BOOKED IN

Pope Leo is the first American Pope in history, yet remarkably he has not yet had a conversation with President Trump. They did, however, get into a war of words in April, after Pope Leo criticised the Trump administration's mass deportation policies. Things escalated further when Pope Leo said Trump’s threat to destroy “a whole civilisation” in Iran was “truly unacceptable”. CNN’s Vatican Correspondent, Christopher Lamb, has written a timely book called ‘American Hope, and spoke to me all about the Chicago born pontiff and his impact on the international stage.  

Professor Omer Bartov is a leading scholar on the Holocaust, and history of genocide. He is also a man who was born and raised in Israel, served in the IDF during the Yom Kippur war in 1973, and was raised in the country just a decade after the end of World War II and the Holocaust - in the beginning years of the establishment of the state. In July 2025, Bartov wrote a piece in The New York Times entitled; ‘I’m a Genocide Scholar, I Know It When I See It’. In it, he wrote about reaching the ‘inescapable conclusion’ that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. He recently spoke to me about his recently published book called ‘Israel: What Went Wrong?’, where he argues Zionism in its current form is beyond repair.

What is it like to be a female spy in the CIA? It’s a mysterious world we as members of the public have very little access to. However, Christina Hillsberg - herself a former agent - has written a fantastic book called Agents of Change. It explores the untold stories of some of the most revered and respected women to have worked for the intelligence agency despite the significant challenges a life in espionage often presented to them.

They say that about a tenth of Americans proudly claim Irish ancestry,  but how do American lawmakers view Ireland these days? That’s the question journalist Richard chambers explored in his new documentary Make Ireland Great Again - a documentary that touches on White House visits, economic ties, geopolitical differences and questions around defence. It airs this Wednesday May 20 on Virgin, but in advance of its release I got an exclusive look at the documentary and had a nice little chat with Richard all about it.

Robert F Kennedy Jr is undoubtedly one of the most polairisng political figures in the US right now - some say his comments on vaccines are dangerous misinformation, others applaud him for sparking a conversation about nutrition in America. From a political dynasty deeply intertwined with the Democrat party, to President Trump’s Health Secretary - RFK Jr has lived an unusual, extraordinary, colourful life - however you want to describe it! Much of his personal life before becoming a cabinet member has been documented by reporter isabel vincent, in a fascinating new book, RFK Jr, the fall and rise.

Dominic McGregor is the more private of a very successful duo. He and his co-founder, Steven Bartlett, set up the Social Chain and were immensely successful in their early twenties. However, it was also a time of huge pressures for Dom, who turned to alcohol to numb his emotions. In his book, I'm Never Drinking Again, he very bravely lays out some of the lowest moments that led to a lasting change.

Over the course of more than 350 years, an estimated 12 to 15 million people were forced on transatlantic slave ships from West Africa to the Americas. In a recent symbolic vote, the UN passed a landmark resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest crime against humanity”. I spoke to Dr Brooke Newman about her recently published book, The Crown’s Silence, a deeply researched account of the British monarchy’s involvement and financial gain from the slave trade.

How did an Al Qaeda bomb maker who spent time with the mastermind of 9/11 end up as one of the most important agents for British intelligence? Tim Lister co-authored the fascinating book, Nine Lives, about Aimen Dean’s extraordinary life. In it, he documents everything from Dean’s respect for Osama bin Laden to the moral conflict he grappled with, while also delving into his own fascinating career as one of the most respected journalists at CNN.