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
Leader, Democratic Alliance (South Africa) - Mmusi Maimane
South Africa's Democratic Alliance, the country's main opposition party, has its first ever black leader. Mmusi Maimane took over in May this year from Helen…
- The Interview
Ballet Dancer Sylvie Guillem
For more than three decades the ballet dancer Sylvie Guillem has performed as principal dancer at most leading ballet establishments, redrawing the boundaries…
- The Interview
Ertuğrul Kürkçü - Honorary President People’s Democratic Party (HDP)
Could Turkey be slipping back into conflict? A fragile three year peace process between the government and Kurdish militants from the PKK, the Kurdistan…
- The Interview
Calais Migrant Crisis
The migrant crisis on both sides of the English Channel has led to accusation and counter accusation in Britain and France as thousands of migrants make…
- The Interview
Former Commissioner of Corrections, Georgia, USA - Allen Ault
A host of countries around the world still impose the ultimate punishment on the most serious criminals - death. What is it like to be in command of the…
- The Interview
Syriza Committee Member - Stathis Kouvelakis
The prime minister Alexis Tsipras is facing a rebellion from the hard left in his party, Syriza, who accuse him of going back on his promise to reject…
- The Interview
Marc Quinn - Artist
There are a number of successful contemporary artists whose work sells for millions of dollars. But how many of them will leave an enduring mark when the…
- The Interview
Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency - David Howman
If you are watching cycling's greatest race the Tour de France this year, are you admiring the remarkable strength and stamina of the riders, or privately…
- The Interview
Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative - Bryan Stevenson
What does it mean to be black in the United States today? The messages are mixed. An African-American has made it all the way to the White House, but in Barack…
- The Interview
Secretary General of Nato - Jens Stoltenberg
Hardtalk is at Nato headquarters in Brussels to speak to the organisation’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. In some ways it is just like old times –…
- The Interview
Governor of Odessa Region, Ukraine - Mikheil Saakashvili
Ukraine is grappling with security and economic challenges, which could bring the nation to its knees. The country needs a new generation of strong…
- The Interview
Former Head of the UN Enquiry - William Schabas
Hardtalk speaks to William Schabas, who chaired the commission of inquiry into the Gaza war until he quit under heavy fire from Israel. What does the Schabas…
- The Interview
Writer and Publisher - Jürgen Todenhöfer
Stephen Sackur speaks to writer and publisher Jürgen Todenhöfer, who embarked on one of the most hazardous journeys imaginable for a western journalist. Last…
- The Interview
Founder, WPP - Sir Martin Sorrell
A special edition of Hardtalk from Cannes, which is currently hosting the world’s advertising industry. Thanks to the internet, advertising and marketing now…
- The Interview
British Conservative MP - Bernard Jenkin
Sarah Montague speaks to Bernard Jenkin who has argued for "fundamental change" in Britain's relationship with Europe since he was first elected as a…
- The Interview
General Secretary of Trade Union Congress, UK - Frances O’Grady
Not since Margaret Thatcher vowed to break the power of organised labour has Britain's trade union movement faced a bigger threat. The new government wants to…
- The Interview
President of the Reform Now Movement, Sudan - Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani
Zeinab Badawi speaks to the Sudanese politician Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani. For 25 years he stood beside Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir as a key adviser and…
- The Interview
CEO, Russian Organising Committee, World Cup 2018 - Alexei Sorokin
Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium is the venue for the Fifa World Cup final in 2018 – at least it is if Russia retains its status as host nation to the World’s biggest…
- The Interview
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs - Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Barack Obama is due to visit Kenya - his father's homeland - next month. When Obama came to power as the first African-American president of the US, hopes were…
- The Interview
Foreign Policy Advisory Group, Chinese Foreign Ministry - Wu Jianmin
China has been accused by Washington of bullying its neighbours in the South China Sea over disputed territory there. Washington is seeking a new trade pact in…
- The Interview
Author - Colm Tóibín
Stephen Sackur speaks to an Irish writer whose intense, lyrical novels have won him awards, acclaim and most importantly millions of readers around the world…
- The Interview
UN Special Representative for West Africa - Mohamed Ibn Chambas
West Africa has perhaps lulled outsiders into a false sense of security. The regional economy has grown fast and key countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal…
- The Interview
Political Adviser to the Commander of US Forces in Iraq 2007–2010 - Emma Sky
When the self-styled Islamic State movement took control of Ramadi, capital of Iraq's Anbar province, it was another humiliation for the Baghdad government…
- The Interview
Minister of Traditional Affairs, South Africa - Pravin Gordhan
The ANC has come under fire for its response to the xenophobic violence which left seven people dead. Some critics say the government’s response was too slow…
- The Interview
Colombian High Commissioner for Peace - Sergio Jaramillo
The conflict in Colombia between the state and left-wing rebels has been running for more than 50 years. Hundreds of thousands have died and millions more are…
- The Interview
Sir Menzies Campbell, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Pat McFadden
Britain has the same prime minister but a new government. David Cameron's Conservative Party won last week's general election outright - his former coalition…
- The Interview
Minister of Finance, Portugal - Maria Luís Albuquerque
