HARDtalk

Mar 24 2025 1763 ep. 23 mins 75.6k
HARDtalk Podcast artwork

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

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HARDtalk: The early years review

Mar 24 2025 22 mins  
Ahead of HARDtalk’s closure, at the end of this month after 27 years, here’s a chance to look back at some of the most memorable interviews of the programme’s early years. It’s an extraordinary archive featuring interviews with Donald Trump, Nelson Mandela, Nina Simone, Robin Williams and Martha Gellhorn.

Reid Hoffman: Should we trust the tech elite?

Mar 19 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur speaks to Reid Hoffman, the tech billionaire who co-founded LinkedIn and is a prophet of positivity about Artificial Intelligence.

Allen Ault: Opposing the death penalty

Mar 17 2025 24 mins  
Another chance to hear Stephen Sackur’s 2014 interview with Allen Ault. As the former commissioner of corrections in the US state of Georgia, Ault was responsible for state-sanctioned executions. He organised the killing of criminals until he could stand it no more. What made him leave his post and take up the campaign to end the death penalty?

Christine Lagarde: Can Europe's economy withstand Trump 2.0?

Mar 13 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur is in Frankfurt for an exclusive interview with Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank. Donald Trump has triggered what could become a global trade war and has prompted European governments to make massive new defence spending commitments. Is the European economy capable of withstanding Trump 2.0?

Dominique de Villepin: Can Europe become a superpower in its own right?

Mar 12 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur is in Paris to talk to former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin. With Donald Trump in the White House, the alliance between the US and Europe’s democracies looks fragile. Is Europe capable of becoming a superpower in its own right?

Son of Hans Frank, Governor General of Nazi Occupied Poland - Niklas Frank

Mar 10 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur is in Germany to speak to Niklas Frank. His father was Hans Frank, the Governor General of Nazi Occupied Poland during the World War Two. He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials and executed in 1946. Niklas Frank tells Stephen Sackur he 'despises' his father and does not want Germany to forget the crimes of his father and th

Roger Carstens: Do hostage deals risk making problems worse?

Mar 07 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur speaks to Roger Carstens, former US Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Did the deals he strike from Russia to Iran risk making the problem worse?(Photo: Roger Carstens, former US Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs appears via video on Hardtalk)

Volker Türk: Are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?

Mar 05 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur speaks to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. As conflicts destroy millions of lives around the world, are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?(Photo: Volker Türk, UN Commissioner for Human Rights appears via video on Hardtalk)

Badiucao: Art, power and China

Mar 03 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur speaks to the dissident artist Badiucao, whose cartoons and drawings challenge President Xi Jinping and the Chinese state. He lives in exile in Australia, but does that mean he’s beyond Beijing’s reach?

Lord Sumption: Is liberal democracy in big trouble?

Feb 28 2025 22 mins  
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former senior judge, barrister and writer Lord Sumption whose latest book assesses the health of democracy and the rule of law