David Harewood

David Harewood

Author: BBC Radio 4 December 13, 2025 Duration: 15:03

David Harewood, who turned sixty this week, returns as Othello for the third time on stage. It’s a role he first took on in 1997, becoming the first black actor to play the part at London’s National Theatre.

Growing up in multicultural Birmingham in the sixties and seventies, he was born to immigrants from Barbados.

Described as gregarious by his teachers at school, Harewood showed an interest in entertaining from an early age and subsequently trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts.

In his early twenties, he had a psychotic breakdown, something he spoke about in a recent documentary.

A string of roles in TV and film followed. And then came his breakthrough role as CIA agent David Estes in the acclaimed hit US TV show Homeland.

Mark Coles looks back at his career.

Contributors Gary Turner – childhood friend Pete Mortiboys – school physical education teacher Jeremy Harrison – Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts (RADA) classmate and friend Afua Hirsch – broadcaster, journalist and author of the book Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging Tom Morris – Theatre director and colleague Toby Jones – Actor and colleague Production Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Ben Carter, Laura Cain Editor: Nick Holland and Justine Lang Sound: Gareth Jones Archive Audio of David Harewood as Othello, 2025, Theatre Royal Haymarket, clean from trailer David Harewood: Psychosis and Me documentary, 2019, for BBC, production company: Films Of Record Limited


Each week, Profile from BBC Radio 4 takes a single name from the global conversation and builds a detailed portrait, moving far beyond the headlines. This isn't a simple biography or a news recap. Instead, through careful documentary storytelling and personal journal excerpts where available, the podcast constructs a nuanced examination of character and motive. You’ll hear from colleagues, critics, and sometimes the subjects themselves, piecing together what drives and defines the people shaping our world. The focus rests firmly on influence, whether in politics, the arts, science, or social movements, exploring how an individual's background and choices ripple through society and culture. Listening to this podcast feels like gaining a deeper, more textured understanding of the figures you think you know, revealing the contradictions and convictions behind the public image. It’s a thoughtful half-hour that challenges first impressions, asking what truly lies behind a name in the news.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Profile
Podcast Episodes
Mark Rutte [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:19
The Secretary General of NATO has been dubbed the Trump whisperer after talks with Donald Trump at Davos appeared to help trigger a sudden U-turn on Greenland and threatened tariffs. Mark Rutte was born in The Hague in 1…
Mette Frederiksen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:15
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that US President Donald Trump’s threat to take Greenland would spell the end of Nato, the trans-Atlantic defence alliance. So who is the woman standing toe to toe with…
Sir Christian Turner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:08
The newly-appointed British ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner, is a career diplomat whose experience spans almost three decades. He was about to take up the role of the UK's ambassador at the UN but a…
Zohran Mamdani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:40
The new Mayor of New York and at just 34, the youngest since 1892, is sworn in. He is the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation's largest city. Zohran Mamdani was born in Uganda, Africa, to parents of India…
Karl Bushby [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:14
Karl Bushby, the British man walking around the world, is almost home. The former paratrooper set off from Chile in 1998. He walked through the Americas, crossed the frozen ocean from Alaska to Russia, and last year beca…
Mary Berry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:05
Dame Mary Berry has been teaching Brits to cook for more than half a century. Aged 90, she remains a staple on our screens at Christmas. Born in Bath in 1935, Berry was the middle child of two brothers. She struggled in…
Zak Brown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:54
Stephen Smith profiles the former racing driver and marketing guru who's turned around McLaren's fortunes and led them to Formula 1 glory. Born in California in 1971, friends and colleagues paint a picture of a fiercely…
Zarah Sultana [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:09
The Coventry MP who left the Labour party and joined Jeremy Corbyn's new left-wing ‘Your Party'. Zarah Sultana's husband and friends tell us how her upbringing shaped her politics and reveal her questionable taste in mus…
Marjorie Taylor Greene [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:00
Marjorie Taylor Greene is a darling of MAGA. But this week a disagreement with Trump over the Epstein files has seen him brand her as a traitor. Born in 1974 in the suburbs of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a conven…
David Hockney [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:05
David Hockney has died aged 88. This programme was broadcast in 2025.David Hockney is arguably Britain’s most loved living artist. He's known as a colourful character, not only because of his vibrant, colour rich paintin…