Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason: Obsession is a driver

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)

3 Aug 201523min

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)

29 Jul 201523min

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)

27 Jul 201523min

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)

24 Jul 201523min

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)

22 Jul 201523min

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?

20 Jul 201523min

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)

14 Jul 201523min

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?

8 Jul 201523min