20 Questions With

Former Conservative Justice Secretary David Gauke outlines his vision of a route back to power for the Tories amid the headwinds from Reform. 

Clive Tyldesley's voice is one of the most iconic in sport. The soundtrack to some of the most dramatic moments in football history, it is recognised up and down the country and beyond. Here Tyldesley takes us behind the scenes of the commentary box and lifts the lid on an art form that has helped shape tens of millions of memories. From Rooney to Gerrard, Hakimi to Kane, from the old Goodison Park to the revamped Camp Nou, from United's heroics in '99 to the current Champions League semi-finals via Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005, Tyldesley takes us on a glittering journey of modern football history. 

The youngest editor of Wisden for 72 years when he was appointed in 2012, Lawrence Booth gets under the skin of the game and its challenges and thrills in this conversation at the Oval on the cusp of the Test summer. The Bazball verdict, Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes, white ball v red ball, Virat Kohli, Kevin Pietersen, the state of women's cricket, Ashes success and failure, the power of India, The Hundred, the English summer, journalism, making headlines, and a passion for the sport - this is the perfect episode to whet the appetite ahead of a vital few months for the English game. 

One of the greats of ballet, Ed Watson takes us behind the scenes of his time as a Principal at the Royal Ballet, exploring the physical and emotional demands of being a global star. 

Shirt-maker Emma Willis tells the remarkable story of her rise from door-to-door selling to a shop on Jermyn Street and another in Mayfair. Based in Gloucester, Emma's team sell 13,000 - 14,000 shirts a year, both bespoke and ready to wear, and here she takes us behind the scenes of her factory and reveals the secrets of her success. Offering insights into her entrepreneurism and commitment to British manufacturing, Emma explains her passion for fabrics and design. She also describes her charity, Style For Soldiers, which she set up in response to the casualties sustained by British service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Maurizio Bragagni is Chairman and CEO of Tratos Ltd, a multinational company that sells cables around the world. Born and raised in Italy, Bragagni is a champion of British manufacturing. Here he tells the story of his third generation family business, now based in the UK, that makes billions of metres of cables a year. Honoured by both Italy and San Marino, Bragagni has been awarded an OBE and is a Freeman of the City of London. He is passionate about both British and Italian culture, an admirer of Renaissance art and a lover of the English pub. What's it like to run an enterprise with a turnover of hundreds of millions of pounds? How does he lead? How does he inspire? How does he manage his time? How does he care for his staff? Why did he choose to manufacture in Britain? And what's the story behind the bid to make the longest Tiramisu in history? This is a chance to hear from one of Britain's leading manufacturers. 

Best-selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Sir Alexander McCall Smith takes us on the journey of his remarkable life, from a childhood in British-run Rhodesia to world-wide fame as a Scottish writer. He discusses his influences and passions, his preoccupations and his sense of moral empathy. From cave drawings in Botswana to receiving his knighthood in a kilt and bonnet, via setting up The Really Terrible Orchestra for the musically challenged, McCall Smith's range of interests and experiences are vividly evoked with his endearing and infectious energy in an interview full of insight into the world of one of our most loved authors. 

Multi-award-winning journalist, and Channel 4 News anchor, Matt Frei appears on the 20 Questions With podcast from Israel during the third week of the war with Iran. Fresh from dashing around the country covering missile strikes, taking shelter in a bunker, and interviewing the Israeli President, he gives his insight into what it's like working in war zones, revealing the mix of fear, adrenaline and curiosity. Frei lets us into his own views on the conflict between America, Israel and Iran, and describes the effect the 47th President of the US is having on the world. He interviewed Trump himself before he ran for the first time and shares his reflections from that encounter in 2014. Born in West Germany, Frei moved to England when he was eight, and he was in Berlin as a BBC correspondent for the fall of the Wall. He describes the time in East Timor when a gun was pointed at him and the trigger pulled, just as his wife was about to give birth to the second of their four children. This is an extraordinary episode, in which one of Britain's most celebrated foreign correspondents and best known news anchors takes us behind the scenes of some of the biggest international stories of his generation. 

Sir Richard Peto is Emeritus Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. He has helped to reduce the premature deaths of tens of millions of people across the world with his research into smoking, breast cancer, and heart attacks. Here he explains his methods, details his pioneering work in statistics, and outlines improvements he'd like to see in his field. This is a rare chance to hear from one of the world's most impactful epidemiologists. 

Entrepreneur, manufacturer, style icon, sportsman and a star of The Great British Sewing Bee, Patrick Grant talks fashion, business, TV, men's clothes, representing Scotland at rugby, growing a beard, keeping trim, barely drinking, ageing, mortality, passion, career trajectory, AI, championing British manufacturing, post-industrial towns and cities, provenance, caring, childhood, and taking risks.