
Location:
United Kingdom
Genres:
Government
Networks:
BBC
Description:
In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.
Language:
English
Episodes
Christine Lagarde: Can Europe's economy withstand Trump 2.0?
3/13/2025
Stephen Sackur is in Frankfurt for an exclusive interview with Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank. Donald Trump has triggered what could become a global trade war and has prompted European governments to make massive new defence spending commitments. Is the European economy capable of withstanding Trump 2.0?
Duration:00:22:57
Dominique de Villepin: Is Europe capable of becoming a superpower in its own right?
3/12/2025
Stephen Sackur is in Paris to talk to former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin. Is Europe capable of becoming a superpower in its own right?
Duration:00:22:57
Roger Carstens: Do hostage deals risk making problems worse?
3/7/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to Roger Carstens, former US Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Did the deals he strike from Russia to Iran risk making the problem worse?
Duration:00:22:57
Volker Türk: Are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?
3/5/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. As conflicts destroy millions of lives around the world, are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?
Duration:00:22:57
HARDtalk
3/3/2025
In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.
Duration:00:22:57
Lord Sumption: Is liberal democracy in big trouble?
2/28/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former senior judge, barrister and writer Lord Sumption whose latest book assesses the health of democracy and the rule of law
Duration:00:22:57
Victoria Spartz: Has Donald Trump switched sides on Ukraine?
2/25/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to US Congresswoman Victoria Spartz. Born and raised in Ukraine and now a Donald Trump loyalist, what does she make of the US president’s strategy of pushing for peace in Ukraine by labelling Ukraine’s President Zelensky a dictator and appearing to hand Vladimir Putin a series of diplomatic gifts?
Duration:00:22:58
N. Ram: Freedom of expression in India
2/24/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to one of India’s most influential media voices, N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group. With independent journalists complaining of intimidation and social media facing new curbs, is freedom of expression under threat in the world’s biggest democracy?
Duration:00:22:58
Laila Soueif and Sanaa Seif: Hunger for freedom
2/19/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to Laila Soueif, mother of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a political prisoner in Egypt and Alaa’s sister Sanaa Seif. Laila is into the fifth month of a hunger strike in a desperate bid to win her son’s freedom. Alaa is a dual British-Egyptian citizen – should the UK be doing more to help?
(Photo: Egyptian activist Laila Soueif gives a statement to the media outside Downing Street about her son, Alaa Abdel Fattah, in London, 10 February 2025. Credit: Tolga Akmen/EPA)
Duration:00:22:57
Jake Sullivan: The legacy of the Biden White House
2/14/2025
Stephen Sackur is in Washington D.C. for an exclusive interview with Jake Sullivan, who was National Security Adviser in the Biden White House. From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Gaza, he faced a series of rolling crises. Did the failings of the Biden administration prepare the ground for Trump 2.0?
Duration:00:22:58
Tom Fletcher: What is the impact of US foreign aid cuts?
2/13/2025
Sarah Montague speaks to the UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. As President Trump pulls almost all America’s foreign aid spending, what will the impact be on those around the world who most rely on it?
Duration:00:22:58
Omar Abdullah: Can he bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir?
2/12/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. This mountainous territory neighbouring Pakistan has long been a source of political tension and violence. Can the chief minister work with Delhi to find a pathway to peace and stability?
Duration:00:22:57
Dhananjaya Chandrachud: Justice and the rule of law
2/10/2025
Stephen Sackur is in New Delhi for an exclusive interview with the recently retired Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court judge, Dhananjaya Chandrachud. With Indian politics dominated by Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist BJP, have the courts successfully protected the country’s secular constitution?
Duration:00:22:58
Hardeep Singh Puri: India's big ambitions
2/7/2025
Stephen Sackur is in New Delhi to speak India’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri. India has big ambitions to be a global economic superpower. What does that mean for the country’s geopolitical alliances and commitment to decarbonisation?
Duration:00:22:57
HARDtalk: Basem Naim Senior Hamas official
1/29/2025
Sarah Montague speaks to Basem Naim, a senior political figure in Hamas. Its violence and hostage-taking on October 7th led to an overwhelming Israeli onslaught in Gaza. A fragile ceasefire is now in place, but how can long-term peace be achieved?
Duration:00:22:57
Mouaz Moustafa: Will Syrians get justice?
1/24/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to Mouaz Moustafa, founder of the US-based Syrian Emergency Task Force. He campaigned to bring the Assad regime to justice for its crimes. Now power is in new hands, will Syrians get justice for the dark past and freedom for a better future?
Duration:00:22:58
Ehud Olmert: This war must end now
1/22/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He is a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says only territorial compromise can save Israel from a grim future. But is his simply a voice in the political wilderness?
Duration:00:22:57
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Is Putin vulnerable?
1/15/2025
Stephen Sackur speaks to Vladimir Kara-Murza, the anti-Putin activist who was twice poisoned, then imprisoned in Russia. He was freed in a prisoner swap last summer, and is now lobbying the West to intensify the pressure on the Kremlin. But is there any reason to believe Putin is vulnerable?
Duration:00:22:57
Asif Kapadia: Pushing the boundaries of filmmaking
1/13/2025
Sarah Montague speaks to award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia. His latest film 2073 combines science fiction with documentary to paint a bleak picture of our possible future: a world destroyed by climate change, authoritarian dictators and tech oligarchs. Why produce something so political now?
Duration:00:22:58
Alice Edwards: Is it possible to eradicate torture?
1/9/2025
Sarah Montague speaks to Alice Edwards, the UN special rapporteur on torture. It’s been 40 years since the introduction of the UN Convention Against Torture, but she says it’s still happening at unacceptable levels. Is it possible to eradicate something that has been around for as long as humans have existed?
Duration:00:22:58