Hardtalk

John Wilson speaks to Pete Townshend, songwriter and guitarist of British rock band The Who about the band’s farewell tour of the US.Through his powerful stage presence and pioneering use of technology, Townshend transformed The Who from a hobby wedding band to one of the biggest and loudest outfits of the 1960s and 1970s. His artistic approach created tension with singer Roger Daltrey, the band’s only other surviving member. Sixty years after first coming together, the pair completed their farewell tour of Italy earlier this year and are currently saying goodbye to America.Townshend says he is proud of his influence, even if his rock and roll generation put his parents out of work, who were both musicians in more traditional wartime dance bands. He also reveals the inspiration behind his infamous smashing of guitars may have just been one big misunderstanding. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on

Music has the power to uniteMark Savage speaks to Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel about his life and career. Born in the city of Barquisimeto, he’s famous for conducting orchestras all over the world, as well as film credits that include conducting the opening and end titles for Star Wars: the Force Awakens.With a unique ability to communicate joy and his passion for music to mass audiences, Dudamel has become a rare pop culture icon from the world of classical music - affording him mainstream appeal. He’s currently in London, performing concerts alongside the band Coldplay.In this interview, he talks about El Sistema - Venezuela’s unique programme which has helped train thousands of musicians, the highlights of his time as musical director of the LA Philharmonic, and taking over the helm of the New York Philharmonic.Thank you to the Culture team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews

Algorithms don’t drive the truthAmol Rajan speaks to Eliot Higgins, founder of the open-source investigative organisation Bellingcat, as the world grapples with the growing threat posed by misinformation and conspiracy theories being deliberately spread online. Founded in 2014, Bellingcat is an independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists from around the world.The organisation uses open-source research methods, which involve analysing publicly-available data that can be accessed and used without any special permissions or restrictions.It has investigated a variety of subjects of public interest, including the shooting down of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine to police violence in Colombia and the illegal wildlife trade in the UAE. Higgins argues that the need for organisations like Bellingcat has never been more important, as conspiracy theories flood the internet and some people avoid mainstream news outlets altogether. He believes this is partly down to a lack

Coffee is a big responsibilityJulia Caesar speaks to Giuseppe Lavazza, chairman of coffee giant Lavazza, about the multiple challenges facing the industry today. Many people around the world say they can’t function without their morning cup of coffee. In fact, global coffee consumption has been steadily rising with around two billion cups of coffee consumed every day. This growth is driven by rising demand in emerging markets like China and India, as well as the popularity of specialty and cold coffee beverages.However, the industry itself is facing major challenges, including an increase in the cost of raw materials due to changing weather patterns, growing concerns over geopolitical instability impacting shipping routes, and economic uncertainty due to tariffs.The coffee market, which was valued at approximately $495.5 billion in 2023, is a far cry from when Lavazza coffee was first established nearly a century ago in Turin, Italy. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, fr

Captain Jim Lovell, commander of the doomed Apollo 13 space mission to the Moon. Jim, who died this month at the age of 97, tells how he helped guide his stricken craft safely back to Earth after it suffered a near catastrophic explosion in an interview first broadcast in April 2020 on the BBC series 13 Minutes to the Moon. He talks to Kevin Fong about the doomed Nasa mission, from the shocking moment of the explosion to the enormous relief of splashdown. Lovell shares the story of the lunar landmark he named in honour of his wife. And he reflects on survival, the global impact of Apollo 13, and what it meant to finally come back to Earth.(Image: Jim Lovell, Credit: Nasa)

World must focus on creating jobsRahul Tandon speaks to Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank.Born in India in 1959, Mr. Banga’s career in business began in the early-1980s, when he started out as a management trainee with the food multinational Nestlé. He then made the move into finance over a decade later, when he joined the Citigroup bank. He quickly rose through the ranks to become the Chief Executive of the bank’s Asia-Pacific business, before then moving onto Mastercard, where he eventually became CEO.During this time, Mr. Banga, who became a US citizen in 2007, also advised a number of senior US politicians - including President Barack Obama and later, Vice-President Kamala Harris. It was Harris’ boss, President Joe Biden, who subsequently nominated him to lead the World Bank in 2023.The World Bank is a group of international organisations, such as the International Development Association and the International Finance Corporation, that provide grants and loans to low and middle-income countries for

We have a purpose to help people surviveJewel Kiriungi speaks to Pieter Engelbrecht, CEO of Shoprite, South Africa’s largest supermarket chain, who is trying to keep prices low despite economic challenges across the continent. Shoprite employs 163,000 people, more than any other in the country’s private sector. Engelbrecht stresses the importance of keeping food affordable, with a quarter of South African children not receiving enough protein. He explains that food security in the country is the worst it has been in 10 years, with insufficient ports and railroads making it difficult for the country to join the global supply chain. Shoprite is trying to expand throughout Africa, but Engelbrecht says this is difficult due to corruption, high inflation and devaluing currencies. Despite continued success in South Africa, the chain has closed its operations in Nigeria and Kenya. Thank you to the World Business Report team for helping to make this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people sha

