Podcast appearances and mentions of jane deith

Kate, not her real name, has spoken to BBC Radio 4's File on Four Investigates and has revealed that her husband was secretly drugging and raping her for years - in a story that has echoes of the Gisele Pelicot case which rocked France, and the world, at the end of last year. Nuala McGovern speaks to BBC reporter Jane Deith who explains that Kate had to fight for justice and also to Dr Amy Burrell, a research fellow at the University of Birmingham.Imagine you're preparing to host a party at your house when a lost elderly woman shows up at your door. What would you do? This actually happened to writer and director Nadia Conners. Nadia explains to Nuala why the interaction stuck with her for years and has now inspired her debut feature film, The Uninvited.Kirsty Wark, a familiar face on our screens thanks to her long-standing and impressive journalism career, has just been awarded the BAFTA Fellowship - the Academy's highest honour. She joins Nuala McGovern to talk about what it means to have been given this recognition after nearly 50 years as a journalist and broadcaster.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

The story of Gisele Pelicot shocked the world. For almost a decade, the 72-year-old French grandmother's husband Dominique secretly sedated her with sleeping pills and anxiety medication and raped her. He invited fifty other men to rape her too - documenting the abuse in thousands of photographs and videos. Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for 20 years. But Gisele is not alone. One British woman, Kate (not her real name) has told File on 4 Investigates how she confronted the unthinkable – that the man she thought loved her, had been secretly drugging and sexually assaulting her for years. He laced her bedtime cup of tea with medication so he could commit his crimes in secret. Kate talks to reporter Jane Deith about what it's like to discover you're married to a monster. Kate's children describe the devastating impact on learning their father was a rapist. File on 4 investigates hears from the police detective who built the case against Kate's now ex-husband, and how he almost avoided being brought to justice after the Crown Prosecution Service initially said there wasn't enough evidence to put him on trial. It was left to Kate to fight the system to get justice – and keep herself safe.File on 4 Investgates discovers domestic spiking is disturbingly common in cases of domestic abuse. One academic has coined the term ‘chemical control ' to describe the administration of medication to physically subdue women. Unlike physical violence, spiking may leave no trace and hence go unnoticed by victims, the police, doctors, and social workers.A new named offence of spiking is soon to be introduced. But with much of the focus still on spiking in settings like bars and clubs, will it address the threat behind closed doors?Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Emma Forde Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Carl JohnstonIf you've been a victim of sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

File on 4 investigates the cosmetic beauty trade after the first death in the UK following a liquid BBL procedure. Jane Deith meets women who have been disfigured by this and other cosmetic procedures, and considers why existing regulation is struggling to keep up with a growing industry. A beauty salon in Clapham, London is exposed for the first time in this programme by a trainee who is horrified by what she witnesses. Several women have complained, claiming they were injured and disfigured by the treatment they received there. .Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Kate West Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Clare Fordham

Deep in New Zealand's North Island, William Pike climbs a volcano. But amidst the stunning scenery - used as a location for the Lord of the Rings films - he soon finds himself stuck in the mountains… facing doom. Consumed and entombed by a volcanic flood, William is buried under rock, mud, ice and ash. He'll have to draw on his deepest reserves of physical strength, and strength of mind, if he's to survive… A Noiser production, written by Jane Deith. For more on this story read William's book Every Day's a Good Day. For ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you're on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions If you have an amazing survival story of your own that you'd like to put forward for the show, let us know. Drop us an email at support@noiser.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the headlines about NHS waiting lists, children don't often get a mention. Yet hundreds of thousands are waiting to start hospital for treatment. Jane Deith investigates the reasons for the gap between adult and paediatric surgery. She hears from children whose conditions are deteriorating, some of whom could be left inoperable if they aren't operated on soon. NHS leaders admit long waits can have life-long consequences for young people's development and say hospitals are working hard to tackle the backlog. But surgeons and doctors warn that in the race to cut waiting lists, children risk being left behind.Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Alys Harte Technical producer: Craig Boardman Production co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Carl Johnston

