This week will see former US president Barack Obama giving a rare interview with the BBC in what looks set to be a must-watch TV moment.
For the half-hour special, Obama has sat down with the popular historian David Olusoga to discuss all manner of issues, in a timely interview which will air just as his former running mate, Joe Biden, has been announced as the next president of America.
Here’s what you need to know about the interview
What should we expect?
An official synopsis for the interview has said Obama speaks out about a number of issues, including systemic racism in America and “his steadfast refusal to abandon American ideals”.
He’ll also be speaking about being the first Black family to set up residence in the White House, in the lead-up to his new memoir, A Promised Land, which sees him reflecting on his time in office.
Of course, Obama will also be touching on his successor, Donald Trump’s presidency, and the effects he’s had on American culture.
What does Obama have to say in the new BBC interview?
The BBC has teased a few quotes from Obama and Olusoga’s interview, which see the former president lamenting that a culture of “crazy conspiracy theories” has led to divides in America becoming even more prominent.
“We are very divided right now, certainly more than we were when I first ran for office in 2007 and won the presidency in 2008,” he says (via BBC News).
Obama says this is partly due to Trump’s willingness to, in his words, “fan division because it was good for his politics” but also says the prevalence of misinformation online, which has led to what he describes as “truth decay”.
“There are millions of people who subscribed to the notion that Joe Biden is a socialist, who subscribed to the notion that Hillary Clinton was part of an evil cabal that was involved in paedophile rings,” he explains.
“I think at some point it’s going to require a combination of regulation and standards within industries to get us back to the point where we at least recognise a common set of facts before we start arguing about what we should do about those facts.”
“It’ll take more than one election to reverse those trends,” he adds.
When and where can we watch?
Barack Obama Talks To David Olusoga airs on Wednesday 18 November at 7.30pm on BBC One. Outside of the UK, it will be available to watch on BBC World News on Saturday 21 November.