Conversations
Episodes
Revealing the scars: the life of Kate Mulvany
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Mulvany has used tragic events in her own life as creative fuel to write more than 25 plays
Danielle Clode and Marian Rankine
29 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Zoologist Danielle Clode and the story of Australian naturalist, Edith Coleman.Marion Rankine on the history of umbrellas.
The murder of Mollie Dean
28 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Gideon Haigh returns with the story of a shocking crime from bohemian 1930s Melbourne
Geoffrey Robertson's fear of the dull
27 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Geoffrey's sense of social justice saw him become a barrister at the Old Bailey, then a champion for human rights
Kitty Flanagan's unlikely path to comedy
26 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kitty Flanagan has woven together a series of true stories from her life including being locked in a crayfish freezer for talking too much
Urzila Carlson: a life without regrets
23 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A group of work colleagues cajoled Urzila into performing live on stage for the first time, and kickstarted her unexpected career in comedy
Watching the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope
22 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
NASA astronomer Jennifer Wiseman on exploring the design of the universe
The story of Sydney's ferries
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After a boyhood spent riding the ferries, John Darroch devoted his life to recording their stories
Untangling the physics of String Theory
20 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Green explains how the universe is made of strings, vibrating in 11 dimensions (R)
The crime-soaked history of Melbourne's Dockyards
19 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jack the Insider tells how a union became an elaborate front for murders, standover rackets, drug syndicates and armed robbery
Alexander McCall Smith: before and after The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
16 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A wide-ranging conversation about the landscapes, physical and imaginary, which inspire one of the world's most prolific authors
Nags, glad rags and the hoi polloi
15 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Craig Sherborne's childhood was shaped by the social aspirations of his parents
Jordan Peterson's rules for life
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 2016, psychologist Jordan Peterson unexpectedly became one of the world's most influential thinkers
Surviving a plane crash in Burma
13 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Circumstances around the plane crash Anna Bartsch and her partner survived in 2012 have become increasingly suspicious
An Australian firefighter's 9/11 story
12 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Wallace flew from Western Australia to New York city, to help the exhausted firefighters of Ladder 24 in mid-town Manhattan
Hunting the deadly coastal taipan
09 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Brendan James Murray on the elusive copper-coloured snake species which terrorised post WWII North Queensland
An extreme treatment for depression
08 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Elliot was working as a psychologist when she became so ill she was held in a locked psychiatric ward
On love: Mandy Len Catron
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Can 36 questions lead you to fall in love with a stranger?
Father Lockwood's rebel daughter
06 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Patricia Lockwood's grew up as the daughter of one of America's few married Catholic priests
Cornish pasties and powerhouse boys: a love song to Moonta
05 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kristin Weidenbach on her father's early life in a Methodist-run mining town in South Australia
Nigeria to New York: travelling with Teju Cole
02 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The photographer, author and art critic on his work and life across cultures
God, war and weapons of peace
01 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the midst of training to become a priest, Sarah Sentilles gave up God
Vasilisa the Wise and the witch Baba Yaga
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Forsyth explores a classic Russian folk tale and delves into the romantic life of the Brothers Grimm
The mystery of broken-hearted syndrome
27 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Nikki Stamp reveals how emotional shock can be fatal
The singular quest of Kyung Ae
26 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Bell's Korean birth mother spent years searching for her son in America. Then she discovered an AFL star living in Perth
Dave Graney and the art of the bludge
23 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A hard working musician explains how he's stayed on the road
After the tsunami: using DNA to return names to the missing
22 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Forensic biologist Kirsty Wright spent five months in Phuket, Thailand, leading a DNA team to identify victims of the Boxing Day Tsunami
How the First Fleet piano was lost and found
21 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Australia's first piano disappeared for more than a century. Then pianist and conductor Geoffrey Lancaster launched his own rescue mission
Showman Fred Brophy's life inside the boxing tent
20 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Raised by a side-show operator and a trapeze artist, Fred is now the last boxing tent showman in the world (R)
Tales from the 'backies' of Dundee
19 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As a child, Gary Todd testified against his father in court to save his mother's life
The daring and scandalous life of British double agent ‘Celery’
16 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
By uncovering the complicated history of her grandfather, Carolinda Witt also gained a sizeable extended family
Christine Milne: a quiet revolutionary
15 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Christine Milne was a teacher in north-west Tasmania when she joined a campaign against a pulp mill in the town of Wesley Vale. The campaign changed ...
