The Interview

In a special edition of Hardtalk recorded in New York City, Stephen Sackur speaks to the former US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. In his newly published memoirs he gives the inside story on arguments and tensions inside the Obama White House – particularly over Afghanistan. He has called his book Duty but are some of his revelations an act of disloyalty?

17 Jan 201423min

Eight hundred million Europeans’ fundamental rights and liberties are supposed to be safeguarded by the European Court of Human Rights. It is an institution steeped in European idealism and ambition, but does it work? Hardtalk speaks to the President of the Strasbourg based court Dean Spielmann. Critics condemn it as an undemocratic, unaccountable infringement on national sovereignty - do they have a case?(Photo: President of the European Court of Human Rights, judge Dean Spielmann. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

15 Jan 201423min

When a US drone kills a jihadi militant in Pakistan has a law been broken? What if the missile kills women and children too? Who can be held to account? Hardtalk speaks to Ben Emmerson, the British lawyer addressing these questions for the United Nations. He says drone strikes and other exceptional counter terror measures simply breed more terror - but does this liberal lawyer really know what's best in the struggle to make the world a safer place?(Photo: Ben Emmerson QC, 2012. Credit: Matrix Chambers HO)

13 Jan 201423min

Is English justice all it is cracked up to be? Hardtalk speaks to Keir Starmer, the top barrister who has just stepped down after five years as the Director of Public Prosecutions - in effect the chief prosecutor in England and Wales. Are the pillars of the English judicial system, the laws and the courts really fit for purpose?

10 Jan 201423min

Twelve years ago photographer Giles Duley abandoned the world of celebrity and fashion photography to focus on stories of human suffering - he was in Afghanistan in 2011 when a landmine blew off both of his legs and an arm. Since then he has defied the odds, not just surviving but returning to work, even revisiting Afghanistan. He is still a photographer, but does he see the world through a different lens?

8 Jan 201423min

One of the great global challenges of the next half a century will be feeding a human population set to rise beyond nine billion. Farmers worldwide face an enormous productivity challenge. Mike Mack is the CEO of Syngenta – one of the world’s biggest agribusinesses. He sees farming's future driven by bioscience and genetic manipulation. But why does he face so much mistrust and suspicion?(Photo: Mike Mack, CEO of Syngenta)

6 Jan 201423min

Mark Cavendish has enjoyed the reputation of being the fastest man on two wheels over the past five years . He is a cycling phenomenon - an explosive sprinter, a world champion and the winner of more Tour de France stages than any other Briton. He also has a reputation for blunt talk in a sport tainted by illegal drug use. So, has cycling cleaned up its act and thrown out the cheats?

23 Dec 201323min

Artist Jeremy Deller defies all the labels and categories of the art world. He is a visual artist who can’t paint, can’t draw and professes no great technical skill - yet he is widely regarded as one of the most important artists in Britain today. He uses images, objects, words and real people to present a portrait of the modern world, from the factory floor to the Iraq war. What is at the heart of his creative vision?

20 Dec 201323min