Amol Rajan Interviews...

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.

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

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.

In the latest of a series of interviews with gamechangers from the worlds of culture, business, sports and politics, Amol Rajan speaks to musician Nile Rodgers.As a songwriter and producer, Rodgers has worked on worldwide hits including David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, Madonna’s Like a Virgin, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. Rodgers tells Rajan about his childhood in 1960s New York City, with his mother only 14 years older than him, falling prey to drug addiction as she brought up her young son. Rajan finds out about the circumstances around Rodgers setting up the band Chic with his musical partner Bernard Edwards and the story behind their sensational record, Le Freak. As one of the most successful black men in the music industry, Rodgers reflects on the racism which still troubles America and the structural inequalities that come with music streaming, and he tells Rajan about the death of his mother in 2020.

He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time – and has just become one of the most controversial too. In an exclusive interview, Novak Djokovic talks to BBC Media Editor Amol Rajan. The Serbian star was the centre of an international storm when the Canberra government refused to allow him to compete in the Australian Open – and eventually deported him because they said, he could “incite anti-vax sentiment”. Speaking at his tennis centre in Belgrade, Djokovic breaks his silence to give his side of the story.Producers: Cara Swift, Elizabeth Needham-Bennett and Vivien Jones Sound: Kate Barker and John Scott Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown Editor: Hugh Levinson

Amol Rajan interviews the pioneers and leaders shaping our rapidly changing world.In the first episode he talks to Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai: a personally revealing encounter and a focus on tax, ethics, privacy and the future.