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
Greece Minister of Health - Adonis Georgiadis
Those who think the worst of the Eurozone crisis is over should consider what is happening in Greece. Public sector job cuts have prompted a new wave of…
- The Interview
Chairman, Professional Footballers’ Association - Clarke Carlisle
It is many a young boy’s dream to become a professional footballer. Understandable given the riches and the adulation on offer to the biggest stars in the…
- The Interview
Musician - Roger Waters
Draw up a list of the biggest bands in the history of rock and roll and a remarkable number of them will be British. There’s The Beatles and The Rolling Stones…
- The Interview
Samantha Geimer
In the late 1970s the film director Roman Polanski admitted to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. He spent 42 days in prison then fled…
- The Interview
Freedom and Justice Party MP, Egypt - Abdul Mawgoud Dardery
What now for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and its political wing the Freedom and Justice Party? Rarely has the fall from power of a party been so quick…
- The Interview
Garry Kasparov - Opposition Activist and Former World Chess Champion
Vladimir Putin appears to be relishing his role at the centre of the diplomatic manoeuvring over Syria - it reinforces his image as the strong man in the…
- The Interview
Prime Minister of Italy - Enrico Letta
Hardtalk is in Italy to speak to the Italian Prime Minister, Enrico Letta. He is trying to hold together a fragile coalition of left and right, including the…
- The Interview
Former Adviser to President Obama - Peter Blair Henry
Economists have spent years bemoaning the long-term stagnation of the advanced economies and drawing unflattering comparisons with the dynamic growth in the…
- The Interview
Raffaele Sollecito
Six years ago a young English student Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia, Italy. The investigative and judicial process which followed was fundamentally…
- The Interview
Prime Minister of France (2005 – 2007) - Dominique de Villepin
Is a military strike against the Assad regime in the offing or not? Two weeks after reports emerged of an apparent chemical weapons attack in the Damascus…
- The Interview
Actor, Writer and Director - Steven Berkoff
Allan Little talks to the acclaimed actor, writer and director Steven Berkoff. He’s spent over 50 years in the theatre and on film, rocking the establishment…
- The Interview
Secretary General of the Arab League (2001- 2011) - Amr Moussa
The Egyptian authorities are drafting a new constitution that would ban religious-based political parties. It's prompted a furious reaction from those who…
- The Interview
Former Bishop of Edinburgh - Richard Holloway
Hardtalk speaks to the former Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway. He entered a seminary at the age of 14, intent on becoming a monk and rose to be the…
- The Interview
Greek Finance Minister, 2009 - 2011, George Papaconstantinou
Hardtalk speaks to Greece's former finance minister, George Papaconstantinou – the man who was negotiating Greece's bail out until 2011 and, with it, imposing…
- The Interview
UN Representative, Syrian Coalition - Najib Ghabian
A senior US intelligence official has warned that Syria has become the "predominant jihadist battlefield in the world". As many as 10,000 foreigners could now…
- The Interview
Britain's Former Chancellor, Alistair Darling
After almost three years of scraping along the bottom, the United Kingdom seems to be showing signs of an economic recovery from the deep recession that…
- The Interview
Professor of Physiology, Maastricht University - Mark Post
In what has been billed as a ‘world first', fast food grown in a laboratory was served up in London recently. Hardtalk speaks to professor Mark Post who says…
- The Interview
International Human Rights Lawyer - Payam Akhavan
Genocide is often called the ultimate crime and after every tragedy, the world says 'it must never happen again'. And yet it does. Hardtalk speaks to leading…
- The Interview
Interim President, ANC Youth League, South Africa - Mzwandile Masina
South Africa is holding general elections next year and for the first time, a whole new generation will cast their vote. The 'born free generation' has no…
- The Interview
Egypt Foreign Minister - Nabil Fahmy
The political standoff in Egypt remains in the balance. Thousands of supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, remain camped-out in Cairo. The interim…
- The Interview
Composer - Sir John Tavener
Sarah Montague speaks to Sir John Tavener, one of Britain's most celebrated composers. He says his music is for God - even referring to it as a form of divine…
- The Interview
On the Road: Alaska – Part 2
Alaska, a land of pristine wilderness, sparse population and unimaginable resource riches. It is also the corner of our planet which is experiencing the most…
- The Interview
On the Road: Alaska - Part 1
Hardtalk is on the road in Alaska. In the first of two programmes, Stephen Sackur visits the Bristol Bay region of south-west Alaska where the fishing…
- The Interview
Opera Singer - Thomas Hampson
Opera is one of the least watched art forms in the world, and possibly the most expensive. Hardtalk speaks to opera superstar Thomas Hampson. He says the way…
- The Interview
Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria - Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi
Rivers State is at the heart of Nigeria’s oil industry, which produces 20% of the country's wealth. Yet more than one billion dollars a month is being lost to…
- The Interview
Iraq Foreign Minister - Hoshyar Zebari
Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said he wanted to rehabilitate Iraq’s image after the fall of Saddam Hussein. But now sectarian violence in Iraq is…
- The Interview
General Secretary of the GMB Union - Paul Kenny
Britain's Labour Party was created from the trade unions and it still gets most of its money from them. But Labour’s leader Ed Miliband - a man who owes his…
- The Interview
Prime Minister-Designate, Albania - Edi Rama
Albania is the single most corrupt country in Europe according to Transparency International. Hardtalk speaks to Edi Rama, who will become Albania's prime…
- The Interview
UK Conservative MP - David Davis
David Davis has been a candidate for the leadership of the British Conservative party but he has also made a name for himself as a civil liberties campaigner -…
- The Interview
Chief Executive, Soho China - Zhang Xin
Zhang Xin is one of only 24 self-made female billionaires in the world. Her story is a true rags-to-riches tale. As a teenager she worked in a sweat-shop in…
