The Interview

HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Turkey’s Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, in his first extensive international broadcast interview since being sworn into office in May.

Zeinab Badawi speaks to Sir Jeremy Greenstock, former UK Ambassador to the UN, who was deeply involved in the decision-making process leading up to the Iraq War. He served as the UK's permanent representative in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of the invasion and gave evidence to the Chilcot inquiry which looked at the invasion and its consequences. With the benefit of hindsight would he have done anything differently?

HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi presents a special edition of the programme from Rome. Migration, the Euro, and of course Brexit are testing the European Union as never before. In Italy there’s talk of another possible blow for the EU. If voters use a forthcoming referendum on constitutional change as a chance to register a protest vote against the country’s centre left government, anti-Euro populist parties may be able to capitalise. HARDtalk speaks to Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. Are Italians becoming disillusioned with the EU project?

Stephen Sackur talks to Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar winning actor in Cannes, in the South of France. A Hollywood A-lister who in recent years has focused much of her attention on building her lifestyle and consumer business, Goop. Her likes and dislikes are followed by millions, prompting aspiration in some, mockery in others. Why does Gwyneth Paltrow rouse such strong reaction?(Photo: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow signs copies of her book It's All Easy. Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

From his Oscar-winning score for The Lion King, through 12 Years A Slave to a series of superhero blockbusters including Batman v Superman, Hans Zimmer is, as one director put it, 'quite simply the contemporary composer to work with'. German born and British educated, he never received formal musical training and is a champion of technology. Shaun Ley asks Hans Zimmer whether the technology he so loves is killing the music makers.Image: Hans Zimmer, Credit: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

HARDtalks’s Stephen Sackur talks to Tony Garnett, Film and TV producer about his work. Watching TV is something pretty much all of us do for news, sport and entertainment, but how much of what we stare at on the box do we actually remember ? His subjects of homelessness, illegal abortion, police corruption point to his radicalism - he uncovered dark corners of British life. How much of his motivation came from the dark corners in his own life ?

Zeinab Badawi talks to Patrick Chinamasa, Zimbabwean Finance Minister, long-time cabinet minister and ally of President Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe’s economy is once again staring down at the abyss. Hospitals are running out of basic supplies, more than half the population is hungry and criticisms of the veteran President Mugabe are gathering pace. How will he sort out this mess that he himself must stand accused of helping create?(Photo: Patrick Chinamasa in the Hardtalk studio)

After the worst mass shooting in US history at a nightclub in Orlando, presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are clashing over the causes. Conservatives used to be united by their shared attitude to god, guns and gays; confident warriors in an ideological battle with liberals. Orlando is another test for those beliefs. Former speechwriter for US president George W. Bush, and lifelong conservative David Frum, thinks the triumph of Trump proves that the power of conservatism is crumbling. Should Republicans embrace change? And should they even consider embracing Hillary Clinton?

Stephen Sackur talks to the former deputy prime minister and passionate Remain advocate Lord Heseltine. Britain's referendum campaign on whether to stay in or leave the European Union is not going quite as Prime Minister, David Cameron, would have wished. He wants a convincing win for the Remain camp on 23 June but the polls suggest it will be very close. Are the Remainers beginning to worry?(Photo: Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Michael Heseltine attends the funeral for Tony Benn, 2014. Credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur talks to Chris Grayling, the Leader of the House of Commons in the UK and a senior figure in the campaign to leave the European Union. Any hopes that Britain's decision on whether to stay in or leave the EU would be calm, dispassionate and respectful have been well and truly dashed. In the run up to the referendum on 23 June, the the two camps are kicking lumps out of each other - and the fight is at its bloodiest inside the governing conservative party. Will this political war ultimately weaken Britain and Europe?(Photo: Leader of the House of Commons, Chris Grayling, speaks during a Vote Leave press conference on 31 May 2016. Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur talks to Michael Yardy, former top England one day cricketer and world cup winner in 2010, whose international career ended as a result of mental illness. Elite professional sport is a well-rewarded but unforgiving business. Top performers need a particular kind of mental strength. What happens when they lose it - when self-doubt and depression kick in? Why have so many cricketers suffered from mental torment?(Photo: Michael Yardy of Sussex celebrates his century during the LV County Championship match between Lancashire and Sussex at Old Trafford, 2014. Credit: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur speaks to Tom Fletcher who was appointed British Ambassador to Lebanon at the tender age of 36. Five years on he has just written an operational review of the UK’s Foreign Office. What is the point of the modern day diplomat? Theirs is a world of fortified embassies, chauffeured limousines, and elaborate protocol, but in this globalised internet age, what kind of value do they add? Is diplomacy as we know it dead?

