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Personal stories behind the news from all over the world. With Matthew Bannister.

Face to face with Alastair Campbell: a personal journey from Yorkshire to Downing Street

After many years working in newspapers, Alastair Campbell was chosen by the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be his Director of Communications and Strategy. The job effectively made him the PM's right-hand man and placed him at the very centre of government policy including, most controversially, the decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003.

In a frank and personal interview with Matthew Bannister, Alastair Campbell tells the story of his journey to Number 10 - from schoolyard brawls, via Cambridge University, to heavy drinking and mental breakdown. He reveals his talent for playing the bagpipes, his dedication to Burnley Football Club, his partner's dedication to him, and Tony Blair's sometimes surprising fashion choices. Alastair Campbell talks about the psychological pressures of a life at the top of British politics, his bouts of severe depression and the historic events which led him to stand down from his era-defining role as New Labour's spin-doctor.

The Alastair Campbell Diaries: Vol 1 - Prelude to Power, 1994-1997 is published by Hutchinson.