Hardtalk

Imagine you are a patient, about to undergo brain surgery. If it goes well it will save your life; if it goes wrong you could end up paralysed or dead. Of course you want to believe your surgeon is infallible, a superhero - but he is not; he is all too human just like you. That simple truth emerges from the extraordinarily honest writing of one of Britain's leading brain surgeons, Henry Marsh. He gives rare insight into the mind of the doctor - is it reassuring or troubling?

For more than three decades the ballet dancer Sylvie Guillem has performed as principal dancer at most leading ballet establishments, redrawing the boundaries of the genre. But at the end of this year she will be giving her last performance in a worldwide farewell tour. She will undoubtedly go down in ballet history as one of the greatest dancers of all time - but she is famously been dubbed 'Mademoiselle Non' for being too assertive. Zeinab Badawi speaks to her about that as well as the poisonous rivalries in the world of ballet and her activism to save the planet.(Photo: Prima ballet dancer Sylvie Guillem of France delivers a speech at a press conference in Tokyo. Credit: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi speaks to Nigel Owens, the Welshman who refereed the Rugby World Cup final and is one of the most respected professionals in the game. It has not been an easy journey to the top of the game for him - as a gay man in a macho sport, he has suffered depression and contemplated suicide. How has the world of rugby embraced him and what is making the sport so popular today?(Photo: Referee Nigel Owens. Credit: Matt Lewis - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur talks to Richard Leakey, the Chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service. Africa's wildlife is one of the wonders of the natural world, but the fate of the continent's elephants, rhinos and big cats is now desperately uncertain - illegal poaching could see these great species disappear from their African heartlands. Will the fight for Africa's endangered wildlife have a happy ending?(Photo: Richard Leakey (L) gives a press conference organised by Wildlife Direct, in Nairobi, 2014. Credit: Tony Karumba/AFP)

Colm Tóibín is an Irish writer whose intense, lyrical novels have won him awards, acclaim and most importantly millions of readers around the world. There are recurring themes in his work - loss, mourning, exile which might suggest a dark, brooding presence. Stephen Sackur asks how close that is to the real Colm Tóibín?(Photo: Colm Tóibín in the Hardtalk studio)

Hardtalk’s guest is Hollywood actor Burt Reynolds. He turns 80 next year. Why does he say that although he’s made around 100 films he’s only proud of just a handful of them?(Photo: Actor Burt Reynolds accepts award during Spike TV's Guys Choice. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Lord Turner, is a doyen of the UK economic establishment who has concluded that western economies remain dangerously reliant on debt. It might be reassuring if we could put the blame for the financial crash of 2008 on greedy bankers but what if the crisis was much deeper and more structural? Stephen Sackur asks Lord Turner if his solution; printing money to stimulate growth without adding to the debt pile, is credible?(Photo: Lord Turner in the Hardtalk studio)

Tokyo Sexwale served thirteen years in jail on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. As well as a career in politics he went into business and through interests in mining, gold and diamonds became one of the richest black South Africans. Now he is among five candidates vying to succeed FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Can he reinvent himself and win this top football post? Or could past controversies damage his chances?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the Secretary General of the Anglican communion Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon from Nigeria. Does the Anglican establishment have its priorities right?

Stephen Sackur travels to Oslo to talk to Nobel Peace prize winner Ouided Bouchamaoui. She is one of the four recipients representing the National Dialogue Quartet, a combination of civil society organisations who did much to rescue Tunisia from political chaos a couple of years ago. The Nobel committee hopes that Tunisia’s example of inclusive politics can be a model for neighbouring countries but is that realistic?(Photo: Ouided Bouchamaoui)

Sarah Montague talks Hage Geingob, the President of Namibia. Namibia is rich in minerals and gemstones so is relatively prosperous with good economic growth. Yet it is one of the most unequal societies in the world. There is extreme poverty with many struggling to get enough food to survive. Hage Geingob declared war on poverty and inequality when he became president, in March this year. Before that he had been prime minister for many of the 25 years since independence, so what difference can he make now?(Photo: President of Namibia Hage Geingob. Credit: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi speaks to President Peter Mutharika of Malawi. By some measures Malawi is the world’s poorest country, with a list of problems ranging from poor nutrition and a crippling lack of electricity to international concerns about corruption in the political system. Despite relative peace and political stability, Malawi is struggling to make progress. So how much of its failures are down to bad government?(Photo: Arthur Peter Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi addresses the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly. Credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP)

In the aftermath of the recent Paris attacks, members of the international coalition against the so-called Islamic State, including Britain, have been weighing up the effectiveness of air-strikes on IS strongholds inside Syria. But what impact has the intensified military campaign against IS had on the Syrian opposition? We speak to Monzer Akbik of the Syrian National Coalition, an umbrella organisation made up of Syrian opposition groups. Does he believe their battle against Assad has been re-energised or weakened by the targeting of IS?

Zeinab Badawi speaks to Rwandan politician Frank Habineza, who founded the opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda six years ago. He wants President Paul Kagame, who has been in power for more than 20 years, to stand down at the next presidential elections in 2017. Rwanda is still in the process of recovering from the genocide of the mid 1990's - and the government has been praised for its success in alleviating poverty and bringing about reconciliation. But Frank Habineza thinks it is time for a change and has been critical of government policy - what can he offer a nation that's been so scarred by tragedy?(Photo: Rwandan politician Frank Habineza)

The President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos is the driving force behind a peace process with the armed rebel group, the revolutionary movement: the FARC.

World leaders at the G20 Summit in Turkey have said efforts to combat terrorism must be intensified after the tragic events in Paris - the latest in a series of attacks claimed by the so-called Islamic State. After the terrorist attacks France launched massive air strikes on IS strongholds in Syria. HARDtalk speaks to retired US Admiral James Stavridis, who was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe until 2013. He believes there should be 'meaningful action on a significant scale' by NATO. But are there limits to what military operations can achieve in fighting terrorism?

Hardtalk speaks to Celso Amorim who served the last three presidents of Brazil until January this year. Is the country facing an economic and corruption crisis?(Photo: Brazilian Defence Minister Celso Amorim speaks during a public hearing at the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia, Brazil. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi speaks to Nigel Owens, the Welshman who refereed the recent Rugby World Cup final and is one of the most respected professionals in the game. It has not been an easy journey to the top of the game for him - as a gay man in a macho sport, he has suffered depression and contemplated suicide. How has the world of rugby embraced him and what is making the sport so popular today?(Photo: Referee Nigel Owens of Wales awards a penalty during the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final. Credit: Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi speaks to French journalist Nicolas Henin, who was held captive for 10 months by so called Islamic State in the Syrian city of Raqqa and released last year. Should foreign journalists report from such dangerous conflict zones?(Photo: French journalist Nicolas Henin. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Jeremy Corbyn is the most unlikely leader of one of Britain’s biggest political parties in living memory. He was elected leader of the Labour Party by a party electorate swollen by an army of new, mostly young radical members. He is a genuine socialist, anti-capitalist, anti-war; and anti just about everything that Tony Blair stood for. Stephen Sackur speaks to Lord Mandelson, one of the architects of Blair’s New Labour project. What does Jeremy Corbyn mean for Labour and for Britain?(Photo: Lord Peter Mandleson attends a service of thanksgiving for Lady Soames at Westminster Abbey. Credit: Getty Images)