The Interview

For decades one of Britain’s best known entertainers, the late Jimmy Savile, sexually abused children and vulnerable adults and got away with it. In response the police launched a massive effort to investigate allegations of historical sexual abuse. Other prominent people found themselves facing accusations. Stephen Sackur speaks to one of them, broadcaster Paul Gambaccini, who spent a year as a suspect before the case against him was dropped. What are the lessons of what he calls his 12 months of trauma?(Photo: Host Paul Gambaccini at the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival Awards Ceremony 2009, London. Credit: Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur talks to the EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos. Europe is still scrambling to find an effective response to the migration challenge, and every day the problem gets bigger. While the Germans build reception centres, other EU Governments focus on razor wire fences and gunboats on the Mediterranean. So what comes first, humanity or security?(Photo: Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi meets Anglican Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali who was born in Pakistan and whose Muslim father converted to Christianity. Most of those fleeing from Syria to Europe are Muslims and this has provoked some tension between Christians and Muslims and between countries in Europe who are worried about the impact of so many refugees.The UN says the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe this year has already passed 500,000 more than double the total of 2014. How far has the refugee crisis tested our common humanity?(Photo: Anglican Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. Credit: Getty Images)

In too many countries around the world independent journalists pay a high price for simply doing their job. They risk intimidation, imprisonment or worse. Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Mohamed Fahmy, the former Al Jazeera English bureau chief in Cairo who was convicted and imprisoned on terrorist charges by the Egyptian government. In his first broadcast interview since being pardoned, Stephen asks him what his message is now he is free to speak.(Photo: Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy gives an interview in Cairo after his release from an Egyptian jail. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

After four years of civil war Syria is all but destroyed. At least 220,000 killed and half of the entire population forced from their homes and still the world's great powers argue over a response. Stephen Sackur talks to one of the world's wealthiest Syrians, Ayman Asfari, an exile based in Britain and founder and boss of the Petrofac oil services corporation. Behind the scenes he has lobbied hard for a more effective international intervention in his homeland, but what would that look like?(Photo: Ayman Asfari, founder and boss of the Petrofac oil services corporation)

French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron. A millionaire former banker, he is spearheading reforms that are unpopular with supporters of the ruling socialist party.(Photo: French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

HARDtalk is in Hungary for an exclusive interview with the Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó. Hungary is facing a migration crisis; already this year nearly 250,000 migrants have entered the country. Hungary’s response has included razor wire, tear gas and threats of imprisonment. The Prime Minister says that the refugees are a threat to security and cultural identity but is Hungary defending or betraying European values?(Photo: Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (L) welcoming to Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó prior their talks in Kiev. Credit: Andrew Kravchenko/AFP/Getting Images)

The British Government wants parliamentary authorisation to bomb the jihadists of IS in Syria. That same Government adamantly does not want to offer refuge to any of the many tens of thousands of Syrian refugees now homeless and desperate inside Europe. Does David Cameron's position make sense? Stephen Sackur talks to the UK Government’s Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt.(Photo: Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara meets with British MP Crispin Blunt. Credit: Getty Images)

Georgia wants to join Nato. Its Defence Minister, Tinatin Khidasheli, has been touring European Union countries making the case for the former Soviet state to join the club of western nations who vow to defend each other's borders. But It was only a few months ago that Russia extended its control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which the United Nations still recognises as Georgian territory. Hardtalk’s Sarah Montague asks whether Nato is prepared to face up to Russia over Georgia?(Photo: Georgian Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Australian politics has turned backstabbing into an art form. Thanks to yet another internal party coup, Malcom Turnbull has become the country's fifth Prime Minister since 2010. The political turbulence comes at a tough time - the Australian economy is being hit hard by the slowdown in China and the slump in global commodity prices. Stephen Sackur talks to the billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest. Has Australia squandered the riches that came with the resources boom of the early 21st Century?(Photo: Andrew Forrest, chairman of Fortescue Metals Group)

Libya is close to forming a national unity government and Aref Ali Nayed is a nominee to be prime minister. Can Libya's warring parties join forces to save the country?(Photo: Aref Ali Nayed, Libya's Ambassador to United Arab Emirates. Credit: AFP)