- The Interview
Mustafa Akyol and Dina Wahba
A year ago the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's creed looked like a winning political formula. Now the Islamists have been removed from power by the army and…
- The Interview
Greek Minister for Public Order - Nikos Dendias
Nikos Dendias, Greece’s minister for public order believes Greece has become the new gateway to Europe, receiving 90% of all illegal immigrants to the EU. He…
- The Interview
Afghanistan Minister of Finance - Dr Omar Zakhilwal
Afghanistan is a country that has huge natural resources. It is also one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Hardtalk is in Kabul to talk to…
- The Interview
Head of the Afghan National Army - General Sher Mohammad Karimi
International Forces are pulling out of Afghanistan. By the end of next year they will be gone completely. HARDtalk is in Afghanistan to speak to the head of…
- The Interview
Black Sabbath Guitarist - Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi’s band is topping the charts again after 43 years. Black Sabbath are better known for the antics of on/off lead singer Ozzy Osborne than the skills…
- The Interview
Chief Justice of South Africa - Mogoeng Mogoeng
Since the end of apartheid almost 20 years ago South Africa's constitution has become one of the most admired in the world - progressive, transformative…
- The Interview
Sergei Guriev – Russian Economist
Sergei Guriev is one of modern Russia's best and brightest economists. Well connected to the new Russian political elite, Guriev was a strong voice for…
- The Interview
Michael Sandel – Political Philosopher
Tim Franks speaks to Michael Sandel, a philosopher with the global profile of a rock star. His argument that markets are increasingly entering all parts of…
- The Interview
Mehmet Simsek - Finance Minister, Turkey
Following the response to the anti-government demonstrations, critics at home and abroad are pointing to an increasingly authoritarian style of political…
- The Interview
Ayad Allawi – Former Prime Minister of Iraq
More than a thousand people were killed in violence in Iraq last month according to the United Nations. The country appears to be dividing along religious…
- The Interview
Martin Amis – Author
Stephen Sackur speaks to Martin Amis, an author who was pigeon-holed early in his career as the ‘enfant terrible’ of the British literary world. Four decades…
- The Interview
Ivo Daalder, US Permanent Representative to NATO
He’s European by birth; an American citizen by choice. But are those two outlooks becoming increasingly hard to reconcile? There’s tension over US surveillance…
- The Interview
Mo Ibrahim – Chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Shaun Ley speaks to Mo Ibrahim, creator of the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. His Index of African Governance suggests generally things…
- The Interview
Jean-François Copé – President, UMP Party, France
France is one of the political heavyweights of the European Union, a key world economy and a major global player. Hardtalk speaks to Jean-François Copé, the…
- The Interview
Pierre Krähenbühl - Director of Operations, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pulling some of its international staff out of Afghanistan, following a murderous attack on its…
- The Interview
Robert Fowler - Former UN Special Representative to Niger
Robert Fowler, a senior Canadian diplomat, was held hostage for five months by Al Qaeda in Niger in 2009. He says that since his capture and release, terror…
- The Interview
Lindiwe Mazibuko - Leader of the Opposition in the South African Parliament
South Africa’s government and politics and has been dominated by Nelson Mandela’s old party, the ANC, since the end of apartheid nearly twenty years ago…
- The Interview
Harold Koh - Legal Adviser, US State Department 2009-13
President Obama says the US needs to redefine and recalibrate its strategic response to terrorism. From drone strikes to the future of Guantanamo, the Obama…
- The Interview
John Kerry, US Secretary of State
As the African Union celebrates 50 years, young people from across the continent put their questions about US foreign policy to John Kerry, US Secretary of…
- The Interview
Zoran Milanovic – Prime Minister, Croatia
On July 1st, Croatia will be the twenty-eighth and newest member of the European Union. Stephen Sackur talks to Prime Minister, Zoran Milanović. He sees his…
- The Interview
Sir Alan Parker - Film Director
Sir Alan Parker is one of Britain's most experienced and successful film directors. His work ranges from the stomach churning realism of Midnight Express to…
- The Interview
Alan Johnson – UK Home Secretary 2009 – 2010
The British public appears increasingly alienated from mainstream politics and politicians - a phenomenon which can also be seen in other mature democracies…
- The Interview
Thomas Drake – Former Senior Executive, US National Security Agency
When it comes to national security does the need for secrecy override the public's right to know? It is a hot debate in many democracies, none more so than the…
- The Interview
Zainab Bangura - UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Zainab Bangura, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, says that for too long wars have been waged on the bodies of women. Over the past…
- The Interview
Pravin Gordhan – Finance Minister, South Africa
South Africa has been told by the old colonial power, Britain, that it doesn't need development aid any more. Shaun Ley speaks to Pravin Gordhan, South…
- The Interview
Lord Patten - Chairman of the BBC Trust
Almost three hundred million people across the world consume BBC content every week. But does the BBC deserve your trust? After going through a prolonged…
- The Interview
Lord Browne – Chief Executive BP (1995 – 2007)
He made his name and fortune in the oil industry and in the process became one of Britain's best known business leaders. John Browne was BP's boss for 12…
- The Interview
Jonathan Miller – Theatre and Opera Director
Jonathan Miller has had a career of mind-boggling diversity and creativity that defies an easy label. He is best known as a director and producer of opera and…
- The Interview
Ioannis Kasoulides – Foreign Minister of Cyprus
Cyprus is enduring the agonies of a financial and economic meltdown. But here's the really bad news for the Cypriot people - according to international…
- The Interview
Carlos Gutierrez - US Secretary of Commerce 2005 – 2009
The United States is a nation built by immigrants, but immigration is also an issue which has created deep divisions. As the United States Congress prepares to…