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The Interview (Interviews)

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Host: Carrie Gracie, Owen Bennett-Jones
Hear from the major players who shape our world. What motivates them and drives their thinking. This weekly programme is presented by Carrie Gracie and Owen Bennett-Jones. The half-hour, one-on-one interview lets you get inside the heads of decision makers and important thinkers.
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Genres: Interviews
Location: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Networks: BBC

Last updated 37 days ago Update program info

Recent Topics

Interview: Mark Carney 21Nov08

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Financial markets remain under severe pressure and all eyes are on the Central Banks to come up with solutions. In charge of Canada's Central Bank is Mark Carney who at the age of 42 is having to show a steady nerve in these challenging times. So what is it like to be in the centre of the storm ? And what can we do to get out of it?

Interview: John Kufuor 14Nov08

Fri, Nov 14 Listen

From outside, Ghana is an African success story. President John Kufuor is in his last weeks of office after eight years in Ghana's top seat. During his two terms the country has become respected as a model of democracy in Africa, while its thriving economy has made it a darling of Washington. But the leading issue in the current election campaign is corruption. And there's no clear successor to his mantle. So can the success story continue?

Interview: Sheikh Hasina 07Nov08

Fri, Nov 7 Listen

Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi leader with an extraordinary story. As the daughter of the country's founding father she was propelled into the frontline of politics by his assassination back in 1975 and rose to become prime minister. But she has been out of office since 2001 and is desperate to return to power in December's elections. On The Interview this week Owen Bennett-Jones asks her whether she can really bring anything new to one of the world's poorest nations.

Interview: Oliver Stone 31Oct08

Fri, Oct 31 Listen

Oliver Stone is one of America's leading film directors. His latest film, W, is about the Bush presidency. This week on The Interview he tells Owen Bennett-Jones about the , the Bush family, Vietnam, the Iraq and why he thinks the world has underestimated George Bush.

Interview: Noam Chomsky 24Oct08

Fri, Oct 24 Listen

Noam Chomsky is one of the great thinkers of our times. Now aged 80 he tells Carrie Gracie how his ideas were shaped in particular by the Great Depression, the Spanish Revolution and working at his uncle's news-stand in New York. And he takes her on a whistle-stop tour of linguistics and American politics and explains why he admires Bolivia.

Interview: Mark Gertler 17Oct08

Fri, Oct 17 Listen

Professor Mark Gertler is one of the few people who is thriving in the current turmoil in the financial markets. As a top American economist he sees the current events as an amazing challenge. And he has an inside track on events --for years he worked with Ben Bernanke, now chairman of the Federal Reserve, looking at how a shock to the system can rapidly spread. So does he have any answers for the current crisis?

Interview: Dmitry Rogozin 10Oct08

Fri, Oct 10 Listen

Lyse Doucet meets Russia's man at the heart of NATO -- Dmitry Rogozin. Since he arrived in Brussels in January he's been causing a storm with his undiplomatic language. But he tells Lyse Doucet that both he and Russia are misunderstood by the West.

Interview: Hugh Herr 03Oct08

Fri, Oct 3 Listen

Owen Bennett-Jones meets Hugh Herr who lost both his legs below the knee in a mountaineering accident and set out to design his own artifical legs.

Interview: Reid Sawyer 26Sept08

Fri, Sep 26 Listen

Major Reid Sawyer is a leading American authority on Al Qaeda. He is based at the United States Military Academy at West Point and wrote the textbook on counter terrorism methods. On the eve of a major new World Service series about Al Qaeda, Owen Bennett-Jones talks to Major Sawyer about who is winning the war on terror. And gets some surprising answers.

Interview: Lang Lang 19Sep08

Fri, Sep 19 Listen

Carrie Gracie talks to the top Chinese pianist Lang Lang who was the star performer at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. It was a moving moment for the 26-year-old pianist who started playing piano at the age of three. Pushed on by his father, his only desire was to be the "number one" player in the world. So how does he view that long struggle now and was it all worth it?

