The Interview
BBC World Service
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 the BBC, our journalists interview amazing people every single day. And on The Interview, we bring them to you.
It’s your one-stop-shop to the best conversations coming out of the BBC, with the people shaping our world, from all over the world.
Get in touch with us on emailTheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
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 the BBC, our journalists interview amazing people every single day. And on The Interview, we bring them to you.
It’s your one-stop-shop to the best conversations coming out of the BBC, with the people shaping our world, from all over the world.
Get in touch with us on emailTheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
Episodes
Mentioned books
11 snips
Apr 7, 2026 • 23min
Parmy Olson, AI expert: Who controls the future?
Parmy Olson, technology writer and AI expert on corporate power and societal change. She discusses AI's long-term cultural shifts. She explores job losses and new creative opportunities. She questions who really profits and whether governments can rein in trillion-dollar tech firms. She examines geopolitical competition, open-source momentum in China, and quantum computing risks.
6 snips
Apr 5, 2026 • 12min
Eric Idle, comedian: Nothing is off limits in comedy
Eric Idle, English comedian, writer and musician who helped found Monty Python and created Spamalot. He chats about pushing comedic boundaries and resisting censorship. He recalls the troupe’s surreal origins, the rise of Monty Python in TV and film, and how music and writing shaped his career.
Apr 2, 2026 • 23min
Jeremy Hansen, astronaut: Moon mission shows best of humanity
Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian astronaut picked for NASA’s Artemis II mission, shares his anticipation and reflections. He talks about launch delays and family conversations about risk. He explains mission science like the Avatar cell-chip study and lunar observations. He celebrates international collaboration and describes the expected sensations of the SLS launch.
7 snips
Mar 31, 2026 • 23min
Winnie Byanyima, head of UNAids: I am somebody who fights for social justice and gender equality
Winnie Byanyima, Director of UNAIDS and veteran social justice and gender equality activist from Uganda, speaks candidly. She discusses her husband’s detention and the erosion of democracy in Uganda. She examines cuts to HIV funding, threats to rights-based health work, and the need for multilateral reform led by the Global South.
Mar 29, 2026 • 23min
Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s Information Minister: Stopping militant attacks
Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s Information Minister and senior government official, discusses national security, international intelligence cooperation and responses to recent attacks. He talks about energy policy, boosting domestic refining, and plans to curb brain drain through industrialisation. Short, direct conversations on stabilising security and reshaping Nigeria’s economy.
Mar 27, 2026 • 23min
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, head of the WTO: What is going on in the Middle East will have a significant impact on trade
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General and former finance minister, offers expertise on global trade and multilateral reform. She discusses how the Middle East conflict raises uncertainty and will affect trade. They cover services as a shock absorber, shipping and fertilizer disruptions, rising protectionism, and the need to reform rules for digital and green trade.
Mar 25, 2026 • 23min
Joy Phumaphi, African Leaders Malaria Alliance: Malaria is an all of society challenge
Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and former health minister, speaks with frank public health leadership experience. She discusses the “perfect storm” threatening malaria control: climate change, resistance to drugs and insecticides, funding shortfalls, and private sector projects creating mosquito breeding sites. She highlights multisector action and innovative financing as ways forward.
11 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 23min
Nadia Calviño, EIB President: Can Europe compete?
Nadia Calviño, former Spanish finance minister and current EIB president, leads Europe’s lending strategy on climate, tech, security and development. She talks about scaling defence finance, energy and social resilience, boosting tech leadership and mobilising risk capital. She also outlines deeper integration, large-scale investment and global partnerships to strengthen Europe’s position.
7 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 23min
Ali Bahreini, Iran’s UN Ambassador: No surrender
Ali Bahreini, Iran’s long-serving UN ambassador, outlines Tehran’s stance on the regional conflict and nuclear negotiations. He defends strikes as self-defense and stresses Iran’s resilience and leadership continuity. The conversation covers targeting claims, relations with Russia, protests and accountability over the Minab school tragedy.
8 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 23min
Alexander Stubb, President of Finland: We live in a world of disorder
Alexander Stubb, President of Finland and former prime minister and EU commissioner, speaks on NATO, Russia and shifting global priorities. He frames a post-Ukraine world of disorder. He discusses NATO’s defensive limits, Finland’s focus on its Russian border and conscription, US-Europe rifts and his personal diplomacy with Trump. He warns about costs of prolonged conflict and calls for de-escalation and mediation.
