Brandi Carlile, singer-songwriter: I believe in the separation of church and state

There has been widespread condemnation of Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin’s decision to absorb Crimea after its referendum to break away from Ukraine. But Moscow says that any further sanctions imposed against it by the EU over Crimea, will affect Europe as much as itself. Hardtalk speaks to the Bulgarian president, Rosen Plevneliev. Bulgaria is the EU’s poorest country and depends on Russia for 85% of its gas needs. Can Bulgaria, and the EU as a whole, afford to get tough with Moscow?Picture: Rosen Plevneliev, Credit: Samuel Kubani/AFP/Getty Images

21 Mar 201423min

Stephen Sackur speaks to Dmitry Peskov, spokesman to Russia’s President Putin following the decision of EU and US leaders to impose sanctions. With international pressure mounting against the Kremlin, does Russia stand to lose more than win from this crisis?Dmitry Peskov, Credit: Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images

19 Mar 201423min

Hardtalk is in Beijing for a special interview with China’s most famous artist and dissident, Ai Weiwei. Under constant surveillance, prevented from leaving the country, how does this artist push back against the forces of repression?

17 Mar 201423min

We live in the internet age but perhaps most of us haven’t realised just how radically it will change our lives. As part of the BBC’s Freedom Season, Hardtalk speaks to Cody Wilson who is at the leading edge of an anarchist movement which wants to use the so called ‘dark web’- anonymous, borderless, and lawless - to empower individuals and undermine big government. His symbolic first move was to make a gun using open source software and a 3D printer. Is this really where we want the internet to take us?

14 Mar 201423min

It is the biggest crisis confronting Western Europe in 20 years - Ukraine could be just days away from losing a key part of its territory. Russia stands on one side of this conflict, the United States and the European Union on the other. Hardtalk speaks to Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski. He helped negotiate a deal to halt the bloodshed in Kiev and now warns President Vladimir Putin if Russia does not de-escalate, the EU will impose sanctions. However, last time such a crisis erupted it was the West that blinked first. Why does he believe things will be different this time?(Photo: Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks during a joint news conference with Secretary of State John Kerry, June, 2013. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

12 Mar 201423min

How's this for a vision of earthly paradise? Sun, sand, sea and a tax rate of zero. It's that last bit that turned the tiny Cayman Islands into one of the most attractive offshore financial havens in the world. But now the US and EU are leading international efforts to rein in the world's tax dodgers. Hardtalk speaks to Alden McLaughlin, Premier of the Cayman Islands. Is his Caribbean haven about to lose its allure?

7 Mar 201423min

Jerry Springer, who hosted one of the most controversial talk shows in TV history, has died aged 79. In 2014, Stephen Sackur interviewed him about his show's reputation. Critics called The Jerry Springer Show cynical and manipulative TV, but it made its host famous and rich. So did he care? Image: Jerry Springer, pictured in 2005 (Credit: Chris Young/PA Wire)

5 Mar 201423min

For many American firearms are a symbol of freedom. The right to bear arms is treated with the same reverence as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But guns kill extraordinary numbers of US citizens, 30,000 and more every year. Maybe it’s time to better regulate the firearms business. As part of the BBC’s Freedom Season, Hardtalk speaks to the recently retired president of the National Rifle Association, David Keene. Does the gun lobby really stand up for American values?

3 Mar 201423min