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
Petr Pavel: Can Ukraine still count on Europe's support?
Stephen Sackur is in Prague for an exclusive interview with the newly elected president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel. What does the election of this…
- The Interview
Evgeny Popov: Are cracks appearing at the Kremlin?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Russian MP and pro-Kremlin TV host Evgeny Popov. The Ukraine invasion is beset with problems and Putin faces war crimes charges. Are…
- The Interview
James Daunt: Is the books industry a place where creativity and diversity truly thrive?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the hugely successful bookseller James Daunt. From Waterstones to Barnes & Noble he has fought off ebooks and online retail to revive…
- The Interview
Mustafa Barghouti: Can Palestinians improve their situation?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Palestinian politician, physician and civil rights activist Mustafa Barghouti. The seemingly endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict…
- The Interview
Sergei Pugachev: Inside Putin's rise
Stephen Sackur is in Nice to speak to the former Russian oligarch and billionaire businessman Sergei Pugachev. He was once dubbed Putin’s banker, a close…
- The Interview
Simcha Rothman: Is Israel plunging into chaos?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a key architect of the Netanyahu government’s controversial legal reforms aimed at radically…
- The Interview
Notis Mitarachi: Has Greece's government lost the confidence of the people?
The devastating train crash in Greece which killed 57 people generated a wave of grief and anger. Many Greeks see the disaster as symptomatic of a failing…
- The Interview
Félix Maradiaga: Standing up to Nicaragua's president
Stephen Sackur speaks to Félix Maradiaga, the former opposition leader and presidential candidate imprisoned by Nicaragua’s veteran autocrat Daniel Ortega…
- The Interview
Tikhon Dzyadko: Is there an audience for independent news in Russia?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Tikhon Dzyadko, editor-in-chief of Russia’s independent TV news channel Dozhd (or TV Rain). Closed down in Moscow, now they are…
- The Interview
Ece Temelkuran: Is Erdogan's control of Turkey under threat?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ece Temelkuran, a prominent exiled Turkish writer and critic of President Erdogan. Erdogan has dominated Turkey for two decades but…
- The Interview
Olesya Khromeychuk: Conflict and identity
Stephen Sackur speaks to the British-Ukrainian historian and author Olesya Khromeychuk. She's written a book and a play about her brother Volodya, a soldier…
- The Interview
Stefanie Green: The ethics of assisted dying
Stephen Sackur speaks to Dr Stefanie Green, a leading advocate for Canada’s liberal assisted dying laws, who has herself overseen more than 300 deaths by…
- The Interview
Waris Dirie: The fight against FGM
Stephen Sackur speaks to Waris Dirie, the Somali born model, writer and activist. She was raised in poverty, and later became the muse of big fashion houses in…
- The Interview
Mick Lynch: Strife, strikes and workers' rights
Stephen Sackur speaks to Mick Lynch, leader of Britain’s biggest rail union the RMT. His members are striking for inflation proofed pay and job protection. It…
- The Interview
Kenneth Roth: Is the fight for human rights being lost?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Kenneth Roth, who spent three decades leading the campaign group Human Rights Watch. Why is the fight for human rights being lost in…
- The Interview
Kira Rudik: Can Ukraine win this war?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP and leader of the opposition party Golos. As the first anniversary of Putin’s invasion looms, does Ukraine…
- The Interview
Pervez Musharraf: Power in Pakistan
Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani army chief who masterminded a coup in 1999 and ruled the country for nine years, has died in Dubai aged 79 after a long…
- The Interview
Zsuzsanna Szelényi: How strong is Viktor Orbán's grip on Hungary?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Zsuzsanna Szelényi, a former ally, and now prominent opponent, of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Has Orbán found a political…
- The Interview
Sergey Karaganov: Is Putin placing bets he cannot win?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Russian foreign policy strategist and sometime Kremlin adviser Sergey Karaganov. Russia is widely expected to launch a major new…
- The Interview
Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah: How should international aid work?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the boss of Oxfam Great Britain, Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah. He took over after Oxfam was hit by scandal with staff abusing their…
- The Interview
Robert Malley: What next for US policy on Iran?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Robert Malley, US special envoy for Iran. He’s an experienced diplomat facing a looming crisis. The attempt to revive a deal to curb…
- The Interview
Leopoldo Lopez: Has Venezuela’s opposition been outmanoeuvred?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Leopoldo Lopez, a key leader of Venezuela’s opposition. Once a political prisoner, now in exile in Spain, his efforts to topple the…
- The Interview
Dmytro Kuleba: Is the West's hesitation undermining Ukraine?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba. The war with Russia has hit a winter stalemate, but what will spring bring? From battle…
- The Interview
Ruben Vardanyan: Nagorno-Karabakh and Putin
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ruben Vardanyan, state minister of the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, run by ethnic Armenians but surrounded by Azerbaijan and…
- The Interview
Celso Amorim: Is Brazil becoming ungovernable?
