Sir Vartan Melkonian: From Beirut street child to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Stephen Sackur meets one of Britain's most successful actors, Jeremy Irons. The Oscar winning performer is best known for his portrayal of troubled, brooding upper class men. He has just finished ma...

15 Apr 201323min

Rarely does the death of a long-retired politician prompt a genuinely worldwide reaction, but Margaret Thatcher was one of a kind. Britain's first female prime minister transformed her own country, an...

11 Apr 201323min

In the midst of war or natural disaster humanitarian aid can make the difference between life and death. But according to influential critics it can also exacerbate conflict, offer succour to tyrants ...

10 Apr 201323min

For more than a decade Kosovo has been struggling to emerge from a political and diplomatic twilight zone. It is a fledgling state lacking universal recognition. At the heart of Kosovo's problem is a ...

8 Apr 201323min

For years, the UK's relationship with Zimbabwe has been characterised by deep mutual suspicion. But things are beginning to change - the Zimbabwean people have just approved a constitution and the EU ...

5 Apr 201323min

Stephen Sackur speaks to Daniel Dennett, a philosopher who applies Darwinian evolutionary theory not just to species, but to ideas and religious beliefs. Dennett believes religion has outlived its use...

1 Apr 201323min

What could and should the outside world be doing as Syria sinks ever deeper into civil war? Has inertia and division within the international community condemned Syria to a slow and agonising collapse...

29 Mars 201323min

Ivory Coast was once one of west Africa's economic powerhouses. Today, the world's biggest cocoa producer is trying to recover from the conflict that tore the country apart. Following elections in lat...

27 Mars 201323min