In March British boxer Nick Blackwell almost died after a bout with Chris Eubank junior. HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Chris Eubank senior who now manages his son.

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur talks to the President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis. They used to call Costa Rica the Switzerland of Latin America; it seemed so much more stable, peaceful and prosperous than its neighbours. But now that image is fading as the country faces a budget crisis, endemic poverty, organised crime and corruption. President Solis came to power promising change, so what’s gone wrong?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Dr Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency and one of the world's most influential observers of the global energy market. The price of oil has more than halved over the past two years. That's great news if you're an oil consumer but it's alarming if your priority is to wean the world’s economy off carbon emitting fossil fuels. Does cheap oil make decarbonising the world economy even more difficult?(Photo: Dr Fatih Birol in the Hardtalk studio)

Stephen Sackur talks to Libyan politician Mustafa Abushagur, briefly prime minister in 2012 and a backer of the unity government. Over the last five years the Libyan state has been shattered into fragments - now it has a UN backed government committed to restoring unity. But the political scene remains confused and jihadists from Islamic state pose a continued threat. Is Libya beyond salvation?(Photo: Dr Mustafa Abushagur in the Hardtalk studio)

Hardtalk presents a special programme recorded in front of an audience in the BBC’s Radio Theatre in Central London and a guest whose all consuming passion for this subject was forged in his childhood. Alfred Dubs, now Lord Dubs, arrived in Britain as a six-year-old fleeing Nazi persecution. He wants Britain to take more child refugees. What is Europe's responsibility to people fleeing conflict?(Photo: Lord Dubs in the BBC's Radio Theatre)

Stephen Sackur talks to Brian Eno, the hugely influential contemporary music maker once styled the ‘brainiest guy in pop’ – except the word ‘pop’ does not really fit. Briefly a member of Roxy Music in the early '70s, he then went his own way, creating ambient music, developing audio-visual installations and collaborating with a host of big names including Bowie, U2 and Coldplay. His output has been prolific and varied, but what is he? A musician, a composer, or an artist impossible to label?(Photo: British musician and activist Brian Eno speaks at the the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), 2016, Berlin. Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

After the British Labour Party suffered a crushing election defeat a year ago, the shell-shocked party took a dramatic turn to the left. New leader Jeremy Corbyn presented himself as the anti-austerity, anti-war antithesis of Tony Blair's new Labour. So, how is the Corbyn formula working? HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Labour stalwart, shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn and asks, does Labour present a credible alternative to the Cameron government?

Germany is indisputably the most powerful nation in Europe, but does it have the will and the means to prevent the EU being undermined by division and fragmentation? The migration crisis and the Greek debt disaster have posed challenges that Angela Merkel has struggled to overcome. Stephen Sackur speaks to Norbert Röttgen, senior figure in the Christian Democratic party and chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament. Can German leadership rescue the European project?

Stephen Sackur talks to Vladimir Milov, founder and leader of the Democratic Choice movement. There are few more thankless tasks in world politics than being an opposition leader in Russia. Vladimir Putin's approval ratings continue to defy gravity, even in the teeth of a prolonged economic recession. Kremlin opponents are starved of media airtime, routinely harrassed and often locked up, or worse. Maybe democracy isn't a Russian priority?

