Imran Khan: Is Pakistan heading for political chaos?

The former prime minister of Pakistan thinks he can stage a comeback

• 23 mins

Andriy Khlyvnyuk: What is war doing to Ukraine’s culture?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a Ukrainian rock star who swapped his guitar for a gun

• 23 mins

Nathan Law: Has China eradicated dissent in Hong Kong?

Stephen Sackur speaks to an exiled Hong Kong democracy activist

• 23 mins

Lord Goldsmith: Is a green backlash reshaping politics?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the UK’s former environment minister

• 23 mins

John Cooper Clarke - where does his word magic come from?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the pioneering performance poet John Cooper Clarke.

• 24 mins

Lucy Prebble: How are writers facing the future?

Stephen Sackur speaks to one of the writers behind hit TV show Succession

• 23 mins

Sam Rainsy: Has Cambodia's opposition been outfoxed?

Stephen Sackur speaks to an exiled Cambodian opposition leader

• 23 mins

Jasvinder Sanghera: Abuse and the Church of England

Stephen Sackur speaks to an advocate for survivors of abuse

• 23 mins

Dominic Lee: Is China scaring investors away from Hong Kong?

Stephen Sackur talks to a Hong Kong lawmaker who's backing Beijing's security crackdown

• 23 mins

25/08/2023 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Feargal Sharkey: Britain's dirty water problem

Stephen Sackur speaks to a former punk rock star turned environmental campaigner

• 23 mins

Peter Boehringer: Is the AfD a threat to German stability?

Stephen Sackur meets the vice chairman of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party

• 23 mins

Nureldin Satti: The war in Sudan

Zeinab Badawi speaks to Sudan's former ambassador to Washington

• 23 mins

Nancy Pelosi: American power abroad

Stephen Sackur speaks to the former speaker of the US House of Representatives

• 23 mins

Lindsey Graham: Does Trump's comeback spell trouble for America?

Stephen Sackur speaks to US Senator Lindsey Graham, a loyal backer of Donald Trump

• 23 mins

Tobias Billström: Controversy in Sweden

Stephen Sackur speaks to Sweden’s foreign minister Tobias Billström.

• 23 mins

11/09/2023 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Mustafa Suleyman: How can AI be safely developed?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a British pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence

• 23 mins

Vladimir Milov: Could Putin outlast his enemies?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a former Russian deputy energy minister

• 23 mins

Yuval Noah Harari: Are humans losing the ability to trust and co-operate?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the acclaimed Israeli historian and author

• 23 mins

Caroline Lucas: Parliamentary politics or direct action?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the Green Party of England and Wales's only Westminster MP

• 23 mins

Shaharzad Akbar: How should the world respond to Afghanistan's crisis?

Stephen Sackur speaks to an exiled Afghan human rights campaigner

• 23 mins

Kaja Kallas: Is Russia a threat to Estonia?

Stephen Sackur is in Tallinn for an exclusive interview with Estonia’s prime minister

• 23 mins

Martin Griffiths: Is the UN system failing those in greatest need?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs

• 23 mins

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar: Can he steer Pakistan through political turmoil?

Zeinab Badawi speaks to Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister

• 23 mins

Paolo Gentiloni: Are divisions costing the EU on the global stage?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the European Union's economy commissioner

• 23 mins

Lord Deben: Is short-term politics undermining climate action?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a Conservative politician and former UK environment minister

• 23 mins

Danny Danon: A new Middle East war

Stephen Sackur speaks to the long-standing Israeli politician

• 23 mins

Ehud Barak: Where will the Middle East conflict end?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

• 23 mins

Olha Stefanishyna: How solid is the West’s support for Kyiv?

Stephen Sackur speaks to one of Ukraine's deputy prime ministers

• 23 mins

Husam Zomlot: Is Gaza on the brink of a humanitarian crisis?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK

• 23 mins

Adam Smith: How does the US navigate its multiple interests?

Stephen Sackur speaks to US Democratic Party congressman Adam Smith.

