HARDtalk - Season 17 / Year 2020

Season 17 / Year 2020

Episodes

Mindu Hornick – Holocaust survivor
HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Auschwitz survivor Mindu Hornick. Now 90 years old she continues to speak of the past in the hope that we will learn from her experience.

28/01/20
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Patrick Suckling - Former Australian Ambassador for the Environment.
Shaun Ley speaks to Patrick Suckling who spent three years as Australia's ambassador for the environment and believes the threat of global warming is all too real.

Jean-Claude Juncker – President of the European Commission, 2014-2019
Stephen Sackur interviews Jean-Claude Juncker, former president of the European Commission through the Brexit drama. What will Brexit mean for Britain and the European project?

Lauri Love - Computer Hacker
Stephen Sackur speaks to computer hacker Lauri Love. He was charged with hacking secrets from the US military and narrowly avoided extradition.

Ai Weiwei - Artist
Stephen Sackur speaks to China's most famous artist, Ai Weiwei, who now lives in the UK and not Beijing. He is a refugee and a migrant of sorts, so how has that affected his creative output?

Ian Blackford MP – Scottish National Party
Britain is formally out of the European Union, but for how much longer will it be a United Kingdom? Stephen Sackur interviews Ian Blackford, the SNP leader in the UK Parliament.

John Kani - Actor
Stephen Sackur interviews South African actor John Kani. He's been in Hollywood blockbusters and in his own West End play. How hard is it to tell South Africa's post-apartheid story?

11/02/2020

Len McCluskey – General Secretary, Unite the Union
Stephen Sackur interviews Len McCluskey, leader of Unite the Union and the UK Labour Party's biggest financial backer. Can their choice of Jeremy Corbyn's successor save the party?

Paul Krugman – Nobel Prize winning economist
Stephen Sackur interviews economist and columnist Paul Krugman, whose latest book suggests America's political and economic future is threatened by zombie ideas.

Agnes Callamard- UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions
Stephen Sackur interviews Agnes Callamard, a human rights investigator serving as the UN Special Rapporteur on extra judicial killing. Have her investigations become futile?

18/02/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Halima Aden – Model
Stephen Sackur interviews Halima Aden, a supermodel who challenged a host of stereotypes. She is a refugee from Somalia's civil war; she's Muslim and follows a modest dress code.

Tarana Burke – Civil rights activist
Stephen Sackur interviews Tarana Burke; she first coined the phrase MeToo, long before the Harvey Weinstein case. She continues to reach out to marginalised women and girls.

Alan Dershowitz - US Lawyer
Stephen Sackur speaks to US lawyer Alan Dershowitz, one of America's most high profile and outspoken lawyers. He's a skilled lawyer, has he used those skills wisely?

Gabriel Attal – French Minister for Youth
Stephen Sackur interviews Gabriel Attal, the French minister for youth and a rising star in president Macron's party. Why has the Macron magic worn off so quickly?

Dr Yasser Abu Jamei - Director, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme
Stephen Sackur speaks to Dr Yasser Abu Jamei, director of Gaza's biggest mental health programme. What happens to a people living with trauma and collective despair?

Professor David Heymann - London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Shaun Ley speaks to Professor David Heymann from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Is the World Health Organisation moving fast enough to tackle COVID-19?

Mmusi Maimane – Leader, Movement for One South Africa
Zeinab Badawi asks Mmusi Maimane what his resignation says about the state of politics in South Africa and his ambitions for the new Movement for One South Africa.

03/03/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

David Tait – Children's Charity Ambassador
Shaun Ley speaks to David Tait. After suffering sexual abuse as a child, and a breakdown, has David Tait found a way to deal with the pain of the past?

William Kentridge - Artist
Zeinab Badawi is in Johannesburg, interviewing William Kentridge. He is considered one of the world's greatest living artists. He is versatile, hard-hitting and his talent spans many different genres. How has South Africa's difficult, violent and racist past influenced his work?

