20 Questions With Maurizio Bragagni

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. 

Justine Picardie, author of the new book, Fashioning The Crown, reveals the role fashion has played in the British monarchy; describes spending personal time with the late Queen Elizabeth II; explores the power of women when men still ruled the world; gives her verdict on Coco Chanel; tells the story of her own relationship with fashion and style, and offers insights into life at home in rural Norfolk. 

Sir John Curtice, Britain's most famous polling expert and stalwart of BBC election nights, is at risk of becoming a national treasure. Here he offers his insights into the fragmentation of British politics; the rise of Reform under Farage and of the Greens under Polanksi; the challenges facing Labour and the Tories; the unpopularity of Sir Keir Starmer and British political leaders in general; the key requirements of leadership; the impact of culture wars on voting trends; the role of social media in shaping voters' priorities, and the effect of polling on the political landscape. Plus, Sir John reveals what he loves to do when he isn't analysing politics and polls.  * You can find the full list of candidates in the Gorton and Denton by-election on the BBC News website. 

Guardian columnist Zoe Williams pushes back against Reform UK, addresses questions of a split on the left of British politics, wishes that Starmer would improve, suggests an humane approach to asylum seekers, offers her view of national identity, charts the shifting of the Overton window rightwards in British politics, and reveals what most makes her tick as a writer. 

Julia Bradbury shares her story of recovering from cancer, and the journey she's been on since her diagnosis, as she explores alternative approaches to health and wellbeing. Along the way she explores the longevity of her career as a television presenter, her commitment to nature, her experience of travel, including to Antarctica, and her determination to be there for her children. This is a deeply personal conversation with one of Britain's most successful TV personalities. 

One of the greatest directors of his generation, Sir Richard Eyre shares his insights from a life in theatre and film. From Judy Dench and Ian Holm to Anthony Hopkins and David Harewood, from Olivier to Brando, Eyre offers glimpses into a world of acting stardom and genius. What makes a great actor? What makes a great director? How did Eyre himself rise from being, in his view, an inadequate actor to become Artistic Director at the National Theatre? Eyre, who directed Iris and whose mother suffered from dementia, reveals his wife's diagnosis and the strain that has put on his life. This is a rare conversation that moves from personal tragedy to the heights of success and takes in the importance of love and kindness along the way.