• 23 mins

Aiden Aslin: Captured, tortured and swapped by Russia

Stephen Sackur speaks to Aiden Aslin, the British man who joined the Ukrainian army

• 23 mins

Lubaina Himid: Race, culture and modern Britain

Stephen Sackur speaks to the Turner Prize winning British artist Lubaina Himid

• 23 mins

Jakov Milatović: President of Montenegro

Stephen Sackur speaks to the president of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic

• 23 mins

Sir Lindsay Hoyle: Can the Speaker ensure parliament better serves the people?

The Speaker of the UK House of Commons has has one of the toughest jobs in UK politics

• 23 mins

Abdallah Bou Habib: Could Lebanon get dragged into war with Israel by Hezbollah?

If Hezbollah and its Iranian backers opt for all-out war, what then for Lebanon?

• 23 mins

03/11/2023 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Carlo Rovelli: Life, the universe and white holes

Stephen Sackur speaks to one of the world's best known physicists

• 23 mins

Mustafa Barghouti: What next for the Palestinian people?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a co-founder of the Palestinian National Initiative

• 23 mins

Fiona Hill: Are overseas wars exposing US weaknesses?

Stephen Sackur speaks to an influential US foreign policy analyst

• 23 mins

Mervyn King: Global growth and inflation

Stephen Sackur speaks to a former governor of the Bank of England

• 23 mins

15/11/2023 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Mark Alford: Do US Republicans have a winning formula?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a Republican Congressman and loyal Donald Trump supporter

• 23 mins

Chris Coons: Is team Biden in trouble?

Stephen Sackur speaks to one of President Biden’s closest allies in the US Congress

• 23 mins

Michel Roux: Is the business of fine food turning sour?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the master chef and restaurateur Michel Roux

• 23 mins

Jonna Mendez: Does the world still need spies?

Stephen Sackur speaks to former US spy Jonna Mendez, who was the CIA’s chief of disguise

• 23 mins

Cardinal Peter Turkson: Is the Catholic Church at a crossroads?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a man widely seen as a contender to be Africa’s first pope

• 23 mins

Simcha Rothman: Is violence in Israel's best interests?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a member of Israel's far-right Religious Zionism party

• 23 mins

Philippe Lazzarini: Could Gaza become unliveable?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the head of UNRWA, the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians

• 23 mins

Jasem Albudaiwi: Could the Gulf states be destabilised by the conflict in Gaza?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

• 25 mins

Fatih Birol: Is the global energy transition veering off course?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the head of the International Energy Agency

• 23 mins

06/12/2023 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza: What Rwandans think of the UK migrant transfer deal

The UK government paints President Kagame in positive hues. What do his opponents think?

• 23 mins

Sandra Day O'Connor: The first female US Supreme Court judge

Sandra Day O'Connor has died age 93. Re-listen to our 2006 interview

• 23 mins

Izzeldin Abuelaish: Can Palestinians still believe in forgiveness and peace?

Zeinab Badawi speaks to a Palestinian doctor and acclaimed author

• 23 mins

Paul Caruana Galizia: Can his family get justice?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the son of an assassinated Maltese investigative journalist

• 23 mins

Naftali Bennett: Has Israel responded unwisely?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Israel’s former prime minister

• 23 mins

22/12/2023 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

2023 in review

Stephen Sackur looks back at thought-provoking interviews from the past year

• 23 mins

Past notes

A special programme remembering past HARDtalk guests who died in 2023

• 23 mins

Aida Touma-Sliman: What does war mean for Israel's Arab population?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a Palestinian Arab member of Israel's parliament

• 23 mins

Stephen Cave: Should we want to live forever?

HARDtalk speaks to the director of the Cambridge Institute for Technology and Humanity

• 23 mins

Alicia Kearns: How much will 2024 test the West?

Stephen Sackur talks to the chair of the UK’s House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee

• 23 mins

Sir Nicholas Winton: A Holocaust hero

A 2014 interview with a man who saved more than 600 children from Nazi persecution

• 23 mins

Gideon Levy: What happened to the Israeli mindset?

Stephen Sackur interviews Israeli journalist and commentator Gideon Levy.

