Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the founder of parkrun, was born in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa at the age of five, where he was brought up in care with his two siblings. Always a keen middle distance runner, he was a second for a friend in one of South Africa's most gruelling road races. Eventually he moved to the UK to work in IT and raise a family.

After a perfect storm of redundancy, marriage breakdown and an injury which prevented him from running with his own club, he decided he'd start a time trial in a local park, for his running club pals. The only proviso that they had to have coffee and cake with him afterwards.

Twenty years later, that timed run that he started has outpaced anything he could have envisaged and turned into parkrun. The 5k run around local parks on a Saturday morning, has gone global and the parkrun community has hundreds of thousands of people running or volunteering as stewards every week. Stephen Smith finds out what makes Paul Sinton-Hewitt run.

PRESENTER: Stephen Smith

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producers: Julie Ball, Natasha Fernandes, Farhana Haider Editor: Tom Bigwood Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Sound: Neil Churchill

CONTRIBUTORS

Roun Barry, School friend Hugh Brasher, Director, London Marathon Bruce Fordyce, Marathon runner Duncan Gaskell, parkrunner and friend Russ Jeffereys - CEO, parkrun Eileen Jones, Author and parkrunner Joanne Sinton-Hewitt, Wife

Although Simon Harris reportedly describes himself as an 'accidental politician', he has managed to make a career out of it. His interest in politics was sparked at the age of 15 when he set up a support group in his local town to campaign for better secondary education for autistic people after he saw his parents struggle to get help for his younger brother. From then on his path was set. After a brief dalliance with Fianna Fail he joined the youth wing of the Fine Gael party at 17. He gave up his degree studies in year three of a four year course to work as an assistant to the then leader of the opposition in the Irish Parliament. By the age of 24 he was elected to parliament with the nickname 'Baby of the Dail' and was a junior minister by the age of 27. Since then he's held two further ministerial posts.

Now, after the shock resignation of former Taioseach, Leo Varadkar in late March, he was elected unopposed as leader of the Fine Gael party and now is expected to be confirmed as the new Taoiseach when the parliament returns after the Easter break. With a new nickname, 'The Tik Tok Taoiseach' because of his use of social media he's on track to break another record, set by his predecessor as the youngest Taoiseach in history to date.

Kate Lamble finds out what makes him tick outside of Tik Tok and his rapid rise to the top job in Irish politics.

PRESENTER: Kate Lamble

CONTRIBUTORS

Frances Fitzgerald, MEP, Dublin, Ireland

Councillor Ray McAdam, Fine Gael

Alice O'Donnell, Triple A Alliance

Jennifer O'Leary, BBC Ireland Correspondent

Fionnan Sheahan, Ireland Editor, The Irish Independent

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producers: Julie Ball & Madeleine Drury Researcher: Jay Gardner Editor: Tom Bigwood Production Co-ordinators: Katie Morrison & Sabine Schereck Sound: Nigel Appleton

Rosemarie Mallett’s star has risen quickly in the Church of England. After a career in academia and a period of disenchantment with the institution, she became a priest in 2005, attracting the attention of senior members of the clergy for her engagement with communities and issues of social justice alike.

Bishop Rosemarie was herself born into a situation shaped by slavery, in the then colony Barbados, before coming to the UK as a child. Now a senior cleric, she has co-authored a report on how the Church of England should make amends for its historic financial involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, which has attracted praise from some and criticism from others.

Stephen Smith talks to those who know Mallett best, exploring how her life has shaped her approach to music, ministry, and racial justice.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producer: Nathan Gower Production team: Debbie Richford, Drew Hyndman Editor: Tom Bigwood Programme Coordinators: Sabine Schereck, Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

Vaughan Gething this week became Wales’ new First Minister, and the leader of Welsh Labour. He’s the fifth person to hold the post and the first black leader of a national government in Europe.

No stranger to breaking barriers, this employment lawyer rose apace to the top of student and trades unions alike, before election to the Welsh Senedd and ministerial office, charged with overseeing first health and then the economy.

Mark Coles looks back at how a cricket-mad schoolboy became First Minister of the land of his father - a journey from Zambia to Cardiff by way of rural Dorset - and finds out what drives him from those who know him best. Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Nathan Gower Production Team: Debbie Richford, Drew Hyndman, Julie Ball Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Tom Bigwood Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot

The current Secretary for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, first joined the cabinet in 2010 and has remained there for most of the past 14 years in various posts. He’s served four prime ministers.

During that time he has provoked controversy from many areas - from teachers, lawyers, landlords for the policies he has championed. But he has also attracted friends and enemies in his own party due to his decisions over Brexit, leadership bids and party politics.

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Charlotte McDonald and Debbie Richford Editor: Tom Bigwood Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound Engineer: James Beard

Credits

Sky News ITV

The millionaire hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall has recently hit the headlines, both for his growing media portfolio and controversy over his social media activity.