The guests on Hardtalk are people who do much to shape our world. More often than not they are a testament to the talent and potential of the human species. But what if we are living on the cusp of a new era shaped not by mankind but by machines using Artificial Intelligence to build a post-human world. Science fiction? Not according to scientist and philosopher Nick Bostrom who runs the Future of Humanity Institute. Stephen Sackur asks, when truly intelligent machines arrive, what happens to us?(Photo: Nick Bostrom, director of The Future of Humanity Institute)

HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to a man who is currently involved in an election campaign which promises to have a profound impact on the future of Spain and significant reverberations around the whole of Europe. Raul Romeva is a champion of independence for Catalonia – he leads a coalition of pro-secession parties who are attempting to turn regional elections in late September into a de facto referendum on breaking away from the rest of Spain. It’s a cause which has united pro-independence forces on the right, the left and in Romeva’s case the Green wing of Catalan politics. He says that a resounding vote for Yes in this regional poll will put Catalonia on a path to independence within 18 months; but that may well be wishful thinking. The Madrid Governemnt is adamant that any moves toward secession will be unconstitutional. Spain faces a prolonged period of bitter argument. And even if the secessionists in Catalonioa got their way what kind of future would their land of 7.5 million have? Would it be allowed into the EU? Would the prosperous local economy thrive or collapse? These are issues which mirror the arguments heard during the Scottish referendum on independence. In an age of great uncertainty for all Europeans the Scots backed away from going it alone – will Catalans ultimately do the same?

Stephen Sackur talks to Catherine McCartney whose brother was murdered in Belfast in 2005. She thinks the IRA was responsible, and that the Republican paramilitaries are still active to this day. The charge - that the IRA has not gone away - now threatens Northern Ireland’s fragile political stability - but is it true?(Photo: Catherine McCartney)

The fashion world today is full of numerous brands and designers - but one stands out as a pioneer of women’s high street fashion: Biba created by design icon Barbara Hulanicki. Born in Poland but raised in Britain her shops were a hangout for some of the most famous names in swinging sixties London. The rise and fall of Biba was a personal tragedy for her. But Barbara Hulanicki’s legacy is intact: she made fashion affordable for the masses. But has she helped bring about a throwaway culture that expects cheap and fashionable clothing?Picture shows: Designer Barbara Hulanicki at Milan Fashion Week Menswear in 2009. Credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

The migrant crisis is pushing EU countries into trying to come up with solutions that are fair for member states and refugees fleeing conflict. There is evidence that people smugglers from the western Balkans are involved in the movement of thousands of migrants and are increasingly favouring land routes through Balkan states like Macedonia. Hardtalk asks the Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki what can governments like his do to resolve the current crisis?(Photo: Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

What does the leadership battle for Britain’s Labour Party tell us about left of centre politics in Britain and elsewhere in the world? If the polls are correct, then the veteran MP Jeremy Corbyn, is set to become the new Labour leader this month. He is the most left-wing of the four contestants and his anti-austerity economic policy is based on printing money for increased public spending and state ownership of major industries. After a huge defeat for Labour in May’s general election and a big swing to the Conservatives would Labour and other similar parties in Europe be more popular with voters by holding to the centre-ground?(Photo: From left, Charles Clarke and Ken Livingstone)

Stephen Sackur speaks to writer and publisher Jürgen Todenhöfer, who embarked on one of the most hazardous journeys imaginable for a western journalist. Last December, the 74-year-old German spent 10 days inside the territory controlled by the so-called Islamic State movement. He was taken to the group's base in Raqqa, Syria, and then to their most highly prized asset in Iraq - the northern city of Mosul. He emerged unscathed with a remarkable story. What motivates the jihadist fighters?

Earlier this year Zeinab Badawi went to Malta to meet Suha Arafat - the widow of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Ten years after his death, Mrs Arafat gave a rare broadcast interview about their marriage and tells her why she believes her husband was assassinated and why she has chosen to live in Malta and not amongst the Palestinian people who so revered him.(Photo: Suha Arafat. Credit: Matthew Mirabelli/AFP/Getty)

Tim Franks speaks to Don McLean - the self-confessed "accidental" pop star whose first unlikely hit became one of the defining songs of the century. In April, the manuscript to American Pie was auctioned for more than a million dollars. McLean has always resisted analysing his famous lyrics too closely but what does he have to say now about the American music industry, and the American dream?