Suranjana Tewari speaks to John Denton, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), about the impact of global tariffs. Based in Paris, the ICC represents 45 million businesses, large and small, from across 170 different countries. These businesses were amongst the first to feel the effects of Trump’s tariffs, which have been implemented for various reasons by the US President. Mr. Denton believes that the uncertainty is hurting businesses who worry about making a decision today, only for the rules to be changed tomorrow. Mr. Denton also reveals how new markets are forming away from the US and its tariffs, with South East Asia transitioning from an export-based economy to one of consumption. And despite all the chaos, he points out the World Trade Organisation, and other economic architecture, has actually continued to function. He praises those who have not issued retaliatory tariffs. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The be

Maria Jevstafjeva speaks to Czech President, Petr Pavel about ending the war between Ukraine and Russia. Mr. Pavel was elected to the role in 2023, having retired from a military career that began with serving in the military of communist Czechoslovakia during the Cold War in the 1980s and ended three decades later after chairing Nato’s Military Committee.The first military officer from the former Eastern Bloc to hold the post, he oversaw the Alliance's responses to a number of crises - including the fallout from Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues into its third year, Western leaders are renewing efforts to bring an end to the bloodshed and implement a ceasefire. Mr. Pavel, who was elected on a platform of closer ties with the EU and Nato, believes the only way to do this is by getting Putin to the negotiating table - even if that means allowing Russia to occupy parts of Ukraine, but without recognising Moscow’s claim to them.The Interview bring

We face a special challenge in America.James Naughtie speaks to veteran US politician John Kerry about the state of American politics and his long career at the top of global affairs.As well as standing for president himself as the Democratic candidate in 2004, he served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration and as Joe Biden’s climate envoy. Secretary Kerry was at the centre of some of the most significant global crises in recent history from Iraq to Iran and Syria. He still believes one of America’s greatest foreign policy mistakes was invading Iraq in 2003 without first seeking formal approval from the US Congress.He is forthright in his views on America today, saying he has never seen anything like what the country is living through. He describes politics as defined by greed and insensitivity, and guided by the lowest aspirations. For his Democratic party to return to power once more, he challenges them to face and address the issues the American people care about, including immigration. Thank

Sarah Rainsford speaks to Belarussian opposition activist Sergei Tikhanovsky about his imprisonment after challenging the country’s authoritarian leader, President Lukashenko. He spent five years of solitary confinement in a high security prison in Belarus before being unexpectedly released this year, following a meeting between Lukashenko and an American special envoy.Tikhanovsky had planned to run against the Belarussian leader in the 2020 presidential election, but was detained before the vote.A year later, he was sentenced to serve 18 years in prison, convicted on charges of organising mass protests against President Lukashenko. His trial was condemned as a sham by international observers.Tikhanovsky’s wife, Svetlana, stood in for him in the 2020 election. But the day after Lukashenko claimed a disputed victory, she fled to Lithuania with her children fearing for her safety. In her absence, she was convicted by a Belarussian court on charges including high-treason and conspiracy to seize power. Tikhanov

Bishop Guli is currently the Bishop of Chelmsford, a city in England, but it is also being reported that she’s one of the leading candidates to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury - the most senior bishop in the Church of England.Although she is keen not to add to any media speculation, if selected, Bishop Guli would be a remarkable choice. Not only would she be the first woman to hold the position in the Church’s long history, but she would also become the first person of Middle Eastern heritage to hold the position too.Born in Iran, her family came to the UK as refugees after her brother was murdered in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Edward Stourton, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme, speaks to Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani about her Persian identity and her faith. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to

Europe was free-riding on USNick Robinson speaks to Friedrich Merz, the new German Chancellor, about the future of Europe’s defence amid the growing threat posed by Russia. Merz, the leader of the centre-right Christian Democrat party, was elected as Chancellor earlier this year at the second attempt, following chaotic scenes in the German Bundestag that saw him lose the first parliamentary vote. He’s been in the UK to sign the first-ever friendship treaty between the two countries - it’s a wide-ranging agreement covering everything from migration to energy, and business to defence. Unlike his predecessors who, in the shadow of World War Two, were keen to reassure the world that German military strength was not a priority, Chancellor Merz has decided to invest heavily in defence.He says that a strong army is now essential, thanks to the grave threat Russia poses to European peace and stability - and that Germany must be able to protect itself, and not rely on America.Chancellor Merz also talks about his g

