HARDtalk
Season 21
TV-PG
'HARDtalk' is a 'BBC' television and radio programme broadcast on the UK feed of 'BBC News 24' channel, on International feed of 'BBC World News' channel, and on the radio 'BBC World Service'. 'HARDtalk' provides "in-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives."
Where to Watch Season 21
152 Episodes
- General Sir Richard Barrons, Commander UK Joint Forces Command 2013-16E1
General Sir Richard Barrons, Commander UK Joint Forces Command 2013-16Stephen Sackur talks to General Sir Richard Barrons, who led the UK's Joint Forces Command and fought in wars from the Balkans to the Middle East and Afghanistan. The military threats facing the Western world have changed dramatically. The West's military doctrine and capabilities have failed to keep up. That's Sir Richard's view, not an outside observer, but until 2016 one of the most senior generals in the British armed forces. How vulnerable is the West in the new balance of global military power? - Bassma Kodmani, Member of the negotiating team of the Syrian oppositionE2
Bassma Kodmani, Member of the negotiating team of the Syrian oppositionStephen Sackur talks to Bassma Kodmani, a member of the negotiating team of the Syrian opposition. After six years of terrible bloodshed, will 2017 see a dramatic shift in the dynamic of the Syria conflict? Aleppo has fallen to the Assad regime and a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey is just about holding. Moscow's dominant role in the diplomatic endgame is now undisputed, with Ankara also playing a pivotal role. Is it time for the moderate rebels to accept their de facto defeat? - Jan Kizilhan, Psychologist and Trauma TherapistE3
Jan Kizilhan, Psychologist and Trauma TherapistHARDtalk's Zeinab Badawi speaks to psychologist Jan Kizilhan, a Yazidi Kurd living in Germany who has helped bring over a thousand Yazidi women and girls from camps in Iraq to Germany to start a new life. The so-called Islamic State may be coming under pressure in both Syria and Iraq, but accounts are still emerging of atrocities carried out by them. The minority Yazidi community are one of the most persecuted groups of people in the Middle East. Living mostly in northern Iraq, they have been killed, forced to convert to Islam and the women and girls have been held in sexual slavery. How does he decide who should stay and who should go? - Angelina Teny, Sudan People's Liberation Movement In-OppositionE4
Angelina Teny, Sudan People's Liberation Movement In-OppositionZeinab Badawi speaks to Angelina Teny from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement In-Opposition. The people of South Sudan have known little peace for many decades, and independence in 2011 has brought them nothing but war, increasing poverty, starvation and suffering. The UN says the current spate of fighting amounts to ethnic cleansing and could spiral into genocide. The main rebel group is headed by former vice president Riek Machar, who is now in exile. His wife Angelina Teny is a senior member of the movement. How much responsibility do they bear for the suffering? - Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign RelationsE5
Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign RelationsStephen Sackur speaks to Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. The waiting is almost over - we're about to see what kind of impact President Donald Trump will have on the US and the world beyond. Stephen Sackur focuses here on the international arena, with Richard Haass having been close to the centre of US foreign policy making for three decades and more. Richard Haass was a senior advisor to both Bush presidents and has offered his insights to the president elect too. From big power diplomacy with Russia and China to global trade and climate policy, how different and unpredictable is Trump going to be? - Theo Padnos - American Journalist Held Captive in Syria, 2012-2014E6
Theo Padnos - American Journalist Held Captive in Syria, 2012-2014Zeinab Badawi speaks to American journalist Theo Padnos. From October 2012 to August 2014, he was held hostage in Syria by the Nusra Front, which is allied to Al-Qaeda. But he says the most bitter moment of his captivity was realising that it was he himself who was mostly responsible for his ordeal. - Akram Khan, dancer and choreographerE7
Akram Khan, dancer and choreographerStephen Sackur speaks to one of the world's most renowned contemporary dancers and choreographers, Akram Khan. In every culture on earth, dance is a physical, joyful form of expression and communication. It is, in a way the world's most basic common language. Khan's performances weave together influences from east and west, past and present - so how does he define his dance? - Dominic Raab MP - Brexit Select Committee, UKE8
