The Big Interview

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian politician and journalist known for his fierce opposition to Putin, shares his harrowing experiences of surviving poisoning and imprisonment. He reflects on the psychological toll of solitary confinement and the strategies he used to cope, including learning Spanish. Kara-Murza discusses his belief in the resilience of Russian democracy despite his lengthy sentence, and he emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability in a post-Putin future. He also counters stereotypes about Russians and democracy, advocating for a society ready for reform.

New Zealand’s former prime minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to Andrew Mueller about her new memoir and the role that empathy plays in leadership, especially in times of crisis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, a journalist and bestselling author known for 'Too Big to Fail,' explores the intricate world of the Great Depression in his new book '1929.' He contrasts the financial responses of 1929 and 2008, revealing insights from archival research that reveal human emotions behind historic decisions. Sorkin discusses the rise of consumer credit, the shadow banking menace, and parallels between current AI excitement and past financial bubbles. He emphasizes the journalist's role in warning against systemic risks, shedding light on today's complex financial landscape.

The long-time anchor of BBC World News America on becoming a US citizen the day after Donald Trump’s election and how her family’s history of slave ownership led her to apologise and offer reparations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, founded after the Cold War, discusses Ukraine’s rebuilding and the institution’s newfound purpose in an age of retrenching from foreign aid.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jen Easterly led the agency keeping the US safe from cyber attacks for four years. She’s worried about where things have gone over the past few months. Emma Nelson discusses her life of service.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a career spanning almost six decades, US fashion icon Norma Kamali is still reinventing herself. After immersing herself in the London fashion scene in the 1960s and establishing a New York boutique at the end of the decade, Kamali quickly rose to prominence. Her designs could be found on the star-studded dance floors of Studio 54, on an iconic 1976 Farrah Fawcett poster and on Whitney Houston’s first album cover. She joins Monocle’s Emma Nelson to tell us about her approach to design, her dedication to wellness and how Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting her business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An icon of US alternative rock, Bob Mould was a member of influential Minneapolis band Hüsker Dü, which combined screaming guitars with sweet pop melodies in the 1980s and inspired later acts such as Nirvana. Mould’s subsequent band Sugar recorded three acclaimed albums in the mid-1990s. He has since built up a solo catalogue that has included several stylistic deviations but keeps circling back to the power-trio format. Mould’s latest solo album is ‘Here We Go Crazy’. He sits down with Andrew Mueller to play a couple of songs and talk about the legacy of Hüsker Dü, being outed as a gay man in the 1990s and Donald Trump’s WWE-style politics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The films of screenwriter Bill Broyles have time and again cemented themselves as classics of American cinema. Following his debut with the acclaimed series ‘China Beach’, came films including ‘Apollo 13’, ‘Cast Away’ and ‘Jarhead’. Broyles’ writing for the screen has been informed at least in part by an eventful personal life. As a young man, he was a US Marine Corps platoon commander in the Vietnam War, an experience he recalls in the Apple TV+ series ‘Vietnam: The War That Changed America’. He was subsequently a journalist, launching ‘Texas Monthly’ and editing ‘Newsweek’ before heading to Hollywood. Broyles sits down with Andrew Mueller for a contemplative look back on his successes and failures, as well as reflecting on the best and worst aspects of American culture.                   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Wright is the acclaimed film director known for single-take shots, redefining cinematic genres and updating classic narratives. He first appeared on the global stage with his feature directorial debut, ‘Pride & Prejudice’, starring Keira Knightley, followed by a string of celebrated releases that include the seven-time Academy Award-nominated drama ‘Atonement’, the action-packed thriller ‘Hanna’ and the biographical drama ‘Darkest Hour’. As one of the more technically adventurous and unpredictable directors of his generation, Wright’s latest project might be his most ambitious: a new eight-part series documenting the rise of a dictator, ‘Mussolini: Son Of The Century’. It has already stirred debate across Europe and beyond since its release, and is regarded by many critics as the best show of 2025 so far. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.