The Interview (Interviews)

David Eagleman in an American Neuroscientist who lives a double life. By day he studies the human brain and by night he writes fiction- his first bestseller is about what happens to us when we die. This week on The Interview he tells Carrie Gracie how science helps him to understand questions about life and death and why he describes himself as a "possibilian".

Geraint Anderson worked for twelve years as an analyst in London's financial district, the City. He earned several million pounds before leaving his job a year ago. He's now written a book -- described as fictional but which he says is mostly true -- which reveals a world of wining, dining, drugs and illicit sex. On The Interview he tells Owen Bennett-Jones how the City works.

Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi is from a political dynasty in Sudan. Her father was the last elected prime minister. Her great great grandfather led the Sudanese in a rebellion against the English colonialists. Now she too is a political figure involved with the main opposition party. She tells Owen Bennett-Jones what it's like to operate in a male-dominated, Muslim society. And gives her view of what lies ahead for Sudan.

Major Reid Sawyer is a leading American authority on Al Qaeda. He is based at the United States Military Academy at West Point and wrote the textbook on counter terrorism methods. On the eve of a major new World Service series about Al Qaeda, Owen Bennett-Jones talks to Major Sawyer about who is winning the war on terror. And gets some surprising answers.