Dominic Raab MP - Brexit Select Committee, UKHARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to the influential advocate of Brexit, Conservative MP Dominic Raab. The UK Parliament is about to vote on the Government's plan to trigger Article 50, the formal process which will end in Britain leaving the EU. There's little doubt MPs will give prime minister Theresa May a green light, but much has changed since last June's Brexit referendum. The government has clarified its vision of what Brexit means, while President Donald Trump is shaking up global politics. What place will post-Brexit Britain occupy on the world stage? - Alexey Navalny, Chairman, Russian Progress PartyE9
Alexey Navalny, Chairman, Russian Progress PartyStephen Sackur is in Moscow for a special edition of HARDtalk with Russia's most prominent opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Despite harassment and legal challenges, he says that he will challenge Vladmir Putin in presidential elections which are scheduled for 2018. But will his defiance cost him dear? - Dmitry PeskovE10
Dmitry PeskovStephen Sackur is in Moscow for a special edition of the programme with Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin. US intelligence chiefs have accused the Kremlin of authorising a covert effort to influence the presidential election in favour of Donald Trump, but what's the truth behind the swirl of allegations? And what can we expect from Russia-US relations now? - Ursula von der Leyen, German Defence MinisterE11
Ursula von der Leyen, German Defence MinisterZeinab Badawi speaks to Ursula Von Der Leyen, Germany's defence minister, from the World Economic Forum in Davos. She is also deputy chairman of chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU Party. Zeinab asks if the arrival of Donald Trump combined with Brexit mark a shift in power away from Europe and mark the beginning of a new global status quo? - Audu Ogbeh, Nigerian Agriculture MinisterE12
Audu Ogbeh, Nigerian Agriculture MinisterHARDtalk's Zeinab Badawi speaks to one of delegates at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, the Nigerian agriculture minister Audu Ogbeh. The Nigerian government, in power for eighteen months, had raised hopes that it would reform the country. Instead, Nigeria has been engulfed by the worst recession in 20 years and continuous militant attacks. Why can't this oil-rich nation with plenty of agricultural land enjoy greater stability and prosperity? - Forest Whitaker, ActorE13
Forest Whitaker, ActorZeinab Badawi speaks to humanitarian activist and actor Forest Whitaker. One role for which he won numerous accolades, including an Oscar for best actor, was his portrayal of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. But how far is he concerned that his portrayal of Idi Amin played into racist stereotypes of Africans and their continent? - Jens Stoltenberg, Nato Secretary GeneralE14
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato Secretary GeneralStephen Sackur is in Brussels to speak to Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. He's chief of an alliance of 28 nations that's supposed to work by consensus, but his job just got a whole lot harder. Donald Trump is now in charge of Nato's dominant member, the United States, and he's been very public with his grave doubts about Nato's future. Will the ascent of Trump hasten the demise of Nato? - Guy Verhofstadt, European Parliament's Chief Brexit NegotiatorE15
Guy Verhofstadt, European Parliament's Chief Brexit NegotiatorStephen Sackur speaks to Belgium's former prime minister and current MEP Guy Verhofstadt, an EU politician who'll be at the heart of the complex negotiations over a Brexit deal. He has warned Britain not to expect special treatment as it heads for the exit, but how confrontational is he prepared to be? - Petula Clark, singer and actressE16
Petula Clark, singer and actressStephen Sackur speaks to Petula Clark, a much-loved child performer during the Second World War. Getting to the top in showbusiness is hard, but staying there is much, much harder; few stars can match the sustained success in music, film and theatre that Clark has enjoyed. She went on to have a host of hits in the UK, France, the US and pretty much everywhere else. She has worked with legendary names from Fred Astaire to Serge Gainsbourg, and continues to sing and tour. So what makes her tick? - Vicente Fox - Former Mexico President, 2000-2006E17
Vicente Fox - Former Mexico President, 2000-2006Stephen Sackur speaks to former Mexico president Vicente Fox, whose strongly worded Twitter responses to Donald Trump have caused a storm on social media. The new US president has wasted little time delivering on his signature campaign promises. He has already ordered the construction of the contentious wall along the US-Mexican border. The US congress will fund it but, ultimately, Mr Trump says, Mexico must pay for it. Can Mexico afford to provoke the new US administration? - Myron Ebell, director of Competitive Enterprise InstituteE18
