The Interview

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Former Labour Cabinet Minister - Ed Balls Sep 12, 2016

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HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Ed Balls, former Labour MP and UK cabinet minister. When elected politicians are booted out by the voters there's no safety net to soften their fall. And Ed Balls has the bruises to prove it. He was one of the key players of the UK Labour Party's era of political dominance under those partners and rivals Blair and Brown. He was a formidable political operator whose ambition was to lead his party. He failed in that, and last year lost his seat as the unravelling of the Labour Party began in earnest. How does a political heavyweight make sense of failure?

Paweł Szałamacha - Poland's Finance Minister Sep 09, 2016

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For years Poland has been the poster child of the European Union but not anymore. Its new government has made sweeping changes to its constitution and laws, changes that Brussels says are a threat to Poland's democracy. In return Poland has said its economy is too dependent on foreigners. Is his country set on turning inwards and away from the European Union?

(Photo: Pawel Szalamacha at the annual Ambrosetti Forum in Lake Como, Italy)

US Senator - Lindsey Graham Sep 07, 2016

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Sarah Montague speaks to United States Senator Lindsey Graham about American foreign policy and why he thinks Donald Trump is not fit to be president.

(Photo: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) gives a speech where he announced his candidacy for US President, 1 June, 2015. Credit: Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

CEO, Naftogaz of Ukraine - Andriy Kobolev Sep 05, 2016

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Shaun Ley speaks to Andriy Kobolyev, CEO of Ukaine’s Naftogaz. Ukraine is a country at war with itself, and not just because of separatists in the east. Corruption is endemic, especially in state industries. Andriy Kobolyev, CEO of state-run energy company Naftogaz is trying to clean it up. He wants to make gas more expensive, because massive subsidies discourage investment and encourage waste. But energy scams are a big source of income for some powerful people. Are his efforts being sabotaged from the very top?

(Photo: Head of Ukrainian Naftogaz state oil and gas firm Andriy Kobolev walks in front of the company's logo, 2014. Credit: Yuriy Kirnichny/AFP/Getty Images)

HARDtalk: Sara Khan Sep 02, 2016

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Sarah Montague speaks to Sara Khan, director and co-founder of Inspire. Kadiza Sultana was 16 when she ran away from her home in London to join the so-called Islamic State group in Syria. Her family have heard reports that she is dead - killed in a Russian air-strike. It's hard enough to understand why young men join IS, it's harder still to see what attracts women. Sara Khan is at the forefront of efforts in the UK to prevent young women being radicalised. What does she say to them? And is it making any difference?

(Photo: Sara Khan in the Hardtalk studio)

Neurosurgeon - Dr Henry Marsh Aug 31, 2016

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Stephen Sackur talks to one of Britain's leading brain surgeons, Henry Marsh. 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 Dr Henry Marsh. He has given us rare insight into the mind of the doctor - is it reassuring or troubling?

(Photo: Dr Henry Marsh in the Hardtalk studio)

Former UK Labour politician - Derek Hatton Aug 29, 2016

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HARDtalk’s Shaun Ley speaks to former UK Labour politician Derek Hatton. In the blue corner, a formidable woman Prime Minister with an enviable opinion poll lead; in the red corner, a left-wing leader of the opposition seen by many on his own side as unelectable. It's how things look today as they did in the mid-1980s when Derek Hatton was the poster boy of Britain's far left. Confronting Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over funding for his home city of Liverpool, he gambled by threatening 30,000 council workers with redundancy and lost. He was expelled by the Labour Party. Now Jeremy Corbyn is leader, Derek Hatton wants to come back. Is British politics returning to the ideological clashes of the 1980s?

Majak D’Agoôt - Former Deputy Defence Minister, South Sudan Aug 26, 2016

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HARDtalk’s Shaun Ley speaks to Majak D’Agoôt, former deputy Defence Minister of South Sudan. It took half a century of civil war to give South Sudan its independence. Just five years later, leading figures from the independence struggle are calling for the UN to take charge. Majak D’Agoôt fought in the war of independence, became deputy minister of defence, but was sacked by the President and is now in exile. Have South Sudan's politicians failed their starving, displaced people or was the South never viable as a separate country in the first place?

David Nott - Conflict Zone Surgeon Aug 24, 2016

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Stephen Sackur talks to the British surgeon David Nott who has spent decades working in conflict zones, including Syria. Amid the appalling toll of civilian death in Syria the loss of hundreds of doctors and medical staff stands out as an especially grievous loss. Many have been bombed in their clinics and hospitals. Now he is focused on training doctors to work in conflict conditions; but does Syria tell us medical personnel can no longer expect any protection in war?

(Photo: British surgeon David Nott in the Hardtalk studio)

Dame Diana Rigg: Connecting with characters Aug 22, 2016

Show notes

In the public mind, Dame Diana Rigg will forever be linked with performances which were almost a sideshow in her long career. Her roles as Mrs Peel in The Avengers and as Bond girl Tracy di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service attracted huge attention, but it’s in the theatre that she's won critical acclaim and a host of awards. Now she has an iconic role in the hit series Game of Thrones - what's the secret to a great acting performance?

Picture: Diana Rigg, Credit: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

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