The Big Interview
In-depth conversations with global leaders in art, design, literature, politics, business, and food. Learn from the best about their craft and successes.
Latest Episodes
Mary-Kay Wilmers
Wilmers has been the editor of the ‘London Review of Books’, Europe’s legendary literary journal, since 1992. She’s also the author of non-fiction work ‘The Eitingons: A Twentieth-Century Story’ and, more recently, ‘Human Relations and Other Difficulties’, a collection of essays on women’s experiences. She talks to Monocle’s Megan Gibson…
Sally Field
She won an Oscar for best actress in ‘Norma Rae’ in 1980 and another in 1985 for ‘Places in the Heart’. She appeared in numerous sitcoms and Hollywood box-office hits: ‘Smokey and the Bandit’, ‘Forrest Gump’, ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ and ‘Lincoln’, to name a few. She has now written a memoir,…
Esa-Pekka Salonen
The lauded Finnish composer and conductor, currently principal conductor for London’s Philharmonia and conductor laureate for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has spent his career tearing down the elitist labels associated with classical music. He experiments with VR and shaking up the classical-concert format to make orchestras and music more accessible.…
Agnès Varda
French film director Agnès Varda was a key protagonist in the new wave of French cinema in the 1960s. Her signature films include ‘Cleo from 5-7’, ‘Vagabond’ and ‘The Gleaners and I’. At age 90, ‘Faces Places’ is her latest documentary about a road trip to rural France with world-renowned…
Mary Robinson
The former president of Ireland and ex-UN high commissioner for human rights devoted her life to standing up for gender equality and social justice around the world. Today, she is an outspoken climate-change campaigner. In conversation with Tom Edwards, she talks about her podcast ‘Mothers of invention’ and how she’s…
Kerry James Marshall
The celebrated Chicago-based artist, known for his figurative paintings depicting black figures using his signature black paint, sits down with Augustin Macellari to reflect on his early passion for painting, the influence of the European masters and the invisibility of black bodies in the western canon of art.
David Sedaris
The American humorist and bestselling author joins Georgina Godwin to discuss his latest book, ‘Calypso’. He muses over everything from family dynamics and awkward social situations to the boundaries of humour and the role of entertainment in a time of troubling politics.
Ian Bremmer
For our season finale we sit down with Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group. He is one of the world’s leading political-risk experts, specialising in US foreign policy, states in transition and global political risk. He talks to Tom Edwards about his new book ‘Us vs Them: The Failure…
The chefs
Ahead of the publication of Monocle’s inaugural ‘Drinking & Dining Directory’, we hear from some of the great chefs and restaurateurs who have featured on past episodes of ‘The Big Interview’. Join Tom Edwards for a tasty mix of insights from the likes of Massimo Bottura, Ruth Rogers, Bill Granger…
Robert Harris
The author of numerous bestsellers, including ‘Fatherland’, ‘The Fear Index’ and ‘An Officer and a Spy’, sits down with Robert Bound to talk about his new novel ‘Munich’, as well as themes ranging from ancient Rome to contemporary politics and why it’s difficult to write political fiction in the modern…
