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
Zambia's Opposition Leader - Hakainde Hichilema
Over the past 25 years Zambia has been a positive example of stable, relatively free and democratic governance in Africa. But that cherished status has been…
- The Interview
CEO of The King Center - Dr Bernice A King
Does the daughter of Martin Luther King believe racism is on the rise again in the US? Hardtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Bernice King, CEO of The King Center…
- The Interview
Former Judge, South Africa Constitutional Court - Albie Sachs
Albie Sachs is a survivor. He survived imprisonment, exile and being blown up by the country's security forces. He helped write the post-apartheid constitution…
- The Interview
Professor of Robot Ethics Alan Winfield
As research and development into artificial intelligence intensifies is there any sphere of human activity that won’t be revolutionised by A.I. and robotics?…
The InterviewShadow Foreign Secretary, UK - Emily Thornberry MP
In 17 months time, Britain - barring a sensational political U-turn - will be out of the European Union. But on what terms remains to be seen. How will…
- The Interview
Film Director - Barbet Schroeder
As the world continues to follow the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanamar, condemnation has been heaped on the Burmese authorities for not doing more to…
- The Interview
Author - Dan Brown
Is there still public appetite for Dan Brown’s high fibre blockbuster novels? He’s one of the biggest selling authors of all time. His 2003 novel The Da Vinci…
- The Interview
Actor and Activist - Jane Fonda
Oscar winning actor, activist and fitness guru Jane Fonda is a special guest on Hardtalk as it celebrates 20 years of being on air. In a career spanning six…
- The Interview
Intelligence and Security chief, Kurdistan Regional Government - Masrour Barzani
Seventy years ago, the leader Mustafa Barzani made a declaration of Kurdish independence which was ignored. Last month, his son -Masoud, won a referendum in…
- The Interview
Wilko Johnson: A cult hero of rock music
We're all familiar with rock music's living legends, but perhaps more intriguing are rock and roll’s cult heros - the artists who've inspired other artists…
- The Interview
Deputy Leader, Alternative for Germany Party - Beatrix Von Storch
What difference will the Alternative for Germany party make to the country? Nearly six million people voted for AfD in last week's election, making it the…
- The Interview
France's Minister for European Affairs - Nathalie Loiseau
Can President Macron fix awkward realities in France and elsewhere in Europe? Stephen Sackur speaks to France’s Minister for European Affairs, Nathalie…
- The Interview
Pakistan's Foreign Minister - Khawaja Asif
Is Pakistan at risk of losing allies over its inability or unwillingness to control militants? Sarah Montague speaks to Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Khawaja…
The InterviewRussian Foreign Affairs Spokesman Konstantin Kosachev
Relations between the US and Russia are at a post-Cold War low point, filled with mistrust, unpredictability and potential danger. In Washington, there's a…
- The Interview
Prime Minister of Italy, 2011-2013 - Mario Monti
Are reports of the EU’s resurgence premature? After a bleak decade of economic stagnation, internal dysfunction and public disaffection in the EU, officials in…
- The Interview
Nobel Prize Winning Author - Orhan Pamuk
In this age of the internet, the world has come to expect instant access to knowledge. But real, deep understanding takes longer to acquire and to share…
- The Interview
Hungary’s Foreign Minister - Péter Szijjártó
As demands to relocate migrants across Europe continue to grow, Hungary seems more and more at odds with the EU's policy on migration. After losing a legal…
- The Interview
Secretary-General of the United Nations - Antonio Guterres
Does the UN have the moral clout and authority to handle pressing world crises? Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is presiding over his first UN General…
- The Interview
Former President of South Africa (2008-2009) - Kgalema Motlanthe
Is the African National Congress- the iconic movement of South Africa's liberation struggle, close to the end of its productive life? If so, will its demise be…
- The Interview
Olusegun Obasanjo - Former President of Nigeria (1999-2007)
How will Africa cope with an impending population explosion? Over the next thirty years Africa's population is projected to double, requiring delivery of jobs…
- The Interview
Writer Howard Jacobson
Is social media bad for public discourse? Man Booker prize-winning author Howard Jacobson thinks the internet is changing the way we use words, and not for the…
- The Interview
US Deputy Secretary of State, 2007-2009 - John Negroponte
Donald Trump embraces disruption and unpredictability, but what does that mean for America's national security and foreign policy? At first glance it seems to…
- The Interview
CEO of Air Asia - Tony Fernandes
Is it easy to lose sight of what matters most to business success? We speak to one of Asia's best-know businessmen, Tony Fernandes. He is the boss of Air Asia…
The InterviewUS Senator Lindsey Graham
US Senator Lindsey Graham speaks to Hardtalk about the foreign and domestic impact of President Trump. Senator Graham made an unsuccessful bid for the…
- The Interview
Former North Korea Detainee - Kenneth Bae
How do you survive the North Korean labour camp system? Kenneth Bae is an American Christian missionary who was arrested inside North Korea and spent two years…
- The Interview
American Civil Rights Activist - Richard Cohen
Neo-Nazism, and race hatred are alive and kicking in the United States. The violence in Charlottesville was shocking not just because a life was taken, but…
- The Interview
MEP for South-East England - Daniel Hannan
Politicians and civil servants usually abandon their offices in the dog days of August, but not this year in London, where Brexit is now an overwhelming…
The InterviewFormer President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili
In the age of Donald Trump maybe the world is getting used to international politics delivering the unexpected. Stephen Sackur speaks to Mikheil Saakashvili…
- The Interview
Former South African Finance Minister - Pravin Gordhan
For more than two decades the ANC has been South Africa's impregnable political structure, but now cracks are appearing. At least 30 ANC MPs defied the party…
- The Interview
Acting Director General, Al Jazeera Media Network - Mostefa Souag
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Mostefa Souag, Acting Director General of Al Jazeera. The news network was launched in Qatar in 1996 it had a seismic…
- The Interview
Anti-Maduro Dissident - Isaias Medina