Draw up a list of the greatest living film-makers and Werner Herzog would surely occupy a prominent place. He is responsible for some of the most wildly beautiful images captured on film. If you have seen Fitzcarraldo you won’t have forgotten the steamship being hauled over a mountain. He is seen as the film industry's obsessive genius, the director who once threatened to shoot his lead actor to prevent him quitting. After five decades making movies, is Werner Herzog's love of film as intense as ever?(Photo: Werner Herzog with an award during the Lola - German Film Awards in 2013. Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Colm Tóibín is an Irish writer whose intense, lyrical novels have won him awards, acclaim and most importantly millions of readers around the world. Colm Tóibín isn't so much a flamboyant storyteller; he's more an acute observer of character and the deepest human feelings. There are recurring themes in his work - loss, mourning, sexual repression and exile which might suggest a dark, brooding presence - but how close is that to the real Colm Tóibín?(Photo: Colm Tóibín. Credit: Ulf Andersen/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi talks to the South African jazz musician and political activist Hugh Masekela. His life and music have reflected the struggles of the anti-apartheid era and the subsequent years of black majority rule. So why does he now describe South Africa as fast turning into a rubbish dump and becoming removed from its authentic African culture?(Photo: Hugh Masekela. Credit: C Brandon/Redferns/Getty)

Hardtalk speaks to the man who has been called 'America’s greatest living crime writer'. Through works such as the Black Dalia and LA Confidential, James Ellroy has created a uniquely dark portrait of America. His is a nightmare vision of crazed killers and corrupt cops. He writes of what he knows – his own mother was murdered when he was a child. So is that simple, terrible fact the key to understanding all the words he has ever written?(Photo: James Ellroy. Credit: Ulf Andersen/Getty Images)

South Africa's Democratic Alliance, the country's main opposition party, has its first ever black leader. Mmusi Maimane took over in May this year from Helen Zille. He says he wants to represent all South Africans regardless of colour, but the vast majority of black South Africans support the ANC, the party of Nelson Mandela. Can Mmusi Maimane win them over and take race out of South African politics?(Picture: Mmusi Maimane campaigns around Protea South on October 23, 2013 in Soweto, South Africa. Credit: Foto24/Getty)

For more than three decades the ballet dancer Sylvie Guillem has performed as principal dancer at most leading ballet establishments, redrawing the boundaries of the genre. But at the end of this year she will be giving her last performance in a worldwide farewell tour. She will undoubtedly go down in ballet history as one of the greatest dancers of all time - but she is famously been dubbed 'Mademoiselle Non' for being too assertive. Hardtalk speaks to her about that as well as the poisonous rivalries in the world of ballet and her activism to save the planet.(Photo: Sylvie Guillem. Credit: Getty Images)

Could Turkey be slipping back into conflict? A fragile three year peace process between the government and Kurdish militants from the PKK, the Kurdistan workers’ party, has broken down. Several Turkish soldiers and police have been killed in the past few weeks and the government blames the PKK. Zeinab Badawi talks to Turkish MP Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Honorary President of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP). What is he doing to prevent a further escalation of violence in Turkey?

The migrant crisis on both sides of the English Channel has led to accusation and counter accusation in Britain and France as thousands of migrants make nightly attempts to enter the UK illegally. What is clear is the EU's migration system isn't working. Hardtalk speaks to Calais' deputy-mayor Philippe Mignonet and senior British Conservative MP Tim Loughton. How can Europe move beyond the blame game and find a fair and just solution for everyone?(Photo: Migrants continue to try and board lorries bound for the UK on June 2015 in Calais. Credit: Getty Images)

