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Photographer - David LaChapelle Jun 16, 2014

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Hardtalk is in the gallery district of London’s West End to meet one of the most successful and controversial fashion and celebrity photographers of the last 30 years - David LaChapelle. His story revolves around sex, drugs and provocative pictures. He has the ability to shock and offend, but does his work go deeper?

British Foreign Secretary, 2001 – 2006 - Jack Straw Jun 11, 2014

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The UK Independence Party topped the UK polls in the recent European elections putting pressure on the Conservative and Labour Parties to reconsider their position on immigration and the UK’s relationship with the EU ahead of the 2015 general election. Hardtalk speaks to veteran Labour MP, Jack Straw, who held successive senior positions in government between 1997 and 2010. Is the Labour Party under Ed Miliband in tune with voters and capable of winning next year’s general election?

(Photo: Veteran Labour MP Jack Straw)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Author Jun 09, 2014

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How should we make sense of Nigeria's 21st Century identity? Newly anointed as Africa's number one economy, it is an oil-rich emerging power. But it is also beset by corruption, poor governance and a wave of internal conflict that could threaten the very unity of the state. Hardtalk speaks to the highly acclaimed Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her fiction explores her country's troubled past and current challenges. How does this writer see Nigeria's story unfolding?

(Photo: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian author shortlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction 2014. Credit: AP)

Senior Adviser to Nigeria’s President - Doyin Okupe Jun 04, 2014

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It took the abduction of more than 200 school girls to focus international attention on the appalling level of violence and insecurity in north-eastern Nigeria. The brutal conflict between the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and government security forces has killed thousands. Hardtalk speaks to Doyin Okupe, a senior adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan. Are Nigeria's leaders capable of rescuing their country?

(Photo: Doyin Okupe)

Ugandan Opposition Leader - Kizza Besigye Jun 02, 2014

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Dr Kizza Besigye is a former ally of Uganda’s President Museveni who has become his biggest critic and the country’s best known opposition figure. As the former leader of the main opposition party – the Forum for Democratic Change – he has run three times against President Museveni in elections and lost each time. He has called for popular protests in Uganda like the ones that lead to the uprisings of the Arab Spring. So why has he failed to mobilise public opinion behind him?

(Photo: Ugandan opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye. Credit: Marc Hofer/AFP/Getty Images)

Advisor to the Presidential Administration of Russia, 2001 to 2013 - Professor Sergey Karaganov May 30, 2014

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How far can Vladimir Putin push his iron-fist foreign policy? Crimea is his, but Russia's next move in eastern Ukraine is much less clear cut, as is the extent of the Kremlin's neo-imperialist ambition. Hardtalk speaks to Sergei Karaganov - one of Russia's most influential foreign policy thinkers and until recently, an advisor to President Putin. Is restoring Russian greatness a coherent strategy?

Picture: Professor Sergey Karaganov, Credit: BBC

Actor - Viggo Mortensen May 26, 2014

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Hardtalk speaks to award-winning film star, Viggo Mortensen. Known to many for his starring role in The Lord of the Rings, he is not your average Hollywood leading man. Fluent in four languages and of mixed American and Danish background, he spent his childhood in three continents – so, what is his response to critics who say the American movie industry has contributed to the ‘Hollywoodisation’ of global culture and killed diversity?

Picture: Viggo Mortensen, Credit: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images

Foreign Minister, Estonia - Urmas Paet May 23, 2014

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The crisis in Ukraine has put the spotlight on the relationship between Russia and the EU. How much carrot and how much stick should the EU wield when it comes to dealing with Moscow? The Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were once part of the Soviet Union and all share a border with the Russian Federation. Hardtalk speaks to Urmas Paet, Foreign Minister of Estonia. Why does Estonia think that getting tough with President Putin is the most effective way to contain Russia?

Picture: Urmas Paet, Credit: Ilmars Znotins/AFP/Getty Images

President of South Sudan - Salva Kiir Mayardit May 21, 2014

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In December 2013 South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, became engulfed in a civil conflict which has claimed thousands of lives and prompted fears it could lead to genocide. A fragile ceasefire was agreed just over a week ago between the government of President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, who has led the rebel forces, but will it hold? In a Hardtalk exclusive, Stephen Sackur talks to President Salva Kiir in Juba.

(Photo: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir sits after he signed a peace agreement with rebel leader Riek Machar. Credit: Reuters)

US Assistant Secretary of State - Victoria Nuland May 19, 2014

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What can Western nations like the US do to stop Ukraine from breaking up or falling into civil conflict? Hardtalk is at the US Embassy in London to speak to Victoria Nuland, US Assistant Secretary of State. Now that pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine claim they have voted for independence, is Washington powerless to prevent further disintegration?

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