Remembering the Islamic Revolution

Tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran on Thursday to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The rallies were attended by large numbers of government security forces who were there to prevent any protest by the opposition Green Movement.

Maziar Bahari is a Canadian-Iranian journalist who has been Newsweek’s Iran correspondent for the last 10 years. Last year he was imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison for 118 days. He joins Sir David from New York.

For almost a century, Turkey and Armenia had no diplomatic ties, but last October the countries foreign ministers signed two protocols to set up relations, open their shared border and begin addressing the painful disputes that divide them. Sarzh Sargsyan, the president of Armenia, joins the show.

Plus, John Browne, the former chairman of British Petroleum, was one of the most successful businessmen of his era. Three years ago he had to resign over a lie he told about his gay relationship. He joins the show to discuss the book he has written about his downfall, Beyond Business.

Bill Nighy has starred in more than 60 films including Pirates of the Caribbean and Love Actually. But this week Bill is starring in a much shorter film, written and directed by his friend Richard Curtis. The film is to promote a new international campaign to fight poverty and climate change through a new tax, called the Robin Hood Tax.

Zambian-born economist, Dambisa Moyo, talks about her new book, Dead Aid, and how she believes that stopping the flow of aid to Africa could help the continent escape the cycle of extreme poverty, disease and corruption.

Plus, a film that shows a very different side of Pakistan is being released at film festivals around the world. Called Made in Pakistan, it was inspired by a Newsweek magazine article that claimed Pakistan was “the most dangerous place in the world”. Adil and Hiba Sher, the film’s producers, join the show.