Conversations

How Irving Finkel stumbled upon the true story of the Ark before Noah on a Babylonian clay tablet

Timothy’s stellar screen career, including roles in ‘Mr Turner’, ‘Secrets and Lies’, the Harry Potter films, and his latest, ‘Mrs Lowry & Son’, was almost cut short by a life-threatening illness

Irish comic Dylan Moran on his unusual childhood, the story behind Black Books, and why he's given up drinking for good

After Hakeem was imprisoned while on his honeymoon in Thailand, Craig fought the power of two monarchies, a military junta, and the world's largest sporting institution to free him

Nepalese surgeon Dr Sanduk Ruit on his work in the villages of Nepal which has restored the sight of more than 150 000 people (R)

An anaesthetist and cave diver, Richard had the exact combination of skills needed to help save the lives of a Thai soccer team trapped deep underwater

Australia's storyteller in song on poems he's loved since childhood, and how reading and learning great poetry has changed his song writing

How a young computer scientist found his way out of a traumatic childhood

The retiring host of Q&A reflects on his time with the show, and how his years reporting from the former Yugoslavia have helped him craft best-selling fiction

Writer Christos Tsiolkas broke away from the Christian church as a teenager. As a grown man, in a moment of personal crisis, he rediscovered the letters of St Paul and saw them in a different light

How Samantha Power became one of world's most influential foreign policy thinkers

Nicholas Cowdery oversaw some of Australia's most sensational cases during his 16 years in the role. His decisions often made him enemies in politics and the media, but he was always motivated by the prospect of a fair trial

NASA astronomer Jennifer Wiseman on exploring the design of the universe (R)

Tim Watts MP has a deeply personal reason for wanting to resurface stories about Chinese migrants to Australia. From pre-Federation, to the Kelly gang, to the Melbourne Olympics, he tells how their influence weaves right through our culture

When Peter Sharp's severe back pain forced him to give up work, he believed he was unemployable. Then began photographing lost and abandoned dogs, cats, guinea pigs and chickens

New York Times journalist Ray Bonner spent decades reporting from some of the world's most dangerous places. Then he moved to Australia, and made one of the riskiest decisions of his life

William is considered one of Australia's greatest living artists. But it took years for his work to be recognised as brilliant

At the age of 2, Rebekah Robertson's son George calmly explained to his mum that he was a girl. After years of turmoil in the family, Rebekah began devoting much of her life to helping Georgie be herself. In the process, she changed history

How Clare overcame grief she'd stored away since childhood, found a way to manage anxiety, and embraced a joyful, messy life

Frank Dikotter on the common personality traits of Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao and other twentieth century dictators

The story of two men who fought for different sides on the western front, and an unexpected friendship between their descendants (R)

Gisela Kaplan fell under the spell of birds when hand-rearing a magpie nestling. After it learned to speak, she was so intrigued she switched careers and began her research into avian behaviour. Her many books on Australian native birds have been ground-breaking.Many assumptions about the nature of birds and their behaviour are completely wrong when applied to Australian birds.Gisela Kaplan was a professor of sociology when a magpie nestling she was hand raising bonded closely with her, followed her about, and learned to speak.Her curiosity about birds became so strong she switched careers to become a field biologist and animal behaviourist.Based in Armidale NSW, Gisela has conducted extensive research into avian behaviour. Her second PhD was a study of the songs of Australian magpies.Gisela's many books on Australian native birds have changed the way these creatures are understood.Along with her teaching, writing and research in ornithology, Gisela has been a wildlife carer for 25 years, raising countless birds of all ages.Further informationBird Bonds: sex, mate-choice and cognition in Australian native birds is published by MacmillanGisela's earlier books include Bird Minds, Tawny Frogmouth, and Australian MagpieGisela is Emeritus Professor of animal behaviour at the University of New England To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

After both her parents died young, Charlotte Wood grew up believing she would never grow old. When she reached her 50s, she began to ask some big questions about aging

Physiotherapist Sky Fosbrooke’s stint as a volunteer health worker led to a deep attachment to the people of a small South Santo village

When David McAllister was a little boy growing up in Perth he would tuck tea towels into his undies and dance around in front of the TV.He watched his own reflection, as he twirled, and leapt around the lounge room.At 7, David went to his first ballet class at a suburban scout hall, and loved it right away.But doing ballet was a kind of social death for a boy, in the 1970s in Western Australia.David says the torment he went through at school helped to spur him on to become one of the best dancers of his generation.After winning at place at the Australian Ballet School, he joined the Australian Ballet company in 1983.One artistic director told him his nose was all wrong and he would never be cast as a prince, but he eventually danced many principal roles.David was named as the Artistic Director in 2001, and he's been the longest-serving director of any in the Australian Ballet.Next year he will retire after 37 years with the company.Further informationLearn more about the Australian Ballet's 2020 seasonTo binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The outrageous story of a group of financiers from a poor and damp island on the outer rim of Europe, who created a private company that became the biggest military and political power in all of India

