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
Nancy Pelosi: American power abroad
With a Trump versus Biden presidential re-run looking likely, how close is the United States to political meltdown? Stephen Sackur speaks to Congresswoman…
- The Interview
Nureldin Satti: The war in Sudan
Zeinab Badawi speaks to Sudan's former ambassador to Washington Nureldin Satti. The conflict that broke out in April between two rival generals in Sudan has…
- The Interview
Peter Boehringer: Is the AfD a threat to German stability?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Peter Boehringer, Vice Chairman of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Deutschland party. They are anti-immigrant, anti-EU…
- The Interview
Feargal Sharkey: Britain's dirty water problem
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former punk rock star turned environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey. He is leading the campaign to clean up Britain’s waterways…
- The Interview
Dominic Lee: Is China scaring investors away from Hong Kong?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Hong Kong lawmaker Dominic Lee. He is a staunch defender of the Beijing-inspired national security crackdown, which has all but…
- The Interview
Jasvinder Sanghera: Abuse and the Church of England
Stephen Sackur speaks to Jasvinder Sanghera, who as a child escaped a forced marriage and has been a lifelong advocate for survivors of abuse. She was hired by…
- The Interview
Sam Rainsy: Has Cambodia's opposition been outfoxed?
Stephen Sackur speaks to exiled Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy. He has tried and failed to engineer the downfall of the country's ruler, Hun Sen, for…
- The Interview
Lucy Prebble: How are writers facing the future?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the leading British playwright and screenwriter Lucy Prebble. Her credits include Enron and The Effect in the theatre, and Succession…
- The Interview
John Cooper Clarke - where does his word magic come from?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the pioneering performance poet John Cooper Clarke. He was once dubbed the bard of punk and all his life he’s used words, rhythm and…
- The Interview
Lord Goldsmith: Is a green backlash reshaping politics?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the UK’s former environment minister Lord Goldsmith. He resigned from Rishi Sunak’s government, accusing the prime minister of being…
- The Interview
Nathan Law: Has China eradicated dissent in Hong Kong?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Nathan Law, the exiled Hong Kong democracy activist who’s now a wanted man with a million-dollar bounty on his head from the…
- The Interview
Andriy Khlyvnyuk: What is war doing to Ukraine’s culture?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ukrainian rockstar Andriy Khlyvnyuk. After the all-out Russian invasion, he swapped his guitar for a gun. When he does sing now, it’s…
- The Interview
Imran Khan: Is Pakistan heading for political chaos?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. He was ousted from power last year but thinks he can stage a comeback in elections…
- The Interview
Kwame Kwei-Armah: Are audiences prepared to engage?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of the Young Vic theatre in London. His work poses questions about race, identity, equality and…
- The Interview
Isabella Tree: Is rewilding a pathway to a healthier planet?
Stephen Sackur is at the Knepp Estate in the south of England to speak to conservationist Isabella Tree. Her estate is a world-renowned example of rewilding…
- The Interview
Agnes Callamard: Is Amnesty facing a credibility crisis?
Holding governments to account for their abuses of human rights is hard. It requires focused forensic investigation, impartiality and no little courage. For…
- The Interview
Lewis Pugh: Pushing the limits of the human body
Stephen Sackur speaks to the master of extreme swimming Lewis Pugh. From the North Pole to Antarctica, his death-defying swims are designed to focus attention…
- The Interview
Gabriel Boric: Can the new left bring change to Chile?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric. Still just 37, he was elected amid excited talk of a new brand of progressive left politics in…
- The Interview
Mikhail Zygar: Is Putin in a vulnerable position?
Zeinab Badawi speaks to dissident Russian journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar, who has rare insights into the inner workings of the Kremlin. After the…
- The Interview
Tomás Saraceno: What does 'being human' mean?
Stephen Sackur interviews one of the world’s most innovative contemporary artists, Tomás Saraceno. His work involves spiders, balloons, dust and air. At its…
- The Interview
Laurence Boone: Can France's government deal with social divisions?
