This morning, former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters was interviewed on the BBC's HARDtalk Extra, in a fascinating 23 minute chat.

Roger Waters on the BBC's HARDtalk Extra, 13th January 2006

Interviewed by Gavin Estler at Home House, in London, it found Roger in candid and entertaining form, talking about the Live 8 reunion (and what the future might hold), his opera Ca Ira (including the proposed productions in France and Poland), and his future plans in music.

Of the reunion, and the initial call to David Gilmour, he reiterated how easy it all was - even the initial call itself (once he had David's telephone number from Geldof)! He also didn't rule out doing it all again - either as a one-off, or as "a last hurrah".

Talk then turned to Ca Ira. In expansive mood, he even took the comments about Andrew Lloyd Webber in good spirit. Naturally, Rome was mentioned, with a question from the interviewer as to why Paris wasn't used for the premiere. He replied that Paris are now very keen to stage a performance, mentioning the Théâtre du Châtelet as the likely venue. Obviously, as we get more info on that, we'll let you know!

Roger also talks of the proposed performance of Ca Ira in Poland this July. He said: "The mayor, the director of the opera, and a young director from Poznar in Poland, were in Rome, and they are absolutely determined to do a REAL production next summer - a fully staged production with costumes. They even claim that they've got - I probably shouldn't be telling you this, because I haven't checked it, but sod it! I'm so excited about it!

"They also say that in Poland that there is a troup that is very like Cirque du Soleil, and THEY want to be involved. So they are absolutely determined to realise the vision that is appended to the libretto and the stage directions that I wrote. I'm sure that they won't follow them entirely, because the director has all sorts of ideas which I really liked (I had a meeting with him in Rome).

"But the reason that they want to do it next summer, is that it is the 50th anniversary of the Polish uprising against the Russian occupation in Poland. And the guy's listened to the thing, and not withstanding the fact that it is rooted in the history of the French Revolution, he said that 'this is our story, and so we want to do it!'

Finally, he is asked if he would write another opera. Whilst not ruling it out altogether, he did say that "unfortunately we don't live forever, and I feel that time is no longer really on my side" and that he was hoping to finish off his two rock albums - one about love, the other, political. He mentioned how he had been struggling to get form and definition to both of these, and how he's made lots of recordings with his band, some of which go back as far as 1987, for these two albums.

Our thanks the Warren Loveridge and Farhad Mozafar for their help with this story.