Shows / The Interview
The Interview
Conversations with people shaping our world, from all around the globe. Listen to The Interview for the best conversations from the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider. We hear from titans of business, politics, finance, sport and culture. Global leaders, decision-makers and cultural icons. Politicians, activists and CEOs. Each interview is around 20-minutes, packed full of insight and analysis, covering some of the biggest issues of our time. How does it work? Well, at…
Episodes
- The Interview
Matteo Salvini - Italy’s Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur is in Italy to speak to Matteo Salvini, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and arguably the most important populist politician in…
- The Interview
Spain's Foreign Minister - Josep Borrell
Does Spain's new government have any fresh solutions for the country's problems? HARDtalk speaks to Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell about a tumultuous…
- The Interview
Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich
Stephen Sackur is in northern Italy for the annual discussion of global politics known as the Ambrosetti Forum. High on the agenda for many European…
- The Interview
Former US Secretary of Homeland Security - Michael Chertoff
Has the internet left every one of us dangerously exposed? HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Michael Chertoff, former US Secretary of Homeland Security…
- The Interview
Israel’s ambassador to the UN - Danny Danon
In the turbulent recent history of the Middle East, has there ever been a time when Israel has seemed more powerful – militarily, diplomatically and…
- The Interview
Artist - Suleiman Mansour
In troubled times like these, does art really matter? Stephen Sackur is in Ramallah, more than five decades after the Israeli occupation of the West Bank…
- The Interview
German MEP - David McAllister
The pictures are chilling – a handful of people in the German city of Chemnitz giving Nazi salutes. They were among thousands who took to the streets to…
- The Interview
President of Kenya - Uhuru Kenyatta
Zeinab Badawi is in Washington for an exclusive interview with the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. He has been holding talks with President Trump at the…
- The Interview
Executive Director, International Trade Centre - Arancha Gonzalez
Could a trade war escalate between the US and some of its trading partners? It’s not an easy time to be involved in international trade, with the world’s two…
- The Interview
President of Colombia - Iván Duque
Stephen Sackur is in Bogotá for an exclusive interview with Colombia’s new President Iván Duque. He is a youthful centre-right technocrat who faces momentous…
- The Interview
Kofi Annan – Former UN Secretary General (1997-2006)
World figures have been paying tribute to the former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who has died at the age of 80. HARDtalk’s Zeinab…
- The Interview
Outgoing Director, Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute - Bobby Duffy
Never before in the history of humankind have we had so much information, so many facts at our finger tips, and yet much of what we think we know is wrong…
- The Interview
Imam, Oxford Islamic Congregation - Dr. Taj Hargey
A tiny proportion of Muslim women in Britain wear the burqa or niqab; forms of dress which keep the face partially of fully covered. Nonetheless, those women…
- The Interview
Professor Mohammad Marandi – Tehran University, Iran
When Iran’s President Rouhani was convincingly re-elected last year, Iranians seemed hopeful their living standards might improve. However, inflation, poverty…
- The Interview
Writer and Equality Campaigner - Vicky Beeching
The Christian religion is divided on issues of sexuality; not least the degree of acceptance and inclusion offered to gay men and women of faith. Amid the…
- The Interview
Dutch MEP - Sophie In't Veld
Stephen Sackur speaks to Dutch MEP, Sophie Int’ Veld, deputy to the European parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator. British Prime minister Theresa May is…
- The Interview
Clinical Psychologist - Jordan Peterson
Anger is a powerful force in politics and there's a lot of it about. Donald Trump, Brexit and a host of populist movements have been fuelled by anger with the…
- The Interview
Minister of National Development Planning, Indonesia - Bambang Brodjonegoro
Zeinab Badawi speaks to Bambang Brodjonegoro, Indonesia's Minister of National Development Planning. President Widodo of Indonesia was recently re-elected to a…
- The Interview
Mother and Baby Homes Survivors, Ireland - Paul Redmond
It was front page news around the world when a mass grave was discovered at a Mother and Baby Home in Ireland. The remains of almost 800 babies were found. But…
- The Interview
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein
The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Zeid Al Hussein, is stepping down in August after four years in the post having said he doesn’t want a second…
- The Interview
Kenyan Film Director - Wanuri Kahiu
In August it will be 20 years since more than 200 people were killed when simultaneous truck bomb explosions were carried out on the US embassies in Kenya and…