Does France’s government have a clear strategy to deal with the deep social and economic divisions that led to the worst outbreak of violence and rioting for…
- The Interview
María Corina Machado: The existential fight for Venezuela
Stephen Sackur speaks to Venezuelan opposition politician Maria Corina Machado, currently seen as the most likely challenger to socialist authoritarian…
- The Interview
Ann Leslie: What does it mean to be a foreign correspondent?
Another chance to hear Stephen Sackur’s 2008 interview with the acclaimed writer and journalist Dame Ann Leslie, who has passed away at the age of 82. She is…
- The Interview
Peter Boghossian: Has academia been corrupted by ‘woke’ ideology?
Stephen Sackur speaks to controversial philosopher Peter Boghossian, who spoofed a host of US academic journals to expose what he claims is the corruption of…
- The Interview
Jennifer Morgan: Is the rich world doing enough to combat climate change?
Zeinab Badawi speaks to Jennifer Morgan, Germany's special envoy on international climate action. How is she trying to build partnerships to reduce greenhouse…
- The Interview
Anielle Franco: Can Brazil tackle racial inequality?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Anielle Franco, Brazil’s minister of racial equality. She was appointed by President Lula de Silva to tackle entrenched race…
- The Interview
Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover: Can the Anglican church hold together?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Church of England’s first black woman bishop, Rose Hudson-Wilkin. Her home patch, Dover, is at the centre of the political and…
- The Interview
Patrick Verkooijen: Is climate change inevitable?
Stephen Sackur interviews Patrick Verkooijen, the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. Back in 2015, world leaders pledged to speed up cuts in greenhouse…
- The Interview
Dmytro Kuleba: Will Ukraine get the help it needs?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in London for a Ukraine Economic Recovery Conference. Will Ukraine get the help it needs?
- The Interview
Shashi Tharoor: Is India on the right path?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Indian opposition politician and writer Shashi Tharoor. On the face of it, India’s a rising superpower, the world’s most populous…
- The Interview
Daniel Ellsberg: The dangers of military might
Another chance to listen to Stephen Sackur's 2022 interview with the Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who has died aged 92. He exposed US…
- The Interview
Andy Burnham: Can power in the UK be decentralised?
Stephen Sackur is in Manchester to talk to the city’s mayor, Andy Burnham. Six years after he quit the UK parliament with the hope of seeing power…
- The Interview
Peter Singer: Is the animal rights movement unstoppable?
Philosopher Peter Singer has spent decades arguing for animal rights; his arguments have persuaded millions to give up meat. Has the movement he inspired…
- The Interview
Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro): Satire in South Africa
Stephen Sackur is in Cape Town to speak to political cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro). Can satire work in a country still recovering from the prolonged…
- The Interview
Abdullah Mohtadi: What do Iran's Kurds want?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Abdullah Mohtadi, the leader of the Iranian Kurdish political movement Komala. From his exile in Iraq, he’s one of many voices calling…
- The Interview
Ama Ata Aidoo: Celebrating women in Africa
The acclaimed Ghanaian writer Ama Ata Aidoo has died aged 81. A former education minister for a brief period in Ghana, she arguably did more than any other…
- The Interview
Julius Malema: What would he do with power?
The African National Congress has dominated South African politics for the last 29 years, but the party of Nelson Mandela is in trouble. A power crisis is…
- The Interview
Roxane Gay: An unflinching memoir
Stephen Sackur speaks to American writer, academic and cultural commentator Roxane Gay. Her unflinching, extraordinary memoir Hunger deals with her experience…
- The Interview
Martin Amis: The 2013 interview
Coming up after the news from the BBC World Service, it’s HARDtalk with me Stephen Sackur. The influential British author Martin Amis has died at his home in…
- The Interview
John Steenhuisen: Is he a credible alternative to the ANC?
Stephen Sackur speaks to John Steenhuisen, the leader of South Africa’s biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance. He thinks South Africans are ready…
- The Interview
Fikile Mbalula: Will the ANC pay the price of failure?
