20 Questions With

England men's all-time record try scorer, Rory Underwood, gives a rare interview, offering insights into his extraordinary career. He tells the story of how, as the son of a Malaysian Chinese mother and English father, he grew up in both Malaysia and England, and how he managed to combine a job flying jets for the Royal Airforce with scoring 49 tries for his country. He reflects on the impact his...

The co-founder of the Centre for Social Justice and establisher of Conservative Home, Tim Montgomerie, explains why he left the Tory Party and joined Reform. 

Barry Gardiner, a Labour MP for almost 30 years and counting, explains why he thinks Keir Starmer should be replaced as Labour leader and Prime Minister, and why he has faith in the British public that they won't vote in a Reform government. 

Opera sensation Danielle de Niese charts her rise to worldwide fame as the daughter of Sri Lankan Burgher immigrants to first Australia and then America. Debuting at the Met as a 19 year-old Barbarina in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, she has gone to star in opera houses around the world, including at Glyndebourne, where she now lives with her husband. Hailed as "Opera's Coolest Soprano" by the...

Immigration Minister Mike Tapp explains the government's immigration and asylum policy, outlines his "firm but fair" approach, defends Prime Minister Keir Starmer and calls for stability - "Look, I don't give a sh*t - can I swear on here? - I don't give a sh*t if people think that Keir Starmer's boring. We need boring, because that goes hand in hand with stability" - celebrates the Union Jack, des...

What was it like being Chancellor of the Exchequer during the mini budget crisis under Liz Truss's brief Prime Ministership? Kwasi Kwarteng takes us back to the fateful days in the autumn of 2022 with his insider's view. He explains why he was filmed smiling during the Queen's funeral and offers a human perspective on politics. Taking partial responsibility for the economic turbulence during the s...

Former Conservative Justice Secretary David Gauke outlines his vision of a route back to power for the Tories amid the headwinds from Reform. 

Clive Tyldesley's voice is one of the most iconic in sport. The soundtrack to some of the most dramatic moments in football history, it is recognised up and down the country and beyond. Here Tyldesley takes us behind the scenes of the commentary box and lifts the lid on an art form that has helped shape tens of millions of memories. From Rooney to Gerrard, Hakimi to Kane, from the old Goodison Par...

The youngest editor of Wisden for 72 years when he was appointed in 2012, Lawrence Booth gets under the skin of the game and its challenges and thrills in this conversation at the Oval on the cusp of the Test summer. The Bazball verdict, Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes, white ball v red ball, Virat Kohli, Kevin Pietersen, the state of women's cricket, Ashes success and failure, the power of India, Th...

One of the greats of ballet, Ed Watson takes us behind the scenes of his time as a Principal at the Royal Ballet, exploring the physical and emotional demands of being a global star. 

Shirt-maker Emma Willis tells the remarkable story of her rise from door-to-door selling to a shop on Jermyn Street and another in Mayfair. Based in Gloucester, Emma's team sell 13,000 - 14,000 shirts a year, both bespoke and ready to wear, and here she takes us behind the scenes of her factory and reveals the secrets of her success. Offering insights into her entrepreneurism and commitment to Bri...

Maurizio Bragagni is Chairman and CEO of Tratos Ltd, a multinational company that sells cables around the world. Born and raised in Italy, Bragagni is a champion of British manufacturing. Here he tells the story of his third generation family business, now based in the UK, that makes billions of metres of cables a year. Honoured by both Italy and San Marino, Bragagni has been awarded an OBE and is...

Best-selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Sir Alexander McCall Smith takes us on the journey of his remarkable life, from a childhood in British-run Rhodesia to world-wide fame as a Scottish writer. He discusses his influences and passions, his preoccupations and his sense of moral empathy. From cave drawings in Botswana to receiving his knighthood in a kilt and bonnet, via settin...