- The Interview
Writer - Tim Winton
Is Australia redefining what it means to be a good bloke? Stephen Sackur speaks to internationally acclaimed author Tim Winton whose prolific output of fiction…
- The Interview
Elmar Brok - Member of the European Parliament
Stephen Sackur speaks to Elmar Brok, MEP - the longest serving member of the European parliament and a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The EU is…
- The Interview
Minister for Law and Justice in India - Ravi Shankar Prasad
There are growing concerns that India, the world’s most populous democracy is in the grip of a divisive brand of populism. The ruling BJP Hindu nationalist…
- The Interview
Hameed Haroon, CEO of Dawn Media Group
Stephen Sackur speaks to Hameed Haroon, CEO of the Dawn Media Group. In just a few days’ time Pakistanis will go to the polls to elect a new Government…
- The Interview
CEO, Newsmax Media Inc. - Christopher Ruddy
How far will Trump take his love of disruption? Stephen Sackur speaks to Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media Inc. President Donald Trump seems to value his…
- The Interview
Prime Minister of Macedonia - Zoran Zaev
For nearly three decades the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been locked in a bitter dispute with neighbouring Greece over its name. There’s a Greek…
- The Interview
Sue Black: Looking death in the face
HARDtalk goes to the Hay Literary Festival in Wales, where we are joined by an audience to meet a world-renowned specialist in death. For many of us, it is the…
- The Interview
Mayor of Jerusalem - Nir Barkat
HARDTalk is in Jerusalem, an ancient city which arguably stirs more passion, argument and hostility than any other. Israel claims all of it as its eternal…
- The Interview
US Deputy National Security Adviser, 2009 - 2017 - Ben Rhodes
Sarah Montague speaks to Ben Rhodes who was Deputy National Security Adviser for President Barack Obama. During his time at the White House he developed such a…
- The Interview
Computer scientist and author - Jaron Lanier
The internet is perhaps the defining technological advance of the last fifty years. It has opened up a new world of possibilities, but what if it also…
- The Interview
Iranian Environmental Scientist - Kaveh Madani
Since the beginning of 2018, the Iranian Government has locked up a number of environmental scientists and campaigners. One respected conservationist was found…
The InterviewFormer Director of the FBI James Comey
When historians write their versions of Donald Trump’s extraordinary ascent to the Presidency, prominence will surely be given to the former Director of the…
- The Interview
Austria's Foreign Minister - Karin Kneissl
One issue more than any other that is polarising European politics and dividing the European Union is migration. In Germany, it threatens Angela Merkel’s grip…
- The Interview
Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Can Kazakhstan move beyond one party rule? Stephen Sackur talks to the chairman of the Kazakh Senate, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The country's shiny new capital…
- The Interview
President of Sinn Féin, Ireland - Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Lou McDonald is the leader of Sinn Féin - the party of Irish Republicans in the Irish Republic and in Northern Ireland. Ireland is going through a period…
The InterviewEthiopian Opposition Politician Andargachew Tsege
The new Ethiopian government is making dramatic reforms in the country: the state of emergency had been lifted, the military and intelligence chiefs have been…
- The Interview
Maria Lourdes Sereno - Former Supreme Court Chief Justice, Philippines
Rodrigo Duterte has been President of the Philippines for two years. His war on drugs has cost thousands of lives, with his human rights record attracting…
- The Interview
Afghanistan's Chief Executive - Abdullah Abdullah
Stephen Sackur speaks to Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive officer of the Afghan unity Government. The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered an…
- The Interview
Labour MP, UK - Chuka Umunna
With Brexit the main preoccupation for politicians in Britain, the opposition Labour Party has announced a shift in policy which would see the UK retaining…
- The Interview
US Ambassador to Russia, 2012-14 - Michael McFaul
It's hard to imagine how the US-Russia relationship could be any more dysfunctional. Each accuses the other of consistently malign action and intent. 'Worse…
- The Interview
Imran Khan - Chairman, Movement for Justice Party, Pakistan
The National Assembly in Pakistan has been dissolved ahead of the general election in late July. Just as eyes were turned on him when he was a top…
- The Interview
Biochemist - Jennifer Doudna
Sarah Montague speaks to biochemist Jennifer Doudna. Crispr Cas9 has been described as the greatest biological breakthrough in decades. It is a gene editing…
- The Interview
Author and Former Islamist - Ed Husain
Zeinab Badawi speaks to the British writer and commentator Ed Husain, who believes the gulf between Islam and the West is widening and that westerners see the…
The InterviewFormer News International Executive Chairman Les Hinton.
