Presenters

HARDtalk is predominantly presented by interviewer Stephen Sackur. Other presenters, include Zeinab Badawi and Sarah Montague.

Tim Sebastian was the original presenter when the programme launched in March 1997.^[7][8]

Selected interviewees

HARDtalk has interviewed many public figures of historical significance, including:

• Mahathir Mohamad^[9][10]
• Maya Angelou^[11]
• Kofi Annan^[12]
• Benazir Bhutto^[13]
• Hugo Chávez^[14]
• Noam Chomsky^[15]
• Michael Collins^[16]
• F. W. de Klerk^[17]
• Recep Tayyip Erdoğan^[18]
• William Frankland^[19]
• Mikhail Gorbachev^[20]
• Bernice King^[21]
• Enrico Letta
• Nelson Mandela^[22]
• Mira Marković^[23]
• Robert Mugabe^[24]
• Nadia Murad^[25]
• Olusegun Obasanjo^[26]
• Teodoro Obiang^[27]
• Cyril Ramaphosa^[28]
• Thein Sein^[29]
• Nina Simone^[30]
• Hugh Thompson, Jr^[31]
• Desmond Tutu^[32]
• Roger Waters^[33]

HARDtalk Extra

HARDtalk Extra—a series of "interviews with people from the arts and culture," predominantly presented by Gavin Esler.

Interviewees include: Brenda Blethyn, Robin Gibb, Debbie Harry, Marie Helvin, Grayson Perry, Ian Rankin, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Patrick Swayze.^[34][35]

HARDtalk Extra Time

HARDtalk Extra Time—a spin-off of "in-depth interviews with the athletes, coaches, and power brokers in the world of sport."

Among those interviewed by Rob Bonnet, include: Nicola Adams, Roger Bannister, Jonah Lomu, David Rudisha, and Murray Walker.^[36][37]