Multi-award-winning journalist, and Channel 4 News anchor, Matt Frei appears on the 20 Questions With podcast from Israel during the third week of the war with Iran. Fresh from dashing around the country covering missile strikes, taking shelter in a bunker, and interviewing the Israeli President, he gives his insight into what it's like working in war zones, revealing the mix of fear, adrenaline a...

Sir Richard Peto is Emeritus Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. He has helped to reduce the premature deaths of tens of millions of people across the world with his research into smoking, breast cancer, and heart attacks. Here he explains his methods, details his pioneering work in statistics, and outlines improvements he'd like to see in his field. This...

Entrepreneur, manufacturer, style icon, sportsman and a star of The Great British Sewing Bee, Patrick Grant talks fashion, business, TV, men's clothes, representing Scotland at rugby, growing a beard, keeping trim, barely drinking, ageing, mortality, passion, career trajectory, AI, championing British manufacturing, post-industrial towns and cities, provenance, caring, childhood, and taking risks....

Justine Picardie, author of the new book, Fashioning The Crown, reveals the role fashion has played in the British monarchy; describes spending personal time with the late Queen Elizabeth II; explores the power of women when men still ruled the world; gives her verdict on Coco Chanel; tells the story of her own relationship with fashion and style, and offers insights into life at home in rural Nor...

Sir John Curtice, Britain's most famous polling expert and stalwart of BBC election nights, is at risk of becoming a national treasure. Here he offers his insights into the fragmentation of British politics; the rise of Reform under Farage and of the Greens under Polanksi; the challenges facing Labour and the Tories; the unpopularity of Sir Keir Starmer and British political leaders in general; th...

Guardian columnist Zoe Williams pushes back against Reform UK, addresses questions of a split on the left of British politics, wishes that Starmer would improve, suggests an humane approach to asylum seekers, offers her view of national identity, charts the shifting of the Overton window rightwards in British politics, and reveals what most makes her tick as a writer. 

Julia Bradbury shares her story of recovering from cancer, and the journey she's been on since her diagnosis, as she explores alternative approaches to health and wellbeing. Along the way she explores the longevity of her career as a television presenter, her commitment to nature, her experience of travel, including to Antarctica, and her determination to be there for her children. This is a deepl...

One of the greatest directors of his generation, Sir Richard Eyre shares his insights from a life in theatre and film. From Judy Dench and Ian Holm to Anthony Hopkins and David Harewood, from Olivier to Brando, Eyre offers glimpses into a world of acting stardom and genius. What makes a great actor? What makes a great director? How did Eyre himself rise from being, in his view, an inadequate actor...

Superstar Sophie Ellis-Bextor brings joy and her unique giggle - as well as serious reflection on serious issues - to the 20 Questions With podcast. From her eBay habit to a career renaissance, a billboard hit, kitchen discos, the thrill of performing live, the energy of music, worldwide travel, working with her husband, raising five boys, making money, philately, the impact of her parents' divorc...

Legendary broadcaster John Sergeant tells the often hilarious stories that knit together to form a career that has straddled both the deadly serious and the comic and absurd. From Northern Ireland to the shiny floors of Strictly Come Dancing via Vietnam and Westminster, Sergeant has spent a life in the limelight. He reveals the background to his famous ambush of Margaret Thatcher on the steps of t...

Britain's most famous classicist, Dame Mary Beard, takes us on a journey through her life and career, offering insights and anecdotes along the way. What would the Romans have been like on X?  Should we pass moral judgements on those who lived thousands of years ago? Does being a classicist make you a better person? Does she see herself as an outsider? Who's her favourite Roman woman? Is it possib...

The veteran broadcaster reflects on a career that led him to become a presenter on the BBC's flagship Today programme, and one of Britain's most famous interviewers. He explores the impact growing up in a Cardiff slum had on his later life, reveals what has motivated him in his work, and shares his views on politicians. Humphrys also looks ahead to the BBC's future, predicts the end of the licence...