This Spotlight collection features classic interviews with international music stars visiting NZ. The clips are all from legendary Sunday night music show Radio with Pictures. See The Clash in 1982 with Dylan Taite, David Bowie (twice), plus Lou Reed, Billy Bragg, the Pogues, Joni Mitchell, and M...

The primetime current affairs interview is the heavyweight contest of screen broadcasting. They can woo hearts and minds, speak truth to power, turn elections, end strikes, enrage or reveal subjects and enshrine or tarnish reputations. This collection puts the Spotlight on iconic Kiwi contributio...

In this excerpt from the mid-90s late night news show, Kim Webby interviews Francis Hooper and Denise L’Estrange-Corbet — the duo behind fashion label World — following their win in the avant-garde section of the 1995 Benson & Hedges Fashion Awards. Their winning outfit? A Japanese-inspired two-piece made out of cardboard that L’Estrange-Corbet describes as “21st Century origami couture”. Meanwhile Hooper showcases World designs (lurex, vinyl, AstroTurf) and merchandise (tequila lollipops and voodoo dolls) – “you can never get enough kitsch in life”.  

In this unexpurgated (and until-now unscreened) interview, Keith Quinn talks to TP 'Terry' McLean, who Quinn has called “the best rugby writer we have ever produced”. The late author and NZ Herald sports editor reminisces widely, though All Blacks are often on the menu: the “God-like figure” of George Nepia (who McLean wrote a book with), “audacious, thoughtful, cunning, chess player” Bob Scott, and Colin Meads, who McLean is candid in his opinion of. Quinn quizzes McLean on his beginnings, favourite sporting memories, and all-time favourite All Black Captain.

In this May 2006 interview Paul Holmes interviews actor Russell Crowe for his new Prime TV show. After 20 minutes Russell is joined by his cousin, cricket legend Martin Crowe. Free from PR pressures to promote a particular film, Russell is relaxed and reflective. He talks organic farming, Elvis Costello and fatherhood, All Blacks and Richard Harris, and growing up as “Martin Crowe’s cousin”. Holmes brings up Martin’s famous innings of 299, and the trio discuss baseball, phone biffing, Romper Stomper, Russell's Rabbitohs league club and Martin’s Gladiator role. 

John Kirk, son of the late prime minister Norman Kirk, is Brian Edwards’ interviewee in this episode from a series featuring the children of famous parents. While undeniably proud of his father, he pulls few punches in describing how his family suffered from the often negative attentions of others, and the demands placed on Big Norm which competed with his role as a husband and father — and may ultimately have contributed to his early death. Kirk was an MP representing his father’s seat of Sydenham, but his political career would not be as illustrious.

'Our people' at Holmes' 1997 Christmas party included tearaway teenage twins Sarah and Joanne Ingham. Earlier that year the sisters had stowed away on a Malaysian container ship after Sarah had fallen for a sailor. The 18-year-olds made global headlines when they jumped overboard off the Queensland coast, supposedly swam through shark and croc-infested waters and spent two weeks in the bush, before being found and deported back to Nelson. As Holmes tries to elicit soundbites the notorious lasses display the laconic style that made them Kiwi folk heroes.

In this April 1989 excerpt from music show CV, local bluesman Midge Marsden interviews BB King between flights at Auckland Airport. Sitting with his beloved Gibson guitar Lucille, King reveals his dissatisfaction with his own guitar playing, his family's distaste for blues music while growing up, and his belief that the growing sophistication of blues has helped it win increased popularity. He also mentions Bono writing him a song ('When Love Comes to Town'), and his take on friends James Brown and Ike Turner getting in trouble with the law.  

This short Auckland-shot Holly Hunter interview for arts show The Edge was filmed as The Piano was released in NZ cinemas in 1993. Hunter discusses playing a cheerleader murderer, and alongside Tom Cruise in The Firm. When weighing up past films she cherishes Raising Arizona and Broadcast News, but The Piano is “the most original story that I've been involved in”, and Jane Campion, “one of the great directors.” In March 1994 Hunter would win an Oscar for Best Actress (alongside Anna Paquin for Best Supporting Actress and Campion for Best Original Screenplay).

This interview with Prime Minister John Key is taken from the January 2014 debut episode of Paul Henry’s late night TV3 show. Displaying the informal style that marked his tenure, Key banters with Henry about playing golf in Hawaii with US President Barack Obama, and responds to the hard questions, eg whether it would have been better in hindsight for John’s son Max to have not beaten the President. It’s election year and the pair discuss coalition options: the Māori Party, Peter Dunne and Winston Peters. Henry pulls out four photos, and asks which of them can be trusted.