Every edition of Frost over the World features an interview with a leading world figure, discussions with specialists on news events and interviews with leading members of the arts and entertainment world.

In a weekly tour of the world's most pressing and fascinating subjects, Sir David will initiate a 'Global Conversation' among his guests which will include key voices from politics, current affairs, the arts and sport.

Coming up this week on Frost Over The World:

 

This week Frost Over The World discusses the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston in Gaza, space tourism and the recent violence in North Africa.

Also on the show, Sir David Frost is joined by world famous author Ian McEwan to discuss his new book.
 
Gaza kidnapping

Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for Ismail Haniya

It has now been just over a month since BBC journalist Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza.

 

Despite repeated calls from the Palestinian Authorities for his release, it is still not known who is holding him and why.

 

Ghazi Hamad, the spokesman for Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, joins Sir David Frost to reveal whether the authorities are any closer to discovering his whereabout or who is holding him and to discuss whether he is being used as a pawn between Gaza's warring factions.

Space Tourism

Anousheh Ansari

As the world's fifth space tourist, Charles Simonyi, flies above our heads in outer space, Sir David Frost is joined from Dallas by Anousheh Ansari, the Iranian/American company boss who became the first female space tourist last September.

 

He asks her whether the experience is really worth $20million - the alleged going rate for being taken up as part of the Russian space programme and how it felt to see the earth from space.

 

Anousheh spent ten days in space and now wants to become a 'space ambassador' to help as many people experience space as possible.

Ian McEwan

 

Ian McEwan

A fascinating discussion with the world famous author Ian McEwan, coinciding with the publication of his latest novel, On Chesil Beach.

 

McEwan explains why this book is different to some of his other darker novels and he talks about his own life, including meeting a brother he did not know he had until he was well into his fifties.

 

Violence in North Africa

John Alterman in Washington and Zaki Chehab in London

Three suspected militants who blew themselves up on Tuesday in Casablanca in Morocco are thought to have been members of the same group as those behind the Algiers bombings - the Islamic Maghreb.

Sir David Frost is joined by John Alterman, a specialist in North African politics from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington and by Zaki Chehab, the political editor of the pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat, in London to discuss what this group wants, why there has been a surge in violence at this time and whether the group is really linked to al-Qaeda.