“I'm just disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him”The BBC’s Chief North America Correspondent, Gary O’Donoghue, speaks to US President Donald Trump in a wide-ranging telephone interview from the Oval Office. The call with the president came just hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal within 50 days. Mr. Trump, who celebrated his 79th birthday last month, was inaugurated for a second term in the White House at the start of this year. It’s safe to say that the 47th president of the United States has wasted little time in picking up where he left off four years earlier, upending the status quo both at home and abroad.In the conversation, he reflects on the failed attempt on his life at an election campaign rally last July in Butler, Pennsylvania. He also discusses the ongoing war in Ukraine, US immigration policy, and hopes for his legacy.Thank you to Gary O’Donoghue and Iona Hampson for their help in making this

I’m going to be a voice for these childrenChris Page, the BBC’s Ireland correspondent speaks to the Irish historian Catherine Corless, who has changed history in her own country.When she began to research a long-closed mother and baby home near where she lived, she encountered local resistance. But her dogged investigation led to the discovery that hundreds of babies and young children were buried in mass, unmarked graves inside a disused sewage tank at the site in Tuam, Ireland.Her work led to the discovery of the scandal of Ireland’s historical mother and baby institutions, which housed unmarried mothers and their babies at a time when they were ostracized by Irish society and often their families too. An inquiry launched by the Irish government into the network of homes concluded about nine thousand children died in the eighteen homes investigated.The revelation led to apologies from the Catholic Church in Ireland, the Irish Government, the council which owned the home in Tuam and the religious order which

I pray for peace. Nick Beake speaks to released Israeli hostage Keith Siegel about his experience of captivity in Gaza, of the suffering he says he witnessed at the hands of Hamas and the moment he was released. Mr. Siegel, an American-Israeli, was captured by Hamas fighters in the October 2023 attack that marked the start of the conflict in Gaza. He was one of 251 hostages taken that day, in an assault that killed around 1,200 other people who were mainly civilians. Mr Siegel was released in February after nearly 500 days. His mother passed away while he was still in captivity. You’re going to hear his accounts about his time as a hostage. Some listeners may find his descriptions disturbing. He talks about desperate living conditions in Gaza, as well as extreme levels of violence to which he says he and other hostages were subjected. Hamas has said it doesn't abuse anyone in captivity. Mr. Siegel is calling for all 50 remaining hostages to be freed - up to 20 of them are still believed to b

The UK needs strong international relationships Nick Robinson, presenter of the BBC Today programme and Political Thinking podcast, speaks to Sir Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister, about the importance of maintaining strong international relationships.In an interview recorded to mark Sir Keir’s first year in office, he defends the time he’s spent developing alliances with other world leaders. His critics claim he’s neglected domestic politics, and point to a series of policy u-turns. But Sir Keir tells Nick Robinson that building these relationships is essential to protect the UK’s national interest, particularly in a time of global conflict and instability.Challenged over his domestic performance, he concedes he has changed position on some policy decisions but describes himself as a pragmatist who takes a common sense view in the light of changing circumstances.In this conversation, Sir Keir also reflects on the impact on his family of his role as prime minister, and how he likes to relax by playing football.

Lyse Doucet speaks to Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, about the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and its government. The interview took place in the country’s capital Tehran after Iran’s twelve-day war with Israel. Both sides fired missiles into each other’s territories, with hundreds killed as military sites were destroyed and civilian infrastructure badly damaged.Israel first attacked Iran on 13 June, claiming Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon. The conflict ended when the United States bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites.It is worth remembering, before any of the aggression started, talks about the future of Iran’s nuclear programme were ongoing with the US. But they were overshadowed by a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency declaring Iran was in breach of its nuclear obligations and questioned why Iran was enriching uranium to such high levels.For now, there’s a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Majid Takht-Ravanchi explains why he thinks it will hold an

Jonathan Josephs speaks to Philippe Kehren, CEO of chemical multinational company Solvay. His firm sits at the forefront of Europe’s efforts to diversify its supply of rare earth metals. These elements are essential to much of modern technology, from mobile phones to medical equipment, car batteries and renewable energy.Currently their supply is heavily dependent on China, which mines around 70% of all rare earth metals, and refines around 90%. Solvay aims to play a significant role in reducing this dependence, by increasing European capacity to mine and refine these materials. However, Mr Kehren says the European Union needs to play its part by introducing incentives for customers to buy from European suppliers rather than their cheaper Chinese competitors. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcas

James Copnall, presenter of BBC Newsday, speaks to Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, about the need for Europe to be able to defend itself.In an interview recorded before the Nato summit on 24/25 June 2025, Mr Kubilius, a former Prime Minister of Lithuania, says peace in Europe cannot be taken for granted and that Europe can no longer rely on American military backing. Therefore, defence readiness must be a priority, meaning increased spending commitments from Nato members, and a unified, quick and clear approach across Europe to building defence capabilities. This, he believes, is the only way to deter the threat of further Russian aggression.But some Nato member states may struggle to meet the proposed increased spending target of 3.5% of GDP on defence. A few still haven’t met the current goal of 2%, set more than a decade ago. However, other European nations are already boosting spending to 5% including countries living in close proximity to Russia, such as Poland, Estonia and Lithu