Archie tells of writing Took the Children Away and playing it in public for the first time, of his belated reunion with his siblings, and his love story with Ruby HunterWidely admired for his powerful lyrics and the grace of his pin-drop performances, Archie has overcome blow after blow throughout his life.He was just two years old when he was taken from his Aboriginal mother and given to the Cox family to raise.His foster family brought him up with love, in a house filled with music. But when he discovered the truth about his birth family, Archie's world shattered.Years later, his song, Took the Children Away, would become an anthem for the Stolen Generations.As a teenager, Archie found his way to the streets, where he found solace in alcohol, and eventually, met his great love, Ruby Hunter.So many of the stories of Archie's life have become songs, starting with his debut hit record, Charcoal Lane (produced by Paul Kelly), and they're listened to all over the world.Writing and performing have helped Archie endure many sorrows, as well as celebrate the strength of his culture.Along with multiple awards for his music, Archie is a Member of the Order of Australia, and is the 2020 Victorian Australian of the Year.Further informationTell Me Why: the story of my life and my music is published by Simon and SchusterThe accompanying CD is also entitled Tell Me WhyArchie Roach Foundation

Di Morrissey grew up in a tiny village only accessible by rowboat, with film star Chips Rafferty and poet Dorothea Mackellar as her neighbours. In 1954, a terrible accident on Lovett Bay changed everything

While fleeing the aftermath of a failed marriage, Hilary McPhee accepted a job in Jordan to write the autobiography of a Hashemite Prince. Living alone for the first time, she was plunged into extreme loneliness

Leah was a teenager working in a small-town meatworks when she discovered her true path in life (R)

Winemaker Will Rikard-Bell was working at Hunter Valley winery when a catastrophic explosion knocked him off his feet. He sustained burns to 70% of his body, and his skin needed to be almost entirely rebuilt (R)

As a young man studying in Europe, Misha formed underground links that would propel his whole career. The former BBC correspondent interviews criminals all over the world to understand the all-pervasive webs of modern organised crime

How hot young widows, perceptive friends and twitter kept television executive Que afloat after the death of her husband

Tara was raised by parents who were radical Mormon survivalists, preparing for the End of Days. Although they didn't believe in traditional schooling, Tara taught herself in secret and made it to Cambridge and Harvard (R)

Patrick Kennedy on growing up next door to some of Australia's most violent criminals (R)

Aminata Conteh-Biger was kidnapped by rebel militia when they stormed her village and ransacked her family home. A strange series of events saw her released, but then she was still being hunted (R)

As a girl, Davida Allen was brought up to be a proper young lady. Instead, she covered her naked body in paint and rolled around to make art. She grew up to become one of Australia's most famous painters (R)

British boys as young as nine were transported to Van Diemen's Land for petty crime. 3000 of them were incarcerated at Point Puer, the first prison in the world built exclusively for children

Juliet Rieden traces the story of her Czech father, who was taken as a child refugee to Britain a week before the Nazis arrived in Prague, and thus spared the fate of his extended family

Australian journalist Kumi Taguchi grapples with divided loyalties after the death of her father

Kate Forsyth tells the origin story of a fairy tale staple, the ever-flowering red rose. Her version has its roots in Imperial China, and arrives via the French Revolution

Dr. Melissa Kang explained sex, puberty and periods to teen girls in her role as Dolly magazine's ‘Dolly Doctor’. She spent 23 years answering questions sent by mail, that young people were too embarrassed to ask out loud

The random find of a dinosaur bone on her Queensland property led Robyn Mackenzie to develop an outback museum of international importance, and a deep sense of wonder at prehistoric geology

Author Favel Parrett’s grandmother escaped from Czechoslovakia as a teenager, but her sister stayed behind - suffering the twin nightmares of Nazism and Stalinism

Waiting in line to enrol for a teaching degree in history and English, Eddie was persuaded to pursue maths instead. Despite never really liking maths at school, he signed up. The split-second decision changed his life, and the lives of many of his future students

Helen Pitt on how the luminous shells of Australia's most loved building nearly didn't make it off the drawing board (R)

Growing up, Louisa Deasey knew very little about her late father's life. Then she found a bundle of his lost love letters (R)

Neuropsychologist Dr Amee Baird on the mysterious connections between our brains and our desires

From the party of protest to the balance of power, journalist Paddy Manning looks at the history of Australia's most successful third party

Why is scratching an itch so pleasurable? How can someone leap from a burning plane in the sky and survive with a few bumps and scratches? Take a journey through the wondrous complexity of the human body