Interview: Amrullah Saleh 12Sep08

Fri, Sep 12 Listen

Afghanistan's intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh talks to Lyse Doucet on The Interview In a rare interview Amrullah Saleh describes how he wants Afghans to be scared of his agency's powers. He explains why he thinks the West might be underestimating the terror threat Afghanistan and the world faces. And he proposes that the war on terror should be extended into Pakistan.

Interview: Susan Wicklund 05Sep08

Fri, Sep 5 Listen

Carrie Gracie talks to Susan Wicklund who has been providing abortions in the United States for the past twenty years. Women in America may have the right to abortion, but Susan Wicklund says it is still seen as a secretive subject which many people are unhappy to talk about. So how does she deal with the ethical issues involved?

Interview: John Maeda 29Aug08

Fri, Aug 29 Listen

John Maeda is a computer scientist who is also good at art and much of his work has been directed at making computers more human. He tells Owen Bennett-Jones that he doesn't like the way computing trends are going -- he thinks technology has run its course and that no one knows what to do with it. So he's just left the world of computing to become president of the fine art establishment RISD, the Rhode Island School of Design, in the United States.

Interview: Jordan Belfort 22Aug08

Fri, Aug 22 Listen

Jordan Belfort was a Wall Street trader who crossed the line. He set up one of the largest brokerages in America and then used his entrepreneurial flair to defraud millions. This week on The Interview he talks to Carrie Gracie about money, greed and his need to be a good man.

Interview: Chelsia Lau 15Aug08

Fri, Aug 15 Listen

Chelsia Lau grew up on an island off Hong Kong which has no cars -- yet somehow she found herself studying car design in the United States. Now she is a top designer for the Ford Motor Company and thinks cars are the highest form of design. Currently based in Shanghai, she tells Carrie Gracie what makes four wheels beautiful.

Interview: Dick Pound 08Aug08

Fri, Aug 8 Listen

Dick Pound is a man who has been at the top of international sports administration. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee and went on to found the World Anti-Doping Agency. This week on The Interview he talks to Owen Bennett-Jones about his long campaign to stop the use of drugs in sport.

Interview: Gurinder Chadha 01Aug08

Tue, Jul 29 Listen

Gurinder Chadha made the kind of hit that film-makers dream of with "Bend It Like Beckham". It won over British, American and Asian audiences in one swoop with a tale designed to show what girls can achieve. As her latest film is released, she tells Owen Bennett-Jones how she is driven by her experiences of racism from growing up in Britain as the daughter of Indian Sikhs from Kenya.

Interview:Archbishop Desmond Tutu 25Jul08

Fri, Jul 25 Listen

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has become an international figure for peace and justice. He became known as the arch enemy of apartheid during the years when key figures such as Nelson Mandela were in prison. And he's since worked on the process of reconciliation in South Africa. He's known for his jolly laugh but behind it is a steely toughness which helped him stand up to oppressors -- whether it was intervening to stop a black lynch mob or standing up to the white rulers of South Africa. On The...

Interview: Christine Lagarde 18Jul08

Fri, Jul 18 Listen

Christine Lagarde used to run a Chicago law firm before she got a phone call asking her to join the French government. Now as France's Finance Minister she is spearheading a series of economic reforms designed to get France working harder. Owen Bennett-Jones asks her whether she will be able to influence a culture which traditionally values its civilised way of life above money. And whether the financial crisis will block her progress.

Interview: Cherie Blair 11july08

Fri, Jul 11 Listen

On The Interview this week Cherie Blair talks about life behind the scenes at Downing Street. As the wife of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Cherie, who is a top lawyer, felt her main role was to always support her husband. Now she tells Owen Bennett-Jones how she got through the tough times and loneliness and why she's always been ambitious.

