The Interview

Michel Barnier, chief EU Brexit negotiator: We need to be together in a fragile world

Katya Adler speaks to Michel Barnier who served as the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, on the 10th anniversary of the highly consequential referendum. On 23 June 2016, the British public went to the polls to decide its future with the European Union. An unusually high number of people voted, and by 52% to 48%, the decision was to leave the bloc. Barnier, then a European Commissioner who had served as a minister in a number of French governments, represented the EU at negotiations to help agree the terms of the UK’s departure and future relationship. It was a long, hard process, with the UK seeing three different prime ministers from 10 Downing Street before formally leaving the Union in January 2020. Monsieur Barnier reflects on the UK’s decision and how both European and international politics have changed since. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño, and Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Katya Adler Producer: Ben Cooper and Kathy Long Editor: Damon Rose Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Michel Barnier. Credit: PA.)

Patricia Cornwell, novelist: Imagination saved me

Jamie Coomarasamy speaks to Patricia Cornwell, one of the world’s best-selling crime writers, whose books have sold more than 120 million copies worldwide. She reflects on a childhood marked by trauma, instability and family mental illness, and the lasting impact those experiences have had on her life. Her imagination became a refuge during difficult years, shaping the stories and characters she would later create. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews coming from the BBC, including episodes with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and and author Sir Salman Rushdie. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Jamie Coomarasamy Producer: Osman Iqbal and Nigel Doran Editor: Damon Rose Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Patricia Cornwell. Credit: Getty Images)

Catherine Russell, Unicef: War is the worst thing for children

Nada Tawfik speaks to Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef, the United Nations agency responsible for protecting and supporting children. Before taking up the role in 2022, she spent decades in government and diplomacy, including as assistant to President Joe Biden as well as serving in senior roles at the US State Department focused on global women’s issues and international development. Now leading Unicef at a time of unprecedented conflict, displacement and humanitarian need, she talks about the impact of aid cuts and the challenges facing children around the world. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with the World Health Organisation’s Hanan Balkhy, former Sudanese leader Aisha Musa and musical icon Sir Paul McCartney. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Nada Tawfik Producer: Cordelia Hemming and Farhana Haider Editor: Justine Lang Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Catherine Russell. Credit: Unicef/UN0795033/Deeb)

Jack Clark, Anthropic co-founder: put brakes on AI

“Right now, it’s like the AI industry has a gas pedal, but it doesn’t have a brake pedal in the car. And what we’re saying is we want to build that brake pedal so we in the world have an option. In the future, you might say: ‘Let’s get all of the benefits we can for, say, biology and medical research, and let’s take a pause on AI research, where we can absorb the societal changes.’” Faisal Islam speaks to Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic, one of the companies at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution and the maker of the Claude chatbot. Jack says AI systems are becoming dramatically more capable, changing how work happens even inside Anthropic itself. He argues that artificial intelligence could accelerate scientific discovery, reshape industries and transform economies. But he also warns that increasingly powerful AI systems will require new forms of oversight and control. As these technologies become more capable, he argues that governments and society need mechanisms to slow development if it moves too far, too fast. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Sundar Pichai and Julia Gillard. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Faisal Islam Producer: Osman Iqbal Editor: Damon Rose and Justine Lang (Image:Jack Clark. Credit: Getty)

Gebran Bassil, Lebanese politician: Hezbollah should disarm

“The state of Lebanon needs to have an exclusivity of arms. And definitely, Hezbollah needs to be disarmed… Disarming a group or a community is not possible by force, it's possible by conviction. You put pressure, but you cannot eliminate a whole society, a whole community. We need to have an exclusivity of arms in the hand of the state, an exclusivity of decision through a political process, pressuring Hezbollah to disarm, but getting also in parallel a full withdrawal of the Israelis from occupied Lebanese territories and a full cessation of hostilities.” Jeremy Bowen speaks to Gebran Bassil, the Lebanese politician who served as the country’s Foreign Minister between 2014 and 2020. Mr. Bassil, who is from the country’s Maronite Christian ethnic group, leads the right-wing Free Patriotic Movement political party. The party was founded over 30 years ago by the former President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, who is also Bassil’s father-in-law. In October 2024, a year after the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October started the current Middle East conflict, the Free Patriotic Movement party announced that it was cutting ties with Hezbollah. Bassil slammed the Iranian-backed militant group for threatening the safety and stability of Lebanon when it launched its own attacks on Israel in support of Hamas. As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues in southern Lebanon, Bassil and his party are part of growing calls for the country to take a new direction. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with the World Health Organisation’s Hanan Balkhy; Ali Bahreini, Iranian ambassador to the UN; and Syrian Minister, Hind Kabawat. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Jeremy Bowen Producers: Samantha Granville and Ben Cooper Editor: Justine Lang Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Gebran Bassil. Credit: Getty)