Tim Franks speaks to the Portuguese Finance Minister Maria Luis Albuquerque who has one of the most unforgiving jobs in politics. She is committed to reviving…
- The Interview
President of the Council on Foreign Relations - Dr Richard Haass
Hardtalk speaks to a man from the highest echelons of the US foreign policy establishment. Dr Richard Haass has worked in the State Department, advised US…
- The Interview
Irvine Welsh – Author
Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to a novelist whose fictional world is filled with drugs, sex, sleaze and alienation. Scottish writer Irvine Welsh draws…
- The Interview
Founder and Director of Exit International - Philip Nitschke
Many people are familiar with cases involving terminally ill patients who believe that they should have the right to die. But what about making this a right…
- The Interview
Economist and Owner of H Robotics - Pippa Malmgren
Zeinab Badawi talks to the American economist and hi-tech entrepreneur Pippa Malmgren. By 2025 robots and artificial intelligence will be performing a lot more…
- The Interview
Chairman of the Israel Labor Party - Isaac Herzog
There was a clear winner in last month’s Israeli election but there is not yet a new government. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu is taking his time, talking to…
- The Interview
Director of the Documentary India’s Daughter - Leslee Udwin
The brutal gang rape and murder of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012 provoked widespread shock and outrage and put the spotlight on violence against women in…
- The Interview
Former US Drone Operator - Brandon Bryant
Brandon Bryant's story provides a rare glimpse into a secret world and raises questions about the nature of 21st Century warfare. He joined the US Air Force…
- The Interview
Venezuelan Opposition Politician - Maria Corina Machado
Two years after the death of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s socialist revolution is in trouble. The country's oil reliant economy is ravaged by inflation, shortages…
- The Interview
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs - Valerie Amos
The scale of humanitarian suffering in Syria is impossible to capture in words delivered from the comfort of a radio studio - 12 million people are in dire…
- The Interview
Billionaire Businessman - John Caudwell
Do the world's richest individuals owe anything to the societies within which they flourish? Is the notion of 'giving back' a choice or a moral obligation? As…
- The Interview
Music Producer - Nile Rodgers
Hardtalk speaks to a legend of the music business, a man who has written and performed some of the most memorable tracks of the last four decades. Nile Rodgers…
- The Interview
Hong Kong Democracy Activist - Benny Tai
Hong Kong's self-styled umbrella revolution blew itself out before it could deliver any long-term change in the former colony's political weather. Hardtalk…
- The Interview
Venture Capitalist and Philanthropist - Nick Hanauer
Stephen Sackur speaks with US venture capitalist and philanthropist Nick Hanauer, live from the BBC’s Radio Theatre in London. Nick Hanauer is an American…
- The Interview
General Sir Richard Shirreff
Stephen Sackur speaks to General Sir Richard Shirreff, recently retired as deputy commander of Nato forces. He has recently described British Prime Minister…
- The Interview
Liberal Democrat Minister for Schools - David Laws
For the past five years Britains Liberal Democrat Party have been the junior partner in a coalition with the Conservatives. They have helped deliver a stable…
- The Interview
Lord Levy
Lord Levy is a prominent figure in British public life on two counts - as a leading voice in a British Jewish community which is increasingly concerned about…
- The Interview
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
The Philippines is Asia’s only predominantly Christian country. The Roman Catholic Church has huge influence - divorce and abortion are illegal for example…
- The Interview
Fund Manager - Neil Woodford
Stock markets in New York and London are sitting close to record highs - if the Dow is your guide then we are living in the best of times. But it doesn’t feel…
- The Interview
Conservative Peer - Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
The Conservative peer, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi is one of the most prominent Muslims in Britain. She was the first Muslim to sit in the cabinet, before she…
- The Interview
Former member of al-Qaeda - Aimen Dean
Aimen Dean was a trusted member of Al Qaeda's inner sanctum in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. With his Quranic learning and fervent commitment to holy war…
- The Interview
Scientist - Professor Robert Winston
The UK has become the first country in the world to legalise the creation of what are commonly known as 'three-parent babies' and the first such infants could…
- The Interview
Michael Fuchs
Berlin doesn’t house any of the European Union’s key institutions, but there is no doubt this is the power capital of Europe – something Greece’s new left-wing…
- The Interview
Activist and Rapper Tef Poe
Hardtalk speaks to the activist and rapper Tef Poe. He's described the fatal shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, of unarmed teenager Michael Brown as a…
- The Interview
Minister Gebran Bassil
In a special edition of HARDtalk, Zeinab Badawi is in Brussels to speak to Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. He has travelled to the city to tell EU…
- The Interview
General Assad Durrani
Pakistan's Intelligence Service has long been accused of looking both ways: of tackling terrorists when they target Pakistan but actively supporting them when…
- The Interview
Author Andrey Kurkov
It's a year since the protests in Ukraine's Maidan Square - protests that led to the fall of the pro-Russian government. Russian-born Andrey Kurkov has…
- The Interview
Juan Mendez - the UN's Special Rapporteur on Torture
Sarah Montague talks to Juan Mendez, the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on Torture. He was a human rights lawyer in Argentina in the 70s when he was…
- The Interview
Scientist Anne Glover
Should scientists working with governments and officials give opinions or just stick to giving scientific facts? Hardtalk speaks to the Scottish microbiologist…