The ANC has ruled in South Africa since the racist apartheid system was overthrown. But right now the country is in a big mess, with a protracted energy…
- The Interview
Sir Isaac Julien: The lasting impact of art
Zeinab Badawi speaks to the British artist and filmmaker Sir Isaac Julien, whose forty year career is steeped in powerful cultural and political messages. What…
- The Interview
Jane Horrocks: The pathway to empowerment
Stephen Sackur speaks to the actor Jane Horrocks, whose extraordinary range has seen her star in musicals, comedies and gritty dramas. In a capricious…
- The Interview
Hartmut Dorgerloh: Where do colonial treasures belong?
The Humboldt Forum is one of Germany’s great cultural institutions, housing a collection of thousands of works of non-European art. Germany, like many former…
- The Interview
Wavel Ramkalawan: Are the Seychelles becoming paradise lost?
Stephen Sackur talks to Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan. His tiny nation is a tourist magnet, but there are huge challenges: climate change, a shocking…
- The Interview
Karin Kneissl: Vienna’s ties to Moscow and the impact of Austrian neutrality
Stephen Sackur speaks to Austria’s former foreign minister, Karin Kneissl. Her ties to Moscow are close - Vladimir Putin attended her wedding, she sat on the…
- The Interview
Penpa Tsering: Preserving Tibet's identity
It is more than 60 years since the Dalai Lama fled Tibet and set up a government-in-exile, hopeful of one day going back. Since then, China has banned any…
- The Interview
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann: Has war in Ukraine led to a rethink in Germany?
Stephen Sackur is in Berlin to talk to the influential chair of the German parliament's defence committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. Has Russia’s invasion…
- The Interview
Niels Annen: Germany's new foreign policy
Stephen Sackur is in Berlin for a special interview with Niels Annen, Germany’s State Secretary for Economic Co-operation. For decades Germany built its…
- The Interview
Baaba Maal: Can the Sahel overcome its challenges?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the acclaimed Senegalese musician Baaba Maal. His records and musical collaborations have won him millions of fans worldwide, and he’s…
- The Interview
John Cooper Clarke: Punk and poetry
Stephen Sackur speaks to the pioneering performance poet John Cooper Clarke. From his early days as the bard of punk to a decade lost to heroin and then the…
- The Interview
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Defying Putin
Earlier this week, Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Russia for charges linked to his criticism of the war…
- The Interview
Péter Szijjártó: Is Hungary alienating the EU and Nato?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister. Budapest is an outlier in both the EU and Nato, unwilling to arm Ukraine, eager to…
- The Interview
Christo Grozev: Investigating Russia
Stephen Sackur speaks to Christo Grozev, Bellingcat's lead Russia investigator. His work has exposed crimes and embarrassed the Kremlin. What motivates this…
- The Interview
Danny Danon: Is Netanyahu jeopardising Israel’s future?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Israeli MP and former UN ambassador Danny Danon. Amid political turmoil at home, a deteriorating security situation and stinging…
- The Interview
Ben Ferencz: The last Nuremberg trials prosecutor
Ben Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg Nazi trials, has died aged 103. He also helped liberate the death camps of Europe when he was…
- The Interview
Richard Neal: How Northern Ireland affects US-UK relations
As President Biden visits Belfast and Dublin to mark 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement, Stephen Sackur speaks to Congressman Richard Neal, an influential…
- The Interview
Geoffrey Robertson: The case for international justice
Stephen Sackur speaks to the renowned lawyer and author Geoffrey Robertson KC, who has long experience as an international human rights defender and a war…
- The Interview
David Beasley: Can the world afford to feed its most vulnerable?
Sarah Montague speaks to David Beasley, the outgoing head of the World Food Programme. During his tenure, the agency’s budget has more than doubled but the…
- The Interview
Bogdan Aurescu: How is Romania handling the pressure from the war on Ukraine?
The fallout from Putin’s war on Ukraine is having a big impact on Romania, from the refugee crisis to fears of conflict spreading to neighbouring Moldova. How…