Interview, The [World Service]

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Discussion or in-depth interview exploring ideas behind issues of modern life - politics, science, technology and the arts.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Richard Thaler is one of the founding fathers of a whole new branch of economics and, it's reckoned, one of the foremost intellects to have shaped the thinking of the Obama administration in Washington.

He explains why people's behaviour in a crisis is never rational, why we all need a gentle nudge to do the right thing now and then, and how giving the financial system a nudge could just get the world out of recession.

American economist Richad Thaler talks to Lyse Doucet on The Interview

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Edward de Bono explains why he has tried to change the established way of thinking.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Edward de Bono has championed a new way of thinking for more than forty years. He has set out to challenge the logical, truth-seeking process established by the Greek philosophers 2,400 years ago and cemented in Western culture in the Middle Ages by the church.

That way of thinking is fine, but is not sufficient to meet the problems posed by the modern world. To solve the great challenges of today -- global warming, the credit crunch -- better, more creative thinking is needed, claims Dr de Bono. And he has spent much of his life proselytising his vision. Such concepts as lateral thinking and the six hats are part of his new way of thinking that he says will equip all sections of society to live better lives and solve more complex problems.

In this week's edition of The Interview, Edward de Bono tells Lyse Doucet how he became aware of the failings of conventional thought, how he has championed his new way to business leaders, politicians and children, and why he still wants to realise his dream of establishing a Palace of Thinking to encourage a revolution.

Some have accused him of arrogance, some say he is just plain wrong, but Dr de Bono is always charming and entertaining as he seeks to convince the unenlightened.

Edward de Bono explains why he has tried to change the established way of thinking.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Daniel Fried talks of the difficulties he's encountered in closing down Guantanamo Bay.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Daniel Fried is one of the team charged by President Obama with closing down the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. He is responsible for persuading third countries to accept and resettle those detainees the United States has cleared for release. In his first interview since he was appointed, Ambassador Fried tells Jon Manel of the difficulties he has encountered and his determination to meet the deadline set by President Obama -- that Guantanamo would be closed by the end of his first year in office.

Daniel Fried talks of the difficulties he's encountered in closing down Guantanamo Bay.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

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The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

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Owen Bennett Jones talks to Deputy prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Arthur Mutambara.

Carrie Gracie speaks to African telecommunications entrepreneur and philanthropist Mo I...

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

On The Interview they tell Mike Williams how they have coped with life since Madeleine disappeared...

Kate and Gerry McCann on how they have coped since their daughter Madeleine disappeared

Arab Labor is a popular and controversial prime-time Israeli television comedy show.

This week on The interview we talk to its creator, Sayed Kashua.

Sayed discusses issues of language, identity and politics.

He tells Owen Bennett-Jones what it is like to being an Israeli Arab and why his own Arab community is finding it hard to laugh at his jokes.

Israeli Arab author Sayed Kashua talks about his controversial TV show, Arab Labor.

When the Christian Pastor Terry Jones captured world headlines by threatening to burn copies of the Koran recently, there was a sudden fear that the actions of a lone churchman from Florida could spark a violent reaction from Muslims around the world and endanger the lives of Americans. Owen Bennett Jones asks him what he thought he was doing...

Christian Pastor Terry Jones who threatened to burn the Koran

Owen Bennett Jones looks back at some of the highlights of The Interview over the past year.

This year Owen had the chance to quiz politicians such as the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

To hear tales of bravery and courage from Iraq and Pakistan.

And to find out what makes tennis star Serena Williams angry.

Best of The Interview in 2009 with Owen Bennett-Jones.

Khaled al-Berry describes his time as a member of a violent Islamist group

Reverend Ian Paisley has been one of the key figures of politics in Northern Ireland over the past forty years. A Protestant who supports the link between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, he founded his own church and his own political party. Now aged 84 he talks to Owen Bennett Jones about his opposition to the Pope, his fiercesome reputation, and why he finally felt happy to share power with his arch enemies...

Has the Reverend Ian Paisley mellowed?

Marcus Trescothick is one of England's top cricketers and has again enjoyed a successful summer for his county side. But not for his country.

Trescothick gave up playing for the national side three years ago after suffering debilitating depression while touring abroad.

He tells Owen Bennett-Jones of his struggles with the disease, and why cricketers in particular appear susceptible to it.

This week cricketer Marcus Trescothick tells about his struggle with depression.

Peter Thiel is an internet entrepreneur and a libertarian. He wants to encourage free thinking and he thinks his business ventures demonstrate big ideas -- PayPal, which he co-founded, created a way to make payments online. Facebook, which he took a big stake in, connected people around the world. Now he tells Mike Williams that his venture capital fund and philanthropy are aimed at encouraging the kind of technological innovation that the West needs to survive.

PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel on free thinking

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Henry Cockburn describes his experiences of schizophrenia as he emerges from six years of living in mental hospitals. While his father Patrick Cockburn, an award-winning foreign correspondent, talks about his battle to find a future for his son who was diagnosed with this cruel mental illness at the age of 20.

They talk to Carrie Gracie on The Interview.

An inside view of living with schizophrenia

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Virus hunter Nathan Wolfe thinks we can prevent future pandemics

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Sophie Andrews has had a long journey to her current position as chair of the British counselling charity The Samaritans -- a charity which she turned to during her darkest moments. She tells Carrie Gracie how she dealt with the terrible abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her adoptive father and her attempts to end her life, and how we should all take time to listen to people in need.

Samaritans' chair Sophie Andrews survived several suicide attempts

David Kilcullen is an expert in counterinsurgency and has worked in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

A former Australian army officer he joined the United States State Department in 2005 before becoming a special advisor to General David Petraeus and then Condoleeza Rice.

This week on The Interview David Kilcullen talks to Lyse Doucet about modern warfare and the need to try to understand the culture of the enemy -- to get to know the way they act and think.

Lyse Doucet talks to counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen.

Nobel prize-winner Dr Barry Marshall made a medical discovery which rendered obsolete a multi-billion dollar drugs market aimed at treating stomach ulcers. To do this he was his own guinea-pig, deliberately drinking a petri-dish full of bacteria to test out his theory. Luckily he lived to tell the tale, and discovered the cure for ulcers - however the medical establishment and drug companies didn't want to listen at first. He tells his story to Owen Bennett-Jones.

Dr Barry Marshall swallowed bacteria and won a Nobel Prize.

Michael Caine made it to the top of Hollywood from very humble origins -- his father worked in a fish market and his mother was a cleaner. He talks to Owen Bennett Jones about acting, stardom, wealth and happiness -- and reveals how he has given up the "bling". At the age of 73, Sir Michael says he no longer needs to impress people

Michael Caine on acting, stardom, wealth and happiness

Michael Lewis on the few outsiders who bet against the sub-prime mortgage business and won

Anthony Horowitz is a children's author.

His own unhappy childhood propelled him into writing.

This week on The Interview he tells Owen Bennett-Jones how from the age of ten he knew that writing would be his life.

This week children's author Anthony Horowitz talks to Owen Bennett-Jones.

His priority has been to rebuild Rwanda and put the terrible ethnic divisions firmly in the past.

His country is now described as bright and promising with a growing economy and a determined workforce.

Yet President Kagame faces repeated international criticism for a lack of democracy and freedom of expression inside Rwanda, and his country's actions in Congo.

So which view of Rwanda is right?

President Paul Kagame talks to Owen Bennett Jones about the task he faces.

President Paul Kagame has led Rwanda out of the genocide that took place 15 years ago.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

His tales of small town America are both comic and insightful and in this week's edition of The Interview, he shares with Carrie Gracie the secrets of his trade and tells her his favourite story.

This week American broadcaster Garrison Keillor tells Carrie Gracie his favourite story.

Animal behaviour expert Temple Grandin talks about her emotions as an autistic woman

Bassam Abu Sharif, joined a radical Palestinian group in the 1960's and was labelled the 'face of terror' by Time Magazine.

He survived an assassination attempt, and as an advisor to Yasser Arafat worked towards a two state solution.

On The Interview he tells Owen Bennett-Jones about his life at the heart of the PLO, and why his people still don't have an independent homeland.

Owen Bennett-Jones talks to Bassam Abu Sharif once described as the Face of Terror.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has led a mosque in New York for 25 years and worked to bring faiths together. But he admits he was scared by the fierce reaction back in August to his plans for an Islamic Centre, two blocks from Ground Zero. Four months on he has drawn lessons from the affair and is ready to launch a new inter-faith initiative. But Carrie Gracie asks him whether he can ever really succeed?

New York mosque leader Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf says he was scared by August protests

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

During his time in prison he gradually came to terms with what he had done and started working on the prison newspaper becoming an acclaimed journalist.

He was released after a retrial in 2005.

So what does his experience say about America's views of punishment and redemption?

He talks to Carrie Gracie on The Interview.

Wilbert Rideau spent 44 years in prison in the US after killing a woman

Wilbert Rideau spent 44 years in prison in the US after killing a woman

To mark the end of The Interview programme which finishes at the end of the month, here is another chance to hear Charlie Wilson who died last year. As an American Congressman he managed to funnel billions of dollars to the Afghans fighting against the Soviet Union in the biggest secret war in history. His story -- including some of the wilder antics of his private life fuelled by whisky and women -- was made into a Hollywood movie starring Tom Hanks. Charlie Wilson talked to Owen Bennett Jones back in 2006.

