The Interview

Nada Tawfik, North America correspondent, speaks to Prince Harry about reconciliation with the royal family after his loss in court over his security arrangements in the UK The Prince stepped down from his duties as a working royal in 2020 and moved to the United States with his wife, Meghan. After his tax-payer funded protection was downgraded, he said it was too dangerous to bring his family bac...

James Copnall, presenter of Newsday, speaks to Emi Mahmoud, Sudanese activist and poet, about the war that has claimed more than 150,000 lives since it began two years ago. In what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis, about 12 million people have also been forced to flee their homes. Emi speaks about the pain of losing many members of her family, the brutality of...

David Brown, producer of the BBC TV’s Trump - The First 100 Days, speaks to Kurt Volker, former US ambassador to NATO, about the whirlwind start to President Trump’s second term in office. In this conversation, Ambassador Volker, who previously served as Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, shares his assessment of the president’s programme of change - and the extraordinary pace of reform. He gives t...

Dan Roan, the BBC’s sports editor, speaks to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, billionaire businessman and co-owner of Manchester United Football Club. In this conversation, Sir Jim discusses the changes he’s implementing both on and off the pitch, as well as his vision to transform the iconic club into one of the world’s most profitable businesses. Born into a modest family, he’s been a lifelong Manchester Unit...

Victoria Uwonkunda, reporter and presenter for BBC News, speaks to Bobi Wine, the Ugandan opposition politician, as he reflects on the personal and political challenges he has faced as well as his determination to run again as President in the next election. Born in the slums of Kampala, Bobi Wine -birth name Robert Kyagulanyi - first entered the political arena in 2017 when he was elected to parl...

Mark Savage, the BBC’s music correspondent, speaks to Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter and actress, as she reflects on the making of her new album, the joy of attracting a younger audience and finding happiness in love. Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in 1986, Lady Gaga has spent 18 years in the music industry and sold over 170 million records. She’s an actress as well as a musician a...

Audrey Brown, Host of Focus on Africa, speaks to Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank, as he reflects on the achievements and challenges of the past 10 years in office. In his two terms he’s focused much of his time on advocacy, strategic positioning, and amplifying the continent’s voice on the global stage. We hear about his ‘High Fives’ framework, which includes gettin...

BBC foreign correspondent in the Netherlands, Anna Holligan, speaks to David Van Weel, the Dutch justice minister as he calls on citizens to prepare a 72-hour emergency kit - to enable people to be self-sufficient for three days in case of a disaster. The kits should include enough food and water to survive for 72 hours - in case of war and other catastrophes. It's part of a European-wide strategy...

Mpho Lakaje, presenter of the BBC’s Africa Daily podcast, speaks to Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, president of Namibia. The former freedom fighter is the country’s first female head of state - and only the second ever directly elected female leader in Africa. Namibia is celebrating thirty five years of independence this year - yet most of the country’s agricultural land remains in the hands of the white...

BBC South America correspondent Ione Wells speaks to Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador, ahead of the close-run presidential election. Since Mr Noboa came to power 16 months ago, he has taken an uncompromising stance on the violence gripping his country. With criminal gangs locked in a battle to control lucrative drug routes, President Noboa has militarised his country’s streets and prisons. Now h...

I forgive serial abuser John Smyth Laura Kuenssberg talks to Justin Welby, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. As the figurehead for the 85 million people in over 165 countries who call themselves Anglicans, he presided over some of the key events in the Commonwealth of the last ten years, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. But his tenure was clouded, and eventually ended, by an abuse s...

Laura Kuenssberg introduces The Interview podcast. First episode Monday 31 March. Conversations with people shaping our world, from all around the globe. The best interviews from the BBC. The HARDtalk podcast has become The Interview. 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, fin...

A final look back at some of the encounters and moments that have encapsulated the programme’s commitment to rigorous, well-researched interviews with people in power.

Ahead of HARDtalk’s closure, at the end of this month after 27 years, here’s a chance to look back at some of the most memorable interviews of the programme’s early years. It’s an extraordinary archive featuring interviews with Donald Trump, Nelson Mandela, Nina Simone, Robin Williams and Martha Gellhorn.

Stephen Sackur speaks to Reid Hoffman, the tech billionaire who co-founded LinkedIn and is a prophet of positivity about Artificial Intelligence.

Another chance to hear Stephen Sackur’s 2014 interview with Allen Ault. As the former commissioner of corrections in the US state of Georgia, Ault was responsible for state-sanctioned executions. He organised the killing of criminals until he could stand it no more. What made him leave his post and take up the campaign to end the death penalty?

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?

Stephen Sackur is in Paris to talk to former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin. With Donald Trump in the White House, the alliance between the US and Europe’s democracies looks fragile. Is Europe capable of becoming a superpower in its own right?

Stephen Sackur is in Germany to speak to Niklas Frank. His father was Hans Frank, the Governor General of Nazi Occupied Poland during the World War Two. He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials and executed in 1946. Niklas Frank tells Stephen Sackur he 'despises' his father and does not want Germany to forget the crimes of his father and the legacy of the...

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? (Photo: Roger Carstens, former US Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs appears via video on Hardtalk)

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? (Photo: Volker Türk, UN Commissioner for Human Rights appears via video on Hardtalk)

Stephen Sackur speaks to the dissident artist Badiucao, whose cartoons and drawings challenge President Xi Jinping and the Chinese state. He lives in exile in Australia, but does that mean he’s beyond Beijing’s reach?

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

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?

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?