Maike Hohnen is an experienced seaman. His 7-year-old son, Julian, loves getting out on the waves just as much as he does. Joined by a friend, Stephen, they fish the sparkling waters off Australia's Sunshine Coast. They have no idea that, mere feet beneath them, disaster is brewing. Soon Maike will find himself adrift - in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the night - with his little boy clinging on to him for dear life… A Noiser production, written by Jane Deith. For ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you're on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions If you have an amazing survival story of your own that you'd like to put forward for the show, let us know. Drop us an email at support@noiser.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They're cheap – but they're also deadly. Illegal pills costing as little as 50p each are contributing to the deaths of hundreds of people each year in Scotland. Now an expert is warning benzodiazepines, or street Valium, could pose a growing threat elsewhere. Jane Deith talks to those whose lives have been destroyed by benzodiazepines, a category of drugs usually used to treat anxiety that can be prescribed, but which have become a major feature of the illegal drugs market in Scotland and now elsewhere in the UK. The so called “street benzos” are a class C drug manufactured in huge quantities in illegal factories and sold for as little as 50p each, less than a bar of chocolate. But in combination with other drugs benzodiazepines can be fatal, significantly increasing the risk of an overdose. In recent years the number of people dying has risen sharply. Last year in Scotland more than 800 people died with illegal street benzos in their system. In England and Wales the death toll was over 500, with 171 of those who died having used benzodiazepine analogues, fake versions that can vary widely – and dangerously - in strength. From the Clyde to Cornwall, File on 4 hears the stories of those dealing with the fallout from the trade in the drugs, including people who have been addicted to them; a mother in North East England who lost her daughter to a fatal overdose; a teenager who bought them on social media, and an expert who believes their influence is spreading, with potentially dangerous consequences. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Fergus Hewison Research: George Crafer Journalism Assistant: Tim Fernley Production Manager: Sarah Payton Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Editor: Carl Johnston

Mental health profiteers: The dark world of online anxiety ‘cures'. Jane Deith and Jordan Dunbar investigate the rogue operators exploiting the long wait for mental health services on the NHS. The explosion in unregulated online recovery programmes has led to claims of people paying thousands of pounds for treatment by unqualified practitioners which has made their anxiety worse – not better. File on 4 investigates one company guaranteeing to cure anxiety in children. And we ask – why isn't the law protecting people who seek help online?

In March 2020 the UK was gearing up to face the Covid-19 pandemic. Cases were increasing rapidly and by the end of month the country was in full lockdown with medics facing their toughest ever test. A group of doctors and nurses in intensive care units recorded audio diaries for the BBC which illustrated the true scale of the professional and personal challenge they faced. The UK was to become one of the worst hit countries for Covid-19 deaths in Europe. One year on – in the midst of a second wave - and a third lockdown - reporter Jane Deith revisits some of those doctors and nurses to find out how they are surviving the biggest challenge of their careers. Producer: Rob Cave

The awful impact of Covid-19 on the lives of care home residents and staff is now well understood. But many in the industry believe the authorities, both local and national, didn't recognise the threat of the virus on the most vulnerable elderly early enough and didn't react quickly enough to stop it spreading through their homes. File on 4 hears from those who say opportunities to collect and share information were missed, that vital PPE supplies weren't secured quickly enough and that a policy of discharges of untested patients into care homes was ill thought-out and badly executed. The effect this has had on residential elderly care, they say, isn't just measured in the deaths of those who went too soon, but also in the threat the virus now poses to the survival of the whole private care industry. With testimony from those at the front line at the very beginning of the crisis, File on 4 examines the fight to keep care home residents safe on the frontline and investigates the circumstances which led to care homes becoming one of the most significant crucibles for the virus. Editor; Ciaran Tracey Producers; Rob Cave and Helen Clifton Reporter; Jane Deith