On whisky, women and winning the Cold War

What happened when design naif Owen Bennett Jones met design guru Paola Antonelli at a hotel in Switzerland? Well she didn't like the folksy Swiss-style table lamps for starters. As design curator for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Paola knows a thing or two about good design and she thinks more of us should pay attention to it and to designers themselves, who she says can bring fresh ideas to everything from health policy to biochemistry. But did she convince Owen?

Design guru Paola Antonelli wants us to appreciate objects around us

This week on The Interview we have a couple, Mark and Nicky Webster.

Mark and Nicky tell Carrie Gracie about their battle to get back their children, three of whom were taken into care and then adopted following medical evidence that the fractures on the leg of one of them could have been due to abuse.

The medical evidence has since been questioned but the British adoption laws mean that they are unable to be reunited with their children.

You can hear Mark and Nicky Webster's story on The Interview.

This week Mark and Nicky Webster tell of their battle to win back their children.

One of the most high-profile hairdressers in the world, Vidal Sassoon is famous for having created the geometric bob which defined the look of the '60s'. Less well known is his opposition to fascism as a young man, and his past as a member of the Israeli Defence Force fighting in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Now aged 82, Vidal Sassoon talks to Owen Bennett-Jones about his remarkable life.

Vidal Sassoon - celebrity hairdresser and zionist.

He runs on carbon fibre blades earning him the nickname "Bladerunner".

This week on The Interview he talks to Owen Bennett Jones about his dream to compete with able-bodied athletes in the 2012 Olympics and why he has a fear of ballet.

Oscar Pistorius -the bladerunner- talks about dancing, driving and running in 2012.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

But he withdrew from a leadership run-off saying that he couldn't trust that the electoral system would be free of fraud.

Now he is sidelined in a system which has no formal role for an opposition. His hopes rest on parliamentary elections later this year.

Owen Bennett Jones asks him about talking to the Taliban, escaping suicide bombers and his hopes for the future.

This interview was recorded at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Abdullah Abdullah on the Taliban, escaping suicide bombers and his hopes for the future.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Luckily on The Interview Carrie Gracie has a little longer to find out Evan's plans for the free exchange of information.

She asks him about how he went from a farm in Nebraska to being a big player in Silicon Valley, how he thinks Twitter can be a force for good and whether he will sell at any price?

Twitter boss Evan Williams on how the internet is changing the world.

Dr Heidi Kastner is the forensic psychiatrist who had to assess the mental state of Josef Fritzl, the Austrian convicted earlier this year of imprisoning and raping his daughter over a twenty-four year period.

This week on The Interview Dr Kastner tells Carrie Gracie about the challenges of her job - the curiosity which took her into the field and the occasional sense of helplessness that her job inflicts on her.

This week on The Interview we talk to forensic psychiatrist,Dr Heidi Kastner.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is one of India's best-known spiritual leaders, a man famous for his breathing exercises.

He has been called the world's most globalised guru - drawing vast audiences wherever he travels - to hear his message and learn his breathing techniques.

He talks to Owen Bennett Jones about his childhood, his interest in science, his spiritual roots and, of course, the meaning of life.

The Indian spiritual guru talks about the meaning of life

But then he had a dramatic fall from grace. He was identified as having paid for sex with prostitutes, resigned, and was forced to stand by and watch as the financial crash exposed exactly the problems he made a target years before.

He talks to Carrie Gracie

Eliot Spitzer who resigned as Governor of New York after a sex scandal

Robert Harris says the fall of the Roman republic has a chilling ring for America today

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

His region holds the major route for supplies to Western forces in Afghanistan and is a key target for the Taleban.

In the past few months there have been suicide bombings and military strikes.

On The Interview this week he tells Owen Bennett-Jones about his job and its challenges.

Owen Bennett-Jones talks to the civilian chief in Pakistan's Khyber pass, Tariq Khan.

Ray Kurzweil thinks human ingenuity will eventually find a way to overcome death.

Palaeontologist Jorn Hurum, led the research into the 47 million year-old primate fossil, Ida.

Dr Hurum tells Carrie Gracie about of the world of fossil trading and the bar room deals that brought the primate out of a private collection and to world attention.

He discusses the controversies over his research and the claims made for it.

Palaeontologist Jorn Hurum talks about finding Ida, the 47 million year old fossil.

Mo Ibrahim is the African telecommunications entrepreneur and philanthropist who established the world's richest prize, for good governance in Africa.

