The Interview

“This is a legitimate concern of South Africans, where there’s illegal foreigners, people with no paperwork. No country in the world allows that to happen. Why should we? Our message is very simple. We say, South Africa is open for our brothers on the continent, but come here legitimately. Come here like a civilised human being that wants to come and contribute towards our country.”
Waihiga Mwaura speaks to Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture and leader of the Patriotic Alliance, a party that has built much of its support on a hardline stance on illegal migration.
As South Africa is gripped by protests, violence and political division over immigration, McKenzie responds to criticism that his views betray Nelson Mandela’s legacy of humanity, social justice and freedom.
He rejects accusations that he’s blaming migrants for South Africa’s wider problems and argues his approach reflects the concerns of many South Africans.
The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and author Maggie O’Farrell.
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: Waihiga Mwaura
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Editor: Justine Lang
(Image: Gayton McKenzie. Credit: Reuters)

‘Their love was so innocent, so sweet, so organic and we just wanted them to end up together because even they knew that some of the queer films always end in tragedy and they were worried that something like that's going to happen but that didn't happen and so people were really happy with it.’

Nikki Bedi speaks to Rohan Kanawade, the acclaimed director whose debut feature Cactus Pears or Sabar Bonda, made history as the first Marathi-language film to premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. It also became the first Indian drama to win the festival's International Grand Jury Prize.

Set in Kanawade’s home state of Maharashtra, Cactus Pears is a groundbreaking Marathi-language love story between two men.

Drawing on his experience of mourning his father, he reveals how grief, memory and identity found their way into his film.

He also talks about growing up in a poor area of Mumbai with parents who accepted and supported his sexuality.
Thank you to the Arts Hour team for their help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with director Christopher Nolan, actor Diego Calva and the legendary musician Ringo Starr. 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: Nikki Bedi
Producer: Farhana Haider
Editor: Damon Rose
Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: Rohan Kanawade. Credit: Getty)

“Due to geopolitical divides, countries are having second thoughts about non-proliferation or their non-proliferation obligations, in the sense that many countries were relying or are still relying on nuclear umbrellas which they might feel are not so protective as they used to be in the past… Without wishing to exaggerate things, there is a perception that the nuclear factor is back on the table and it is growing in its relevance in terms of decision making, in terms of what nations do.”
Rob Young speaks to Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The IAEA was founded in 1957, and is an autonomous international organisation within the UN system. Its job is to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology, and to check that nuclear material is not used for military purposes, including nuclear weapons.
Grossi, a former Argentinian diplomat, was appointed in 2019 and has steered the IAEA through multiple challenges. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, concerns were raised about the prospect of nuclear weapons being used, but also about Ukraine’s nuclear power plants coming under attack.
The organisation’s resources were stretched further still when the recent Middle East conflict began. The US, along with Israel, have had concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions for many years, and reject the country’s claim that their nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
Rafael Grossi is considered a front-runner to become the new Secretary General of the UN which he believes should be accepted more as a keeper of the peace.
Thank you to the Newsday team for their help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Russia’s nuclear envoy Mikhail Ulyanov, UNICEF chief Catherine Russell, and Artemis 2 astronaut Victor Glover. 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: Rob Young
Producers: Sharon Hemans, Farhana Haider, and Ben Cooper
Editor: Damon Rose
Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: Rafael Grossi. Credit: Reuters)

“We all need to be speaking up about it. Not just the survivors. And we put so much burden on the people who've actually suffered the most, the most vulnerable among us.”
Naga Munchetty speaks to Amy Wallace, co-author of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir Nobody's Girl. Giuffre accused the then Prince Andrew, and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, of sexual abuse. The former prince, now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, told Newsnight in 2019 that he did not remember meeting Giuffre, and he has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. Virginia Giuffre's father has also denied all allegations of abuse.
The memoir, published six months after Giuffre took her own life, describes her encounters with Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

Amy Wallace says she expected to be a ghostwriter in the shadows, but after Giuffre’s death, she decided to step forward and speak up for her.
This episode discusses rape and sexual abuse.
If this episode has affected you there are people who can give you support. If you’re in the UK search for the BBC’s Actionline or outside the UK search for befrienders.org

Thank you to the team at BBC Radio 5 Live with Naga Munchetty for their help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with writer Maggie O’Farrell, Sierra Leone’s first lady Fatima Bio and head of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros. 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: Naga Munchetty
Producer: Cordelia Hemming
Editor: Damon Rose
(Image: Amy Wallace. Credit: Patricia Shields)

“One of the things that’s fascinating about him simply as a historical study is the recognition that shamelessness is a superpower, and he refuses to be shamed in almost any action that he takes. He also realised that he doesn’t have to abide by the US system, which is primarily norms and not laws. He is testing them in a way they have never been tested before.”

Paddy O’Connell speaks to Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for The New York Times and co-author of Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.

Maggie gives her take on Trump’s second administration, from the influence of Elon Musk to his increasingly fraught dealings with world leaders.

She also explains her belief Trump’s second presidency is fundamentally different from his first, and how he is testing the limits of presidential power.

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 author Maggie O’Farrell.

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: Paddy O’Connell
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Editor: Damon Rose
(Image: Maggie Haberman. Credit: Getty)