New figures released in the UK have revealed at least 4,000 young people are currently caught up in what are known as "county lines" – meeting orders for heroin and cocaine via mobile phone "deal lines". They are transporting drugs from cities to rural and coastal towns, and carrying weapons too – knives, hammers and acid. Many find themselves selling drugs in a strange town, trapped, too scared to leave. Increasingly, when police raid the "traphouses" where the drugs are held, they are finding girls. For Assignment, Jane Deith hears the stories of young women caught in a world of sexual violence and drug running. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Emma Forde (Photo: Young woman by a window. Credit: Cindy Goff/Getty Images)

At its heart is the classification system designed to ensure people of equal impairment compete against each other. The International Paralympic Committee has warned that some athletes are exaggerating their disability - known as intentional misrepresentation - in order to get into a more favourable class. For Assignment, Jane Deith hears from athletes, coaches and officials who are concerned that the system is being abused. Is doubt about the current system threatening trust in the Paralympic movement.

Is the UK putting trade above concerns about human rights in the United Arab Emirates? Britons who claim they were tortured in the Gulf state's prison cells say the UK government failed to fight for them. The foreign office has received 43 cases of alleged abuse of UK citizens in the UAE since 2010. In exclusive interviews, File on 4 hears from those who've got out of detention in Dubai who say they were arrested without charge and subjected to violent treatment and torture. The UK government says it regularly raises Britons' cases - and allegations of mistreatment - with the UAE authorities. But those who've been stuck there tell File on 4 they didn't get the support they needed and expected when they were suffering, despite the authorities here knowing the risks they faced. The government's also promoting deals with its largest trading partner in the Middle East. Jane Deith counts up the billions of UAE investment in the UK, from container ports to housing developments. And the programme hears the arguments for joint ventures with Emirati companies - for example by NHS hospitals - as a lucrative way to generate income as budgets are squeezed, ultimately providing better services for patients here. The United Arab Emirates is seen as a stable ally in an unstable Middle East, not least in the fight against Islamic State - does that make the UK less willing to raise issues like human rights abuses and judicial process? Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Sally Chesworth.

The Serious Fraud Office has begun an investigation into allegations of corruption in the award of multi-million pound oil contracts in the Middle East. A Monaco based company, Unaoil, denies that it helped British and other companies win contracts by corrupting politicians and government officials. The investigation follows a leak of thousands of emails and other documents. Jane Deith has been given access to the leaked papers and reveals what they tell us about the business of oil. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Paul Grant.

Special guardianship orders are a way of giving legal status to those - usually grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters - who come forward to care for children when their parents can't. SGOs were designed to let children grow up with family, instead of in care - once a relative is granted special guardianship, the council steps backs and the guardian can raise the child without social services interfering. The use of special guardianship orders has been rising-last year more than 3,000 of them were made. But special guardianship breaks down more often - and more quickly - than adoption. And in some cases children have been neglected, abused, or murdered. The family court service Cafcass and the Association of Directors of Children's Services have warned that weak assessments of the risks of family placements are a 'real risk' for children. The government has re-written the law on how special guardians are assessed. But with court deadlines and growing pressure on social workers and budgets, will it make children safer? Jane Deith investigates. Producer: Emma Forde.

File on 4 uncovers the story behind the collapse of one of the biggest health contracts ever put out to tender. Last April an NHS consortium of Cambridge University Hospitals and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust successfully bid to run older peoples' health services. But in December the £800m, five year contract ended without warning, with local commissioners saying only that it was "no longer financially sustainable." Jane Deith asks what the failure of the Cambridgeshire contract means for the broader policy of trying to improve NHS services by opening massive contracts to competition between Trusts and the private sector. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.