This week on The Interview Mo tells Carrie Gracie how the mobile phone has transformed the continent and why big internet companies like Microsoft and Google are being short-sighted about investment in Africa.

He also tells Carrie that lentils, for him, still taste better than caviar.

Businessman Mo Ibrahim talks about the transformation of Africa through mobile phones.

Jeff Sarwer was a child chess champion, playing and winning competitions all over North America along with his sister. He never went to school, nor lived in a house, but often slept in the car with his father as they travelled the country. His father taught him discipline, motivation and independence, but it all came at a cost. Jeff and his sister suffered an abusive childhood, and finally went on the run to escape the authorities who wanted the children to go to foster parents. Jeff looks back on his childhood with Mike Williams, and his current success as a professional poker player. That's on The Interview after the news.

Child chess prodigy and adult poker player Jeff Sarwer.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

So he set himself a challenge - how to keep private transport running in a world without oil.

But can his pioneering electric car scheme succeed and what is motivating him to do it?

He speaks to Mike Williams on The Interview.

Can he keep private transport running in a world without oil?

Can he keep private transport running in a world without oil?

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

To mark the end of The Interview programme which finishes at the end of the month, here is another chance to hear Art Spiegelman who has turned his life into cartoons. His subjects are dark -- his own mental breakdown, his parents' experience of the Nazi concentration camps, and the 9/11 attacks on New York. He talked to Lyse Doucet about his life and his art back in 2009.

A life in cartoons -- Art Spiegelman

General Sir Richard Dannatt was in charge of the British army for three years from 2006 to 2009 -- when his soldiers faced particularly fierce fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He went public with criticisms of the then government's policy. So how does he reflect on working for political masters and Britain's military choices?

The British army chief who talked politics -- General Sir Richard Dannatt

General Sir Richard Dannatt was in charge of the British army for three years from 2006 to 2009 -- when his soldiers faced particularly fierce fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He went public with criticisms of the then government's policy. So how does he reflect on working for political masters and Britain's military choices?

The British army chief who talked politics -- General Sir Richard Dannatt

The British army chief who talked politics -- General Sir Richard Dannatt.

Daniel Fried talks of the difficulties he's encountered in closing down Guantanamo Bay.

Gurbaksh Chahal is an internet entrepreneur who sold his first company for forty million dollars at the age of 18. His family arrived in California from India when he was 4 years old, and Gurbaksh was brought up as a devout Sikh. This meant when he made the decision to cut his hair and stop wearing the traditional turban as a teenager it was very traumatic for his parents. Gurbaksh is now 28, and is working on his third start-up company. He talks to Mike Williams about his life, his motivation and what religion, business and wealth all mean to him.

Gurbaksh Chahal - internet entrepreneur and multi-millionaire

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Zimbabwe's deputy prime minister Arthur Mutambara can't forget Robert Mugabe's legacy

Synopsis

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

On The Interview with Lyse Doucet he talks about his two years in Kabul, the ongoing talks he had with prominent Taliban leaders over political and humanitarian issues.

He's also strongly critical of Pakistan for its recent arrest of Taliban leaders which shut down these channels of communication. Kai Eide says it is a setback to finding a lasting solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.

Kai Eide gives his thoughts on how the UN has done in Afghanistan.

German sex-worker Stephanie Klee says prostitution should be a job like any other.

Jodi Picoult is a best-selling American author who writes books which revolve around moral questions. They put a family at the centre of issues such as date rape, child abuse and stem cell research and see what unravels.

Carrie Gracie asks her about her views on books and life.

Carrie Gracie talks to the best-selling American author Jodi Picoult.

When William Bratton was police chief in New York and Los Angeles he oversaw a hefty fall in crime. His big idea was to crack down on minor crimes such as fare evasion, gangs on corners, drinking alchohol in public and graffiti, in the belief that then other crime would decrease as well. He tells Owen Bennett Jones how it worked.

The police chief who cut crime in New York and Los Angeles

Mohammed is an Iraqi who worked as an interpreter for the British Army in Iraq.

After receiving a death threat he decided to leave his country and now lives in Britain.

This week on The Interview he tells Lyse Doucet why he risked his life to work for the British and how his decision changed the course of his life.

This week we talk to Mohammed, an Iraqi interpreter who worked for the British Army.

British feminist Natasha Walter thinks sexism is back in a new more pernicious form and is threatening women's visions of sexual equality. Whipped up by internet porn and a resurgent sex industry she says it's having an impact on how young girls and boys see themselves. She tells Carrie Gracie how she deals with that for her own children and whether she manages to find equality in her own married life.

Sexism is back according to British feminist Natasha Walter

British feminist Natasha Walter thinks sexism is back in a new more pernicious form and is threatening women's visions of sexual equality.

