Since it was privatised over a decade ago, there's been speculation around the future of the UK's troubled postal service, Royal Mail.

Now the government has approved its purchase by the Czech billionaire, Daniel Křetínský, a relative unknown here in the UK.

Born in communist Czechoslovakia in 1975, Křetínský was a teenager when the Berlin Wall came down. He started his career as a lawyer, but after taking a job in an investment firm soon acquired a reputation as a financial prodigy. He went on to make his fortune in energy investments, but has since expanded to become a big player in the media scene, as well as buying stakes in businesses in Western Europe, especially France and the UK.

In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith finds out more about the man who's set to take on the challenge of turning around a once cherished national institution.

Production Team

Producers: Nathan Gower and Ben Cooper Editor: Sarah Wadeson Sound: John Scott Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits

Canal+

Through his passion for stop motion and modelling clay, we have come to love his silent (but wise) dog and well-meaning owner.

Wallace and Gromit are Nick Park’s most famous creations, but what more do we know about this Preston born Oscar winner?

He would use his mother’s home movie camera to record his early films; he studied animation at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire; and joined Aardman Animations in the mid-80s.

Over the last few decades, Nick Park has gained critical acclaim for feature films, Chicken Run and Early Man. So, as we await the latest Wallace and Gromit offering this Christmas, Mark Coles has donned the RIGHT trousers to take a closer look at the multi-award winning animator.

Archive Credits Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out directed by Nick Park (Aardman Animations/National Film and Television School) Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl directed by directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham (Aardman Animations) Creature Comforts directed by Nick Park (Aardman Animations) Chicken Run directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park (Aardman Animations/Pathé/DreamWorks Animation) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit directed by Nick Park and Steve Box (Aardman Animations/DreamWorks Animation) Wallace & Gromit Christmas Jumper Ident (Aardman Animations for the BBC) Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park on WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL at AFI Fest 2024 (American Film Institute) The Bike Ride (Collett Dickenson Pearce)

Production Team

Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Bob Howard and Natalie Ktena Editor: Richard Vadon Sound: Gareth Jones Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

From using a skateboard to baking sourdough, Tom Molnar leads an eclectic life.

Born in the United States, he earned a degree in Ecology at Dartmouth College, before going on to gain experience in corporate strategy and client management. It was during those years, that he noticed a gap in the market for quality bread.

Tom Molnar joined forces with Ran Avidan and Gail Mejia in 2005, and their Gail’s story began in a small corner of North London. Nearly 20 years later, the chain has become omnipresent on high streets all over the country and looks set to yield a handsome sum amid speculation that its owners have appointed a Wall Street bank to oversee an auction.

Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the visionary behind one of Britain’s fastest-growing chains.

Production team

Producers: Ben Cooper and Natalie Ktena Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits

BBC / Gordon Murray Puppets Gentleman's Journal

She is the self-styled "proud Yorkshirewoman" at the centre of an extraordinary week at Westminster.

Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind a bid to legalise assisted dying for the terminally ill in England and Wales, was born in West Yorkshire in 1976.

Before her life in politics, she worked in furniture sales and as an exercise instructor, before becoming a lecturer in health and exercise in her late 20s. But it was the murder of her sister Jo Cox in 2016 that saw her thrust into the public eye.

After years promoting social cohesion with the Jo Cox Foundation and More In Common, in 2021 she became an MP in the same constituency her sister had represented.

Mark Coles talks to family, friends and political allies, to understand the views and events that have shaped the woman at the centre of an intense, and highly charged debate.

Production Team

Producers: Nathan Gower and Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele

From television commercials in the 1970s, to today’s toga-ripping, chariot-flipping sequel to Gladiator.

Sir Ridley Scott is one of Britain’s greatest film directors.

The grammar school boy, born in South Shields, spent part of his childhood in Germany before pursuing his passion for art at school in Hartlepool and then the Royal College of Art.

But the camera appealed to Scott as much as the canvas, and Stephen Smith has been talking with the Hollywood titan’s friends, family and peers to find out more about him - and his work.

Production Team

Producers: Nathan Gower and Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele

Credits

Alien (1979): 20th Century-Fox, Brandywine Productions Gladiator (2000): DreamWorks Pictures, Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment Napoleon (2023): Apple Studios, Scott Free Productions, Columbia Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing) Gladiator II (2024): Scott Free Productions, Lucy Fisher/Douglas Wick Productions, Paramount Pictures

Born in communist East Germany, to a German mother and Iranian father, Sahra Wagenknecht has long been the face of the country’s hard left.

