The Eddie Mair Interview

John Sipher spent 28 years with the US National Clandestine Service. Mr Sipher spoke to Eddie Mair about his life undercover, why he's kept a brick from Osama Bin Laden's house, torture, and the Sergei Skripal poisoning.

Artificial intelligence is already a big part of our lives, whether or not we are aware of it, and it will only become more significant. But could it ever help us with our most tender human emotions, like when we are grieving? Eugenia Kuyda is a tech entrepreneur and when her friend Roman Mazurenko died suddenly, Eugenia used machine conversation to bring him back to life. She told Eddie Mair about the app she created to do this called Replika, which describes itself as an artificial intelligence friend that's always there for you. (Photo: Roman Mazurenko and Eugenia Kuyda Credit:Eugenia Kuyda) .

On New Year's Eve four young men were stabbed to death in separate incidents around London. It brought the total number of fatal knife attacks in the Capital to 80 in 2017. Many of these incidents are due to gang rivalries. Jermaine Lawlor was a member of a gang in East London. He was first arrested at the age of 11, but tells Eddie Mair that seeing "friends being murdered, made me think about my life". Now 26, he's a youth worker and has set up a service to help those that remind him of his younger self. (Photo:Jermaine Lawlor Credit: Jermaine Lawlor)

What would you like to happen if you become very ill or severely incapacitated? What can you do now to make sure your wishes, whatever they are will be respected should that time come? Professor Jenny Kitzinger is from the Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, Cardiff University which researches how best to ensure that incapacitated patients have their last wishes respected. Jenny's sister Polly had a car crash in 2009 which has left her with devastating brain injuries. Her family knew she would not want life-prolonging treatment but as Jenny told Eddie Mair, "without an advance decision (document) we found that those views were not respected". (Photo: Professor Jenny Kitzinger, Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, Cardiff University. Credit: J Kitzinger)

Sebastian Balfour, a historian and Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Spanish Studies at the London School of Economics, was PM's trusted guide to events in Catalonia before, during and after the disputed independence referendum. In an extended interview, Professor Balfour talks to Eddie Mair not about his day job, but about his fascinating life including being rescued as a little boy from a Japanese internment camp and living in America in the1960's where he bought and sold antique cars. (Photo: Historian Sebastian Balfour Credit: Sebastian Balfour)

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is an increasingly popular destination for international sun-worshippers and shoppers. Recently when Dubai has been in the news, it has not been for bargains or top tanning tips. This week a young British expat, Asa Hutchinson, was said to be facing jail in Dubai after witnessing a fight. There were more headlines about Jamie Harron, a 27-year-old Scot who was sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai for touching a man's hip. After spending three and a half months awaiting the outcome of the case, he was exonerated and able to return home. But what is it like to be caught up in the criminal justice system in Dubai? David Haigh is someone who knows. He is a lawyer and was a business executive. He says he is an innocent man who was wrongly imprisoned. He was arrested at the airport in Dubai on a trip to visit a former employer, GFH, about further work. But GFH - an investment bank based in Bahrain - had accused him of stealing money from them. And they strongly deny that the basis of his subsequent conviction was false. David Haigh told PM about his arrival in Dubai. (Photo: David Haigh Credit: David Haigh)

The treatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has led to worldwide condemnation, with the US threatening sanctions. Bangladesh, which has taken in hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas who've fled their homeland, has now signed a deal to return them to Myanmar. Nijam Uddin Mohammed is a Rohingya Muslim. He spent 18 years in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, but now lives in Bradford. He tells Eddie Mair about fleeing Myanmar when he was a boy; and about his return to visit the camps he used to live in. (Photo courtesy of Nijam Uddin Mohammed)

The magazine Gay Times has sacked its new editor over comments he made on social media in the past. Josh Rivers was appointed last month. The first non white editor in Gay Times history. But an investigation by Buzzfeed News found several tweets posted by Josh Rivers between 2010 and 2015 which it said would shock many people. Although he tweeted a statement which described his messages as "horrible", "hateful" and "abhorrent" and expressed sorrow at causing any offence, the Gay Times sacked him. He told Eddie Mair that the texts came from a place of "deep self-loathing that I've worked hard to overcome". He also said "this isn't about me it's about, beautiful, sensitive, valuable people who have been hurt by this and they need to heal - if I can help them do that, I'd love to but until then they have to do what they have to do to get through this." (Photo: Josh Rivers Credit: Gay Times)