Anthony Brown – Democrat Congressman
Stephen Sackur interviews US congressman Anthony Brown. In the Democratic Party's search for the best candidate to beat Donald Trump, is Joe Biden really the best they can do?

Mufaddal Hamadeh – President of Syrian American Medical Society
Shaun Ley interviews Dr Mufaddal Hamadeh, president of the Syrian American Medical Society. After nine years of war, have we become indifferent to Syria's pain?

Ian Goldin – Professor of Globalisation, Oxford University
Zeinab Badawi interviews Ian Goldin, a professor on globalisation and development, who six years ago predicted that the next financial crash would be caused by a pandemic.

HARDtalk on the Road: Fishing
Stephen Sackur travels to Scotland and northern France to see if fishing has the potential to derail progress in the UK - EU trade talks that must conclude by the end of the year.

Eoin O Broin
Stephen Sackur speaks to Sinn Fein's Eoin O Broin. Does the political uncertainty in Ireland make it especially vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus?

18/03/2020

Laurence Boone - Chief Economist, OECD
Stephen Sackur speaks to Laurence Boone, chief economist at the global economic forum, the OECD. Will we get the right response to coronavirus to stop economic disaster?

Margaret Heffernan - Business CEO and author
Stephen Sackur interviews acclaimed writer and businesswoman Margaret Heffernan, who published a book challenging the fetishisation of forecasting. Is it time to embrace uncertainty?

25/03/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Zeinab Badawi speaks to Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General. How realistic are his proposals to tackle the Covid-19 crisis and who will pay for them?

Ola Kallenius - CEO of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz
Stephen Sackur interviews Ola Kallenius, the CEO of Daimler, one of Europe's biggest vehicle manufacturers.

31/03/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

01/04/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

02/04/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

06/04/20
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

07/04/20
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Brian Cox - Actor
Stephen Sackur interviews one of the UK's best-loved and most successful actors, Brian Cox. He is currently in New York, the US city worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Jens Stoltenberg – Secretary General, NATO
Stephen Sackur speaks to Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO. Has his organisation risen to the massive challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic?

13/04/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

14/04/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

David Miliband – President, International Rescue Committee
Stephen Sackur speaks to former UK foreign secretary David Miliband. What kind of world will emerge from the coronavirus pandemic?

Gordon Brown - UK Prime Minister 2007-2010
Stephen Sackur speaks to Gordon Brown, who is leading an effort to get G20 leaders to commit to a massive joint response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

David Nabarro - WHO Special Envoy for Covid-19
Stephen Sackur speaks to WHO special envoy for Covid-19 David Nabarro. With the WHO at the centre of a political storm, is his organisation failing its greatest test?

21/04/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Zoltan Kovacs - State Secretary for International Communications, Hungary
Stephen Sackur speaks to Hungary's state secretary for international communication Zoltan Kovacs. Has the battle against Covid-19 ushered in the EU's first de facto dictatorship?

23/04/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Vincenzo Amendola – Minister for European Affairs, Italy
Stephen Sackur speaks to Italy's Minister for European Affairs Vincenzo Amendola. Are the country's leaders capable of meeting this once in a lifetime challenge?

Yuval Noah Harari
Stephen Sackur speaks to the best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari. What 21st century lesson can we draw from the spread of Covid-19?

Liu Xiaoming – China's Ambassador to the UK
Stephen Sackur speaks to the veteran Chinese ambassador in London Liu Xiaoming. Is China the villain or the hero of this pandemic?

30/04/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Sophie in 't Veld - Dutch MEP
Stephen Sackur speaks to Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld. Has Covid-19 exposed the weakness at the heart of the European project?

Yuval Noah Harari – Philosopher and Historian
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Israeli historian and best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari. What 21st century lesson can we draw from the spread of Covid-19?

