Maggie O'Farrell

Maggie O'Farrell

Author: BBC Radio 4 June 6, 2026 Duration: 14:37

Maggie O'Farrell was born in Northern Ireland in 1972. Keen to move away from The Troubles, her father took a job at the University of Wales and the family moved to Bridgend when Maggie was a child. At the age of eight she was hospitalised with encephalitis. She didn't attend school during this time but instead she discovered literature.

The family then moved to Scotland. After her A' Level's, Maggie O'Farrell travelled south to Cambridge University to study, what else, English Literature. In her twenties she became a journalist working at the Independent on Sunday but her ambitions lay elsewhere.

At the age of twenty eight O'Farrell published her first novel 'After You’d Gone'. Her writing has been described as lyrical, intimate and sensory, writing in a way that physically immerses the reader in a scene.

In 2020 she published Hamnet, her greatest literary success to date, as the world went into lockdown. In 2025 the novel was adapted into a film, directed by Chloe Zhao who describes O'Farrell as someone "interested in the land, the earth, the body and what's hidden underneath".

Production: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Annabel Deas, Bethan Ashmead and Wedaeli Chibelushi Production coordinators: Maria Ogondele and Sabine Schereck Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang


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: 100

Profile
Podcast Episodes
Nick Park [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:39
Through his passion for stop motion and modelling clay, we have come to love his silent (but wise) dog and well-meaning owner.Wallace and Gromit are Nick Park’s most famous creations, but what more do we know about this…
Tom Molnar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:37
From using a skateboard to baking sourdough, Tom Molnar leads an eclectic life.Born in the United States, he earned a degree in Ecology at Dartmouth College, before going on to gain experience in corporate strategy and c…
Kim Leadbeater [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:19
She is the self-styled "proud Yorkshirewoman" at the centre of an extraordinary week at Westminster.Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind a bid to legalise assisted dying for the terminally ill in England and Wales, was b…
Sir Ridley Scott [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:33
From television commercials in the 1970s, to today’s toga-ripping, chariot-flipping sequel to Gladiator.Sir Ridley Scott is one of Britain’s greatest film directors.The grammar school boy, born in South Shields, spent pa…
Sahra Wagenknecht [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:31
Born in communist East Germany, to a German mother and Iranian father, Sahra Wagenknecht has long been the face of the country’s hard left. But her own breakaway political movement, supporting a higher minimum wage as we…
Yvette Cooper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:41
She is one of the highest-ranking women in the Labour Party, now holding the position of home secretary.Yvette Cooper, born in Inverness in 1969, grew up in Hampshire and went on to forge a career in politics full of fir…
Bidzina Ivanishvili [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:18
From his hilltop glass mansion in ancient Tbilisi, he’s accused of cultivating Georgia’s shift from the west over the past decade.And, with his political party’s recent victory in the parliamentary elections, that trajec…
Chris McCausland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:05
The Liverpool-born comedian, known for his razor-sharp wit, has traded in his stand-up routines for some serious dance moves of late.Chris McCausland is the first blind contestant to take part in the BBC show, Strictly C…
Morgan McSweeney [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:40
He's the man who masterminded Labour's general election campaign, and now holds one of the most important positions in Downing Street.Morgan McSweeney was recently appointed the prime minister's chief of staff, after Sue…
Gaga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:10
She’s a girl from New York's Lower East Side whom grew up to a life of stardom and is now known by just one name.Gaga, a classically trained pianist, has secured Grammy-winning songs like Poker Face and Rain on Me. While…