Bringing the dead back home
14 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jenny Briscoe-Hough is helping Port Kembla locals take back control at the end of life
Family jail sentence: the ripple effect of losing a parent to prison
13 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Dennis Van Someren draws on his own story to help others rise above the grief of a parent being jailed
Lale Sokolov, the tattooist of Auschwitz
12 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author Heather Morris on the Slovakian Jew who became the tattooist for Auschwitz-Birkenau
Royal Navy Helicopter rescue pilot Jerry Grayson
09 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jerry recounts some of the many rescues which led to him becoming the Royal Navy's most decorated peacetime pilot (R)
The story of the Devil
08 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Philip Almond explains the origins of the Devil and unravels the influence of the concept on Western society
A sizzle in the brain changed Lavinia Codd's life
07 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After a stroke at age 31, Lavinia Codd lost part of her memory, and half her vision. She then became fascinated by her brain’s ability to regenerat...
Prepping for the apocalypse: bunkers, bullets and billionaires
06 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bradley Garrett explores ‘doomsday prepping’, a multi-billion dollar industry driven by dread
Bill Bailey: seriously funny amateur naturalist
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Bailey's passion for twitching began as boy growing up in England's west country
The unlikely star of the Sydney Harbour Bridge opening ceremony
02 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Lalor tells the story of 9 year old Lennie Gwyther's 1000km horseback ride to see the grand opening
Colin Hay's real life
01 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Men At Work frontman and solo artist reflects on his life in music
The cancer moonshot: unlocking genetic weapons to defeat cancer
31 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Miles Prince explains how science and technology are joining forces with the human immune system to beat cancer
Facebook and the last days of reality: futurist Mark Pesce
30 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Is our increasing immersion in the online world affecting our ability to distinguish between what's real and what's not?
The secret history of the native hibiscus
29 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Botanist and D'harawal elder Fran Bodkin uses western science to explain up to 80,000 years of Indigenous plant knowledge
Best of 2017: Candice Fox
15 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How to raise a bestselling crime writer (R)
Best of 2017: David George Haskell
14 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Listening to trees, nature's magnificent networkers (R)
Best of 2017: Michael Adams
13 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Learning to freedive helped one man explore life and death (R)
Best of 2017: Mary-Rose MacColl
12 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Mary-Rose MacColl on betrayal, motherhood and letting go of secrets (R)
Best of 2017: Daniel Kish
11 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Kish uses a self-initiated sonar, called echolocation, to navigate the world as a blind person (R)
Best of 2017: Jimmy Webb
08 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Being raised as the son of an Oklahoma preacher inspired the American Songbook of this prolific singer-songwriter (R)
Graham Long and the 'quantum of compassion'
07 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Wild funerals, and staff who jump the counter: a day in the life of Graham Long and the Wayside Chapel
Turning to Beijing: Australia's future in the new Asia
06 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh White says Australia faces a choice between the power keeping us safe, and the one making us rich
Wild and full of longing: Australia's definitive pop anthems
05 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
From Johnny O'Keefe to Sia, via AC/DC — Andrew P. Street counts down Australia's greatest pop songs
The struggle and the strife behind Steven Bradbury's race to Salt Lake City
04 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Australia's best-known Olympic skater nearly died on the ice when he was 20. Eight years later, he won history's most unexpected gold medal
Horses: a story collection
01 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Colin Friels, Zelie Bullen, Pip Courtney, and drover Bruce Simpson on their deep love of horses (R)
Love and family and Asperger's: Tony Attwood
30 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Tony draws on decades of clinical experience to help couples and individuals navigate dating and love with Asperger's
For better and for worse: becoming my wife’s carer
29 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How Bob and Jo’s married life changed course when Jo needed full-time care
The man behind the legend of 'Eternity'
28 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Roy Williams tells the story of Arthur Stace, who for decades rose before dawn to write a one-word sermon, in chalk on the footpaths of Sydney.
The morality of robots: Genevieve Bell's predictions for the future of AI
27 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Genevieve had never imagined a life in technology, until a chance meeting in a bar in Palo Alto
Reinventing Susan: a study in survival
24 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How high-flyer Susan Duncan completely remade her life after a series of losses (R)
Helen Garner at 75: still asking, what powers the human heart?
23 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A master storyteller reflects on stories she’s witnessed and crafted for the page
Nelson Mandela's archivist and the failings of South Africa
22 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Verne Harris on post-Apartheid South Africa, and life lessons from Madiba
Fabulous Ada Delroy: serpentine dancer and vaudevillian
21 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Cartoonist and author Kaz Cooke traces the dramatic life of a singular woman
Kevin Sheedy's fifty years in AFL
20 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A true champion of the game reflects on opening up the AFL, and his dream to sell it to the world
Bernard Fanning's Brisbane
17 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A suburban Brisbane childhood, a particularly determined nun and the Beatles all shaped Bernard Fanning's music
How Pixar became a creative powerhouse
16 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Lawrence Levy was hired by Steve Jobs in 1994, to save a struggling animation company with a secret project
Tony Martin and the comedy of suburbia
15 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Tales from one of Australia’s most prolific comedy writers and performers
Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton: breaking from the Brethren
14 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Rosemary Stanton and her family had to break free of a religious sect before she could attend university (R)
How friendly were the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne?