An inside job: the Britons smuggling illegal immigrants into the UK. File on 4 hears from Britons jailed for hiding people in their cars. They reveal why - and how - they did it. They were paid to smuggle people across the Channel by gangs based in London and the North West. This unofficial migrant taxi service - run from camps in Calais and Dunkirk - is believed to be netting criminal networks millions of pounds a year. But even that is dwarfed by the money to be made by British criminals bringing migrants over by the lorry load. Jane Deith reveals how the trade is spreading along the coast of Northern Europe, to Belgium and Holland. And she hears from Europol's Chief of Staff about the extent to which criminal networks based in Britain are involved in people smuggling. He tells the programme that more than 800 people have been identified as suspects. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Paul Grant.

Jane Deith reports from India on conditions for tea workers picking for some of the UK's best known brands.

Jane Deith reports from India on conditions for tea workers picking for some of the UK's best known brands.

Tea is still the UK's favourite drink - but what's the human cost of a cuppa? In the first of a new series of File on 4, Jane Deith reports from Assam on the plight of workers on tea plantations which help supply some of Britain's best known brands. India is one of the largest tea producers in the world with an industry worth billions of pounds - but critics say pickers often have to endure long working hours and insanitary conditions, leading to poor health and high levels of maternal and infant mortality. Producer: Sally Chesworth.

Sixty thousand people have crossed the Mediterranean and made it to Europe so far this year. Frontex, the EU border agency, warns that between 500,000 and 1 million people - Eritreans, Syrians, Afghans, Somalis - could be waiting to leave the shores of Libya for Italy. Its latest report says resources are being devoted to migrants' care but not towards screening and collecting basic information such as their nationality - which means many are quickly moving on to countries like the UK. According to the report, 'this puts the EU internal security at risk'. There are also fears terrorists belonging to the so-called Islamic State could secrete themselves among the migrants. So how easy is it for people to avoid security checks as they journey across the EU? European countries are supposed to stop illegal migrants and enter their fingerprints and details on a central database. EU rules state that the country where people are first fingerprinted must look after them and consider their asylum applications. This means many migrants set on coming to this country try to stay under the radar in Italy and France, hoping to reach the UK without being processed. Jane Deith follows the routes used by some of those headed for Britain. She also investigates the smugglers who help them - from individuals using their own cars, to organized crime gangs offering money back guarantees on a new life in the UK. Is Europe losing the battle for control? Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Paul Grant.

It's taken a long time to break through the culture of denial, but child sexual exploitation cases from Rochdale to Oxford have shown that grooming of children can happen in any community. There seems to be a growing acceptance that what the Deputy Children's Commissioner says is true: 'there isn't a town, village of hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited'. Councils that thought they were immune from groomers and traffickers, are now training staff to spot child sexual exploitation. And children are being taught how to avoid falling prey. But, as children become more aware of grooming, are abusers increasingly turning their attention to people with learning disabilities? In the first of a new series, File on 4 hears warnings from disability workers and detectives that abusers are increasingly targeting people with disabilities - because they're less likely to know what grooming is, less likely to tell, and if they do, their case is far less likely to go to court. Jane Deith visits the only safe house in the UK for women with learning disabilities who've been victims of rape and sexual exploitation, and hears even this secret address is now on the radar of gangs trying to groom the residents. Women with learning disabilities tell their stories of being groomed and exploited, how they eventually broke their silence, only to be told the crimes would not be prosecuted. Of an estimated 1400 cases of sexual abuse each year, only 1% result in a conviction. If offenders aren't being punished, can we prevent the abuse by protecting those at risk? Councils worried someone is being exploited can go to the Court of Protection for permission to restrict their relationships on the grounds they don't have the mental capacity to consent to sex. But it's a difficult thing to rule on. File on 4 hears from disability workers who say men and women are being left open to rape and abuse, but also from campaigners who say the state is denying people their fundamental human right to sexual relationships. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Sally Chesworth.

