The Interview

It is many a young boy’s dream to become a professional footballer. Understandable given the riches and the adulation on offer to the biggest stars in the world’s most popular sport. But behind football's flashy facade there are real problems - racism, corruption and amongst some players, dangerous levels of depression. Hardtalk speaks to Clarke Carlisle, newly retired professional footballer and chairman of England’s Professional Footballers’ Association. Is there a cure for the sickness in football?

25 Sep 201323min

Draw up a list of the biggest bands in the history of rock and roll and a remarkable number of them will be British. There’s The Beatles and The Rolling Stones of course, but also Pink Floyd, whose albums ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ and ‘The Wall’ remain rock classics. Stephen Sackur speaks to Roger Waters, who was a dominant figure in Pink Floyd until he quit in 1985. He is still performing and he remains the most controversial of rock stars. So what motivates him?Picture: Roger Waters, Credit: Torben Christensen/AFP/Getty Images

20 Sep 201323min

In the late 1970s the film director Roman Polanski admitted to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. He spent 42 days in prison then fled the United States because he feared being given a longer sentence. Much has been said and written about what happened, but we’ve hardly heard anything from the girl herself. Hardtalk is in New York to speak to the woman at the centre of the decades-old scandal, Samantha Geimer. How has her life been affected by that event nearly 40 years ago?

18 Sep 201323min

What now for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and its political wing the Freedom and Justice Party? Rarely has the fall from power of a party been so quick, dramatic and violent. Since President Morsi’s removal by the army, thousands of the Brotherhood’s members and supporters have been arrested, including most of its senior leaders. Hardtalk speaks to Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a member of the now suspended parliament. What is the Brotherhood’s next move?

16 Sep 201323min

Vladimir Putin appears to be relishing his role at the centre of the diplomatic manoeuvring over Syria - it reinforces his image as the strong man in the Kremlin. But just how strong is he? A recent round of Russian municipal elections gave the anti-Putin movement a much needed morale boost. Hardtalk speaks to the opposition activist and former world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. Is there any serious challenge to the supremacy of Putinism?Picture: Garry Kasparov, Credit: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

13 Sep 201323min

Hardtalk is in Italy to speak to the Italian Prime Minister, Enrico Letta. He is trying to hold together a fragile coalition of left and right, including the party of Silvio Berlusconi, while pushing through a programme of economic reforms designed to stimulate an economy still reeling from the Euro crisis. With the situation in Syria straining international relations, can Mr. Letta keep his government together?

11 Sep 201323min

Economists have spent years bemoaning the long-term stagnation of the advanced economies and drawing unflattering comparisons with the dynamic growth in the emerging economies, but is it time to change the tune? The US economic motor is showing signs of life, just as nervousness is sweeping across financial markets from Jakarta to Brasilia. Today's guest is leading American economist and former Obama adviser Peter Blair Henry. He has just written a book about the turnaround in relations between rich and emerging nations but is it already out of date?

9 Sep 201323min

Six years ago a young English student Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia, Italy. The investigative and judicial process which followed was fundamentally flawed. Two people, Meredith's American flatmate Amanda Knox, and Knox's boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito spent four years in prison convicted of Meredith's murder. Two years ago they were acquitted on appeal; later this month they will be retried by a fresh appeal court in Florence. Hardtalk speaks with Raffaele Sollecito. His story has made lurid headlines around the world – but how will it end?Picture: Raffaele Sollecito, Credit: BBC

6 Sep 201323min