Myron Ebell, director of Competitive Enterprise InstituteStephen Sackur speaks to Myron Ebell, who led president Trump's transition team on environment policy and has long been an advocate of radical reform of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The Trump administration seems intent on a radical reset of America's energy and environment policies, the implications of which will have a profound effect on everything from fossil fuel production to climate change policy. In America's new politics will the interests of big business consistently overshadow environmental concerns? - Jens Spahn, Deputy Finance Minister, GermanyE19
Jens Spahn, Deputy Finance Minister, GermanyStephen Sackur speaks to Jens Spahn, a rising star in chancellor Merkel's CDU. With so much focus on America's new president it's easy to forget Europe is facing its own period of prolonged uncertainty. Brexit negotiations are about to begin, the Greek debt crisis is going through another convulsion and it is a year of key elections - most particularly in the continent's dominant economy, Germany. Is German politics going to reshape Europe? - John Madden, Film DirectorE20
John Madden, Film DirectorStephen Sackur speaks to John Madden, an Oscar-winning director whose latest film is set in the murky world of Washington politics. The Oscars are upon us and as ever Hollywood is awash with speculation, spin and self-importance. But this year, with Donald Trump in the White House and a deeply divided America, real life has thrown up a melodrama which makes the movies look tame. Is Hollywood accurately reflecting the times we're living in? - David Walsh - Chief Sports Writer, Sunday Times, UKE21
David Walsh - Chief Sports Writer, Sunday Times, UKStephen Sackur speaks to Irish sports journalist David Walsh, who was convinced that cycling's untouchable champion Lance Armstrong was a drugs cheat long before the sport revealed the scale of his deceit. Armstrong is history of course, but doping continues to devalue elite sport; maybe it is a problem no amount of truth-telling journalism can fix. It is the job of the journalist to speak truth to power, but can defying conventional wisdom and the powers that be often mean the profession can be a lonely place for many? - Tzipi Livni, Joint leader, Zionist Union, IsraelE22
Tzipi Livni, Joint leader, Zionist Union, IsraelSarah Montague speaks to Tzipi Livni, the joint leader of the Zionist Union opposition in Israel's parliament and a former foreign minister. For decades many have assumed that the only way there will be peace in the Middle East is when the Palestinians have their own state. But President Trump has made it clear that America is no longer wedded to the idea, whilst Tzipi Livni has in the past stated her support for 'two states for two peoples'. Could one state, where Jews, Muslims and Christians are all treated equally, have a greater chance of delivering peace? - Professor Mohammad Marandi, University of Tehran, IranE23
Professor Mohammad Marandi, University of Tehran, IranZeinab Badawi speaks to Iranian academic Mohammed Marandi from Tehran, a staunch supporter of the leadership in Iran. Amidst his pronouncements on foreign policy Donald Trump has ratcheted up the rhetoric on Iran, calling the nuclear agreement with Tehran the 'worst deal ever negotiated'. He has expanded US sanctions on Iran after it tested a missile in January. What is the Iranians' response to criticisms from Trump over its missile testing, and is it fuelling terror and conflicts in the Middle East? - Norma McCorvey, Roe v Wade Abortion CaseE24
Norma McCorvey, Roe v Wade Abortion CaseIn an interview recorded in 2004, HARDtalk's Tim Sebastian spoke to Norma McCorvey, who died days ago in the United States. She was better known by the legal pseudonym 'Jane Roe' in the landmark American lawsuit Roe v. Wade in 1973. The case ruling challenged the criminal abortion laws in Texas that ruled abortion was unconstitutional, except in cases where the mother's life was in danger. Later, McCorvey's views on abortion changed substantially after turning to the Roman Catholic faith and becoming an activist in the pro-life movement. So should a change in one's faith be a deciding factor in the overturning of a monumental Supreme Court ruling? - Donald Verrilli, US Solicitor General, 2011-2016E25
Donald Verrilli, US Solicitor General, 2011-2016Stephen Sacker speaks to Donald Verrilli, US solicitor general under Barack Obama. The Trump presidency promises to be a fascinating test of the resilience of the system of government crafted by America's founding fathers. The new president has already criticised the courts for utilising their authority in blocking the so-called travel ban, with a new ban coming into effect imminently. Does the constitution ensure that the White House is always subject to, and not above, the law? - Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of SingaporeE26
Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of SingaporeStephen Sackur is in Singapore for an exclusive interview with prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. Singapore represents one of the great economic success stories of the last fifty years, but clouds are gathering on its horizon; President Trump is challenging assumptions about free trade and traditional security alliances in Asia. Is the much-vaunted Singapore model under threat? - Husam Zomlot, Advisor to the President of the Palestinian AuthorityE27
Husam Zomlot, Advisor to the President of the Palestinian AuthorityStephen Sackur speaks to Husam Zomlot, a senior adviser to the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Does the Trump era signal the end for the Palestinian dream of statehood? - Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Former Prime Minister of UkraineE28
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Former Prime Minister of UkraineStephen Sackur speaks to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, former prime minister of Ukraine. After three years of fighting, 10,000 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, is it time for Ukraine's leaders to acknowledge they're in a war they cannot win? Geopolitics, economics and public sentiment are working in Kiev's favour. Yatsenyuk was Ukraine's prime minister until a year ago - he described his own premiership as a kamikaze mission. How does his nation avoid self-destruction? - Moïse Katumbi - DR Congo Opposition PoliticianE29
Moïse Katumbi - DR Congo Opposition PoliticianZeinab Badawi speaks to the Congolese businessman and politician Moïse Katumbi. The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila has been in power for sixteen years and should have stood down at elections that were due in November 2016. However, the elections are yet to be held - has the opposition been out-manoeuvred by President Kabila? - Joice Mujuru, Vice President of Zimbabwe 2004-2014E30
Joice Mujuru, Vice President of Zimbabwe 2004-2014Stephen Sackur speaks to Joice Mujuru, former vice president of Zimbabwe. President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is 93 years old. His wife recently suggested he could win re-election as a corpse, but failing that Zimbabwe needs to grapple with the issue of the succession. Who will follow Mugabe? Joice Mujuru is his former vice-president and one-time heir apparent. She broke away from the ruling party two years ago and now leads her own opposition party, but how tainted is she by her long association with Robert Mugabe? - Joshua Wong, secretary general of Demosisto Party, Hong KongE31
Joshua Wong, secretary general of Demosisto Party, Hong KongStephen Sackur speaks to Joshua Wong, a leader of the so-called umbrella pro-democracy protests that swept Hong Kong in 2014. Later this month a new chief executive will be voted into office in Hong Kong. Elected by members of the territory's economic and political elite and tied closely to the Beijing government, activists are calling for universal suffrage in the territory instead. Has Beijing managed to neutralise Hong Kong's youthful rebels? - Bob Graham, Former Senator and Governor of FloridaE32
Bob Graham, Former Senator and Governor of FloridaZeinab Badawi speaks to one of the most popular politicians in contemporary American history - Bob Graham. He has never lost an election and has served as a state legislator, Florida governor, and three time Senator in the US Senate. He hails from the progressive, liberal wing of the Democrat party. But with Donald Trump in the White House and the Republicans controlling Capitol Hill, has his type of politics gone out of fashion? - Vladimir Kara-Murza - Vice-chairman, Open Russia MovementE33
Vladimir Kara-Murza - Vice-chairman, Open Russia MovementSarah Montague speaks to Vladimir Kara-Murza, vice-chairman of the pro-democracy movement Open Russia. He was rushed to hospital in Moscow when his organs started failing and says he knew immediately what was happening because the same thing happened two years previously. Both times, he claims, he was the victim of deliberate poisoning. He also claims he was targeted because of his opposition to President Putin and the Russian government. After his stay in Washington, where he is currently recovering, he intends to go back to Moscow. So does he still fear for his life? - Walter Mzembi, Minister for Tourism, ZimbabweE34
Walter Mzembi, Minister for Tourism, ZimbabweSarah Montague speaks to Zimbabwe's tourism minister Walter Mzembi. His job is to persuade people to holiday in a country where doctors, nurses and teachers have all been on strike, half the rural population face starvation and the economy is in the grip of a major currency crisis. He has worked alongside President Mugabe for the last decade but, at the age of 93 and with plans to stand in elections next year, isn't it time for the oldest head of state to go. - Harriet Harman, Former Labour MinisterE35