Brazilian President Lula must figure out whether another assault on government institutions is likely, and hold those responsible to account. All of that while…
- The Interview
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Is global free trade possible?
Stephen Sackur is in Geneva to speak to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization. Her job is to maximise free and fair trade…
- The Interview
Jagath Weerasinghe: Sri Lanka's bloody past
Zeinab Badawi is in Sri Lanka to talk to one of the country’s most influential artists and archaeologists, Jagath Weerasinghe. What does his art tell us about…
- The Interview
Marilyn Stafford: A life in pictures
What makes a great photograph? In 2019, Stephen Sackur spoke to one of the pioneers of photojournalism, Marilyn Stafford. She was born in the United States but…
- The Interview
Boris Bondarev: Speaking out against Putin
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev, who quit his post and launched a scathing attack on the Putin regime after the invasion of…
- The Interview
Waheed Arian: Migration in the Western world
War and extreme poverty drive millions of people from their homes every year. Some of them try to reach the rich Western world, where such inward migration…
- The Interview
Fawad Chaudhry: Is Pakistan heading for economic meltdown?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s former information minister and a senior figure in Imran Khan’s opposition PTI party. Pakistan is dealing…
- The Interview
Evgenia Kara-Murza: Has Putin neutralised his Russian opponents?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Russian opposition activist Evgenia Kara-Murza, whose husband Vladimir, a prominent opponent of Vladimir Putin, is in prison in…
- The Interview
Hardtalk in 2022
Passion, pain, tension, denial. This past year we’ve seen it all. Stephen Sackur presents excerpts from some of our most powerful interviews concerning matters…
- The Interview
Wes Streeting: Is Britain ready for a new government?
British nurses are striking, and the health service is in trouble. Stephen Sackur speaks to Wes Streeting, a rising star of the UK's Labour party and their…
- The Interview
Oleksandra Matviichuk and Yan Rachinsky: Fighting for civil rights
Stephen Sackur is in Oslo to talk to two of the three joint winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Oleksandra Matviichuk is the head of the Center for Civil…
- The Interview
David Friedberg: Can tech fix our biggest challenges?
In a special edition from San Francisco, Stephen Sackur speaks to billionaire tech investor David Friedberg. He’s convinced science and technology can fix the…
- The Interview
Daniel Ellsberg: Does the US military have too much power?
In an exclusive interview from California, Stephen Sackur speaks to Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers whistleblower who exposed US government lies about…
- The Interview
London Breed: What does San Francisco reveal about the US?
Stephen Sackur is in the US to speak to San Francisco’s mayor London Breed, a rising star of the Democratic Party. Her city is one of contrasts - vast tech…
- The Interview
Rachel Clarke: Talking honestly about the end of life
Stephen Sackur speaks to the palliative care doctor and author Rachel Clarke. She has written thought-provoking, moving accounts of what it's like to be a…
- The Interview
Barbara Chase-Riboud: Monuments and controversy
Zeinab Badawi speaks to American artist and writer Barbara Chase-Riboud at the Serpentine Galleries in London. Over a career spanning seven decades…
- The Interview
Getachew Reda: Have Tigray's rebels surrendered?
