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?(Photo: Roger Carstens, former US Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs appears via video on Hardtalk)
7 Mars 22min
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)
5 Mars 22min
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?
3 Mars 22min
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
28 Feb 22min
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?
26 Feb 22min
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?
24 Feb 22min
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)
19 Feb 22min
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?
14 Feb 22min
