Marina Abramović is the self proclaimed ‘grandmother of performance art’. Her latest work, a reimagining of Slavic fertility rites, opened in Manchester earlier this week. Notorious for committing extreme acts to her body, the Serbian first achieved fame with her “Rhythm 0” performance, where she stood still in a room and invited guests to do anything they liked to her. They removed her clothes, cut her neck and held a loaded gun to her head. Many of her biggest works were made in collaboration with German artist Ulay, her one-time romantic partner. They ended their relationship in 1988 by walking from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China and meeting in the middle. In 2010, she received international acclaim for her performance The Artist is Present. It saw her sit in a chair for eight hours a day, 6 days a week for three months. She invited anyone to sit across from her. It famously ended with Abramović reuniting with Ulay. Mark Coles looks back at her career. Production
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Ben Cooper, Mhairi MacKenzie and Alex Loftus
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound Editor: Duncan HannantArchive
Abramović/ Ulay - Light/ Dark (1977)
Abramović/ Ulay - AAA-AAA (1978)
The Artist is Present trailer (2012)
TED Talk - An Art Made of Trust, Vulnerability and Connection (2013)
BBC - This Cultural Life: Marina Abramović (2024)
Marina Abramović at Glastonbury (2024)
Abramović - Balkan Erotic Epic (2025)
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Sarah Mullally
Sarah Mullally, named this week as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior position in the Anglican Church. Formerly the Bishop of London, in her previous career she was the youngest ever chief nursing officer in England. She was ordained in 2001 and in 2005 became a Dame. Her appointment breaks the long-held tradition of a male head of the Church. She's expected to attract criticism from more conservative elements of the Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical elements of the church. Mark Coles speaks to friends, family and former colleagues. This programme was first broadcast in December 2017. Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Helen Grady and Siobhan O'Connell
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
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Kristi Noem
Kristi Noem is the controversial Secretary of Homeland Security. A staunch MAGA loyalist, she's in charge of ICE detention facilities, including one in Dallas, Texas, that was attacked this week.As the face of the Trump administration's intensified raids and arrests by US Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) agents, Kristi Noem has become a lightening rod in America, both loved and hated for her combative approach and her many viral media moments - some call her the 'ICE Barbie'.A former South Dakota Snow Queen winner, she's risen fast from her cowgirl roots. There's even talk of a run for president in 2028.Presenter: Mark Coles
Producer: Lucy Proctor, Ben Crighton and Natasha Fernandes
Researchers: Alex Loftus and Adriana Urbano
Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill
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Deborah Griffin
Deborah Griffin is a pioneer of women's rugby. She played in the first known women's game in England in 1978 and helped create the first Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991. Having never picked up a rugby ball until she created a team at university in the late seventies, Griffin quickly became one of the sport’s most instrumental figures. The RFU originally had little interest in female teams, so Griffin and her rugby friends established a separate Women’s Rugby Football Union in 1983. The WRFU and the RFU integrated in 2012 and the women's game exploded. Deborah Griffin took up her presidency of the RFU this past summer. As England's Red Roses play in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, Griffin's name and those of other pioneers of the sport are stitched inside their official team jackets.Stephen Smith talks to friends and colleagues about Deborah Griffin’s central role in bringing women's rugby to the fore. Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Lucy Proctor, Alex Loftus and Adriana Urbano
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound Editor: Gareth Jones
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Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson has been sacked from his role as British Ambassador to the US over his association with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. It is the third time he has been forced to leave government. An instrumental part of Tony Blair’s landslide election victory in 1997, Mandelson was rewarded with a seat in the cabinet. But he was soon forced to resign as Business Secretary after failing to declare a six-figure loan from a fellow minister. His second resignation came in 2001 after making his way back into the cabinet as Northern Ireland Secretary. Mandelson was accused influencing the passport applications of the wealthy Hinduja brothers, although was later exonerated. Mark Coles examines how despite these controversies, the man once dubbed the "Prince of Darkness" was able to keep getting himself into powerful positions. Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Ben Crighton, Alex Loftus and Adriana Urbano
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound Editor: Gareth Jones
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