Jaime Harrison – Democratic US Senate Candidate
Stephen Sackur speaks to senior Democratic party official and candidate for the US Senate Jaime Harrison. Has Covid-19 changed America's political landscape?

12/05/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

13/05/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

14/05/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Anders Tegnell – State Epidemiologist of Sweden
Stephen Sackur speaks to Sweden's chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, the architect of a controversial no lockdown strategy that continues to stir interest across the world. Has it worked?

18/05/2020

Bruno Le Maire – Economy and Finance Minister, France
Stephen Sackur speaks to French finance minister Bruno Le Maire. Is the Covid-19 pandemic taking the EU in a new direction?

21/05/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Sir Rocco Forte – Chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels
Stephen Sackur speaks to Sir Rocco Forte, boss of a string of luxury hotels. What future is there for an industry that depends on mobility and confidence?

26/05/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

Rutger Bregman – Writer and Historian
Stephen Sackur speaks to writer and historian Rutger Bregman. Do we humans massively underestimate our capacity to change things for the better?

Raghuram Rajan – Governor, Reserve Bank of India (2013-2016)
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former Governor of India's Reserve Bank and IMF Chief Economist Raghuram Rajan. Do the old rules of fiscal discipline no longer apply?

Ram Madhav - National General Secretary of BJP, India
In India the coronavirus crisis has deepened tensions between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority. Is prime minister Modi stoking communal tensions even in a national emergency?

Mário Centeno – Minister of Finance, Portugal
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Finance Minister of Portugal and Head of the Eurozone Group of Ministers, Mário Centeno.

04/06/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

08/06/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

09/06/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

10/06/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

11/06/2020
In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

14/06/2020

15/06/2020

16/06/2020

17/06/2020

21/06/2020

22/06/2020

23/06/2020

24/06/2020

Chile Eboe-Osuji – President of the International Criminal Court
Stephen Sackur speaks to the president of the International Criminal Court, judge Chile Eboe-Osuji. Is it time to conclude that the ICC's grand ambitions will never be realised?

30/06/2020

01/07/2020

02/07/2020

06/07/2020

07/07/2020

08/07/2020

09/07/2020

Sam Harris - author and philosopher

Laura Codruta Kovesi - EU Chief Prosecutor

Frank Luntz – Pollster and Republican consultant

Douglas Ross MP – Leader, Scottish Conservatives party

Alfre Woodard - Actor

Rafael Grossi - Director General, IAEA

Leonid Volkov - Chief of Staff to Alexei Navalny

Yusef Salaam - Poet and activist

Paolo Gentiloni - European Commissioner for the Economy

James Rebanks - Shepherd and Author

Joseph Henrich - Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology

Volodymyr Zelensky - President of Ukraine

Reverend Rob Schenck - Evangelical Minister

Jack Kingston - Former Congressman and Trump campaigner

Peter Frankopan - Professor of Global History, Oxford University

Dominique Schnapper - The Council of Elders for Secularism, France

Perez Hilton - Celebrity gossip blogger

Jacob Bleacher - Nasa Chief Exploration Scientist

Leopoldo Lopez - Founder of Popular Will Party, Venezuela

HR McMaster, US National Security Adviser, 2017-2018

Arancha Gonzalez - Foreign Minister of Spain

Judit Varga - Minister of Justice, Hungary

David Nabarro - WHO Special Envoy for Covid-19

Billy Hutchinson - Leader, Progressive Unionist Party, Northern Ireland

Anthony Gardner - US Ambassador to the EU (2014 - 17)

Jeremy Hunt - Former UK Foreign Secretary

Ishaq Dar - Former Finance Minister of Pakistan

Owase Jeelani - Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon

Perez Hilton - Celebrity gossip blogger

Dr Anthony Fauci - Director, US Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Seun Kuti - Musician and political activist

Bernardine Evaristo – Author

Christopher Ruddy - CEO of Newsmax Media

James Graham – Playwright and screenwriter

Herman Hauser - Venture Capitalist and Entrepreneur
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