As we approach Armistice Day, followed by Remembrance Sunday, we talk to an American army veteran who is the host of a new podcast "Battle Scars", in which he interviews people who have been in war zones. Born in Vietnam, Thom Tran moved to the US as an infant. He enlisted in the United States Army at 18 years old, before he had finished high school. He spent eight years in the army including 12 months in Iraq. These days he is a musician, and a stand-up comic, but in his new podcast he uses his own history to help other former soldiers talk openly about their experiences on the front line. Based in Los Angeles, he spoke to Eddie Mair after his early morning trip the gym. (Photo: Thom Tran on stage Credit: Thom Tran)

Since 2008 Alan Power, head gardener at Stourhead in Wiltshire, has joined Radio 4's PM programme to tell us about the autumnal view. This year, there was something extra to talk about. (Photo: Stourhead. Credit: PA)

Steve Hewlett chronicled his experience with oesophageal cancer weekly on PM in 2016. Steve believed that by using his journalistic skills to investigate and understand his own cancer, he would be doing some good for himself and perhaps for people listening to PM. He was right on both counts. Lisa Griffith wrote to the programme about her husband Paul. After hearing about the symptoms on PM, Paul went to the doctor and was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. (Photo: Paul Griffith. Credit: Lisa Griffith)

The film producer Harvey Weinstein has been accused of a string of sexual assaults after the New York Times reported previously undisclosed allegations against him stretching over nearly three decades. He has "unequivocally denied" any allegations of non-consensual sex. Alison Owen is a film producer who has worked on a number of films with Mr Weinstein. Her credits as a producer include Elizabeth, Shaun of the Dead and Tulip Fever. She told Eddie Mair about her experiences of Harvey Weinstein. (Photo: Harvey Weinstein. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Most people would probably not want to see what the firefighters who attended Grenfell Tower fire saw, or do what they did. All of the firefighters who were there received counselling after their shift had finished. Some are still having treatment, including the woman who is the London Fire Brigade Commissioner, Dany Cotton. Clifford Thompson is a journalist at the BBC but his boyhood dream was to be a firefighter: a dream he realised when he was stationed in East London at the age of 18. In this interview he reflects on his life as a firefighter, some of the big disasters he attended and how the support now offered to firefighters in dealing with traumatic events has changed. (Photo: Clifford Thompson Credit: Clifford Thompson)

Eddie Mair hears one man's story of his asexuality - discovering he was asexual, telling friends and family, and negotiating relationships. This podcast contains sexually explicit material. (Photo: Ace of Hearts on top of playing cards Credit: Getty Images)

For a handful of people in the world, remembering things is not a problem. They have a condition called HSAM or Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, which means they can remember everything that has happened to them, often in great detail. Very little is known about why some people have it, but Rebecca Sharrock from Australia is one of those helping researchers learn more about her condition. (Photo: An illustration of the brain. Credit: Getty Images)

Abortion in the United States continues to spark fierce debate and cause division, ever since the Supreme Court made it legal in 1973 following the Roe v Wade case. Individual states still have a lot of power to influence the availability of abortions and in almost every state there are campaigns and protests for and against. In our two-part podcast we hear from people on either side of the debate. For part one we heard from Dr Willie Parker, who provides abortion services in Georgia and Alabama. In part two Eddie speaks to Esther Ripplinger, who campaigns against abortions in her home state of Washington, not least because of her own experience of having one. (Photo: Esther Ripplinger. Credit: Esther Ripplinger)

Abortion in the United States continues to spark fierce debate and cause division, ever since the Supreme Court made it legal in 1973 following the Roe v Wade case. Individual states still have a lot of power to influence the availability of abortions and in almost every state there are campaigns and protests for and against. In our two-part podcast we hear from people on either side of the debate. For part one we speak to Dr Willie Parker, who was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family in Alabama. He now exclusively provides abortion services to women in his home state and neighbouring Georgia, both of which have more restrictive laws on abortion. (Photo: Dr Willie Parker. Credit: Getty Images)

For 16 years, David Drew and Neil Carmichael have campaigned against each other to be MP for Stroud. The constituency in Gloucestershire is known as a bell-weather because it often goes the same way as the national result. In 1997 David won for Labour, and Tony Blair moved into No.10. The next general election in 2001 saw Neil enter the race but David held on, as did the Labour government. The same happened in 2005. Then in 2010 Neil beat David and the Conservatives formed a coalition government with the Lib Dems. Neil's second success in 2015 was mirrored by the Conservatives, but in 2017 David Drew retook the parliamentary seat. Eddie Mair speaks to the pair about what it is like going up against the same person for so many years. (Photo: David Drew (l) and Neil Carmichael (r). Credit: BBC)