One of the most costly conflicts of the 21st century may be over. Representatives of the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels signed a peace agreement…
- The Interview
Chelsea Manning: Does transparency justify leaking state secrets?
Stephen Sackur interviews former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who leaked a trove of military secrets and spent seven years behind bars. Did her…
- The Interview
Salome Zourabichvili: How much does Georgia have to fear from Russia?
The war in Ukraine has triggered fears that Vladimir Putin may set his sights on other former Soviet republics. Zeinab Badawi speaks to Salome Zourabichvili…
- The Interview
Ronald Lamola: Does the ANC have answers for South Africa's problems?
Next month, the ruling ANC in South Africa holds its five-yearly national conference. President Cyril Ramaphosa is seeking re-election as leader of the party…
- The Interview
Mark Wolf: Does the world need a new anti-corruption court?
Global leaders often come together to work for what they hope is the greater good, such as tackling climate change, conflict and the economic crisis. But does…
- The Interview
David Dimbleby: Are journalistic values under threat?
Where do you get your news from, and do you trust it to be true? For many of us, the answers to these questions are changing. Social media is an increasingly…
- The Interview
Gerard Lyons: Is Britain's economy up to scratch?
The UK economy is in a hole. Inflation is high, interest rates are rising, public debt is soaring and, according to the Bank of England, Britons face two years…
- The Interview
Sauli Niinistö: Finland's new strategic direction
Stephen Sackur is in Helsinki for an exclusive interview with Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö. After decades of pragmatic coexistence with Moscow, Finland…
- The Interview
Ben Hodges: Is Ukrainian victory inevitable?
Stephen Sackur speaks to General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US army in Europe. He claims a Ukrainian victory in the war with Russia is inevitable…
- The Interview
Rafael Grossi: Is nuclear power ever risk-free?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Rafael Grossi, director general of the world’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. He’s been to Ukraine and has…
- The Interview
Dimitar Kovačevski: Can North Macedonia finally join the EU?
In an exclusive interview, Stephen Sackur is in Skopje to speak to North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski. His nation emerged out of the former…
- The Interview
Matthew Collins: Taking on the far right
Stephen Sackur speaks to the writer and anti-racism campaigner Matthew Collins. In his youth he was himself a far-right thug, but he changed sides and became…
- The Interview
Audrey Tang: Can Taiwan forge its own path?
Zeinab Badawi is in Taiwan to speak to Audrey Tang, the country's digital minister. The Taipei government says it stands for democracy in the face of…
- The Interview
Jan Lipavský: Will energy crisis break Europe's stand against Moscow?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, an ardent supporter of Ukraine in a country facing an energy and economic crisis this winter…
- The Interview
German Galushchenko: How vulnerable is Ukraine?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko. His country’s energy and power infrastructure is being targeted by Russian rockets and…
- The Interview
Dr Anthony Fauci: What did the US get wrong about Covid?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Dr Anthony Fauci, soon to retire as President Biden’s chief medical adviser. Under Trump, then Biden, Dr Fauci was at the forefront of…
- The Interview
Amin Salam: Is Lebanon heading for meltdown?
Lebanon is experiencing one of the most disastrous economic collapses of the last 100 years. The national economy is less than half the size it was just three…
- The Interview
Maggie Haberman: Donald Trump and journalistic responsibility
Zeinab Badawi speaks to the award winning American journalist Maggie Haberman. She has published a book that chronicles the rise and fall of Donald Trump, and…
- The Interview
Boris Grebenshchikov: Culture and protest in Russia
Zeinab Badawi speaks to Russian rock musician Boris Grebenshchikov, who last played in Russia the day before Putin invaded Ukraine. Now living in exile in…
- The Interview
Masih Alinejad: A revolution for Iranian women?
Stephen Sackur speaks to exiled Iranian women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad. The death in police custody of a young woman arrested for showing strands of…