For more than fifty years Les Hinton was the right hand man of one of the most powerful press barons of modern times - Rupert Murdoch. Hinton was a top…
- The Interview
Egyptian Writer and Activist - Nawal El Saadawi
Zeinab Badawi speaks to Egyptian activist and writer Dr Nawal El Saadawi. She has been described as the Arab world's leading feminist. She is a medical doctor…
- The Interview
Sinead Redmond and Caroline Simons - Pro and Anti Abortion Activists
What does Ireland's abortion referendum say about the country today? On 25 May Irish voters face a choice - by way of a referendum they can either keep a…
- The Interview
Former President of Brazil - Dilma Rousseff
Can anyone clean up Brazilian politics? HARDtalk’s Shaun Ley speaks to former Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff. Brazil was one of the success stories of the…
The InterviewPresident Erdogan of Turkey
In a special edition of the programme, Zeinab Badawi is in the Turkish capital of Ankara to speak to the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He’s busy…
- The Interview
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister- Tzipi Hotovely
President Donald Trump has blown a superpower sized hole in the international agreement designed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. The US has given up on…
- The Interview
Ukraine's Health Minister - Ulana Suprun
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Ukraine’s Health Minister, Ulana Suprun. Four years after the Maidan revolution, Ukraine is a country of unfulfilled…
- The Interview
Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party - Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
Elections are due in Pakistan in July and running for a seat in the National Assembly is the heir to the country's main political dynasty. HARDtalk’s Zeinab…
- The Interview
EU Commissioner for Justice - Věra Jourová
How is the European Commission coping with an increasingly fractious Europe? Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova at…
- The Interview
Syria's MP for Aleppo - Fares Shehabi
The recent US-led missile strikes on several military installations in Syria changed precious little in the country's horrific civil war. On the ground, the…
- The Interview
President, The Gambia - Adama Barrow
Can President Barrow live up to people’s expectations? HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to President Adama Barrow of The Gambia who has been attending the…
- The Interview
Former UN Secretary General (1997-2006) - Kofi Annan
HARDtalk is in Geneva, the headquarters of the Kofi Annan Foundation which marks its tenth anniversary this year. Zeinab Badawi speaks to the former…
- The Interview
Russia's Foreign Minister - Sergey Lavrov
Stephen Sackur is in Moscow for an exclusive interview with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. In recent days the world has been alarmed by the very real…
- The Interview
Northern Ireland Peace Negotiator - Monica McWilliams
Twenty years ago the historic Good Friday Agreement was signed in Northern Ireland which put an end to three decades of bloody sectarian conflict. Politicians…
- The Interview
Middle East adviser to President Obama (2013-15) - Philip Gordon
US military action against President Assad's forces in Syria seems imminent. President Trump told the Russians- Assad's military backers - to "get ready" by…
- The Interview
Director, UK Serious Fraud Office - David Green
Politicians will always tell us they're tough on crime, but the evidence suggests they find it easier to be tough on murderers, muggers and robbers than they…