• 23 mins

Mohammad Marandi: Is Middle East conflict what Iran really wants?

Stephen Sackur speaks to an academic who has advised the Iranian government

• 23 mins

Mark Regev: Is Israel serving its own best interests?

Stephen Sackur talks to a spokesman for Israel’s prime minister

• 23 mins

Regina Ip: What is Hong Kong's future?

China has tightened its grip on Hong Kong, and pro-democracy activism has been curtailed

• 23 mins

Naomi Alderman: Apocalypse soon?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the novelist and computer game creator

• 23 mins

Radek Sikorski: Will Poland's new government unite or divide the country?

Stephen Sackur interview's Poland's foreign minister

• 23 mins

Jasvinder Sanghera: Abuse and the Church of England

Stephen Sackur speaks to Jasvinder Sanghera, a lifelong advocate for survivors of abuse.

• 23 mins

Ronald Lamola: Is South Africa's genocide case against Israel a geo-political game changer?

Stephen Sackur speaks to South Africa's justice minister

• 23 mins

Abdalla Hamdok: Can Sudan find peace?

Zeinab Badawi speaks to the country's former prime minister

• 23 mins

José Ramos-Horta: Peace and reconciliation

Stephen Sackur speaks to José Ramos Horta, President of Timor-Leste

• 23 mins

Vassily Nebenzia: Is Russia influencing global opinions?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Russia’s permanent representative to the UN

• 23 mins

09/02/2024 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Cornel West: Could enough votes taken from Joe Biden help Donald Trump get elected?

Cornel West, philosopher and activist has launched his own bid for the White House.

• 23 mins

Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya: Does Ukraine feel betrayed?

Partisan warfare in Washington DC is blocking aid to Kyiv. What does Ukraine think?

• 23 mins

Bassem Youssef: Can laughter ever provoke political change?

When political tensions escalate, does humour get pushed out?

• 23 mins

Alexey Navalny: The interview

Stephen Sackur interviewed Alexey Navalny in 2017.His death has been reported by Russia.

• 23 mins

Nikolai Denkov: Is Bulgaria a weak link in Europe's security?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Bulgaria’s prime minister

• 23 mins

HARDtalk: Defying Putin

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Jens Stoltenberg: Is Russia really preparing for a war with Nato?

Sarah Montague speaks to its Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

• 23 mins

Ciarán Hinds: Is Northern Ireland a creative powerhouse?

Stephen Sackur interviews the world-renowned actor

• 23 mins

Salome Zourabichvili: Where does Georgia's destiny lie?

Sarah Montague talks to the president of Georgia

• 23 mins

20/03/2023 GMT

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

• 23 mins

Sathnam Sanghera: Britain's imperial legacies

Stephen Sackur speaks to a writer re-examining the legacy of the British Empire

• 23 mins

Leonid Volkov: Is the anti-Putin movement out of options?

Stephen Sackur speaks to an ally of Russia’s late opposition leader Alexey Navalny

• 23 mins

Riyad Mansour: Why are the diplomats failing?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN

• 23 mins

Claude Joseph: Can anything save Haiti?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the country’s former acting prime minister

• 23 mins

Jan Egeland: Is the international community failing to protect the most vulnerable?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council

• 23 mins

Chris Mullin: Have lessons been learned from the Birmingham Six injustice?

Stephen Sackur speaks to a former politician and justice campaigner

• 23 mins

Luis Abinader: Will the Dominican Republic help Haiti?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the president of the Dominican Republic

• 23 mins

Judith Butler: Gender and identity

Stephen Sackur speaks to the philosopher and author

• 23 mins

On the road in Guyana

Will the South American country's people benefit from its record economic growth?

• 23 mins

Mohamed Irfaan Ali: Is oil a blessing or a curse for Guyana?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the president of Guyana

• 23 mins

Lila Rose: Could abortion be banned in the entire US?

Stephen Sackur speaks to one of America’s fiercest opponents of abortion rights

• 23 mins

Tom Shakespeare: Redefining disability

Stephen Sackur speaks to a bioethicist and disability rights campaigner

• 23 mins