Whipped up by internet porn and a resurgent sex industry she says it's having an impact on how young girls and boys see themselves.

She tells Carrie Gracie how she deals with that for her own children and whether she manages to find equality in her own married life.

Sexism is back according to British feminist Natasha Walter

He's now president of the Nike brand. So what's the secret of his company's success and how do you keep your edge when you are number one in the market? Carrie Gracie asks him how he stays in touch with the latest trends on The Interview.

Nike executive Charlie Denson says wearing trainers can be inspirational.

Andy Hayman was in his office as the head of specialist operations for Britain's biggest police force back in 2005, when a colleague came in and said: "I think we have a plot to bring down seven aircraft flying from the UK to the US."

From that came Britain's biggest terrorist investigation involving round the clock surveillance, bugging of the gang's base house and decoding of emails and text messages -- ending up with the conviction of three British men earlier this year.

On The Interview Andy Hayman gives Carrie Gracie his inside view of how the terrorist threat is being handled and where the dangers lie today.

Andy Hayman tells Carrie Gracie the inside story of a terrorist investigation in Britain.

American philosopher Ronald Dworkin on how laws should be interpreted.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Jeff Skoll was a pioneer of the online auction site, eBay.

In just a couple of years he went from worrying about his student debt to having hundreds of millions of dollars in stock.

He quickly put that money to use setting up a foundation to encourage social entrepreneurship and making movies with a social message.

He tells Owen Bennett-Jones what money has meant to him.

Ebay pioneer and philanthropist Jeff Skoll talks to Owen Bennett Jones

American philosopher Ronald Dworkin on how laws should be interpreted

Michelle Bachelet is used to carving her way as a woman. First as a victim of the Pinochet military regime in Chile, then as a doctor, a government minister and ultimately the President of her country. Now she says she wants to bring all that experience to bear as the head of the new United Nations body, UN Women. Her goal -- to accelerate the efforts of gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide. She talks to Pascale Harter on The Interview.

From running Chile to empowering the world's women -- Michelle Bachelet

He trained as an economist before being captivated by photography and has concentrated on major projects focusing on workers, migration and now the environment.

He tells Carrie Gracie that he uses his pictures to tell the bigger story of the social changes of our time.

Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado on the social changes of our time.

As Afghanistan holds national elections in August we talk to General Dan McNeill, the highest ranking US officer to have served in the country.

Recently retired, General McNeill talks about destruction and reconstruction of Afghanistan and why it will never become another Vietnam for the Americans.

Highest ranking US officer to serve in Afghanistan,Gen Dan McNeill talks about the war.

Owen Bennett Jones looks back at some of the best of his guests on the programme in 2010.

There's politics, religion, and ....hairdressing as Owen gets to grips with the former British prime minister Tony Blair, the American Pastor Terry Jones who threatened to burn the Koran, and the world famous crimper Vidal Sassoon.

And you can find out which politician terrified Owen when he was a young reporter.

Owen Bennett Jones looks back at some of the best of his guests on the programme in 2010

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Gerry Conlon spent 15 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

He was one of the so-called Guildford Four, jailed in 1975 for an IRA pub bombing which killed five people and injured more than 60. Other members of his family were also wrongfully imprisoned for terrorist offences, including his father - who was to die in prison.

In 2005 the then British prime minister Tony Blair apologised to Gerry Conlon and the others in his case and he was awarded compensation. But on The Interview he tells Carrie Gracie that he still can't move on and his life has been ruined.

Gerry Conlon on the horror of being wrongfully imprisoned

Gerry Conlon spent 15 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

He was one of the so-called Guildford Four, jailed in 1975 for an IRA pub bombing which killed five people and injured more than 60. Other members of his family were also wrongfully imprisoned for terrorist offences, including his father - who was to die in prison.

In 2005 the then British prime minister Tony Blair apologised to Gerry Conlon and the others in his case and he was awarded compensation. But on The Interview he tells Carrie Gracie that he still can't move on and his life has been ruined.

Gerry Conlon on the horror of being wrongfully imprisoned

Survival, in its purest form, is the story of Nando Parrado. In this last edition of The Interview, there's another chance to hear him telling Carrie Gracie his extraordinary tale. He lived through a plane crash in the Andes mountains and, with several others, survived for two months by eating some of the passengers who had been killed. Then he climbed out of the mountains to find help. His story has been made into a book and a Hollywood movie. And it is a story which changed his life.

Everybody has their own Andes in life

There's drama, danger ... and fossils, as we hear from the police chief who foiled a major bomb plot, the billionaire who wants to encourage good leaders and the politician who was caught paying for sex with a prostitute -- oh and the paleontologist who found a 47-million-year-old arboreal quadruped.

