Mario Andretti - former F1 champion 
Will Buxton - former F1 commentator, journalist, broadcaster 
Ben Hunt - motorsport journalist and author of Forever Forward
Lawrence Baretto - F1 commentator Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Mhairi Mackenzie, Ben Crighton
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound: James BeardArchive:
The Bottom LIne, BBC
5LIve
Wheel of Fortune - CBS
Sky Sport

Zak Brown

<description>&lt;p&gt;The Coventry MP who left the Labour party and joined Jeremy Corbyn's new left-wing ‘Your Party'. Zarah Sultana's husband and friends tell us how her upbringing shaped her politics and reveal her questionable taste in music. 'I think she would describe her taste as no taste', claims her husband Craig Lloyd. She was born in Birmingham to political parents who were both members of the Labour party. Her father even took her on a Labour party delegation to the occupied West Bank when she was a student, an important trip that inspired her to join those campaigning for a free Palestine and she's continued campaigning ever since. Her political career hasn't always been smooth sailing, leaving the Labour party over a row about lifting the two-child benefit cap. However her friends say she is driven by something deeper than her own career aims, she's trying to reshape British politics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests: 
Craig Lloyd, husband
Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor of parliament's The House magazine
Ian Byrne, Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill 
Georgie Robertson, friend and activist
Barnaby Raine, friend and activist &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production team: 
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mhairi MacKenzie, Phoebe Keane and Tom Farmer
Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele 
Sound: Gareth Jones
Editor: Justine Lang &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Credits:
Married At First Sight, CPL productions 
Ladybarn Primary School, Facebook&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Coventry MP who left the Labour party and launched ‘Your Party’ with Jeremy Corbyn.

The Coventry MP who left the Labour party and joined Jeremy Corbyn's new left-wing ‘Your Party'. Zarah Sultana's husband and friends tell us how her upbringing shaped her politics and reveal her questionable taste in music. 'I think she would describe her taste as no taste', claims her husband Craig Lloyd. She was born in Birmingham to political parents who were both members of the Labour party. Her father even took her on a Labour party delegation to the occupied West Bank when she was a student, an important trip that inspired her to join those campaigning for a free Palestine and she's continued campaigning ever since. Her political career hasn't always been smooth sailing, leaving the Labour party over a row about lifting the two-child benefit cap. However her friends say she is driven by something deeper than her own career aims, she's trying to reshape British politics.Guests: 
Craig Lloyd, husband
Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor of parliament's The House magazine
Ian Byrne, Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill 
Georgie Robertson, friend and activist
Barnaby Raine, friend and activist Production team: 
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mhairi MacKenzie, Phoebe Keane and Tom Farmer
Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele 
Sound: Gareth Jones
Editor: Justine Lang Credits:
Married At First Sight, CPL productions 
Ladybarn Primary School, Facebook

Zarah Sultana

<description>&lt;p&gt;Marjorie Taylor Greene is a darling of MAGA. But this week a disagreement with Trump over the Epstein files has seen him brand her as a traitor. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Born in 1974 in the suburbs of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a conventional upbringing. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Administration, and later owned her family’s construction business and a stake in a CrossFit gym. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But like so many Americans, Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign was a turning point for Marjorie Taylor Greene. In 2020, the newly-styled ‘MTG’ ran for election in her home state, winning a seat to the House of Representatives. Soon she was a recognised name on the national stage, known for her provocative style and endorsement of conspiracy theories. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the years since, MTG has aligned herself so closely with the president that some called her ‘Trump in heels’. But her campaigning for the release of the Epstein files has caused a rift between her and her one-time hero.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stephen Smith spoke to Professor Gina Yannitel Reinhardt, senior POLITICO staff writer Michael Kruse, QAnon expert Gabriel Gatehouse, political scientist Andra Gillespie and Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Patricia Murphy, about career, her life in politics and what this rift could mean for her future. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Sally Abrahams, Phoebe Keane, Mhairi MacKenzie
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound: Rod Farquhar&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Archive
CNN interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, 16 November 2025
Bloomberg News: Marjorie Taylor Green speech in the House of Representatives, 4 February 2021
‘Marjorie Taylor Greene Confronts David Hogg’, @marjorietaylorgreene6928, 21 January 2020
The Newsagents interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, 6 March 2024&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Maga darling branded a traitor by Trump.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is a darling of MAGA. But this week a disagreement with Trump over the Epstein files has seen him brand her as a traitor. Born in 1974 in the suburbs of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a conventional upbringing. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Administration, and later owned her family’s construction business and a stake in a CrossFit gym. But like so many Americans, Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign was a turning point for Marjorie Taylor Greene. In 2020, the newly-styled ‘MTG’ ran for election in her home state, winning a seat to the House of Representatives. Soon she was a recognised name on the national stage, known for her provocative style and endorsement of conspiracy theories. In the years since, MTG has aligned herself so closely with the president that some called her ‘Trump in heels’. But her campaigning for the release of the Epstein files has caused a rift between her and her one-time hero.Stephen Smith spoke to Professor Gina Yannitel Reinhardt, senior POLITICO staff writer Michael Kruse, QAnon expert Gabriel Gatehouse, political scientist Andra Gillespie and Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Patricia Murphy, about career, her life in politics and what this rift could mean for her future. Production
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Sally Abrahams, Phoebe Keane, Mhairi MacKenzie
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound: Rod FarquharArchive
CNN interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, 16 November 2025
Bloomberg News: Marjorie Taylor Green speech in the House of Representatives, 4 February 2021
‘Marjorie Taylor Greene Confronts David Hogg’, @marjorietaylorgreene6928, 21 January 2020
The Newsagents interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, 6 March 2024