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Isaias Medina, former Venezuelan diplomat at the UN and now an anti-Maduro dissident. Venezuela's political and economic…
- The Interview
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Poland - Witold Waszczykowski
Is Poland, a country that was held up as a model of post-Soviet transition, turning away from liberal democracy? In July the EU announced that it would launch…
- The Interview
Former Governor of the Bank of France Christian Noyer
Zeinab Badawi speaks to one of the most influential voices in global finance today. He was made honorary Governor of the Central Bank of France, following a…
- The Interview
Vice President of Iraq - Dr Ayad Allawi
This summer, Iraqis can perhaps see a glimmer of light amid the darkness that's enveloped their country for so long. The country's second city, Mosul, is no…
- The Interview
Mother of Deceased 'IS' fighter - Nicola Benyahia
Stephen Sackur speaks to Nicola Benyahia, the mother of a deceased ‘IS’ fighter. After terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, the UK is preoccupied with…
- The Interview
Director General of the IPPF - Tewodros Melesse
Few issues are as controversial as abortion when it comes to discussing women's rights. Pro-life campaigners believe a woman's right to control her fertility…
- The Interview
Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister - Ghassan Hasbani
Shaun Ley speaks to Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Ghassan Hasbani. A quarter of the country's population are Syrian refugees which is putting Lebanon’s…
- The Interview
UAE's Ambassador to Russia - Omar Saif Ghobash
What does the UAE hope to achieve by isolating Qatar? The four Arab nations that cut all ties with Qatar have replaced a list of 13 specific demands with six…
- The Interview
Composer Mohammed Fairouz
Mohammed Fairouz is a US-Emirati composer - a youthful artist who has spent much of his creative life defying boundaries and stereotypes. His work ranges from…
- The Interview
Zimbabwe opposition leader - Welshman Ncube
Zimbabwe is in the grip of a severe drought that has left a third of its fifteen million people dependent on food aid. The state is running out of dollars…
- The Interview
Recep Tayyip Erdogan - President of Turkey
In a special edition of the programme, Zeinab Badawi is in Istanbul to speak to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It is a year since coup plotters tried…
- The Interview
Writer and activist - Naomi Klein
Are radical policies needed to address the current ills of the US? Zeinab Badawi speaks to the progressive Canadian-American writer and activist Naomi Klein…
- The Interview
Chief of Army Staff, Nigeria - Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai
Is the Nigerian army effective in securing the country? As the stability and unity of West African nation is threatened by internal tensions, conflict and…
- The Interview
Prosecutor, International Criminal Court - Fatou Bensouda
HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda. The recent release of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi by the…
- The Interview
US Senator for Connecticut (1989-2013) - Joe Lieberman
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the former US Senator, Joe Lieberman. A generation ago the first President Bush proclaimed a new world order, in which the…
The InterviewFormer Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon
Moshe Ya'alon served in the Israel Defence Force for 38 years including as Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2005. He then entered politics and served as Minister of…
- The Interview
Screenwriter and LGBTQ Activist Dustin Lance Black
Stephen Sackur speaks to the American film-maker and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for the film Milk and has just completed a major series…
- The Interview
Philippines Senator - Antonio Trillanes
Stephen Sackur speaks to Philippines Senator, Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes. When it comes to populist politics delivered with robust action no-one does it quite…
- The Interview
South Africa's Public Protector (2009-2016) - Thuli Madonsela
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Thuli Madonsela, South Africa's Public Protector until late 2016. President Zuma's grip on power in South Africa appears to…
- The Interview
Former President of Russian Railways - Vladimir Yakunin
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former head of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin. For the past 17 years Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia - as President or Prime…
- The Interview
Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister - Alexander De Croo
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander de Croo. The recent UK General Election was supposed to strengthen the…
The InterviewEconomist Stephen King
Stephen King was the chief economist at HSBC from 1998 to 2015. He now says 'Western led globalization is in big trouble. We may be witnessing the collapse of…
- The Interview
Nicola Benyahia - Founder of anti-radicalisation service Families for Life
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Nicola Benyahia, the mother of a deceased ‘IS’ fighter. After terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, the UK is…
- The Interview
US Democratic Party Insider - Jake Sullivan
Zeinab Badawi speaks to US Democratic Party insider Jake Sullivan, a key adviser to senior Democrats, including Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State…
- The Interview
Civil Rights Activist - Rachel Dolezal
Stephen Sackur talks to Rachel Dolezal, the ostensibly black American human rights activist whose life unravelled in 2015 when it turned out that she was the…
- The Interview
US Politician - Bernie Sanders
Stephen Sackur is at the 2017 Hay Literary Festival to speak to the US Senator Bernie Sanders - the longest serving independent in US congressional history. He…
- The Interview
Head of UN Mission in South Sudan - David Shearer
What hope is there for the people of South Sudan? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the head of the United Nations mission in South Sudan, David Shearer…
- The Interview
Executive Editor of the New York Times - Dean Baquet
President Trump has regularly criticised the New York Times and accused it, and other media, of propagating ‘fake news’. Does its claim to be fair in its…
- The Interview
Sir Suma Chakrabarti - President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Stephen Sackur speaks to Sir Suma Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. After the collapse of the Soviet Empire, a…
- The Interview
Midlle East Specialist - Gilles Kepel
Stephen Sackur speaks to renowned academic Gilles Kepel, an expert on Islamist terrorism in France and beyond. His work is influential - it was cited by newly…