After an eclectic career spent mostly in the background, from philanthropic work to high-powered finance, Sir Paul seems to be increasingly exerting his influence on the media and politics. He already backs GB News and UnHerd and is reported to be preparing a bid for the Telegraph and Spectator.

Stephen Smith asks what shaped and drives Paul Marshall, by talking to those who know him best.

Presenter: Stephen Smith Producer: Nathan Gower Assistant Producer: Debbie Richford Editor: Matt Willis Programme Coordinator: Sabine Schereck Sound Engineer: James Beard

Archive:

Speech by Paul Marshall to the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship Conference 2023 Citizen Kane, RKO Radio Pictures

Mother, widow... and now the face of Russian opposition?

Yulia Navalnaya has risen to the spotlight in recent weeks following her husband's death in a Siberian prison. The wife of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has until now remained in the background. Navalnaya chose to focus on bringing up their children, supporting his political work from behind the scenes. When her husband was poisoned in 2020, she fought the authorities to release him to a German hospital for treatment. Navalny said she saved his life.

Now, Yulia Navalnaya has taken on the role of the defiant widow in their tragic love story. Making speeches to the European Parliament, meeting with world leaders, and launching her social media profile, Navalnaya has vowed to continue the work of her late husband. Who is the woman taking on Putin?

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ellie House and Madeleine Drury Studio Manager: Hal Haines Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Editor: Damon Rose

Frank Auerbach was sent to Britain from Nazi Germany by his parents at the age of 8. Growing up in a Quaker boarding school in Kent, he developed his artistic talents - later to be inspired by the landscapes of war-torn London in the Blitz. Worrying about how he would afford paint for much of his career, an Auerbach piece now commands a price tag in the millions.

He has developed a reputation as a recluse - rarely giving interviews, or even attending his own exhibitions. Now, his wartime art 'The Charcoal Heads' is on display in London. Who is the 92-year-old artist still working seven days a week? Stephen Smith gets beneath the paint layers to learn more about one of our greatest living artists.

CONTRIBUTORS Dale Berning Sawa, Journalist and Commissioning Editor William Feaver, Art Critic, Author Catherine Lampert, Curator and Art Historian Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head, The Courtauld Gallery

PRODUCTION TEAM Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Ellie House and Julie Ball Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Matt Willis Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck

CREDITS: Omnibus, BBC TV, 2001. Jake Auerbach Films This Cultural Life, BBC R4, January 2024

Timpson - best known for its key cutting and shoe repair services - has become a household name, with over 1000 stores on town high streets and in local supermarkets. But its current CEO, James Timpson, is probably better known for his pioneering work on prison employment.

After being impressed by a prisoner in 2002, and offering him a job on release, James Timpson has worked to develop employment schemes for ex-offenders and campaigns for prison reform. Now, ten percent of the Timpson workforce is made up of ex-offenders.

He has recently published a new book on his unusual approach to business: 'The Happy Index: Lessons in Upside-Down Management'.

With a passion for dance music and old cars, who is this businessman turned philanthropist?

Presenter: Timandra Harkness Producers: Ellie House and Diane Richardson Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Editors: Richard Vadon and Matt Willis

With power sharing in Northern Ireland restored after a two year hiatus, the DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly has landed herself a top job - Deputy First Minister. It’s the first time a unionist has been in the role.

Hailing from a border town in Northern Ireland, County Armagh, she grew up during the Troubles. Her house was damaged in a bomb attack. Having held several positions in Stormont and Westminster, Little-Pengelly has now taken up her new role opposite Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill.

Co-opted to the position, rather than elected, she is facing new scrutiny in Northern Ireland. Who is the trained barrister turned DUP rising star?

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ellie House and Madeleine Drury Editor: Richard Vadon Studio Manager: James Beard

General Sir Patrick Sanders has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, rising through the ranks from Infantry Officer to Head of the Army. It's not a position he expected to reach and says "my first sergeant would never have seen this coming".

He's spoken candidly about experiencing depression following a tour in Iraq, having lost a number of his own infantry regiment, encouraging others to seek help.

Most recently General Sanders has ignited debate about the size of the army, suggesting that the "pre-war generation" should be prepared for the possibility of a potential land war, stating "Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them."

As he prepares to leave the post of Chief of the General Staff (CGS), Mark Coles looks at the life and career of General Sir Patrick Sanders, speaking to some of the family, friends and colleagues who know him best.

Credits The Benedictine Monks of Worth Abbey Centre For Army Leadership Podcast British Army Time to Talk BFBS Sitrep Podcast GB News

Presenter: Mark Coles Production: Ellie House and Diane Richardson Production Co-ordinators: Sabine Schereck and Maria Ogundele Sound: Neil Churchill Editors: Richard Vadon and Matt Willis