Carrie Gracie looks back at some of the best of her guests on The Interview in 2009

Mohsen Kadivar is a dissident Iranian cleric who believes the Islamic Republic of Iran is neither Islamic nor a republic.

He is strongly opposed to Ayatollah Khamenei, whose post of Supreme Leader he believes should be abolished.

This week on The Interview the former political prisoner tells Lyse Doucet that he wants to reduce the role of the clergy in state affairs.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Owen Bennett-Jones talks to Garry Trudeau, one of the world's most successful cartoonists. He's been drawing the Doonesbury strip for forty years - chronicling American life in all its forms - from social trends to high politics. To do this he employs a cast of over 70 characters and has numerous story lines running simultaneously. He's covered everything from the Vietnam war, Watergate, the Reagan years right up to the conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq. He tells Owen what it's like to produce more than 14,000 cartoon strips over four decades, and how he keeps coming up with new story lines.

Garry Trudeau - 40 years 14,000 Doonesbury cartoon strips.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Jacqui Smith became Britain's first female Home Secretary in 2007.

After an two years in one of the most difficult seats in government, she was caught up in the scandal over MPs expenses and resigned as a minister.

Jaqui Smith tells Carrie Gracie about the pressure of being a woman politician.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

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Jeff Zucker says the TV was always on in his home when he was growing up. He went to work in television sports and news and now, as head of NBC Universal, he manages one of America's oldest TV networks, NBC, along with a host of cable channels. It's the cable channels which make the most money but it's NBC which gets all the press coverage -- most recently for a row over a slight change to a treasured programme, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. So what do we want from television? And how do we want to watch it? Owen Bennett Jones gets the picture from Jeff Zucker.

NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker is one of the most powerful men in America's TV industry

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He says he wants Jerusalem to reach its potential with more tourism and more facilities for its growing population.

But he also wants to make it the undivided capital of the Jewish people under Jewish sovereignty.

Owen Bennett Jones talks to him.

Jerusalem's mayor Nir Barkat wants his city to be undivided and under Jewish sovereignty.

On The Interview this week, Serena Williams, one of the best women's tennis players of all time. Her powerful game has led her to the top of the ratings.

But she is equally famous for her off-court story -- her older sister Venus is also at the top of the tennis world and their father Richard has supervised their paths to success.

Owen Bennett Jones asks her how she feels about her family and her sport.

Serena tells Owen Bennett-Jones about dudes, dead balls and playing too much tennis.

What happened when design naif Owen Bennett Jones met design guru Paola Antonelli at a hotel in Switzerland? Well she didn't like the folksy Swiss-style table lamps for starters. As design curator for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Paola knows a thing or two about good design and she thinks more of us should pay attention to it and to designers themselves, who she says can bring fresh ideas to everything from health policy to biochemistry. But did she convince Owen?

Design guru Paola Antonelli wants us to appreciate the objects around us

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Edward de Bono explains why he has tried to change the established way of thinking.

Bill Gates is one of the few people who can claim to have changed the way the world works. Back when he was a teenager he had a vision of cheap computers on every desk in every home. Microsoft made him the richest man in the world. But his main work now is with his charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on tackling malaria, AIDS, poverty and disease. Drawing on his past achievements, he remains a fervent advocate of the power of technology to improve the world. And still a computer geek at heart, he tells Tom Hagler why he prefers Twitter to Facebook.

Entrepreneur turned philanthropist Bill Gates on his fight against poverty and disease

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

In the bloody aftermath he fled to the United States and became an activist in exile.

Now at the age of 40 he runs a software company in New York and has made a handful of visits back to Beijing.

So how does he look back on those heady events, twenty years on?

One of the leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests talks to Carrie Gracie

Cliff Bleszinski knew he wanted to be a video games designer from the age of six. Now he's one of the most successful in the world as the creator of the Gears of War series. He talks to Carrie Gracie on The Interview about why video games are so compelling, why he's confident the violence he puts in them isn't over the top, whether the video games industry will ever challenge Hollywood's hegenomy and how we'll be playing games in the future.

Cliff Bleszinsk designed the highly successful Gears of War video games.

Joi Ito is an investor in early stage internet projects and he has backed some big successes including twitter and flickr. He thinks that about one in ten of these start-ups returns a decent amount, but the big ones -- the Googles and the Yahoos -- come once every five years. The trick he says, is to be in position when they arrive and his formula for doing so is a curious mix of networking, Buddhist philosophy and serendipity.

Investor Joi Ito has big ideas for how the internet connects us all

President Rafael Correa Delgado is a Western-educated economist who says he is fighting for social justice.