A host of countries around the world still impose the ultimate punishment on the most serious criminals - death. What is it like to be in command of the machinery of state-sanctioned execution? Hardtalk gets a rare insight from Allen Ault, who spent years running the corrections system in the southern US state of Georgia. He organised the killing of criminals until he could stand it no more. Now he is an opponent of the death penalty. Stephen Sackur finds out why.(Photo: Allen Ault)

The prime minister Alexis Tsipras is facing a rebellion from the hard left in his party, Syriza, who accuse him of going back on his promise to reject austerity. However, it is not just economics that is at the heart of the disagreement; it is a struggle for what kind of country Greece wants to be in the 21st Century. Zeinab Badawi talks to Stathis Kouvelakis - a Syriza central committee member. Who is winning the argument in Greece?(Photo: Stathis Kouvelakis)

There are a number of successful contemporary artists whose work sells for millions of dollars. But how many of them will leave an enduring mark when the clamour of fashion and hype has moved elsewhere? Hardtalk speaks to one of Britain's best known and controversial artists Marc Quinn. He sculpts, he paints, he manufactures extraordinary objects, and sometimes he enrages the critics - but will his work stand the test of time?(Photo: Artist Marc Quinn poses with a maquette for his Fourth Plinth proposal entitled Alison Lapper Pregnant. Credit: Getty Images)

If you are watching cycling's greatest race the Tour de France this year, are you admiring the remarkable strength and stamina of the riders, or privately wondering whether their performance is fuelled by illegal substances? So much elite sport today is tainted by our knowledge of past cheating. Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur talks to David Howman, director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Why is it proving so hard to root drugs out of sport?(Photo: Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) David Howman. Credit: Getty Images)

What does it mean to be black in the United States today? The messages are mixed. An African-American has made it all the way to the White House, but in Barack Obama's America one in three of all young black males is likely to spend time in prison during the course of his life. Stephen Sackur speaks to Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer, rights advocate and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. Why are America's race-based wounds so slow to heal?(Photo: Bryan Stevenson. Credit: Getty Images)

Hardtalk is at Nato headquarters in Brussels to speak to the organisation’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. In some ways it is just like old times – Moscow is once again seen to pose a threat to Europe’s eastern flank. Nato leaders promise a robust, collective response. But a generation on from the Cold War - are they serious? The western world’s military alliance has a proud history, but does it have a future?

Ukraine is grappling with security and economic challenges, which could bring the nation to its knees. The country needs a new generation of strong, reform-minded leaders - but does it need Mikheil Saakashvili? Hardtalk speaks to the former president of neighbouring Georgia, recently appointed governor of Ukraine’s strategically vital Odessa region. He knows all about confrontation with Vladimir Putin - but is he a credible or wise addition to Ukraine’s hard-pressed government?(Photo: Mikheil Saakashvili. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Hardtalk speaks to William Schabas, who chaired the commission of inquiry into the Gaza war until he quit under heavy fire from Israel. What does the Schabas saga say about the effort to apply international justice in the Middle east?

Stephen Sackur speaks to writer and publisher Jürgen Todenhöfer, who embarked on one of the most hazardous journeys imaginable for a western journalist. Last December, the 74-year-old German spent 10 days inside the territory controlled by the so-called Islamic State movement. He was taken to the group's base in Raqqa, Syria, and then to their most highly prized asset in Iraq - the northern city of Mosul. He emerged unscathed with a remarkable story. What motivates the jihadist fighters?(Photo: Jürgen Todenhöfer)

A special edition of Hardtalk from Cannes, which is currently hosting the world’s advertising industry. Thanks to the internet, advertising and marketing now have the ability to reach deep into the fabric of our lives. No one has exploited that better than today’s guest – Sir Martin Sorrell, the founder and CEO of the giant advertising conglomerate, WPP. The ad industry is extraordinary powerful, but is it responsible?(Photo: WPP Group CEO Sir Martin Sorrell at FOX Studios in New York, 2015. Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

Sarah Montague speaks to Bernard Jenkin who has argued for "fundamental change" in Britain's relationship with Europe since he was first elected as a Conservative MP more than 20 years ago. Prime Minister David Cameron is due to meet Europe's 27 other leaders this week but can he secure enough from his negotiations to win over the eurosceptics?(Photo: Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin. Credit: Conservative Party)