South Africa's president Jacob Zuma is on the ropes. In recent months he's been dealt blow after blow - by the courts, by political opponents, even by erstwhile friends. Only the knee-jerk loyalty of the ANC has saved him from impeachment and disgrace. HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to South Africa's trade and industry minister Rob Davies and asks: if the president won’t jump, does he need to be pushed, for the good of the country?Image: Rob Davies Minister of Trade and Industry, Credit: Michelly Rall/Getty Images

In recent years there has been plenty of often heated debate about the relationship between Islam and extremism. Much of the fiercest commentary has come from outside the faith, but increasingly there are calls for change from within the Muslim community. Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to one of the most controversial voices in that internal debate. Raheel Raza is a Pakistani born Canadian human rights activist who co-founded the Muslim Reform Movement. How many Muslims are ready to talk her language?

Yet again Pakistan stands accused of playing a double game on terrorism; confronting it at home, while using it as a foreign policy tool in neighbouring Afghanistan and India. After a deadly Taliban attack in Kabul just days ago the Afghan president demanded that Islamabad stop talking of peace negotiations and instead focus on eliminating Taliban havens inside Pakistan. HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to former Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and asks, is Pakistan addicted to the double game?

It is now all but certain that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party candidate in November’s US presidential election. After the latest batch of primaries, her lead over Bernie Sanders is insurmountable. But even now the Sanders campaign - radical, anti-establishment and crowdfunded - refuses to admit defeat. Hardtalk talks to Robert Reich, formerly Secretary of Labor in Bill Clinton’s administration, now a prominent supporter of Senator Sanders. Has the centre of gravity in the Democratic Party shifted?(Photo: Professor Robert Reich, speaking from Berkeley, California via video link)

As part of the BBC's identity season, Stephen Sackur talks to Rachel Dolezal, the ostensibly black American human rights activist whose life unravelled last year when it turned out that she was the daughter of white parents. So what gives us our sense of who we are? Our upbringing and our communities both have a huge impact, but what about the most basic pillars of identity that we tend to regard as immutable? Is our racial identity something we can define for ourselves?(Photo: Rachel Dolezal in the Hardtalk studio)

Stephen Sackur speaks to Dick Pound, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency from 1999 to 2007 and veteran anti-doping campaigner. The world of international sport is in freefall following a long series of doping allegations. Has there been a failure in the national and international agencies that are supposed to prevent athletes using drugs? What can now be done about it and should all sporting success be treated with suspicion?

The battle for Britain's future -- in or out of the European Union -- will be settled In just two months’ time. Advocates of a vote to remain, led by the prime minister David Cameron, see economic arguments as their most potent weapon; Brexit, they claim, will come at a crippling cost in terms of jobs, investment and growth. Many business leaders seem to agree but by no means all. Stephen Sackur talks to Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the pub chain JD Wetherspoon. Could Brexit make economic sense?(Photo: Tim Martin in the Hardtalk studio)

In front of an audience in Washington DC, Stephen Sackur talks to Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF. Could 2016 produce economic shocks big enough to plunge the world economy back into crisis?(Photo: International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde. Credit: Stephen Jaffe/IMF/Getty Images)

The rules of US politics are being rewritten in this electoral season. The Republican Party has been shaken to its core by the rise of Donald Trump while the Democratic contest for the presidential nomination is really a struggle for the soul of the party. The contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is a choice between the centrist establishment favourite and the self-styled socialist progressive insugent. Congreswoman Donna Edwards from Maryland is a powerful voice on the left of the Party. She's running for a seat in the Senate. But is America ready for genuinely left-wing politics?

HARDtalk speaks to Fahd al Rasheed, CEO of King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah Economic City is a vast construction project on the Red Sea. It is supposed to become one of the world’s biggest ports with a population of 2 million – a new global city for Saudi Arabia. But could the kingdom’s economic problems see this dream turn to dust?

HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to John Cale, a founding member of the Velvet underground, and a solo artist and producer. In the checkered history of rock and roll, there have been relatively few artists who have managed to create a genuinely new, even revolutionary, sound. The Velvet Underground achieved just that in mid-sixties New York - combining youthful anger, musical creativity, with an avant-garde art sensibility. Today John Cale continues to experiment with new sounds. To many, his music is challenging, even bleak, but is that a reflection of the man himself?

From his Oscar winning score for The Lion King, through 12 Years A Slave to a series of superhero blockbusters, including the latest - Batman v Superman - Hans Zimmer is, as one director put it, "quite simply the contemporary composer to work with". German born, British educated, he never received formal musical training and he's a champion of technology. Hardtalk’s Shaun Ley asks Hans Zimmer whether the technology he so loves is killing the music makers?

The United States is beefing up its military presence in Europe. Hardtalk asks Russia's Ambassador to the EU if the Kremlin can sustain a long-term confrontation with the West?

The suicide bomb attacks in Brussels are unlikely to be the final operation mounted by the so-called Islamic State on European soil. France's President Hollande says Europe is now at war, so what are the most effective weapons at Europe's disposal? Dominic Grieve was the Attorney General in David Cameron's first term as British prime minister. He is now Chairman of the UK parliament’s Intelligence and security committee. Can Europe be both secure and free?(Photo: Dominic Grieve, MP)

Can architecture inspire people to think and behave differently? Hardtalk speaks to David Adjaye, one of the most sought after architects in the world today. Among his many buildings are the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, a business school in Moscow, shopping centres in Beirut and Lagos, a children's hospital in Rwanda, a housing project in New York's Harlem, and about to open - his biggest project yet - the National Museum of African American History and Culture sitting right on the National Mall in Washington. Has he got it right? What is the test of a good building?(Photo: David Adjaye attends Design Dialogues No. 25 in Miami Beach, Florida. Credit: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

Nationalist, anti-immigrant parties have made inroads in a host of countries in Europe, for example Hungary, Denmark and Finland. In Finland a right wing populist party, The Finns, is a significant player in a centre right coalition government. Stephen Sackur talks to Timo Soini, their leader and the nation's Foreign Minister. What happens to populists when they are faced with the compromises that come with sharing power?(Photo: Finland's Foreign Minister Timo Soini. Credit: Mark Graham/AFP)

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has its roots in the cold war - it was a unique platform for dialogue between the West and the Soviet Bloc on matters of security and human rights. But that was then, what about now? Hardtalk speaks to Lamberto Zannier, Secretary General of the OSCE. In a new era of tension between Moscow and the West, how much use is his organisation?(Photo: OSCE Secretary General, Lamberto Zannier delivers a speech during the OSCE-meeting, 2016, Vienna, Austria. Credit: Herbert Neubauer/AFP/Getty Images)

Journalism in Turkey is a precarious business. Earlier this month the country's biggest selling newspaper was forcibly taken over by the government, a host of journalists have been locked up for insulting the nation and its institutions, or for aiding terrorists. All this in a nation beset with diplomatic, security and humanitarian challenges. HARDtalk speaks to Sevgi Akarçeşme, who was editor of the English language “Today's Zaman” newspaper until the state booted her out. How close is Turkey to authoritarian rule?

The fallout from the conflict in Syria is threatening to destabilise one of the Middle East's most delicate nations - Lebanon. It hosts around 1.3 million Syrian refugees, more per capita than any other country. This places huge pressure on its people and government, as well as adding more strain on its fragile sectarian mix. Hardtalk speaks to Elias Bou Saab, Lebanon's Education Minister. What is the collateral damage for Lebanon from the Syrian conflict and can the government cope?(Photo: Lebanese Education Minister Elias Bou Saab addresses delegates at the Supporting Syria Conference, London 2016. Credit: Ben Stansall/WPA Pool /Getty Images)