For six months on PM, we heard from Steve Hewlett every Monday as he chronicled his experience of oesophageal cancer. In his very first conversation, last September, he introduced us to the "cold cap". Many listeners told us they also experienced the "cold cap", but they're not available in every part of the UK. "Cold caps" or "scalp cooling" can prevent or lessen hair loss which occurs during chemotherapy. Claire McQuillan is having chemotherapy for a second time. She tells Eddie Mair she can't have "cold cap" treatment in Northern Ireland. The Health and Social Care Board (HSCNI) there says the evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the caps is not sufficient for them to be routinely commissioned. (Photo courtesy of the McQuillan family)

This week in our podcast, Eddie Mair speaks to Henry Hendron. He was very much a rising star, a barrister in London with some high profile clients and media coverage to go with it. He represented the Conservative MP Nigel Evans when he was cleared of rape in 2014. Some people thought Henry Hendron himself had a bright political future. But things changed for him in 2015 when his 18-year-old boyfriend Miguel Jimenez died after taking chemsex drugs. Mr Hendron was arrested and admitted possessing the drugs that killed his boyfriend. The Bar Standards Board suspended him from practicing, but in May said he could return to the bar after three years. Details of organisations offering information and support with addiction are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 155 947. (Photo: Miguel Jimenez (l) and Henry Hendron (r). Credit: Henry Hendron)

In 2011 it was revealed that a number of police officers who were working undercover among environmental activists in the 1990s had sexual relationships with some of the people they were investigating. "Jessica", had a relationship with an undercover police officer in the 90s. She only found out this year the full details of what really happened. (Photo: The shadow of a man. Credit: Getty Images)

For six months on PM, Steve Hewlett chronicled his experience of living with oesophageal cancer. Sadly in February 2017 Steve died. His sons Freddie, Billy and Bertie join Eddie Mair to talk about a scholarship created in their father's name, the impact Steve's conversations with PM had, and moving forward. (Photo: Freddie and Billy. Credit: BBC)

The hours and days after the Manchester Arena attack were especially long for some families. They were wondering whether their loved ones were dead or alive. Some appealed on radio and TV for any information. A mother who understands what they were going through is Sarah Jenkins. She has been campaigning to improve the way such information is handled, after her own experience of waiting to find out about her daughter Emily. The 24 year old was among those killed in London on July 7, 2005. She was travelling on the southbound Piccadilly line train from Kings Cross when the bomb went off 500 yards into her journey.

A man has revealed how he slept in the same room as his wife's body for six days after she died. Wendy Davison, 50, died at home in Derby last month after a 10-year battle with cervical cancer. Russell Davison, who has been left "heartbroken", said he did not want her body to go to a mortuary and he wanted to challenge attitudes towards dying. Mr Davison explains to Eddie Mair his family's unusual perspective on death. (Image:Wendy and Russell Davison. Credit: Paul Clark)

Pianist Antimo Magnotta was performing on-board the Costa Concordia cruise ship when it ran aground off the coast of Italy on 13 January 2012. He talks to Eddie Mair about his start in music and how his life changed after the disaster which killed 32 people. (Photo: Antimo Magnotta. Credit: BBC)

Olympic gold medalist, Dominique Moceanu, and professional acrobat Jennifer Bricker grew up with separate families before finding out they were biological sisters. Speaking to them both, Eddie Mair heard of the struggles Jennifer went through to contact Dominique "it was a 4 year journey...but meeting my biological family consumed every bit of my life." Dominique spoke about the shock and joy she experienced when she discovered she had a sister. (Photo montage: Jennifer Bricker (L) doing a handstand and Dominique Moceanu (R) competing in the 1996 Olympic Games Credit: Jennifer Bricker, image courtesy of Baker Publishing Group; Dominique Moceanu, Getty Images)

Dianne was diagnosed with dementia at 47 years old. She talks to Eddie Mair about her journey from noticing changes in her memory, to her involvement in the Brent Peer Support project. (Photo: Dianne. Credit: Peer Support)

Throughout his campaign to be President Donald Trump promised to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Upon taking office he vowed to keep the promise. Someone who knows from personal experience what it's like to patrol that southern border is Mark Napier, who is the Sheriff of Pima County in Arizona. As he explained to Eddie Mair one of the biggest challenges he and his team face is the topography of the area and the very hot climate. "Every year 150 bodies are recovered in the desert of people who have tried to come across the border, but have died because of the environmental conditions".

