Feargal Sharkey: Britain's dirty water problem
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former punk rock star turned environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey. He is leading the campaign to clean up Britain’s waterways with fishermen and conservationists pitted against the privatised water industry and state regulators. Can he reverse the tide of environmental degradation?
27 Aug 202322min
Dominic Lee: Is China scaring investors away from Hong Kong?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the Hong Kong lawmaker Dominic Lee. He is a staunch defender of the Beijing-inspired national security crackdown, which has all but eliminated Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. But is China undermining Hong Kong’s desirability to traders and investors?
23 Aug 202323min
Jasvinder Sanghera: Abuse and the Church of England
Stephen Sackur speaks to Jasvinder Sanghera, who as a child escaped a forced marriage and has been a lifelong advocate for survivors of abuse. She was hired by the Church of England to help them confront abuse allegations. But she and they are now at odds. What went wrong?
20 Aug 202323min
Sam Rainsy: Has Cambodia's opposition been outfoxed?
Stephen Sackur speaks to exiled Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy. He has tried and failed to engineer the downfall of the country's ruler, Hun Sen, for decades. Now Hun Sen’s son is taking over. Few in Cambodia expect anything significant to change, including the relative impotence of the opposition. Has Sam Rainsy been comprehensively outmanoeuvred?(Photo: Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy speaks during a press freedom event at the Gran Melia Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia, 19 May, 2023. Credit: Ajeng Credit: Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)
18 Aug 202323min
Lucy Prebble: How are writers facing the future?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the leading British playwright and screenwriter Lucy Prebble. Her credits include Enron and The Effect in the theatre, and Succession and I Hate Suzie on television. In an era of polarising culture wars and with perceived threats from AI, are writers feeling a deep sense of unease?
15 Aug 202323min
John Cooper Clarke - where does his word magic come from?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the pioneering performance poet John Cooper Clarke. He was once dubbed the bard of punk and all his life he’s used words, rhythm and rhyme to find humour and truth in the chaos of everyday life. Where does his word magic come from?
14 Aug 202324min
Lord Goldsmith: Is a green backlash reshaping politics?
Stephen Sackur speaks to the UK’s former environment minister Lord Goldsmith. He resigned from Rishi Sunak’s government, accusing the prime minister of being uninterested in the environment. Since then, the government has approved new oil exploration. Is a green backlash reshaping politics?
11 Aug 202323min
Nathan Law: Has China eradicated dissent in Hong Kong?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Nathan Law, the exiled Hong Kong democracy activist who’s now a wanted man with a million-dollar bounty on his head from the territory’s Beijing-backed authorities. Has China’s systematic repression effectively eradicated dissent in Hong Kong?
9 Aug 202323min