Not since Margaret Thatcher vowed to break the power of organised labour has Britain's trade union movement faced a bigger threat. The new government wants to make it harder to take industrial action. Hardtalk speaks to Frances O'Grady, whose organisation - the TUC - is the collective voice of the unions. Across Europe, in most countries, the number of workers joining unions is in decline. For many of those most in need of support in the work place - have the unions become irrelevant?(Photo: Frances O'Grady, the General Secretary of the TUC, delivers a speech at the Policy Network Conference 2014. Credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi speaks to the Sudanese politician Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani. For 25 years he stood beside Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir as a key adviser and party leader. Then, less than two years ago, he deserted the government and now heads the opposition Reform Now Movement. As a former insider, does he really believe the opposition stand a chance in Sudan?(Photo: Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani, leader of the opposition Reform Now Movement of Sudan)

Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium is the venue for the Fifa World Cup final in 2018 – at least it is if Russia retains its status as host nation to the World’s biggest sporting event. The decision to award the next two World cups to Russia then Qatar is now being investigated by the authorities in Switzerland and the US. Stephen Sackur asks the chief of Russia’s world cup organising committee, Alexei Sorokin, what are the odds on the World Cup actually making it to Moscow?(Photo: Alexei Sorokin, CEO, Russian world cup organising committee. BBC copyright)

Barack Obama is due to visit Kenya - his father's homeland - next month. When Obama came to power as the first African-American president of the US, hopes were high in Africa that the continent would bask in his reflected glory and enjoy a new focus in US foreign policy. Zeinab Badawi talks to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Assistant-Secretary of State for African Affairs and asks does Obama have a vision for Africa?(Photo: Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Assistant-Secretary of State for African Affairs. BBC copyright)

China has been accused by Washington of bullying its neighbours in the South China Sea over disputed territory there. Washington is seeking a new trade pact in Asia that excludes Beijing, whilst China is spending hundreds of billions in investment projects across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, extending its economic power the world over. Hardtalk’s Zeinab Badawi talks to one of China's most senior diplomats Ambassador Wu Jianmin. Is China the world's new superpower?(Photo: Ambassador Wu Jianmin. BBC copyright)

Stephen Sackur speaks to an Irish writer whose intense, lyrical novels have won him awards, acclaim and most importantly millions of readers around the world. Colm Tóibín is not so much a flamboyant storyteller, he is more an acute observer of character and the deepest human feelings. There are recurring themes in his work - loss, mourning, exile, which might suggest a dark, brooding presence - but how close is that to the real Colm Tóibín?

West Africa has perhaps lulled outsiders into a false sense of security. The regional economy has grown fast and key countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal have embraced democratic transitions. But, the appearance of stability may be illusory. Boko Haram's militant insurgency threatens not just Nigeria, but neighbouring states. Poverty, corruption and repression are still endemic. Stephen Sackur speaks to the UN's Special Representative for West Africa Mohamed Ibn Chambas. How fragile is West Africa?(Photo: Mohamed Ibn Chambas in conference, in Khartoum, 2014. Credit: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images)

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

When the self-styled Islamic State movement took control of Ramadi, capital of Iraq's Anbar province, it was another humiliation for the Baghdad government. Another discomforting development for the United States which has bombed IS, but failed to neutralise the jihadi threat. Stephen Sackur talks to Emma Sky, a British woman who was a senior adviser to the US military in Iraq until 2010. Where do the roots of the current mess lie and what should America and the West be doing now?(Photo: Emma Sky, former adviser to the US in Iraq)

The ANC has come under fire for its response to the xenophobic violence which left seven people dead. Some critics say the government’s response was too slow and neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi expressed outrage at the treatment of their citizens and were quick to remind South Africa of the outside help that was given to them during the years of the anti-apartheid struggle. Stephen Sackur is in Pretoria to talk to Minister of Traditional Affairs, Pravin Gordhan. In the aftermath of the recent violence what is the ANC doing to ensure the violence doesn’t flare again and is the legacy of Nelson Mandela being betrayed?(Photo: Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Traditional Affairs, South Africa. Credit: Roger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images)

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