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
Norway's Finance Minister - Siv Jensen
The outside world tends to view Scandinavia as a haven of prosperity, progressive politics and social liberalism, but look closer and you find a powerful…
- The Interview
Artist - Michael Rakowitz
The best art helps us to see and feel in new ways - it can challenge and provoke. Michael Rakowitz uses sculpture, installation, and site specific experiences…
- The Interview
Author and Oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee
In 2010 Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote a book about the history of cancer which won the Puliter Prize the following year. He's also a practising cancer physician…
- The Interview
Ambassador Donald Yamamoto
Stephen Sackur talks to America's Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto. Is the US in danger of losing friends and influence…
- The Interview
Director General of the WTO- Roberto Azevêdo
Stephen Sackur is in Geneva to talk to the head of the World Trade Organisation Roberto Azevêdo. The WTO is supposed to oversee free and fair global trade but…
- The Interview
Actor - Mahira Khan
In culturally conservative, male dominated Pakistan, can an actress be an agent of change? Stephen Sackur speaks to the country's biggest female movie star…
- The Interview
Former Governor of New Mexico, US - Bill Richardson
What is Trump’s brand of disruption doing to US foreign policy? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Bill Richardson, former Clinton cabinet secretary and one…
- The Interview
Former Editor of Cumhuriyet, Turkey - Can Dündar
In the battle for Turkey’s future and its soul, who is winning? More than 150 journalists are currently in prison in Turkey. President Erdogan’s government…
- The Interview
Prime Minister, Democratic Republic of Congo - Bruno Tshibala
Can the DRC find a path to prosperity? The Democratic Republic of Congo boasts assets that ought to be the envy of Africa – vast productive lands, abundant…
- The Interview
Investigative Journalist - Seymour Hersh
Are journalists still able to tell the truth to power? On March 16th 1968 US soldiers committed a war crime during the Vietnam war. More than 500 men, women…
- The Interview
Co-founder Black Lives Matter - Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Can a movement founded on a hashtag really change the world? HARDtalk’s Sarah Montague speaks to Patrisse Khan-Cullors, the woman who first coined the slogan…
- The Interview
Writer - Mohsin Hamid
Why does migration frighten so many of us? HARDtalk speaks to writer Mohsin Hamid whose novels have explored cultural, economic and religious tensions between…
The InterviewBoris Titov, leader of Russia's Party of Growth
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to, Boris Titov, leader of Russia’s Party of Growth. Seven candidates are challenging Vladimir Putin in this month's Russian…
- The Interview
Ahmad Tibi - Leader of the Arab Movement for Change in Israel
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ahmad Tibi. He is a veteran Arab Israeli MP and one time adviser to Yasser Arafat. President Donald Trump claimed he could broker the…
The InterviewElizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock Nine
In September 1957 nine African American students, including Elizabeth Eckford, entered the all white Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, thereby…
- The Interview
Prime Minister of Kosovo - Ramush Haradinaj
It is ten years since Kosovo became Europe’s newest nation. It has not been an easy decade. Relations with neighbouring Serbia remain hostile and international…
- The Interview
Psychologist Steven Pinker
The HARDtalk programme, like so many others in the churn of 24/7 news tends to focus on people and places facing problems and challenges. More often than not…
- The Interview
Petroleum Minister, South Sudan - Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth
Who or what can deliver South Sudan's people from despair? Its first six and half years as an independent country have been an unmitigated disaster. A brutal…
- The Interview
Former humanitarian aid worker - Amira Malik Miller
Gross misconduct and sexual exploitation in the humanitarian aid industry - what's gone wrong and why? Oxfam is at the centre of a storm of allegations of…
The InterviewPeter Boehringer - MP, Alternative Party for Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition deal with the Social Democrats looks fragile, with Germany's biggest opposition party now the right wing…
- The Interview
Former mayor of El Hatillo, Venezuela - David Smolansky
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to David Smolansky, anti-regime activist who was the mayor of a district in Caracas until he fled the country to escape a jail…
- The Interview
Breaking the Silence - Avner Gvaryahu
The Israeli Defence Force sees itself as an institution that binds the nation together. Most young Israelis serve in its ranks after leaving school. It claims…
- The Interview
US Political Strategist - Roger Stone
Is the long-time friend and sometimes adviser to President Trump a symbol of all that is currently wrong in US politics? They say you can judge a man by the…
The InterviewDeputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Mehmet Simsek
The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Mehmet Simsek, talks about Turkey's recent military operation in the north western Syria enclave of Afrin. How long will…
- The Interview
Secretary General of the Jubilee Party, Kenya - Raphael Tuju
HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Raphael Tuju, Secretary General of Kenya’s ruling Jubilee Party. Has the Kenyan government over-reacted to the…
- The Interview
Leader of the National Super Alliance, Kenya - Raila Odinga
When it comes to politics, Kenya has a history of disputed and often violent elections. In this exclusive interview, Zeinab Badawi speaks to the opposition…
- The Interview
Argentina’s Foreign Minister - Jorge Faurie
Argentina is stepping up efforts to re-engage with the world, especially through its presidency of the G20. It says wants better relations with the United…
- The Interview
Former President of the UK Supreme Court - Lord Neuberger
Stephen Sackur speaks to Lord Neuberger who was until last year President of the UK Supreme Court. Britain prides itself on its system of justice. Centuries of…
The InterviewActor - Shah Rukh Khan
Zeinab Badawi speaks to the actor Shah Rukh Khan. He has been given an award for his philanthropic work advancing women’s rights. How far is he using his voice…
- The Interview
South Africa’s Deputy President - Cyril Ramaphosa
Currently deputy president of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa could become president very soon if Jacob Zuma heeds calls to step down. But is this ANC stalwart…
