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
Nov 3, 2014 • 23min
Minister of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone - Abubakarr Fofanah
Is the world winning the war against ebola? The World Health Organisation describes it as the most severe acute public health emergency in modern times and reckons there could be ten thousand new cases each week in west Africa by December unless international efforts are stepped up to tackle its spread. Zeinab Badawi speaks to Dr Abu Bakkar Fofana, the health minister for Sierra Leone, one of the nations fighting ebola on the frontline. Is he gaining the upper hand over the spread of the disease?
Oct 30, 2014 • 23min
Guitarist and Founder of Status Quo - Francis Rossi
Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur talks to Francis Rossi, guitarist, singer and founder of the band Status Quo – one of the most popular and durable acts in the history of rock 'n' roll. He’s turned the old mantra “live fast, die young” on its head - he has lived fast and just kept on going. The music business has changed beyond all recognition in the last 40 years – how are Status Quo still rocking all over the world?(Photo: Francis Rossi of Status Quo performs for TV show Gabalier: Die Volks-Rock'n'Roll-Show. Credit: Joerg Koch/Getty Images)
Oct 29, 2014 • 23min
Nigerian Human Rights Activist - Shehu Sani
Days ago the Nigerian government announced a ceasefire deal with the militant group Boko Haram - officials predicted the imminent release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by the extremists last April. Now those words look depressingly premature. What is going on with Nigeria's insurgency? Hardtalk speaks to Shehu Sani, a Nigerian human rights activist and sometime mediator with Boko Haram. How can the conflict which has cost thousands of Nigerian lives be ended?(Photo: Shehu Sani. BBC copyright)
Oct 27, 2014 • 23min
Mozilla Executive Chairwoman - Mitchell Baker
Many of us who use the internet for work and leisure come to feel that we couldn't live without it. The web opens up the world, but does it also harbour fundamental threats to our privacy, security or autonomy? Can we trust the tech companies who shape our relationship with the internet? Hardtalk speaks to Mitchell Baker, a Silicon Valley pioneer, and boss of the not-for-profit Mozilla Corporation, best known for the Firefox web browser. Is her open-source collaborative model of web innovation being overwhelmed by the power of the profit motive?Picture: Mitchell Baker, Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Hubert Burda Media
Oct 24, 2014 • 23min
Turkish Ambassador to NATO - Mehmet Fatih Ceylan
National governments and security organisations are becoming increasingly preoccupied with the threat posed by the extremist group calling itself Islamic State, and what their response should be. Hardtalk travels to Brussels to speak to Turkey’s ambassador to Nato, Mehmet Fatih Ceylan. Turkey has been criticised for its failure to act against Islamic State, so is Ankara finally ready to confront the threat they pose?
Oct 21, 2014 • 23min
Former US Ambassador to Iraq - James Jeffrey
President Obama is just where he didn't want to be - fighting another war in the Middle East. He promises that American troops will not be dragged back into Iraq, yet he portrays the confrontation with the group calling itself Islamic State as a generational struggle that has to be won. Hardtalk speaks to James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador in Turkey and Iraq. Is the Obama administration making the right calls in the Middle East?
Oct 20, 2014 • 23min
Former UN Negotiator - Giandomenico Picco
Is there a new brand of violent extremism that is identifiably different from all forms of militancy that have gone before? The question is prompted by the shocking and self-publicised brutality of the group calling itself Islamic State. Boko Haram in Nigeria deserves mention in the same breath. These groups provoke worldwide revulsion, but is force the only possible response? Hardtalk speaks to Giandomenico Picco, the former UN envoy who risked his life to negotiate the release of western hostages in Lebanon.(Photo: Giandomenico Picco. BBC copyright)
Oct 17, 2014 • 23min
CEO, Axel Springer - Mathias Döpfner
Twenty-five years after the world’s most notorious wall came crashing down, Germany is Europe’s undisputed, dominant nation. This is a reflection of economic power but also of media power. Hardtalk is in Berlin to visit the headquarters of one of Europe’s most powerful publishing companies, Axel Springer. How does a traditional company thrive in the age of the internet?
Oct 15, 2014 • 23min
Joe Hockey MP - Treasurer, Australia
Next month the international club of rich nations, the G20, will meet in Australia. For much of the past decade the host nation boasted one of the strongest economies in the developed world, but not anymore. Australia has been badly hit by falling commodity prices and China's economic slowdown. Hardtalk speaks to the country's Treasury Minister, Joe Hockey. Should Australians brace themselves for a prolonged period of economic pain?(Photo: Joe Hockey, Australian Treasurer and Chair of the G20 Finance Track, 2014. Credit: Drew Angerer/EPA)
Oct 13, 2014 • 23min
Prime Minister of Finland - Alexander Stubb
A sense of gloom is hanging over Europe. Years of economic stagnation are at the heart of it, but there are other factors too - for example, the security challenge posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and also a rising tide of scepticism about the European Union itself amongst many on the continent. Hardtalk speaks to Alexander Stubb, the Prime Minister of Finland and one of the EU’s new young leaders. How does Europe rescue itself?(Photo: Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb attends a press conference with French President Francois Hollande, 2014. Credit: AP)
