Roger Carstens: Do hostage deals risk making problems worse?
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?
Episodes
HARDtalk
In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.
Episodes
Volker Türk: Are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?
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)
Badiucao: Art, power and China
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?
Lord Sumption: Is liberal democracy in big trouble?
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
Victoria Spartz: Has Donald Trump switched sides on Ukraine?
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?
N. Ram: Freedom of expression in India
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?
Laila Soueif and Sanaa Seif: Hunger for freedom
Stephen Sackur speaks to Laila Soueif, mother of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a political prisoner in Egypt and Alaa’s sister Sanaa Seif. Laila is into the fifth month of a hunger strike in a desperate bid to win her son’s freedom. Alaa is a dual British-Egyptian citizen – should the UK be doing more to help? (Photo: Egyptian activist Laila Soueif gives a statement to the media outside Downing Street about her son, Alaa Abdel Fattah, in London, 10 February 2025. Credit: Tolga Akmen/EPA)
Jake Sullivan: The legacy of the Biden White House
Stephen Sackur is in Washington D.C. for an exclusive interview with Jake Sullivan, who was National Security Adviser in the Biden White House. From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Gaza, he faced a series of rolling crises. Did the failings of the Biden administration prepare the ground for Trump 2.0?
Tom Fletcher: What is the impact of US foreign aid cuts?
Sarah Montague speaks to the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher. As President Trump pulls almost all America’s foreign aid spending, what will the impact be on those around the world who most rely on it?
Omar Abdullah: Can he bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. This mountainous territory neighbouring Pakistan has long been a source of political tension and violence. Can the chief minister work with Delhi to find a pathway to peace and stability?
Dhananjaya Chandrachud: Justice and the rule of law
Stephen Sackur is in New Delhi for an exclusive interview with the recently retired Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court judge, Dhananjaya Chandrachud. With Indian politics dominated by Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist BJP, have the courts successfully protected the country’s secular constitution?
Hardeep Singh Puri: India's big ambitions
Stephen Sackur is in New Delhi to speak India’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri. India has big ambitions to be a global economic superpower. What does that mean for the country’s geopolitical alliances and commitment to decarbonisation? (Photo: Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas)
Basem Naim: Can Gaza find long-term peace?
Sarah Montague speaks to Basem Naim, a senior political figure in Hamas. Its violence and hostage-taking on 7 October led to an overwhelming Israeli onslaught in Gaza. A fragile ceasefire is now in place, but how can long-term peace be achieved?
Mouaz Moustafa: Will Syrians get justice?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Mouaz Moustafa, founder of the US-based Syrian Emergency Task Force. He campaigned to bring the Assad regime to justice for its crimes. Now power is in new hands, will Syrians get justice for the dark past and freedom for a better future?
Ehud Olmert: This war must end now
Stephen Sackur speaks to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He is a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says only territorial compromise can save Israel from a grim future. But is his simply a voice in the political wilderness?
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Is Putin vulnerable?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Vladimir Kara-Murza, the anti-Putin activist who was twice poisoned, then imprisoned in Russia. He was freed in a prisoner swap last summer, and is now lobbying the West to intensify the pressure on the Kremlin. But is there any reason to believe Putin is vulnerable?
Asif Kapadia: Pushing the boundaries of film-making
Sarah Montague speaks to award-winning film-maker Asif Kapadia. His latest film 2073 combines science fiction with documentary to paint a bleak picture of our possible future: a world destroyed by climate change, authoritarian dictators and tech oligarchs. Why produce something so political now? (Photo: Asif Kapadia in the Hardtalk studio)
Alice Edwards: Is it possible to eradicate torture?
Sarah Montague speaks to Alice Edwards, the UN special rapporteur on torture. It’s been 40 years since the introduction of the UN Convention Against Torture, but she says it’s still happening at unacceptable levels. Is it possible to eradicate something that has been around for as long as humans have existed?
Alan Hollinghurst: How has Britain changed since the 1980s?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the British novelist Alan Hollinghurst, author of Our Evenings and the Booker Prize-winning The Line of Beauty. Over four decades, how has his writing and his view of Britain changed?
HARDtalk - 2024 Review
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur looks back on some of the most powerful moments from 2024 in his end of year review.
Dmytro Kuleba: What are Ukraine's options?
Stephen Sackur speaks to former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba. Russian forces are gaining ground along the frontline in eastern Ukraine, and US president-elect Donald Trump wants the war to end. What are Ukraine’s options now?
Marty Baron: Is mainstream media in terminal decline?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former editor of the Washington Post, Marty Baron. Donald Trump accused him of peddling lies and fake news. He called it independent evidence-based journalism. Does the re-election of Trump suggest the mainstream media is in terminal decline?
Terumi Tanaka: Is nuclear war unthinkable?
Stephen Sackur is in Oslo for an exclusive interview with 92-year-old Terumi Tanaka who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Japanese survivors’ group Nihon Hidankyo. Eight decades on, is nuclear war unthinkable, or not?
Mark Alford: Is America ready for Trump 2.0?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Republican congressman and Trump loyalist Mark Alford. The president-elect has already made clear his intent to blow up the Washington status quo, from swingeing tariffs to the mass deportation of migrants. Is America ready for Trump 2.0?
Arab Barghouthi: Will his father shape Palestinians' future?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Arab Barghouthi. His father, Marwan, is serving life for murder in an Israeli jail, but is widely seen by Palestinians as a potential leader who could unify his people. Does his son believe he will ever be free?
Peter Boehringer: Is Germany's far right in a powerful position?
Germany, Europe’s most powerful economy, will hold elections in February after the collapse of Chancellor Scholz's ruling coalition. Stephen Sackur speaks to Peter Boehringer, who is a senior MP for the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party. Is his party too extreme to be a serious contender for national power?
Barbara Taylor Bradford: A woman of substance
Following the death of Barbara Taylor Bradford at the age of 91, another chance to listen to Stephen Sackur’s 2009 interview with the best-selling novelist. A talent for storytelling made her one of the richest women in Britain; her first novel, A Woman of Substance, has sold more than thirty million copies around the world. Adored by her fans and ignored by the critics, Bradford's books featured strong women overcoming life's slings and arrows. Image: Barbara Taylor Bradford (Credit: Caroll Tav...
Liz Carr: The UK's assisted dying debate
The UK parliament is considering landmark proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. They would, if approved, establish the right for some terminally ill people to choose a medically assisted death. Several European nations, Canada, and a number of US states have already gone down this road. Stephen Sackur speaks to actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr. Is the focus on a ‘good death’ detracting from the right to a good life?
Aleksandar Vučić: Is Serbia looking to the West or Russia and China?
Stephen Sackur is in Belgrade for an exclusive interview with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić. The Balkan country is at a crossroads. Does it prioritise turning westwards, doing all it can to gain EU entry, or face east, deepening an already close friendship with Russia and expanding economic ties with China?
Masoumeh Ebtekar: Is Iran's leadership in danger of losing its grip?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Iran’s former vice president for women and family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar. Despite state repression, many Iranian women are still confronting restrictive laws which they label ‘gender apartheid’. Amid social and economic unrest, is today’s Iranian leadership in danger of losing its grip?