Hardtalk

Stephen Sackur speaks to the king of tabloid trash-talking television in the United States: Jerry Springer. His show specialises in dysfunctional relationships and sex. Critics call it cynical and manipulative TV, but does he care?

For many American firearms are a symbol of freedom. The right to bear arms is treated with the same reverence as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But guns kill extraordinary numbers of US citizens, 30,000 and more every year. Maybe it’s time to better regulate the firearms business. As part of the BBC’s Freedom Season, HARDtalk speaks to the recently retired president of the National Rifle Association, David Keene. Does the gun lobby really stand up for American values?

Within the lifetimes of our children, the African elephant may be extinct, hunted to death - such is the continued lure of ivory, despite international efforts to ban the ivory trade. In Tanzania, poachers have been killing an average of thirty elephants a day. The government there says it will end the slaughter. HARDtalk speaks to Lazaro Nyalandu, Tanzania’s minister for natural resources and tourism. Is human greed destined to kill off Africa’s elephants?

After the revolutionary tumult in Ukraine, what comes next? The country is financially crippled, internally divided and a cockpit of tension between Moscow and the West. Who can hold Ukraine together? HARDtalk speaks to Eugenia Tymoshenko – her mother Yulia is the former prime minister, newly released from prison and widely seen as a powerful contender for Ukraine's presidency. Her name has pulling power, but is Yulia Tymoshenko what Ukraine needs?

Just how stable and sustainable is Israel's coalition Government? HARDtalk speaks to Naftali Bennett, leader of Jewish Home and Israel’s economy minister.

In a host of African countries, homosexuality is a crime. From Nigeria to Uganda, politicians seem to believe persecuting homosexuals is a vote-winning strategy. HARDtalk speaks to Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina who knew it would be big news when he publicly revealed his homosexuality earlier this year. Sure enough, he's now at the centre of a debate about freedom, identity and culture that's raging across the African continent. Is his stand changing minds?

What must it be like to have been at the centre of the seemingly endless and fruitless quest for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal for more than two decades? And is there any reason for expectations to rise as US Secretary of State John Kerry prepares to publish his own outline for a deal. HARDtalk speaks to veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. Are we approaching a defining moment or a dead end?

HARDtalk is in Stuttgart, Germany - a city with a long history of engineering and manufacturing. The auto industry is a major player here, which is good news for Stuttgart as long as the German car industry continues to thrive. Stephen Sackur speaks to Dieter Zetsche, the boss of Daimler, a company with a global reputation and the makers of Mercedes Benz cars. However, over the past decade they have made some costly mistakes and they still face major challenges, not least the push for greener more efficient vehicles. Daimler has a proud reputation, but does it have a bright future?

A host of countries around the world still impose the ultimate punishment on the most serious criminals - death. What is it like to be in command of the machinery of state-sanctioned execution? As part of the BBC’s special Freedom Season, HARDtalk gets a rare insight from Allen Ault, who spent years running the corrections system in the southern US state of Georgia. He organised the killing of criminals until he could stand it no more. Now he is an opponent of the death penalty. Why?

HARDtalk is in Paris at Roland Garros, the headquarters of tennis in France, to speak to the French tennis player and Wimbledon Champion, Marion Bartoli. Last year just six weeks after achieving the highest accolade in her sport, the Wimbledon title, she announced she was retiring from tennis at the age of only 28. Can she really never imagine competing again? And if so, what does that say about the health of tennis?

It’s nearly a year since the new Pope was installed, but still the same problems dog the Catholic Church. A UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has just criticised the Vatican over its failure to deal decisively with child sexual abuse by priests, gay rights activists still attack the Church on its stand on homosexuality and the Vatican’s finances have been under scrutiny and criminal investigation. HARDtalk speaks to Cardinal Peter Turkson who, last year, was tipped to become the first black Pope. He’s calling for financial reforms and action against poverty and inequality. But does the Catholic Church have the moral authority to take a lead on such issues?

HARDtalk is at the British Foreign Office to speak to Foreign Secretary, William Hague. From Syria and Afghanistan to relations with the US and Europe, how influential is British foreign policy today?

In a special edition of HARDtalk, recorded in the Indian capital, Stephen Sackur talks to the prominent women’s rights campaigner, Kavita Krishnan. Delhi is a proud capital of the nation - a noisy and vibrant place - but a city stained by its record on sexual violence. More rapes are recorded here than any other Indian city. Just over a year ago a 23 year old medical student died after a brutal gang rape on a bus which shocked the nation and prompted millions of people to demand government action to end gender violence. Is India becoming a safer, more equal society for women?

HARDtalk speaks to Hussain Al-Shahristani, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister responsible for energy. He’s in London to attend a conference, but also to convince the world that his country isn’t sinking back into civil war. A decade on from the fall of Saddam Hussein, is Iraq perilously close to tearing itself apart again?

HARDtalk speaks to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. He has just embarked on a tour of four African countries, all touched by vicious and bloody conflict - South Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. It’s part of his mission to visit as many communities as possible in the 80-million strong Anglican Church worldwide. Can he help heal the divisions in these conflict ridden countries? And what’s his answer to critics who say that religion itself is partly to blame for ethnic hatred and killings. Also, the church is polarised on issues such as same-sex marriage and gay priests. Can the Archbishop keep the Church together?