But her own breakaway political movement, supporting a higher minimum wage as well as an end to weapons deliveries to Ukraine, appears to be gaining further support.

And with Germany set to hold elections early next year, following the collapse of the governing coalition, some think the 54-year-old will play a pivotal role in the future politics of the EU's largest economy.

In this edition of Profile, Mark Coles takes a closer look at the leader of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

Production team Producers: Emma Close and Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele and Janet Staples

Credits DW

She is one of the highest-ranking women in the Labour Party, now holding the position of home secretary.

Yvette Cooper, born in Inverness in 1969, grew up in Hampshire and went on to forge a career in politics full of firsts.

She served as the first female chief secretary to the Treasury. She also became the first minister to take maternity leave, and she was one half of the first married couple in the cabinet - alongside Ed Balls.

But not everyone is convinced Yvette Cooper has the answers to the big problems in her in-tray, particularly on the small boats issue.

Stephen Smith talks to friends and political allies, to understand the views and events that have shaped this veteran Labour politician.

Production team Producers: Emma Close and Nathan Gower Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele

Credits Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (BBC) 1991 Harvard Commencement Address 1992 Bill Clinton Campaign Speech Tony Blair 1997 Election Victory Speech 2015 Election Exit Poll (BBC)

From his hilltop glass mansion in ancient Tbilisi, he’s accused of cultivating Georgia’s shift from the west over the past decade.

And, with his political party’s recent victory in the parliamentary elections, that trajectory appears set to continue for some time yet.

Bidzina Ivanishvili is the guiding force behind the Georgian Dream party, but what else do we know about the mysterious billionaire?

In this edition of Profile, Mark Coles takes a closer look at the man who keeps animals, collects rare trees, and who spent much of the 1990s in Russia founding companies.

Production team Producers: Ben Cooper, Marianna Brain, Kirsteen Knight Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits IMEDI TV

The Liverpool-born comedian, known for his razor-sharp wit, has traded in his stand-up routines for some serious dance moves of late.

Chris McCausland is the first blind contestant to take part in the BBC show, Strictly Come Dancing - and he's being tipped as a possible winner.

In his 20s, Chris lost most of his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa. But that didn’t slow down his career. He's been lighting up the comedy scene since 2003, with regular appearances on hit programmes like 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Would I Lie to You. He's also taken to the iconic stage of Live at the Apollo.

In this edition of Profile, Stephen Smith talks to some of his closest friends, fellow comedians and former colleagues about his life, Strictly success - and the time he attended a job interview in the wrong trousers.

Production team Producers: Caroline Bayley, Julie Ball, Natasha Fernandes Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele

Credits Live at the Apollo, Open Mike Production, 04/01/2018

He's the man who masterminded Labour's general election campaign, and now holds one of the most important positions in Downing Street.

Morgan McSweeney was recently appointed the prime minister's chief of staff, after Sue Gray quit the role. But what do we know about him?

Born in Macroom, County Cork, he moved to London aged 17. He soon joined the Labour party under Tony Blair, working in a junior role at their headquarters.

He rose through the ranks, forging a reputation as a skilled campaign strategist, and has been credited with being the brains behind this year's landslide victory.

Mark Coles speaks to the people who know him - from school friends back home in Ireland, to others who've worked with him.

Production team Producers: Bob Howard, Caroline Bayley, Ellie House, Natasha Fernandes Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele

She’s a girl from New York's Lower East Side whom grew up to a life of stardom and is now known by just one name.

Gaga, a classically trained pianist, has secured Grammy-winning songs like Poker Face and Rain on Me. While her performance in A Star Is Born was Oscar-nominated.

Along the way, there’s been a meat dress, a high-profile stance against US military policy, and a collaborative album with Tony Bennett.

Her latest work, Harlequin, is a companion album to her new big screen performance in Joker: Folie à Deux.

From all-conquering song thrush to screen favourite, Stephen Smith has been find out about the life of Gaga.

Production team Producers: Diane Richardson, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Cooper Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele

Credits Joker: Folie à Deux (Official Trailer) - Writer/director/producer Todd Phillips. Warner Bros. A Star is Born (Official Trailer) - Director Bradley Cooper. Warner Bros. The inauguration of Joe Biden, 2021, CSPAN. The Late Show, RTE. 2016 Academy Awards.