Gavin Esler presents a Newsnight special looking back at the drama and battles of Barack Obama's first year in office. Can the new president live up to his promise to bring change to America and to the world?

In a wide-ranging special interview, Jeremy Paxman talks to Christopher Hitchens about his cancer diagnosis, his life, his politics and his writing.

As the world watches the extraordinary outbreak of unrest and protest in the Middle East and North Africa, Newsnight broadcasts a special live programme asking what it means for the region, the West and the world. The team of reporters look at common strands and differences in the protests, who the protesters are, what forms of government are likely to emerge as a result and to what extent Western relations with those governments will have to be recalibrated. Plus a discussion of recent events and what lies ahead with government players, activists and thinkers alike. Presented by Gavin Estler

Britain's war in Afghanistan has cost more than 300 soldiers' lives and billions of pounds, and left thousands wounded. The effects on those who serve are profound, just as they are for the loved ones who wait at home. This programme follows A Company, 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment for a year - before, during, and after their tour in Sangin, probably the most dangerous place in Afghanistan. The result is a searing and intimate portrait of a British community at war in Afghanistan and on the home front.

A Newsnight special with response to the death of Osama Bin Laden, broadcast on the BBC News Channel