The Interview

Hardtalk speaks to the most successful Olympic sailor of all time - British four-time gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie. In September he was part of team USA which enjoyed a spectacular victory against team New Zealand at the America's Cup in San Francisco. But sailing is becoming more and more expensive - with critics saying it is now a niche sport funded by billionaires and enjoyed by the few. How...

Emma Bonino has been an outspoken and bold activist for political and social freedoms for decades. She was instrumental in getting Italy to legalise abortion, has campaigned against nuclear energy, racism and sexism. But when she looks at what's happening in Italy today, does she feel that she has lost the fight? Recorded in front of a live audience for the 100 Women season.

Imagine a world where robots can think and feel like humans - Hardtalk speaks to pioneering American scientist Professor Rosalind Picard, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has advanced the capability of computers to recognise human emotions. In the future, could robots fitted with intelligent computers perform tasks such as caring for the elderly, or fight as soldiers on the batt...

The International diplomatic effort to push Syria's warring parties to the negotiating table continues - as does the mission to eliminate the Assad regime's stockpile of chemical weapons. But all the while the suffering of Syrian civilians intensifies. Hardtalk speaks to David Nott, a British surgeon recently returned from five weeks practising frontline medicine in rebel-held Syrian territory. He...

Vladimir Putin rules Russia with ruthless efficiency. Opponents and potential rivals know they are engaged in a dangerous game, and for proof they need look no further than the fate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky: once Russia’s richest man, an oligarch who crossed the Kremlin and who’s been a prisoner for the past decade. Stephen Sackur talks to his son Pavel Khodorkovsky. His father is due to be freed n...

What do we want from the movies we see? Judging from the global box office returns the answer is escapism, superheroes and awesome special effects. But that’s not how all A-list Hollywood directors make their name. Hardtalk speaks to Paul Greengrass who makes taut, tense films that aren’t always easy to watch. His biggest hits were the Bourne movies starring Matt Damon, his most intense film was p...

Thanks to Edward Snowden, America's cyber-spy turned leaker, we now know US intelligence agencies backed by the British secretly monitor electronic communications all over the world. In Britain, Snowden's revelations have prompted a ferocious argument between self-styled defenders of liberty and pillars of the security establishment. Hardtalk speaks to Sir Malcolm Rifkind, chairman of the UK parli...

Are winds of change blowing across Iran? The Islamic Republic's new president, Hassan Rouhani, has engineered a diplomatic opening with the United States. There's optimistic talk of compromise on the nuclear stand-off and an end to Iran's international isolation. Where would that leave die-hard opponents of the regime? Stephen Sackur speaks to Reza Pahlavi, exiled eldest son of the late Shah of Ir...

In Britain healthcare is state-funded, free at the point of delivery to all citizens. The National Health Service is routinely described by politicians of all stripes as one of the country's greatest treasures. But the NHS's reputation has been damaged by recent shocking revelations of failings in patient care. Hardtalk speaks to the Chief Executive of NHS England, Sir David Nicholson. Is his heal...

Is it time to mourn the death of Egypt’s revolutionary dream? Civilians lead the government but real power lies with the armed forces. Emergency law, military courts, the outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood - the list of repressive measures invites comparison with the darkest days of the Mubarak era. Hardtalk speaks to Egyptian writer and political activist Ahdaf Soueif. She is part of a movement...

Thanks to money, media rights and commercialisation, cricket, a game of proud tradition, has been transformed into a multi-billion dollar sporting commodity. The cradle of this cricketing revolution has been India, home of the Indian Premier League – the world’s richest cricket tournament. Hardtalk speaks to Lalit Modi, the creator of the Indian Premier League. He has since been banished from cric...

Opinion polls in Britain suggest public faith in politics and politicians has plummeted in the last decade. Why? A lot of powerful reasons lie within the pages of a dark political memoir written by Damian McBride. He was the spin doctor for former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and routinely used smears, leaks and a host of dirty tricks to serve his master's interests and undermine his enem...

For the second time in his presidency Barack Obama is eyeing the 'reset button' in his diplomatic toolkit. With Russia it misfired, so when it comes to Iran, what are the chances of overcoming three decades of hostility? Hardtalk speaks to John Limbert, the state department's point man on Iran in Obama's first term - and one of the US diplomats held hostage in Tehran 34 years ago. Are the US and I...

Many dozens have died in the Nairobi shopping mall siege raising questions both inside Kenya and elsewhere as to the nature of future terror attacks - who will carry them out, and where? Hardtalk speaks to counter-insurgency expert David Kilcullen. He has worked in just about every conflict zone across several continents, including in Somalia, Kenya and Syria. Is the world in danger of underplayin...

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 strikes, a third bailout seems likely as the government wrestles with its crippling debt burden, while poverty and extremist violence threaten the country's social cohesion. Hardtalk speaks to Greece's controversial Health Minister Adonis Georgiad...

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 world’s most popular sport. But behind football's flashy facade there are real problems - racism, corruption and amongst some players, dangerous levels of depression. Hardtalk speaks to Clarke Carlisle, newly retired professional footballer and...

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 of course, but also Pink Floyd, whose albums ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ and ‘The Wall’ remain rock classics. Stephen Sackur speaks to Roger Waters, who was a dominant figure in Pink Floyd until he quit in 1985. He is still performing and h...

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 United States because he feared being given a longer sentence. Much has been said and written about what happened, but we’ve hardly heard anything from the girl herself. Hardtalk is in New York to speak to the woman at the centre of the...

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, dramatic and violent. Since President Morsi’s removal by the army, thousands of the Brotherhood’s members and supporters have been arrested, including most of its senior leaders. Hardtalk speaks to Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a member of the now sus...

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 Kremlin. But just how strong is he? A recent round of Russian municipal elections gave the anti-Putin movement a much needed morale boost. Hardtalk speaks to the opposition activist and former world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. Is there any se...

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 party of Silvio Berlusconi, while pushing through a programme of economic reforms designed to stimulate an economy still reeling from the Euro crisis. With the situation in Syria straining international relations, can Mr. Letta keep his gover...

Economists have spent years bemoaning the long-term stagnation of the advanced economies and drawing unflattering comparisons with the dynamic growth in the emerging economies, but is it time to change the tune? The US economic motor is showing signs of life, just as nervousness is sweeping across financial markets from Jakarta to Brasilia. Today's guest is leading American economist and former Ob...

Six years ago a young English student Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia, Italy. The investigative and judicial process which followed was fundamentally flawed. Two people, Meredith's American flatmate Amanda Knox, and Knox's boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito spent four years in prison convicted of Meredith's murder. Two years ago they were acquitted on appeal; later this month they will be retri...

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 suburbs, the West's response is still riddled with uncertainty and confusion. Stephen Sackur speaks to the former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. His country stands ready to join an attack on the Syrian regime, but with who? British...

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 with his outspoken and often angry views. His work ranges from appearances in A Clockwork Orange and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; to adaptations of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. He has also written a number of his own plays – one of which...