Tim Franks

And just to be clear, I mean, although you said it was a brief visit and all the PR around this was, look, we're showing the benefits of a shared humanity. I mean, there is a pretty clear British government travel advisory about Iran, isn't there?

And of course, these days there are more and more opportunities for us to share that, for example, through social media. In what way do you then think that a national poetry center, how can that be a sort of crucible for poetry?

And celebrating that plurality and celebrating the colours of the national language, is there going to be space for languages? Because obviously Britain has a multiplicity.

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The attack unfolded through the afternoon. Obviously, it was difficult for the police to get to the scene of where this was all happening. I mean, presumably that has complicated the medical response.

And I just wonder how far the hospital is able to cope with this number of casualties and the type of injuries that they have sustained.

Are you able to give me any details as to whether the patients are all adults?

Just in terms of what now for the medical staff and the medical response more broadly, how far is it going to be a question of trying to get support to those who maybe need emotional or mental help?

And everything about the man was was was on such a remarkable scale from his talent to the sort of the scandal and the interest around him. If you can, briefly, tell me what it is about the treatment that he received that is deemed to be potentially breaking the law.

Your father, he's 84 now, is that right? Have you had any news since your mother was released after 16 days of captivity as to the status of your father?

In terms of what needs to happen now, I mean, clearly you would say, look, a deal needs to be done right now to release all the hostages and for there to be a ceasefire in Gaza. Given you've been making this argument for so long, what pressure do you think you can put on the Israeli prime minister to take the final steps?

You say a majority in Israel obviously want the release of the hostages, but there will be a large number of people in Israel who will say Hamas is still a threat and it can't be trusted. It will play with the emotions of Israelis for as long as they possibly can as far as the hostages are concerned.

I guess, though, it still leaves the problem that Germany does seem to have a problem with car-ramming attacks.

Ja, und ich meine, ich glaube, das Problem für die Autoritäten, insbesondere wenn es um Fahrradrahmen geht, ist, ich meine, offensichtlich kann man Dinge verändern, wenn es um die Art und Weise, in der es Straßenfurniture und Bollards und Barriers und all that sort of thing. Es ist nicht einfach, ist es?

Are you English? No, I'm not English. Why? No, because you... You are pretty...

In real terms, it reflects probably a 3% annual increase year on year since it was increased about a decade ago to 11,000. So, you know, although it's a hike of $4,000 in one go, in real terms, it's an incremental increase. It's fairly standard. It's a difficult one. It will partly perhaps reduce numbers.

Unfortunately, that then becomes a bit of a differential between those that can afford and those that maybe can't quite afford. But a lot of the money is put back into there's rubbish on the mountain and they do have some cleanup operations occasionally. And some of those are funded by the Nepalese government.

Unfortunately, that then becomes a bit elitist. The outdoors hopefully is for everyone to enjoy, but there are plenty of other mountains around the world where you have to pay to enjoy that environment. So it's not as if it's the only mountain that you have to pay for. If it was a cheaper option, undoubtedly it would be busier and that in turn could create some big problems.

So I think there's a very delicate balance and we'll see next season, spring 26, we'll see what happens in terms of numbers then, I guess.

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And you'll have to explain what shadow banning is.

Are there sort of excuses about we're doing all we can to police harmful content, that sort of thing?

How far is this phenomenon being fuelled by the very fact that you're seeing greater heat and then greater amounts of wet?

Is it also the case that the poorer the city, the more exposed it is because it's just less likely to have the infrastructure that can cope?

The audience, when they're watching the play, and I've seen the play, are very much receiving it in the present day. The play itself is a critique of authoritarianism, of governments acting against their own citizens, and of the actions of Joseph McCarthy. And so the echoes into the present day for Americans who are directly opposed to Trump and all his administration stands for are very tangible.

Do you really think performing the national anthem at the end of the inauguration ceremony can bring the country together?

As far as Donald Trump is concerned, you would agree, Christopher, you're in a bit of a minority in the artistic community because I know you're a massive believer in the man. Absolutely. You're incredibly enthusiastic about who he is, what he stands for. And, I mean, you will be aware that a lot of artists in all sorts of fields, but music is certainly one of them, they are not fans of the man.

And what about Donald Trump? I mean, do you think that you might be able to persuade him to sit through an entire opera?

Obviously, one doesn't know, but it seems unlikely that there are going to be any sort of sanctions, any criminal sanctions as a result of this. I mean, it's difficult to run this in a way which ends up with, if it were Yipang 3 that were responsible for the severing of these cables, either accidentally or deliberately, that there's going to be any comebacks.

And just in terms of the vulnerability of undersea cables, in particular, these fiber optic data cables, are there lessons to be drawn about how they can be better protected?

Briefer gesagt, ist das Tennis für Frauen vielleicht ein Pioneer für andere Frauen-Sports?

I am very lucky to be alive, actually. I think it was about interrogating and then killing.

Ja, korrigiert mich, wenn ich falsch bin, aber ich meine, es hat bis jetzt relativ rar gewesen, aber ich versuche, dass das bedeutet, dass tatsächlich mehr Frauen die Möglichkeit nehmen können, ein Kind oder mehr zu haben und nicht fühlen, dass sie für es verurteilt werden.

Was ist der Grund für das Geld? Es kommt von den Saudis, von einem ihrer Investitionsfonds. Wie ist das, wie Sie es sehen, innerhalb des Spiels? Ich meine, given, dass Saudi-Arabien sowohl in der Lage als auch in der Praxis gegen Frauen diskriminiert ist. Was ist der Grund, wie Sie es sehen, innerhalb des Spiels?

Are there special types of fermented foods that you think are special to the chaga?

You talked about the sort of food that you ate growing up and this traditional food, which sounds, I mean, it sounds delicious. It also sounds very healthy. Are you still managing to eat in that way? Or has the dread lure of processed Western food grabbed you?

How much does Bangladesh export to the United States? I mean, how important a market is it?

Well, it certainly is complex and there certainly is uncertainty. And as you mentioned, Bangladesh has actually been doing rather well economically. Hence, it's the possibility that it will, as you say, graduate from LDC status, least developed country status. You did mention at the start of the interview that there will be tariffs imposed.

imposed on a lot of, essentially, your competitor countries. A lot of other Asian countries will have tariffs, some of which are considerably higher even than yours. So actually, in terms of a competitive disadvantage, you may not... be in that sense in too bad a position?