- The Interview
Former UK Conservative Cabinet Minister - Ken Clarke
Is it futile to try and resist Brexit? Hardtalk's Sarah Montague speaks to one of the big beasts of British politics. Known as the Father of the House because…
- The Interview
French-Moroccan Writer - Zineb El Rhazoui
Living with death threats for daring to speak out against Islamist jihadist violence. The former Charlie Hebdo journalist and French-Moroccan writer Zineb El…
- The Interview
Russian Ambassador to the EU - Vladimir Chizhov
Russia is calling on the EU to stump up billions of dollars to help rebuild Syria. Russia’s representative to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, says if they don’t they…
- The Interview
Former White House Communications Director - Anthony Scaramucci
The White House has never before seen a president like Donald Trump. He does not play by any conventional political rules – that much is obvious from his…
- The Interview
Chair of Republican National Committee, 2009-2011 - Michael Steele
A year after President Trump’s inauguration and not a day goes by without a new media storm over a presidential comment, tweet or announcement that has…
- The Interview
Actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador - Ashley Judd
Stephen Sackur is in New York to speak to the actor and activist Ashley Judd. The movie and entertainment industries have been rocked by allegations of…
- The Interview
Former Zimbabwean Cabinet Minister - Jonathan Moyo
The removal of Robert Mugabe as President of Zimbabwe in November 2017 led to several Mugabe loyalists going underground. The most prominent of these is…
- The Interview
Comedian and Disability Advocate - Maysoon Zayid
Zeinab Badawi speaks to comedian, actor and disability advocate Maysoon Zayid. She was born in the United States to Palestinian immigrant parents and since…
- The Interview
Co-founder of Hamas' Political Bureau - Mahmoud Zahar
Stephen Sackur speaks to Mahmoud al-Zahar, co-founder of the Islamist movement Hamas. Donald Trump broke with long established diplomatic convention by…
- The Interview
Britain's former Foreign Secretary - Lord David Owen
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to former British Labour Foreign Secretary, Lord David Owen. The beginning of the year is a time for reflecting on the past…
- The Interview
Last surviving British Dambuster - George 'Johnny' Johnson
We are slowly and inevitably losing the generation of men who fought in and survived the last world war. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to 96 year old George…
- The Interview
Israel's Education Minister Naftali Bennett
Israel's prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu took great satisfaction from President Trump’s decision to ignore longstanding international convention and…
- The Interview
Sudan's Minister of Foreign Affairs - Ibrahim Ghandour
Is Sudan's government coming in from the cold? HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour. The US lifted economic sanctions on Sudan…
- The Interview
Chef and Restaurateur - Marcus Wareing
Not so long ago British food was the laughing stock of the world – it was bland, stodgy and flavourless, but how things have changed. Today the nation seems…
- The Interview
Nobel Peace Prize Winners Beatrice Fihn and Setsuko Thurlow
Hardtalk is in Oslo to speak to the winners of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, ICAN (the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.) It comes as North…
- The Interview
MP, India's Upper House - Swapan Dasgupta
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Swapan Dasgupta, Indian journalist, writer and now member of the country's upper parliamentary chamber. One of the world’s…
- The Interview
Oxfam Executive Director Winnie Byanyima
Stephen Sackur speaks to Winnie Byanyima, the Ugandan boss of Oxfam International who is overseeing the NGO's move from the UK to Kenya. A significant shift is…
- The Interview
Secretary of State for the EU, Spain - Jorge Toledo
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Jorge Toledo, Spain’s minister for EU affairs. When the Spanish Government threw out the regional Government in Catalonia…
The InterviewRussian Presidential Candidate - Ksenia Sobchak
Russian TV journalist Ksenia Sobchak announced last month that she will run to be president of Russia at elections due in March 2018. She is the daughter of…
- The Interview
Rockstar and businessman Gene Simmons
There aren't many people who are recognisable only from their make-up, but mention a zigzag of black flames around the eyes, painted on a white face, and…
- The Interview
Poet and playwright: Lemn Sissay
It is dangerous to generalise about the human impulse to create art, but it does often seem to be linked to the experience of dark and painful places Stephen…
- The Interview
Former Managing Director of Leeds United - David Haigh
Is it safe to do business in the United Arab Emirates? The former Managing Director of Leeds United, David Haigh thought so, until he endured a 22 month…
- The Interview
Director - Baz Luhrmann
How did a boy from the Australian backwoods get to make his celluloid dreams come true? Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to director Baz Luhrmann who made his…
- The Interview
President and CEO, International Rescue Committee - David Miliband
Across the world sixty five million people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of war, persecution and economic desperation. It's a migration…
- The Interview
Comedian - Kathy Griffin
Should anything be off limits in comedy? It's meant to be subversive. It finds laughter in dark and difficult places, but when comedy goes wrong things can get…
- The Interview
Saudi Journalist - Jamal Khashoggi
There's neither blood nor tanks on the streets of Riyadh, but what has happened in Saudi Arabia in recent days represents a revolution of sorts. King Salman…
- The Interview
Conservative Party MP, UK - Jacob Rees-Mogg
Authority is a priceless commodity in politics. It's not easily measured, but when a Prime Minister loses it then governing becomes a perilous task. So it may…
- The Interview
Chairman, European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee - David McAllister MEP
David McAllister is a political ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. Germany is Europe's…
- The Interview
US Energy Secretary (2013–2017) - Ernest Moniz
How significant will President Trump’s U-turns on Obama-era agreements prove to be? Stephen Sackur speaks to Ernest Moniz, Energy Secretary in the Obama…
- The Interview
Republican Left of Catalonia party - Alfred Bosch
Have the secessionists scored a massive own goal? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Alfred Bosch of the Republican Left of Catalonia party. Far from settling…