Is the pressure on teachers reaching crisis point? Record numbers are leaving the classroom and thousands of teachers recently responded to the Government's workload survey to say they were struggling with their workload. They blamed the pressure of Ofsted inspections and pressure from school management. Official absence statistics are silent on the causes of sick leave - but now File on 4 reveals new figures on the number of teachers off long-term because of stress. Jane Deith hears from those who say they were pushed to the brink by the pressure - some suicidal and others hospitalized or diagnosed with depression. Teaching has always involved long hours and heavy workloads but, with schools' performance open to unprecedented scrutiny, some education academics argue that the 'surveillance culture' is now seriously harming teacher's health and their ability to provide high quality education. Are they right? How alarmed should we be about the mental well-being of our children's teachers? Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Matt Precey.

Knowl View special school for boys has become infamous as the haunt of Cyril Smith. Prosecutors now say 'Mr Rochdale' should have been charged with abuse of boys while he was alive. But he was not the only one. In the first of a new series, former pupils in the 1970s, 80s and 90s tell File on 4 how a web of abusers, including local paedophiles and other pupils preyed on boys as young as eight while people supposed to protect them looked the other way. Previous police investigations came to nothing. A new probe is underway, focusing on who could be guilty of a criminal cover up. But what became of the innocent? Jane Deith hears from some of those who experienced life in Knowl View. Telling their stories for the first time, they describe childhoods twisted by sexual abuse. Now questions are being asked about whether the failure to end the abuse at Knowl View led to a culture in which the subsequent grooming of young girls in Rochdale was allowed to happen. Alan Collins, a specialist child abuse lawyer representing some of the men who're suing Rochdale Council over abuse at Know View, believes things would have been different had Cyril Smith been prosecuted and convicted: "That would have sent a clear message through Rochdale and much further afield that there was clearly a problem and that problem would not have been so easy to brush away. I think that had a very long tail and that that tail continued right up until recent times." Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Sally Chesworth.

Every year more than 1,500 UK children are diagnosed with cancer. For some the outlook is good but for those struck down by one of the rarer cancers, the prognosis can be a bleak one. Two hundred and fifty children die each year from the disease. Parents have told File on 4 there is a worrying lack of research into new drugs for childhood cancers, with youngsters sometimes offered treatments which have hardly changed in the last forty years - treatments that can have a limited chance of success and which can cause fatal, serious and life-long side-effects for those lucky enough to survive. In the battle to get the most up-to-date treatments for children with some of the most aggressive cancers, increasing numbers of families say they are forced to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to travel abroad to take part in pioneering drugs trials elsewhere. Meanwhile UK researchers say they face a constant battle for funding. They also warn of a loophole in European regulations which they say stops break-through drugs that have been developed for adult cancer sufferers, being developed to benefit children. As science takes the treatment and understanding of disease to new levels, Jane Deith asks whether enough is being done to give children a fighting chance. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Nicola Dowling.

The Government has introduced a draft Modern Slavery Bill which is aimed at making it simpler to prosecute human traffickers and which will bring in life sentences for such offences. But who are the victims of modern day slavery in the UK and how organised are the gangs who prey upon them? While much concern has focused on people trafficked into the country, Jane Deith reveals how the most vulnerable in society such as the homeless and people with learning difficulties are being targeted by gangs who pick them off the streets with the offer of money and accommodation. But many say they end up working long hours for little or no pay and are too frightened to leave. Some - including people from the UK - are taken abroad to countries such as Sweden and Norway to pave driveways and other labouring jobs. Others are working in the construction industry here but being paid much less than the minimum wage. Police say the traffickers and those who exploit the homeless and vulnerable are highly organised and often use their victims' identities to open bank accounts and commit further crimes such as benefit fraud, netting thousands of pounds and leaving their victims with huge debts. So who's monitoring the marginalised? Will the new Bill do enough to deal with the dark side of Britain's labour market? Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Paul Grant.