Harriet Harman, Former Labour MinisterSarah Montague speaks to former Labour minister, Harriet Harman. For much of her political life she has been accused of being a 'humourless feminist' but she has been effective, she is the politician behind the Equality Act, the minimum wage, the guarantee of a minimum income for pensioners, longer maternity leave, and laws on domestic violence. In the House of Commons almost half of Labour seats are filled with women thanks to her changes. She's the only woman who has come near to leading the party. But even she ruled it out. Why? Was it the party's fault? Or hers? - Selin Sayek Böke, Deputy Leader, Turkey's Republican People's PartyE36
Selin Sayek Böke, Deputy Leader, Turkey's Republican People's PartyZeinab Badawi speaks to Selin Sayek Böke, Turkish opposition MP and deputy leader for the Republican People's Party the CHP. In mid-April Turks vote in a referendum to change the country's constitution and give the president more powers. Polls suggest it's a tight race, so the votes of Turkish citizens living in Europe could help swing the result. But government ministers have been prevented from campaigning in some European countries provoking a major diplomatic row. The CHP is opposed to the referendum claiming it would give President Erdogan too much power. But do they have an alternative vision for Turkey that can challenge the popularity of the ruling AK Party? - Ben Ferencz, Former Nuremberg ProsecutorE37
Ben Ferencz, Former Nuremberg ProsecutorZeinab Badawi is in Florida to speak to 98-year-old Ben Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials. He also helped liberate the death camps of Europe when he was serving in the US military. Does Ferencz believe the Nuremberg trials have made genocide and crimes against humanity less likely to be committed in the world of today? - James Mitchell - Interrogator for the CIA, 2002-2009E38
James Mitchell - Interrogator for the CIA, 2002-2009Zeinab Badawi speaks to James Mitchell, an American psychologist who helped draw up and carry out the CIA's enhanced interrogation programme after the September 11 attacks. Mitchell personally interrogated some of the top terrorist suspects using the programme's techniques, including waterboarding. His critics label him a torturer, though he says he has nothing to apologise for and that what he did was harsh, though legal and necessary. - Sir Ian McKellen, ActorE40
Sir Ian McKellen, ActorHARDtalk celebrates twenty years of interviews with a special edition of the programme in front of an audience at the BBC Radio Theatre in London. Stephen Sackur's guest for this birthday show is Sir Ian McKellen. Whether you think of him as Richard III or Gandalf, he's won hearts and accolades around the world - not just for five decades of work on stage and screen, but also for his passionate public advocacy, particularly on the issue of gay rights. - Anniversary Programme OneE41
Anniversary Programme OneTo celebrate the 20 years since HARDtalk began, this special programme talks to Zeinab Badawi, Stephen Sackur, Tim Sebastian and Sarah Montague about what HARDtalk has meant to them. They look back at the highs and the lows, how guests reacted to being on the show and ponder which interviews stand the test of time. - Sandro Gozi, Italy's Under-Secretary for European AffairsE42
Sandro Gozi, Italy's Under-Secretary for European AffairsSarah Montague speaks to Italy's under-secretary for European affairs, Sandro Gozi. The EU seems in greater trouble than ever before and not just because of Brexit. Even founding members of the club - countries like Italy - are unhappy about the direction that it is headed in its 60th year. The Italian economy has always struggled within the confines of the euro. Additionally, it wants its fellow members to help share the burden of the half a million migrants who have arrived on its shores over the past three years. How does the EU need to change if it is to win over the next generation of Italians? - Anniversary Programme TwoE43
Anniversary Programme TwoCelebrating 20 years of HARDtalk, current and former presenters Zeinab Badawi, Stephen Sackur, Tim Sebastian and Sarah Montague talk about what the programme means in today's news climate. There is a look back at special moments on the programme, including footage that never made it to air. - Hugh Thompson - Vietnam Helicopter Pilot, My LaiE44
Hugh Thompson - Vietnam Helicopter Pilot, My LaiHARDtalk celebrates 20th anniversary with a repeat of an interview first broadcast in 2004. The My Lai Massacre in Vietnam saw American soldiers kill defenceless women and children in a shameful episode in American military history. Hugh Thompson was a helicopter pilot who went to the rescue of the trapped villagers, ordering his gun crew to train their guns on their fellow soldiers in an effort to halt the slaughter. Tim Sebastian asks why professional troops from democratic countries commit barbarous acts and what lessons can be learned from Thompson's experience. - On the Road in VenezuelaE45