Interview: Arianna Huffington 04July08

Fri, Jul 4 Listen

Arianna Huffington has given her name to a website that has taken America's political news-watchers by storm. The Huffington Post has already caused a stir with stories about the candidates in the American presidential race. And its founder says she wants to take journalism in a new direction. So who is she and how much influence will her website have?

Interview: Juma Al Dossary 27Jun08

Fri, Jun 27 Listen

Juma Mohammed Al Dossary was held for five and a half years in Guantanamo Bay. He was released without charge a year ago and returned to Saudi Arabia where he was born. On The Interview this week he tells Owen Bennett-Jones how he survived Guantanamo -- through beatings and freezing cells -- and the surprising kindness of a few guards who kept his faith in humanity alive. And he tells of the new life he is carving out for himself in Saudi Arabia -- which includes getting married seven weeks ago.

Interview: Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor 20thJune08

Fri, Jun 20 Listen

Europe is becoming increasingly secular so what does England's most prominent Catholic have to say about how to bring Europeans back to God? And what would Jesus make of the Catholic church today? Carrie Gracie asks Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, President of the Bishop's Conference, for his views on contemporary Europe and Christianity.

Interview: Larry Summers 13June08

Fri, Jun 13 Listen

Larry Summers is a top economist and former US treasury secretary. He tells Carrie Gracie the story of the current financial crisis which he had been warning about for some 18 months. The worst may be over financially for the US he says, but the real economy still has some way to go and Americans are feeling the pain in their daily lives. In world terms though he says he is confident that America will retain its place at the heart of the global economy.

Interview: George Soros 06June08

Fri, Jun 6 Listen

George Soros is the world's best known investor and in the midst of the financial crisis he's just published a new book with his theory of why markets go wrong. But others claim his decisions are guided by when his back pain hurts him. So does he really know what's happening with the economy? And would anyone listen to him if he wasn't a billionaire? That's George Soros talking to Lesley Curwen on The Interview.

Interview: Jonathan Spence 30May08

Fri, May 30 Listen

This week on The Interview we introduce the man giving the 2008 BBC Reith Lectures which will be broadcast on the World Service. Professor Jonathan Spence is an acclaimed American scholar who specialises in Chinese history and his lecture series is designed to present a different perspective of a country which is very much in the international focus this year. He talks to Owen Bennett-Jones about his choice for his first lecture -- Confucius -- a great thinker whose ideas still resonate today...

Interview: Jacob Zuma 23May08

Fri, May 23 Listen

The next 12 months are make or break for Jacob Zuma. He could end them as president of South Africa or he could wind up in jail on corruption charges in a court case which is still hanging over him. Owen Bennett-Jones asks the African National Congress leader about his childhood, his days in the ANC during apartheid, and the challenges that lie ahead for him and for South Africa.

Interview: Craig Mundie 16May08

Fri, May 16 Listen

When Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft in July he will be looking to Craig Mundie to keep the company at the cutting edge. Mundie takes over research and strategy at the top of the 64-billion-dollar company with 82,000 employees. This week on The Interview he tells Owen Bennett-Jones how his job is to nurture the innovators. He says creativity is genetic and creative people can be found in every country. An engineer by training, he describes how his job also involves trying to influence...

Interview: Diana Atill 09May08

Fri, May 9 Listen

The Interview this week has its oldest ever guest in the shape of the British writer Diana Athill. And as she enters her nineties she has turned her thoughts to the difficult topics of old age and dying. She talks to Carrie Gracie about the best times of her life and her approach to the final years.

Interview: Parag Khanna 02May08

Fri, May 2 Listen

Parag Khanna is a young American academic with a big world view. The United States' dominance is over he says. And the 21st century will be controlled by a trio of superpowers -- the United States, China and the European Union -- who will fight for influence in the so-called "second world" regions such as Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. His research took him around the world and this week on The Interview he tells Carrie Gracie about his findings and what the new world...