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Join UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers as he sits down with Stephen Sackur, the iconic host of BBC’s HARDtalk, to discuss the shocking closure of the long-running show after nearly three decades.
Sackur shares his personal story, reveals how the decision unfolded, and reflects on the highs and lows of his time grilling the world’s most powerful figures. From unforgettable moments to the toughest interviews, he opens up about the best and worst of HARDtalk. Plus, Sackur weighs in on the future of journalism and the BBC in a rapidly changing media landscape.
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SubscribeThe problems for the BBC are that people are giving up on their licences and no longer watching “TV”. Streaming services are changing the landscape signficantly, particularly among the younger UK viewers. And people that do not watch any BBC television would resent paying nearly 200 pounds a year for something they do not use. You would also say that longform interviews are popular, you only need look at Joe Rogan, Lex Friedman and several others to see that. People are interested in the right content. None of these shows have the feel of a public grilling like Paxman or Hardtalk, but that does not mean they never manage to talk answers out of the guests over the long time they are having a dialogue. There have also been some high profile fails in broadcast TV news shows that are like Hardtalk. Most obvious is the Cathy Newman attempted takedown of Jordan Peterson. That was an obvious agenda driven “interview”. It showed that TV News is not always impartial, and importantly will try and tar the interviewee with whatever label they want to throw at them when it suits.
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