He became president of Ecuador in 2007 on a populist message of speaking out for the poor and boosting development, while integrating more with the region -- in particular with the group of left-wing countries that have now emerged in Latin America.

He also wants to put environment at the centre of policy.

So can he make a difference?

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

The world's leading thinkers, politicians and cultural figures interviewed by the BBC.

Carrie Gracie looks back at some of the best of her guests on The Interview in 2010.

She hears about autism from Temple Grandin, changing the world from twitter founder Evan Williams, and painting from Paula Rego. And she takes a trip through Tokyo's red light district with crime reporter Jake Adelstein.

Carrie Gracie looks back at some of the best of her guests on The Interview in 2010

He was then later taken to the American detention centre at Guantanamo Bay for about four years and now he's living in Kabul under Afghan government protection.

So what does he think of the Taliban today? Find out as he talks to Lyse Doucet in The Interview.

Former Taliban spokesman Abdul Salam Zaeef talks about Afghanistan today.

In a frank and revealing interview Barbara Want describes the torment she went through after the death of her husband from cancer.

It left her as the sole carer for their two young sons, and after three years she still feels the raw pain of the loss.

She talks to Owen Benett-Jones about grief and why she thinks many people aren't very good at dealing with it.

Barbara Want talks about the grief she felt after the death of her husband.

Bernard Kouchner was a doctor and an activist when he helped set up Medecins Sans Frontieres back in the 1970s, aiming to deliver medical aid across borders, wherever it was needed.

Since then he has taken his human rights activism to bring change at the United Nations and the highest levels of French governnment.

He talks to Owen Bennett Jones about how he reconciles his beliefs with the political realities of office -- dealing with events in Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and Guinea for example.

And he explains why wanted to pay his respects to former leaders Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan and Omar Bongo of Sudan.

France's Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, on human rights and politics

This interview was recorded at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Carlos Ghosn, the head of Renault Nissan, thinks the future of cars is electric

We start with the British writer Diana Athill. Now in her nineties, she has written about the difficult topics of old age and dying.

She talks to Carrie Gracie about her approach to the final years and the best times of her life.

Diana Athill shares her thoughts of old age and dying

US Army General David Petraeus, who has recently taken command of Nato forces in Afghanistan, talks to John Simpson, the BBC's World Affairs Editor.

General Petraeus is currently the top US commander in Afghanistan.

Before that he was in charge of all coalition forces in Iraq where he prioritised the winning of hearts and minds.

He's widely credited for turning round the situation in Iraq; his political bosses hope he can do the same in Afghanistan.

In The Interview, he talks about the surge in Afghanistan, his time in Iraq and whether Nato can defeat the Taliban.

General Petraeus, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, talks to John Simpson.

Once Ric O'Barry was the world's leading dolphin trainer, at the head of the 1960s trend to make these animals perform for humans.

Then he was struck by the cruelty involved in training them and took on a different quest.

Forty years on, he is a renowned campaigner against dolphin captivity and hunting, and the star of this year's Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. He talks to Mike Williams.

The renowned dolphin campaigner and star of his year's Oscar winning documentary The Cove

Once Ric O'Barry was the world's leading dolphin trainer, at the head of the 1960s trend to make these animals perform for humans.

Then he was struck by the cruelty involved in training them and took on a different quest.

Forty years on, he is a renowned campaigner against dolphin captivity and hunting, and the star of this year's Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. He talks to Mike Williams.

The renowned dolphin campaigner and star of his year's Oscar winning documentary The Cove

Nandan Nilekani is one of India's best-known software entrepreneurs.

As co-chairman of one of India's biggest companies, infosys he has created a global information technology giant.

This week on The Interview he tells Carrie Gracie why he is optimistic about India's future and how he is going to use technology to transform his country.

Indian software entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani talks to Carrie Gracie on The Interview.

President Sarkozy's official interpreter Amanda Galsworthy has sat at the top table of international politics for nearly three decades, but her name has hardly ever appeared in print. It is part of her job to know everything, but to tell no one. Amanda Galsworthy has been the official interpreter for three French Presidents, Francois Mitterand, Jacques Chirac and now Nicolas Sarkozy. She talks to Owen Bennett-Jones about some of the extraordinary situations she's found herself in as the President's mouthpiece.

President Sarkozy's official interpreter Amanda Galsworthy on the secrets of her trade

Greg Mortenson has spent nearly twenty years building schools for girls in some of the most remote parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It's been a risky business - during that time he's received two fatwas, been under CIA investigation and was kidnapped by the Taliban, but so far Greg has managed to build over 140 schools. He talks to Owen Bennett-Jones about what motivates him, and the logistical and financial difficulties he's had to overcome to provide girls with education in some of the most forgotten places on earth.