Marjorie Taylor Greene

<description>&lt;p&gt;David Hockney is arguably Britain’s most loved living artist. He's known as a colourful character, not only because of his vibrant, colour rich paintings of Californian landscapes, glittering blue pools, and thick Yorkshire woodlands, but also his own carefully curated image from the 1960s- bright blond hair and oversized thick black round glasses.
 
He was born in Bradford in 1937, and knew by the age of 10 he wanted to be an artist. He studied at the Royal College of Art, and by his mid 20s he was key player in London’s bohemian pop-art scene. He then moved to LA in pursuit of sunshine and inspiration. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He delights in using new technology to create; from the polaroid, to the fax machine, and his iPad. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, more than 60 years into his career, aged 88, David Hockney is not slowing down. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His image has recently been depicted by drones in a light-show in the skies above Bradford, in a colourful tribute to the city’s most famous son. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Becky Milligan speaks to his muse, the textile designer Celia Birtwell, art historian Marco Livingstone, dancer and contemporary Wayne Sleep and art critic Waldemar Januszczak. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production
Presenter: Becky Milligan
Producers: Ben Crighton, Mhairi MacKenzie and Marie Lennon
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound Editor: Gareth Jones&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Archive
BBC Imagine…Summer 2009: David Hockney – A Bigger Picture (Coluga Pictures) 
BBC The Interview: David Hockney - A Life in Art (2025)
“Joie de Vivre” clip courtesy of Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (2011)&lt;/p&gt;</description>

David Hockney: iconic British artist.

David Hockney is arguably Britain’s most loved living artist. He's known as a colourful character, not only because of his vibrant, colour rich paintings of Californian landscapes, glittering blue pools, and thick Yorkshire woodlands, but also his own carefully curated image from the 1960s- bright blond hair and oversized thick black round glasses.
 
He was born in Bradford in 1937, and knew by the age of 10 he wanted to be an artist. He studied at the Royal College of Art, and by his mid 20s he was key player in London’s bohemian pop-art scene. He then moved to LA in pursuit of sunshine and inspiration. He delights in using new technology to create; from the polaroid, to the fax machine, and his iPad. Now, more than 60 years into his career, aged 88, David Hockney is not slowing down. His image has recently been depicted by drones in a light-show in the skies above Bradford, in a colourful tribute to the city’s most famous son. Becky Milligan speaks to his muse, the textile designer Celia Birtwell, art historian Marco Livingstone, dancer and contemporary Wayne Sleep and art critic Waldemar Januszczak. Production
Presenter: Becky Milligan
Producers: Ben Crighton, Mhairi MacKenzie and Marie Lennon
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound Editor: Gareth JonesArchive
BBC Imagine…Summer 2009: David Hockney – A Bigger Picture (Coluga Pictures) 
BBC The Interview: David Hockney - A Life in Art (2025)
“Joie de Vivre” clip courtesy of Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (2011)

David Hockney

An insight into the character of an influential figure making news headlines

Profile

Details

Recent Episodes