13 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Stories of subterfuge, tragedy and romance from the cold-war games
Fishing in Eden
10 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and fishing enthusiast Anna Clark on the story of fishing in Australia
A dynasty divided: the tragedy behind the Bradman of billiards
09 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s sporting Lindrum family was dogged by scandal and tragedy
The boy from Port Pirie who guided the Bee Gees to global fame
08 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Dando Collins returns with the story of Robert Stigwood
The story of Australian soccer, from ethnic clubs to the A-League
07 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sports writer Joe Gorman on the unique challenges facing Australia's 'beautiful game'
Phoenix of the working-class: Beatrix Campbell and the changing face of Britain
06 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Princess Diana, public housing and the patriarchy — politics is always personal for one of Britain's most influential thinkers
How the ocean liner changed the world
03 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Maritime historian Chris Frame unfolds the history of these engineering marvels (R)
Drawing magic from life and landscapes: Alison Lester
02 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
An adventurous spirit and deep connection to the land fill the pages of the books of this prolific author and illustrator
The war of hearts and minds: Australia's Special Forces in Afghanistan
01 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Masters explains the fine balance between force and diplomacy in Uruzghan
Unlocking the secret life of Amelia
31 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
When Melinda Hildebrandt learned how to sign with her daughter Amelia, it began a new relationship between them
Irish novelist Marian Keyes
30 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Now a wildly popular author, for many years Marian doubted her ability to write
A mid-life love story which all changed, one morning in Lisbon
27 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Susan Francis met the love of her life in her fifties. But her story with the miner named Wayne didn't turn out as she planned
Kayaking Sydney’s Harbour
26 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Bevan on the harbour’s vivid history, generous people and quiet pleasures
The boxer puppy and the bird of prey
25 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A shocking event in Peta Clarke's early life saw her become one of the world's most respected animal trainers
Seeing the world through a movie camera’s eye
24 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Pieter de Vries has filmed the Earth's most remote corners - from its deepest oceans, to the jungles of Papua New Guinea.
The mission of a flying midwife
23 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Jan Becker is a helicopter pilot, and a midwife in Tanzania, where she teaches infant resuscitation
Masha Gessen: what the US can learn from Russia
20 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Russian-American journalist and author Masha Gessen believes Donald Trump is a threat to democracy
2017 Man Booker Prize winner George Saunders
19 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
George Saunders' first novel Lincoln in the Bardo centres around the grief that haunted Abraham Lincoln (R)
The strange life of the twitcher
18 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Dooley is a twitcher, recording the lives of birds like the Godwit, which flies from Alaska to New Zealand without stopping
Ears wide open: master field recordist Chris Watson
17 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Capturing the sounds of wildlife, natural phenomena and secret worlds
Friedrich and Flanagan: the con-man and his ghostwriter
16 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Flanagan recounts a strange chapter from early in his writing career
Acts of valour and the cost of bravery
13 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How police officer Allan Sparkes became one of Australia's most highly decorated people (R)
Times of horror and grace: a newsman's 40-year career
12 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The second of two episodes on Hugh Riminton's adventurous life in news reporting
Journalism rescued Hugh Riminton from a troubled adolescence
11 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The first of two episodes on Hugh Riminton’s adventurous life in news reporting
The strange reality of life with severe OCD
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Lily Bailey spent years making lists of 400 things she'd done wrong each day (R)
Reconstructing a life after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder
09 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Anita Link experienced her first major psychotic episode shortly after the birth of her first child (R)
Leaping lexicons: David Astle and the joy of words
05 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Australia's most exuberant word nerd, cryptic crossword setter and lover of the English language returns
Inside The Family, the bizarre and brutal Australian cult
04 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Rosie Jones and Chris Johnston investigated the notorious cult, that operated in secret for more than two decades
Brylcreem, beehives and Devils on Horseback: the decade which changed Australia
03 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Noeline Brown remembers the sixties as the most important decade of her life.
The death of a neighbour which began an obsession
02 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Writer Poe Ballantine tells the story of true mystery that will never be solved (R)
The mystery of Lasseter's Reef: greed, hardship and hope
29 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Warren Brown explores the fever sparked by claims of a gold reef in the Central Australian desert during the Great Depression (R)