For more than five years the words Greece and crisis have been inseparable. The question is not what crisis, but which crisis. Greeks are simultaneously wrestling with the enormous burden posed by mass migration from Turkey, and the effort to secure a long term fix for their stricken, debt-laden economy. Hardtalk speaks to Greece’s Minister for Labour and Social Security George Katrougalos - is there light at the end of the two dark tunnels his country is in?(Photo: Greece’s Minister for Labour and Social Security George Katrougalos on Hardtalk)

The European Union and Turkey have drawn up the outline of a deal which might stem the flow of migrants from Turkey to the West. But it will require EU states to take large numbers of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey, in a show of collective European burden sharing which may be hard to deliver. Stephen Sackur speaks to Meglena Kuneva, Bulgaria's deputy prime minister. Her country shares a border with Turkey, but has shown an iron fist toward refugees and migrants. Is Sofia out of step with European values?(Photo: Meglena Kuneva, Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs. Credit: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images)

For a tiny Central American nation Panama packs quite an international punch - it has the Canal, a key asset to international shipping and it has a financial sector which specialises in parking the cash of people who want to keep their wealth from prying eyes. During the notorious regime of Manuel Noriega it also developed a reputation for dodgy governance but that was a generation ago. Stephen Sackur speaks with Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado. Has Panama cleaned up its act?(Photo: Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado)

120,000 migrants and refugees made the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece in the first two months of this year, outstripping the number for the first six months of last year. This happened despite an EU-Turkey deal to stem the flow of desperate people. Ankara feels overburdened and undervalued, while frustration with Turkey is mounting in Brussels, Washington, and Moscow. Selim Yenel is Turkey's EU ambassador. Is his Government treading a dangerous path?(Photo: Selim Yenel, Turkish Ambassador to the EU)

American politics currently has more unlikely story lines than anything you might see in New York’s Broadway theatre district. The rise of Donald Trump is one illustration of the depth of public frustration with politics as usual. Stephen Sackur talks to Anthony Weiner who was a rising star of the Democratic Party in New York. His career was destroyed by not one but two bizarre sex scandals. Why did he push the self-destruct button?(Photo: Anthony Weiner, former US Democrat Congressman, 2013. Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Word leaders are all grappling with similar problems these days: how to counter terrorism, enhance security and manage national borders, whilst at the same time remaining open to the benefits of globalisation. Janet Napolitano was Homeland Security Chief for five years under President Obama. She's also a former governor of Arizona: a US border state. How does she think we can make the world a safer place and respect human rights and democratic values?

Last week all 28 leaders of the EU were holed up in buildings in Brussels for hours into the night, trying to strike a deal that would keep the United Kingdom in the European Union. The British people will have their say on what they came up with in a referendum in June. If they vote to leave the EU what will it mean, for the UK and for Europe more widely? Sarah Montague is in Brussels to talk to Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament. Could Britain’s vote tear the whole Union apart?

Stephen Sackur talks to General Michael Hayden, who was director of the CIA from 2006 to 2009 and prior to that Director of the US National Security Agency from 1999 to 2005.(Photo: General Michael Hayden, CIA director, 2006 - 2009. Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

From Brussels, Zeinab Badawi speaks to Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his first major interview since being elected leader of Greece’s main conservative opposition party, New Democracy. European Union leaders are demanding Greece do more to tackle the migrant crisis, and insist Athens pass tough economic reforms if it wants more bailout funds. Does the party he now leads share responsibility for the economic mess that Greece finds itself in?(Photo: Main opposition New Democracy party leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Credit: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)

Does Poland’s recently elected conservative, nationalist Government represent a threat to European values of freedom and democracy? The European Commission is investigating that after controversial media and court reforms prompted critics to condemn the 'Putinisation of Poland'. Krzysztof Szczerski is the foreign policy adviser to the Polish president. How will a newly assertive Poland play its hand in Europe?(Photo: Krzysztof Szczerski on Hardtalk)