As the Conservative Party finds itself out of power and preparing to choose its fifth leader since 2016, Sir John Major sits down with Amol Rajan to share his thoughts on the state of Britain and the future of Western democracy.The UK is still reeling from a summer of riots, a recent cost of living crisis, and years of political turmoil. There is war in Europe and the Middle East and national populism is thriving in Western democracies. What did Sir John's seven years as Prime Minister teach him about how this country can navigate these crises and move forward?Sir John Major became Prime Minister after the downfall of the Conservative Party's 'Iron Lady', Margaret Thatcher. The hope was that he could be a unifying figure at the helm after years of division. Perhaps the most unlikely of Prime Ministers, having grown up in a two-room flat in Brixton, and with only three O-levels to his name, Sir John's dream of a classless society has not come to pass.Since leaving office, Sir John has watched his beloved party struggle, national pride alter, and a new world order emerge. In this rare interview, the 81-year-old reflects on the echoes of history and suggests practical steps toward a better future.
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1:22:54
Tony Blair
As the new Labour government gets to work after its landslide victory - and the first complete change in the party of government for 14 years - Sir Tony Blair sits down with Amol Rajan to share his thoughts on the future of Britain and western democracy. With riots on the streets, surging populism, economic hardship and a war in Europe among the challenges the UK faces, what did Sir Tony's ten years in power teach him about how we should address the catalogue of crises confronting us now?One of the longest serving prime ministers of the 20th century, Sir Tony went from feted to hated. He came to power saying a new dawn had broken, and left office a decade later having won three elections and taken the country to war in Iraq, a decision whose fall out is still felt today. Now Sir Tony is 71, and with a new book out on leadership and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change now working with over 30 countries, the former prime minister has lessons to share.
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1:13:45
Bill Gates
Billionaire Bill Gates talks to Amol Rajan about wealth, conspiracy theories and recent controversies. They visit a remote region outside Nairobi in Kenya, where Gates supports local farms and hospitals through his charitable foundation for a rare, in-depth interview with the tech entrepreneur.Gates has spent much of his life being the richest man on earth, excelling at school, founding Microsoft and helping to realise his vision of having a computer on every desk in every home. His public image has changed over the years, from geek to business titan and philanthropist. In recent years he’s become the subject of endless conspiracy theories and has attracted unfavourable headlines on the subject of his divorce and his association with Jeffrey Epstein. In this challenging and personal interview, Rajan tackles these issues head on, talking to Gates about his early success, his wealth, how he uses it now and the controversies that have arisen over the years. In this unusually candid interview Gates is often revealing in his responses.Producer Director - Suniti Somaiya
Series Producer - Elizabeth Needham-Bennett
Executive Producer - Tanya Hudson
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1:25:45
Greta Thunberg
Amol Rajan talks to 19-year-old Greta Thunberg, the climate activist who has become the unlikely voice of global youth.Thunberg isn’t a politician or a scientist, nor is she the first to campaign against climate change. However, since overcoming severe childhood depression to focus the world’s attention on the plight of the planet, the Swedish student has become a symbol for a generation which – as she puts it – is not being listened to by older people who won’t suffer the consequences of not listening. In a challenging and wide-ranging conversation, Rajan discusses with Thunberg her latest book and interrogates some of the solutions it posits, to arrest climate change. They explore green policy, climate justice, greenwashing and the role of both politics and protest in effecting change. Thunberg also shares the personal cost she has paid in being a global game-changer and offers a rare insight into the real Greta Thunberg.
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1:02:08
Billie Jean King
Amol Rajan talks to a true gamechanger: Billie Jean King. A record-breaking tennis player on the court, and a boundary-busting social activist off
the court, King dominated tennis whilst campaigning to get the women’s sport recognised and female athletes treated as equal to the men.At her spiritual home of Wimbledon – where she holds the record for most career wins – King talks to Rajan about her lifelong battle for equality and inclusion, and how she has balanced her activism with both a record-breaking sports career and a tumultuous personal life. In a tennis career spanning nearly 30 years, Billie Jean King became the first female sports superstar, winning 39 Grand Slam titles and holding the world number one position for six years. As the first female athlete-activist, King transformed the women’s game. She and eight other renegades created professional women’s tennis
when they started the first ever women’s tennis tour in 1971. King then co-founded the Women’s Tennis Association and forced the US Open to
become the first Grand Slam tournament to offer equal prize money to its male and female players. During the 1970s, while at the very top of her game and height of her activism, King was contending with intense turmoil in her private life. News of an abortion she had was made public against her will, at a time before the Roe v Wade ruling made legal abortion a constitutional right in the US. Meanwhile, she struggled to come to terms with her homosexuality while married to a man, before being publicly outed. In 1981, King became the first prominent professional female athlete to speak publicly about her homosexuality and, as a result, lost all her endorsements overnight. In discussing her extraordinary life, Billie Jean King and Amol Rajan also touch on topical issues such as the sport world’s response to the war in Ukraine, trans athletes and mental health matters. This programme was recorded in June 2022.
UK