Dr Naureen Starling is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden hospital in London, specialising in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers. She is better known to listeners as Steve Hewlett's doctor. She explained to Eddie Mair that one thing she has learnt whilst treating Steve was that clear communication was vital. "I think it's often good for me and my colleagues just to step back and think actually am I communicating this clearly in a way the patient can understand."

In the middle of September last year, Steve Hewlett, the presenter of Radio Four's The Media Show was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. He thought it might be of interest to PM listeners to detail his treatment on air. Sadly Steve has died. Here is our tribute to Steve Hewlett, a collection of moments from the times he generously spent talking to us about his illness.

The death of a family member is one of the most traumatic things a person can experience. For Steve Johnson, his brother Scott's death almost 30 years ago is still a source of pain. Scott Johnson was outwardly happy, about to finish a PhD and he was in a long term relationship. Police said his death was suicide. But now, thanks to Steve, doubt has been cast on not only what the police said but what they did in response to Scott's death, and many others. (Photo: Steve Johnson and his brother Scott (right). Courtesy of Steve Johnson)

In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment. Steve has had to continue his stay in the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, so Eddie Mair went to visit him again. Last week, he told us how some of his options were no longer there. No more drugs trials, no more chemo: his liver was in a state that would not allow any of that. During their conversation this week, Steve told Eddie about the options for palliative care and what living every day as if it's your last, means to him.

In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment. Steve has had to continue his stay in the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, so Eddie Mair went to visit him again. During their conversation, Steve told Eddie that his consultant had said his liver would not be able to handle any more treatments and that the outlook in the long term was not good. On a happier note, he and his partner Rachel decided to get married.

In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment. This week Steve had to stay in London's Royal Marsden Hospital, so Eddie Mair went to visit him. During their conversation, Steve told Eddie that because his liver is "misbehaving", and they are unsure if the new drug is working, he could end up with his "liver being so damaged it's no longer capable of dealing with any further treatment". Despite that, he's decided to continue with the drugs trial.

In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment. In this podcast he tells Eddie Mair what happened when he heard that he had finally been accepted on the drugs trial, "as soon as I put the phone down, all I could do was cry, I was so overwhelmed by it."

In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment. In this podcast he tells Carolyn Quinn about the stress of waiting to start a clinical trial with an immunotherapy drug that was denied to AA Gill.

In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment. In this podcast he tells Carolyn Quinn about how a setback - which resulted in him being kept in hospital for 2 days - may put his place on a drugs trial in jeopardy.

Editor of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, Gerry Gable, has been working against far-right groups for decades. As he told Eddie Mair six weeks before his son was born he received a parcel at home. It turned out to be a letter bomb. Whilst he was waiting for the bomb squad to arrive he says "I just kept my hand on the thing because I thought if I lifted it, something might be released and it might go off."

In 2005, Roger Bacon's son Matthew was one of the many British service personnel killed whilst serving in Iraq. Jason Clasby worked with Matthew and was sitting next to him when he died. As they told Eddie Mair, despite meeting briefly at the Chilcott inquiry, the two men had never sat down to talk about what happened, until now, ten years after Matthew's death. In the second part of this interview, they discuss how they deal with day to day life. The first part of this interview was posted as a podcast on 2 January 2017. (Photo: British troops patrolling in Basra, Iraq Credit: Getty Images)

Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment. In this podcast he talks about being taken ill and arriving in A&E "just before the New Year's Eve deluge" where he was given the all clear at about 1.30 in the morning. Unable to get a cab, he made his way home by tube, something which, he says, will not please his consultant. (Photo: Steve Hewlett Credit: BBC )

In 2005, Roger Bacon's son Matthew was one of the many British service personnel killed whilst serving in Iraq. Jason Clasby worked with Matthew and was sitting next to him when he died. As they told Eddie Mair, despite meeting briefly at the Chilcott inquiry, the two men had never sat down to talk about what happened, until now, ten years after Matthew's death. (Photo: British troops patrolling in Basra, Iraq Credit: Getty Images)

As President Obama prepares to leave office, people are reflecting on the fact that his promise to close Guantanamo Bay within a year of taking power never came to pass. Dr Elspeth Cameron Ritchie is a former Army colonel and psychiatrist, she was sent to Guantanamo Bay in 2002 after a spate of suicide attempts by detainees. She told presenter Eddie Mair that in its early years, Guantanamo posed no ethical issues for medics. (Photo: A camp entrance at Guantanamo Bay. Credit: Reuters)