Sir Philip Pullman: fantasy can be unsatisfactory

Living as an openly gay man in socially conservative Africa is hard enough, but Edwin Cameron went even further.He was the first public official in South Africa to reveal his HIV positive status. Nelson Mandela appointed him a judge and he now serves on South Africa's Constitutional Court. There remains high levels of homophobia on the continent - why are gay activists like Cameron losing the argument?

30 Jan 201223min

Gus O'Donnell has been at the heart of government in Britain for 30 years, working closely with the last four British prime ministers. He was John Major's press secretary; under Tony Blair he took on the top job in the civil service, a position he held when Gordon Brown took over. And that meant that at the last election he was the one overseeing the negotiations for Britain's first full coalition government since the Second World War. After nearly two years with David Cameron as prime minister he has now retired. And with his former role being split into three jobs - does even the man who signed his letters by his initials G.O.D - recognise he was just too powerful?

27 Jan 201223min

Sir Patrick Stewart has an acting career spanning more than 50 years. He was an accomplished Shakepearean actor when he took on the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation which brought him international acclaim.He talks to Sarah Montague about his decision to join the Star Trek cast and why it wasn't supposed to be successful. He also recalls his childhood where family rows often resulted in his mother becoming a victim of domestic violence.Sir Patrick is now a patron of the charity Refuge which helps victims of domestic violence.(Picture: Sir Patrick Stewart. Credit: AFP)

25 Jan 201223min

The satellite TV station Al Jazeera, is credited with giving ordinary Arabs a platform from which to challenge their governments. And day by day it's been covering the dramatic events of the Arab Spring using the latest slick technology on both its Arabic and English channels.But is it selective in who it criticises?Zeinab Badawi speaks to Wadah Khanfar. He was the boss of Al Jazeera for nearly ten years. Was the station's coverage biased on his watch? And why did he leave Al Jazeera in the midst of the biggest news events in the Arab World for decades?(Image: Wadah Khanfar. Credit: Getty Images)

23 Jan 201223min

The British artist and film-maker Steve McQueen - whose new film Shame is about sex addiction - says the condition is very real and is destroying people's lives.He tells HARDtalk's Zeinab Badawi that both men and women can have an unhealthy relationship with sex in the same way they can with food where the craving for it becomes a compulsion making everything else in life become secondary.

20 Jan 201223min

Ten months after the wave of Arab unrest reached Syria, President Assad is still in power.Bloody protests continue and there are fears that the country could be sliding into civil war.But there is little appetite from foreign powers for military intervention.Sarah Montague speaks to Bassma Kodmani, a leading figure in the exiled Syrian opposition and asks her why foreign intervention in Syria should be an option.(Picture shows Bassma Kodmani. Credit: BBC)

18 Jan 201223min

Hungary's centre-right government has galvanized critics at home and abroad with its new controversial constitution. There have been mass protests in the country, opposition politicians have chained themselves to gates outside public buildings, and the prime minister, Viktor Orban, has been dubbed Viktator.The EU, IMF and the US have rebuked the Hungarian government over its changes to election rules, the central bank and the judiciary, warning they will erode democracy and entrench one-party rule.Zeinab Badawi speaks to Hungary's Government Communication Minister, Zoltán Kovács. His government says the reforms are necessary to modernise the Hungarian state. But with the country badly in need of a $20bn international bailout - is it about to perform a U-turn and back down?

16 Jan 201223min

This year - 2012 - is the Chinese Year of the Dragon and Chinese workers certainly seem to have fire in their belly.There's growing discontent amongst the workforce whose labour fuelled the country's economic miracle. They're angry that export-led growth has largely passed them by - whilst filling state coffers and enriching some beyond their wildest dreams. Zeinab Badawi speaks to Cheng Siwei - one of China's most influential economists. How much of a threat is economic uncertainty and social unrest to China's prosperity and stability?

13 Jan 201223min