American hero Greg Mortenson has built over 140 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Synopsis

Avraham Burg was a prominent Israeli politician until he started to doubt the path his country was on.

Synopsis

Geraint Anderson worked for twelve years as an analyst in London's financial district, the City.

Geraint Anderson worked for twelve years as an analyst in London's financial district, the City.

Geraint Anderson worked for twelve years as an analyst in London's financial district, the City.

John Podesta was President Clinton's last chief of staff at the White House.

Now from the vantage point of heading the Democrat's favourite think tank, he is an informal advisor to President Barack Obama who is playing high stakes in trying to get his healthcare plans through.

On The Interview Carrie Gracie gets John Podesta's inside view of the President's progress.

Ultimate Washington insider, John Podesta, gives his take on President Obama's progress

Khandro Rinpoche is a Buddhist teacher who is also a woman and the reincarnation of a renowned master. In this week's edition of the Interview she talks to Carrie Gracie about the particular stresses she has had to deal with as a result of that identification of her as a reincarnation, and how that identification has propelled her into a life of scholarship and contemplation.

She also considers the nature of Buddhism and debates whether the religion has become over-formalised in recent years, and whether she has herself reached a state of enlightenment. Finally she muses on the eighteen or more kinds of hell that may await us in the next life, or even in this current one, and tells Carrie why she is not afraid of the life that is to come.

Buddhist nun Khandro Rinpoche considers her religion and her reincarnation.

Stephen Green is the chairman of one of the world's largest banks -- HSBC. He is also an ordained priest in the Anglican church.

So he is used to squaring the world of money with more spiritual life goals.

On The Interview he tells Carrie Gracie about his new book -- Good Value -- which expresses the personal qualities he thinks can guide us through this current financial crisis and onwards into a shared, globalised future.

Top banker, Stephen Green, chairman of HSBC, talks about God and money with Carrie Gracie

For twelve years, Jake Adelstein worked as a crime reporter on Japan's biggest-selling newspaper. His patch was Tokyo's seedy red light district, and amongst other stories, he investigated the big bosses of Japan's crime gangs, the Yakuza. This got him into trouble, he received death threats and he and his family fled Japan and now live in exile in the United States. He talks to Carrie Gracie about his life then, and the regrets he still has from that time.

Jake Adelstein, who was a crime reporter on Tokyo's biggest selling newspaper.

For twelve years, Jake Adelstein worked as a crime reporter on Japan's biggest-selling newspaper. His patch was Tokyo's seedy red light district, and amongst other stories, he investigated the big bosses of Japan's crime gangs, the Yakuza. This got him into trouble, he received death threats and he and his family fled Japan and now live in exile in the United States. He talks to Carrie Gracie about his life then, and the regrets he still has from that time.

Paula Rego is an artist, with an eye for what she calls the beautiful grotesque -- women, violence, sexuality and stories. She says it's these stories, the folk tales of her native Portugal, which have informed her imagination since she was a child. Paula Rego is as famous as a footballer in Portugal, there is a museum dedicated to her work and her pictures sell for millions of dollars on the international art market.

Artist Paula Rego is as famous as a footballer in her native Portugal.

Award-winning Australian novelist Peter Carey talks to Mike Williams about his life and work, and the differences between his native Australia, and adopted home of New York. His latest book is set in America, where Carey says democracy is in peril because children no longer read and are bombarded by popular culture. Listen to Peter Carey discussing writing, politics and his personal history in conversation with Mike Williams on The Interview.

Writer Peter Carey says reading is essential for democracy

Writer Peter Carey says reading is essential for democracy

Writer Peter Carey says reading is essential for democracy

Dr David Kessler, former head of the America's Food and Drug Administration, on obesity.

CK Prahalad is one of the world's leading business thinkers.

A best-selling author he advices businesses around the world.

This week on The Interview he tells Carrie Gracie how companies can survive the global financial downturn.

Interesting, prominent people interviewed at length by the BBC.

During the three years since he left office he's been writing his memoirs and in them he reveals the human side of being a leader. It's his version of how he re-shaped his party and won three successive elections.

On The Interview he tells Owen Bennett Jones what mattered to him in the decisions he took, and in particular on the decision which was to define his political career - the invasion of Iraq.

Tony Blair on the decision that defined his political career - the invasion of Iraq

Author Ursula Le Guin gives Owen Bennett Jones a lesson in science fiction and talks about how her work has been influenced by anthropology and Taoism.

She also tells the story of Ishi, a Native American who escaped the massacre of his tribe.

Ursula Le Guin gives a lesson in science fiction