Profile

Viktor Orbán has been a powerful force in Hungarian politics for nearly 40 years, spending 20 of them as Prime Minister. This weekend he’s trying to win a sixth term in the top job, as voters go to the polls in parliamentary elections.
The story of his political career is entwined with the story of Hungarian democracy; at the end of the Cold War, a young Orbán emerged as both canny operator and gifted orator in the anti-Communist youth movement, Fidesz, steering it through splits and ideological shifts into government, first between 1998 and 2002, and then again from 2010 to today.
As a pursuer of self-described ‘illiberal democracy’ who casts the EU as his constant adversary, Orbán has become an icon for the global hard right and, to his critics, a borderline autocrat and populist.
Presenter Stephen Smith speaks to those who know him well to understand the personal side of this very political beast.
Guests:
Esther Pataki - former Press Secretary to Viktor Orban
David Campanale - Liberal Democrat activist, journalist and fellow of the Danube Institute
Zsuzsanna Szelényi - founding Fidesz member and author of Tainted Democracy:Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary
Nick Thorpe - BBC Budapest correspondent
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Ben Crighton, Nathan Gower
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Janet Staples
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

From over-worked medics to bent coppers, for the last 30 years Jed Mercurio has been responsible for some of the UK’s most successful TV series, including Cardiac Arrest, Bodies and Bodyguard. But Line of Duty is arguably his biggest hit, and recording has started for the much-anticipated seventh series.
The award-winning screenwriter, director and producer grew up in a working-class family in Staffordshire. His parents, Italian immigrants, were keen he fit in, but friends say Jed was unique from the get-go with big dreams and a determination to be the best.
He initially trained to be a doctor and demonstrated his sharp, witty writing in a medical school magazine. Half-way through his medical training, he joined the RAF and was taught to fly fighter jets, before pivoting to screenwriting.
Mark Coles looks back at his career so far.
Producer: Ben Carter
Researcher: Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound engineer: James Beard.
Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck.

Dame Sarah Mullally has been installed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury this week. The former nurse from Woking is the first woman to occupy the role of de facto leader of the Church of England and leader of the global Anglican communion.
In contrast to her Eton and Oxford educated predecessor Justin Welby, Sarah Mullally attended her local comprehensive before studying nursing at South Bank Polytechnic. By the age of thirty seven she was appointed Chief nursing officer for the NHS, a meteoric rise that brought with it a six-figure Whitehall salary and meetings with the prime minister. But five years later she threw it in to become a junior priest earning less than twenty thousand pounds a year.
Her supporters see her as a safe pair of hands, a leader who will steady the ship after years of abuse scandals and bitter rows over sexuality and identity. But following her appointment some of the more conservative and evangelical Anglicans have said they will no longer recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
So who is the new Archbishop and what will her tenure hold? Becky Milligan finds out.

Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949, the year after the State of Israel was founded. One of three brothers, Netanyahu spent much of his early years in the United States pursuing his education.
But following his older brother’s death, Netanyahu found himself drawn into a career in the public eye. Using his military experience to advise on security matters, in 1984 Netanyahu became Israel’s Ambassador to the UN and established himself as a champion of Israel on the international stage. But soon, his attention was drawn closer to home.
He returned to Israel and entered the world of politics; in 1993, he became the leader of the Likud party, and was elected prime minister in 1996, a position he's held for much of the following decades.
During his time in power Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as Israel’s protector. However, in recent years, allegations of corruption and lapses in national security have damaged his reputation and polarised Israelis' views about him. His handling of the conflict in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7th attacks has drawn criticism at home and abroad.
Now, Netanyahu has joined forces with the US president Donald Trump to conduct what they termed as ‘major combat operations’ against Iran. But will this war restore Netanyahu’s reputation as ‘Mr Security’, or draw Israel into another intractable conflict?
Mark Coles profiles the longest-serving Israeli prime minister.
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Nick Holland and Mhairi MacKenzie
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound: Morgan Roberts
Editor: Justine Lang

Former Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is now Secretary of State for Energy. A role more important than ever with surging energy costs due to the conflict in Iran.

Born in 1969, Ed grew up in London’s Primrose Hill. His father, a Marxist academic, and his mother a human rights activist, Ed’s life was steeped in politics from the beginning. After attending a local state school in North London, he followed in the the footsteps of his older brother, David, to Oxford University and then to the Labour party where Ed climbed the ranks from advisor to MP.
The Miliband brothers battled for the leadership in a historic contest that played out in front of the nation. Ed pipped David at the post, becoming leader of the Labour party in 2010.
After losing the general election to David Cameron in 2015, Ed Miliband stepped away from front line politics. But after coming back into the political spotlight when Keir Starmer appointed him Energy Secretary in 2024, does he have his eye on leadership again?