On the Road in VenezuelaThough foreign journalists are routinely banned from the oil-rich country, Stephen Sackur presents a special edition of HARDtalk on the road in Venezuela. Anti-government demonstrations have swept across Venezuela in recent days as anger over the country's economic and political crisis has fuelled a wave of protests. Shortages of food and other basic supplies, and an inflation rate thought to have topped 1000%, have left more than eighty per cent of Venezuelans living in poverty. Opposition leaders have accused President Nicolas Maduro of mounting a coup against democracy after he tried and failed to abolish the powers of the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The socialist president claims the United States and other western powers are colluding with domestic enemies of the socialist revolution. - Rima Khalaf - Head of UN ESCWA 2010-2017E46
Rima Khalaf - Head of UN ESCWA 2010-2017Stephen Sackur talks to Rima Khalaf who ran the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. She commissioned a report which accused Israel of systematically implementing apartheid policies and promptly resigned from her UN post when the secretary general refused to accept the work. What were her motives? - Pascal Bruckner - Philosopher and WriterE47
Pascal Bruckner - Philosopher and WriterStephen Sackur talks to writer Pascal Bruckner and asks, is something rotten in the Republic of France? As the country prepares to elect a new president, polls suggest record levels of apathy and disillusion amongst French voters. A spate of terror attacks has sown insecurity and sparked a heated debate about immigration, Islam and France's identity. Is France living through an age of decline? - Bishop Angaelos - General Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Church UKE48
Bishop Angaelos - General Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Church UKStephen Sackur speaks to the General Bishop of the Coptic Church in the UK, Bishop Angaelos. In just a few days from now, Pope Francis will fly to Egypt to offer his personal support to Egypt's Coptic Christians. He will be met by a community filled with apprehension, targeted by jihadist extremists and subject to persistent discrimination and sectarian violence. Elsewhere in Syria and Iraq, the plight of Christians is even worse. Do Christians have any future at all in the Middle East? - Vladimir Chizhov - Russia's Ambassador to the European UnionE49
Vladimir Chizhov - Russia's Ambassador to the European UnionSarah Montague speaks to Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's ambassador to the EU. Just months ago, Russia was congratulating President Trump on his inauguration and expressing hope that both countries would take their interaction 'to a whole new level'. Now, Moscow's relations with the US and the West are so bad that the Russian prime minister Medvedev talks of them as 'ruined'. Can Russia and the West mend their relationship before it's too late? - Nicola Benyahia, Founder of Anti-Radicalisation Counselling Service, Families for LifeE69
Nicola Benyahia, Founder of Anti-Radicalisation Counselling Service, Families for LifeHARDtalk celebrates its 20th anniversary with a repeat of one of its classic interviews. In 1999 Tim Sebastian sat down with singer and activist Nina Simone. With her vocal performances and civil rights activism, she built a fearsome reputation as someone not to be messed with. She worked with Martin Luther King and once even shot at someone who threatened to cheat her in a business deal. But did she use music as a political weapon? - Kenneth Bae, Former North Korea detaineeE100
Kenneth Bae, Former North Korea detaineeRelations between the United States and North Korea have long been difficult. The recent toe-to-toe confrontation between Donald Trump and Kim Jong UN raised fears of a conflagration on the Korean Peninsula. Stephen Sackur speaks to Kenneth Bae, an American Christian missionary of Korean descent who was arrested inside North Korea and spent two years in a Pyongyang prison. What does his experience tell us about the world's most secretive country? - Gene Simmons - Musician and BusinessmanE143
Gene Simmons - Musician and BusinessmanSarah Montague talks to musician Gene Simmons. There aren't many people who are recognisable only from their make-up, but mention a zigzag of black flames around the eyes, painted on a white face, and millions of people around the world will know you are talking about the frontman of the rock band Kiss. Take away the makeup and you have Gene Simmons, a man so canny about business that he realised he could make more money from marketing the Kiss brand than from selling records. His famously long tongue has also proved a loose one. He is frequently invited on chat shows and revels in scandalising his critics. But is that also all part of the act?