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She’s already won a Bafta for her portrayal of a hoodoo healer in the Southern gothic, Sinners. But can British actress Wunmi Mosaku win an Oscar too? Mosaku says her role has helped her connect with her ancestry and find parts of herself she thought she had lost.
Born in Nigeria in 1986, Wunmi moved to Manchester as a very young child, growing up in Hulme and Chorlton with her parents and two sisters. Her first taste of performing came aged seven when she joined Manchester Girls Choir which she remained a member of until she was eighteen.
But it wasn’t just singing where she excelled. Her sixth form drama teachers spotted her talent and she successfully auditioned for RADA. A decade after graduation she won her first Bafta for her portrayal of the mother of the murdered London schoolboy Damilola Taylor. American directors must have been watching as she began spending more time working stateside. She was cast in sci-fi series Lovecraft Country followed by a trip to Baltimore for a role in We Own This City. Then director Ryan Coogler got in touch and now she’s tipped for an Oscar.
Stephen Smith charts the rise and rise of Wunmi Mosaku.

It’s been a busy first year for the US Defense Secretary. From signal chat controversies to Operation Epic Fury, Pete Hegseth has been making headlines.
Born in Minneapolis in 1980, Hegseth had what could be described as an ‘All-American’ upbringing. A basketball player at school he continued playing during his University career at Princeton where he majored in Politics. He also enrolled in the ROTC (reserve officers’ training corps) which turned out to be a career defining decision.
After stints in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth returned home and began his career on the political side lines - heading up two veterans charities. But his campaigning job dried up after a whistle blower report alleged he was drunk and abusive at work. Next he moved to Fox News where he caught the eye of President Trump, a notorious consumer of the right wing network. This was the beginning of Hegseth’s meteoric rise to power.
His confirmation for Defense Secretary hearing saw him answer questions about sexual assault allegations and claims he didn’t have enough experience for the job. But Hegseth successfully defended himself and was soon installed at the Pentagon.
Mark Coles explores how he got there.
Production Team:
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Annabel Deas and Katie Solleveld
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman
Sound: Neil Churchill
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
BBC
Fox
US Army
Christ Church

‘Small Prophets’ has quietly taken the world by storm. A whimsy, magical and gentle show providing a tonic to modern life. Its creator, Mackenzie Crook, could arguably described in a similar way.
Born in Sutton-on-hone a village near Dartford in 1971, his creative brilliance was evident to friends early on but instead of drama school he started work at Pizza Hut. Moving to London in his early twenties he shared a flat where dry rot led to the stairs collapsing. But his luck began to change when he took his stand up comedy routine to Edinburgh. He caught the eye of comedian Bob Mortimer and shortly after was cast as Gareth in ‘The Office’ the oddball Territorial Army reservist with one of the worst haircuts on television.
Crook went on to star in quirky independent and blockbuster Hollywood films alike, but aged forty he decided he wanted to write his own material and move behind the camera to direct. His first offering was the critically acclaimed series ‘The Detectorists’. So who is the man behind the magic?
Production team:
Presenter: Becky Milligan
Producers: Annabel Deas, Tom Gillett and Katie Solleveld
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman
Sound: Neil Churchill
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
BBC Television
Treasure Trove Productions
Blue House Productions
Crooksite

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has long clashed with US President Donald Trump - filing more than 50 lawsuits against the administration to date.
Now, with a new memoir coming out, all signs seem to be pointing at Newsom himself running for the top job in 2028.
Born in San Francisco in 1967, Newsom lived in two worlds - the first, among the wealth and glamour of his father’s friends, the billionaire Getty family, often joining them on luxury trips abroad. The second was a modest home provided by his working single mother, attending the local public school where he struggled with dyslexia.
After launching a successful wine and hospitality business, with backing from the Gettys, Newsom now has two stints as Mayor of San Francisco and two as Governor of California under his belt, and looks to be eyeing up a possible presidential run for the Democrats.
So who exactly is the man once known as ‘Mayor McHottie’ by his fans and ‘Newscum’ by the Trump administration?
Production Team:
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Katie Morrison and Gemma Ashman
Sound: Neil Churchill
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive
CNN
Middle East Eye
AP
NBC
LA Times
CBS

It’s awards season - and one name that keeps cropping up is Teyana Taylor.
She’s nominated for her first Oscar, for her role in One Battle After Another, and has already won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and her latest album was just nominated for the Best R&B Grammy.
For many, it would appear Taylor has burst on to the scene from nowhere - but for those who know her, these nominations are the culmination of more than two decades of work in the industry.
Signed at just 15 to Pharrell’s record label, appearing in a Jay-Z music video and choreographing a dance for Beyonce, her early years in New York’s Harlem weren’t exactly the usual teenage experience.
Her 16th birthday was immortalised on the small screen as part of MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen series, before she released her first record and began acting. Now a mother-of-two, Taylor has released four albums to date, starred in her own reality TV series and will make her directorial debut next year.
So, as Hollywood prepares for the award’s night of the year, Stephen Smith examines how she got here.
Production Team:
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive:
MTV
The Golden Globes
Warner Bros
E!