Last month a report by a government advisor, Lawrence Tomlinson, accused The Royal Bank of Scotland of forcing some viable businesses into insolvency. The Bank has denied Tomlinson's claims and has asked a leading law firm to carry out an independent investigation. With their findings due to be published shortly, File on 4 assesses the evidence. Jane Deith speaks to families who claim their companies were unfairly forced to the wall and their lives ruined as a result of the actions of the Bank's Global Restructuring Group. Billed as the equivalent of an intensive care unit designed to help nurse distressed businesses back to health, did the Global Restructuring Group kill some of them off instead? And was RBS able to profit as a result? With a rising tide of complaints against the taxpayer-owned bank, the Financial Conduct Authority is beginning its own investigation. So, was RBS being predatory or prudent? Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Nicola Dowling.

More than a thousand garment workers died and several thousand were injured in the collapse of the 8 storey factory in Dhaka. Jane Deith reports on whether anything has changed.

Will the Rana Plaza factory tragedy mean Bangladeshi garment workers no longer have to work in death traps? It's five months on from the collapse of the 8 storey building in Dhaka, in which more than a thousand workers died, and several thousand lost arms or legs or were paralysed. Jane Deith reports from Dhaka on what's happened since. Just how much medical and financial help have survivors and families of the dead received? Campaigners said the disaster should be a "game changer" in forcing international brands who source cheap clothes in Bangladesh to take more responsibility for conditions within the factories they use. Safety inspections of hundreds of premises are due to begin in earnest. But the Western manufacturers are split on who should pay for expensive improvements - the clothing brands or the factory owners? It's estimated that it could cost $3bn to bring all the factories up to scratch. But there are those who argue that Western shoppers who buy the cheap clothes, and the brands that sell them, don't deserve all the blame. The Bangladeshi government continues to limit the power of trade unions and is accused of failing to act against powerful manufacturing bosses when people die in their factories. The safety campaigners agree that Western brands pulling out of Bangladesh would be the worst result for the country's four million garment workers and the families who rely on their earnings. So is it possible to keep them in work and keep them safe? Producer: Sally Chesworth.

Jane Deith profiles Mo Farah. This week he became the first British man - and only second man ever - to hold the Olympic and World 10,000m and 5,000m titles. He was born in Somalia and moved to Britain as a young boy, where his athletic journey began. But it was an unusual one for such a successful athlete - he needed cajoling, ran the wrong way in cross-country races and enjoyed playing to the crowd. Mo Farah was born to run. But he wasn't destined to win. Producer: Helena Merriman.

Last week, the Government dropped plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes in England. It said it wanted to wait and see what happens in Australia where the measure was introduced earlier this year. Labour and health campaigners accused the Government of caving in to the tobacco lobby. A claim it has denied. In Europe, too, MEPs are considering a new law aimed at deterring young people from smoking. The Tobacco Products Directive proposes, among other things, a ban on flavoured cigarettes and increasing the size of health warnings. Jane Deith travels to Brussels and hears claims and counter-claims: of questionable tactics by the tobacco industry and from tobacco lobbyists who say their actions are above board and they have the right to protect their companies' interests. And she also talks to the main players in an alleged corruption scandal which some say could have brought down the European Commission itself. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Paul Grant.

In the latest high profile grooming trial, 7 men from Oxford will be sentenced later this month for sexually exploiting and raping 6 schoolgirls. Police said the girls - some as young as 12 - were 'abused to the point of torture' for years. One girl was injected with heroin. Another was forced to have a backstreet abortion. The police praised the young women for finding the strength to give evidence against the gang and protect other girls. But, after the legal process ends, what support is there for victims? After a string of such abuse cases around the country, Jane Deith finds there are many young women who say they've been let down by the authorities and are struggling, alone, with mental health problems and difficulties with education and housing. More victims of grooming are being rescued. But does being sexually exploited as a child mean a life sentence? Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Sally Chesworth.

The high profile child sex abuse case in Rochdale last summer - in which nine men were jailed for more than 70 years for grooming underage girls - has been defined as a watershed moment in how the authorities deal with this kind of abuse. But were there crucial failings? In an exclusive interview for File on 4, one of the police officers involved in the case claims that flaws in the way it was handled meant important witness evidence was dropped and some abusers were never prosecuted - leaving a new generation of girls potentially at risk and victims seriously let down. Jane Deith also hears complaints that witnesses were left without adequate support to help them re-build their lives. Earlier this month the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, published new guidelines for police and prosecutors in such cases. But have they come too late for many victims? Producer: Sally Chesworth Reporter: Jane Deith.

John Brennan, President Obama's trusted counter terror advisor has been nominated to head the Central Intelligence Agency amidst a storm of controversy. Despite being a career CIA man for more than 25 years, he's now at the centre of American foreign policy dilemmas, including questions about the use of drones, waterboarding techniques and the future of the world's most powerful intelligence agency. A Catholic basketball player, turned academic and fluent Arabic speaker, Brennan has risen through the CIA ranks and has recently been involved in "virtually all major national security issues" alongside the President. As the Senate asks him to justify some of the agency's most controversial decisions, Jane Deith asks how he will lead the agency as it faces ever new security challenges.Reporter - Jane Deith Producer - Gail Champion.

The government and senior medical figures want consultants to be more hands on in hospitals at weekends and at night. It follows evidence patients are less likely to receive prompt treatment and more likely to die if they are admitted to hospital on a Saturday or Sunday. A recent survey of hospital chief executives showed they had significant doubts their hospitals were as safe at weekends as during the week. Jane Deith examines cases which raise concerns about out of hours care in hospitals. Is there enough senior medical support for junior doctors and how effective is the on-call system where consultants are available to give advice over the phone from home? While departments such as accident and emergency, intensive care and obstetrics, already have consultants working in hospitals during the weekend, some medical colleges believe the time has come for 24 hour, seven days a week consultant cover on the wards. Jane visits hospitals trying to achieve this and hears the challenges they face. The programme also investigates what this increased consultant presence might cost the NHS and whether there will be enough senior doctors available to make it happen. The College of Emergency Medicine, for example, says accident and emergency departments are facing a recruitment crisis and it does not expect to see the required number of consultants until 2030. Producer: Paul Grant.

How far should undercover police officers go to gather intelligence? Jane Deith talks exclusively to women suing the Metropolitan police claiming they were tricked into long standing relationships with undercover officers. The unmasking of undercover cop Mark Kennedy who'd been infiltrating environmental protest groups has led to revelations that other officers had relationships with woman they were spying on. The women argue that the state agents they fell in love with used them physically and emotionally. They say the officers intruded into the most personal aspects of their lives causing them lasting damage. Their lawyer claims the relationships were a breach of the women's right to privacy and their right to form relationships without the interference of the state. Yet there are no hard guidelines on undercover officers sleeping with 'targets'. The rules of engagement are shrouded in secrecy. Police chiefs have said the officers broke the rules, yet former undercover policemen say sex was sanctioned as a means of gathering intelligence. And the Government has told Parliament affairs like this can be a necessary part of undercover work. So is forming intimate relationships a legitimate part of a difficult and vital area of policing, or an abuse of power by the state? And, from environmental protest to serious and organised crime, how much do we really know about the secret methods of undercover policing? Presenter: Jane Deith Producer: Sally Chesworth.

Hospital waiting times are a key measure of success for the NHS. But do the official figures accurately reflect the reality for patients across the UK? In Scotland the waiting time data has been called into question after a hospital trust was exposed for manipulating the figures in order to hit its targets. There's now an investigation to see if the practice has become widespread. In England the Health Secretary has hailed latest statistics showing a fall in the number of people waiting for treatment as a great achievement. However there's evidence which suggests the pressure to meet waiting list targets is leading to gaming of the system. Jane Deith investigates. Producer Ian Muir-Cochrane.