Conversations

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

When working with people experiencing homelessness, Erin Longbottom looks to their strengths to help them find their way to health and a home

Alison Hoddinott and Gwen Harwood were great friends with a shared love of English, family, and thumbing their noses at convention (R)

School was nearly the undoing of the intensely curious child who went on to discover nearly a quarter of the world's coral species, and be awarded the Darwin Medal (R)

The late Kath Venn was a powerhouse of community spirit. After serving in Tasmania's parliament, she was State President of the Housewives Association, a marriage celebrant and much else besides (R)

In October 1944 Frank's De Havilland Mosquito was shot out of the sky and he parachuted into Nazi territory (R)

Botanist and Dharawal elder Fran Bodkin uses western science to explain up to 80,000 years of Australian Indigenous plant knowledge (R)

After attending a conference on endometriosis in 2015, journalist Gabrielle Jackson broke down in tears. She realised she knew nothing about the disease that had been wreaking havoc with her body

Durnford Dart longed to return to life on the land, where he’d spent his best childhood years. He went on to pioneer bamboo farming in Australia

Seeking a connection with a higher power led Rob Donnelly into the Catholic priesthood, but the reality of a religious life was not what he expected

Ben on his musical career, the art of song writing and his brief stint as a one-man polka band in a German restaurant

A childhood of abuse and neglect led Corey to an unusual place - the stage. His wit and resilience make his stand-up comedy sharply observed and darkly humorous

For four-time world champion surfer Nat, surfing is about more than competition or exercise, it's a religion

Daughter Nia tells how early-onset dementia has reshaped the powerful partnership of her parents, Moira and Leon Pericles

Annabel Crabb on the inequity between parents of different genders, prompted by the hullabaloo surrounding New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s baby, and the corresponding lack of concern about Australia’s Prime Minister having young children

Bradley Garrett explores ‘doomsday prepping’, a multi-billion dollar industry driven by dread (R)

An impulse decision to buy a home in the rainforest launches a comedy of errors involving a python in the roof, a half-finished home, an unexpected tax bill and two reality TV shows

Early aviation's most dramatic event saw courage, tragedy and a miraculous rescue involving the whole town of Albury

Overcoming breast cancer in the first year of her daughter's life led scientist Amanda Niehaus to a deeper study of reproduction and death

When the ship starts to cut through the ice, marine biologist Sarah Laverick feels the vibrations rumble through her body like a thunderstorm

The modern world functions on precision - phones, computers, cameras that operate with exactness. But in the quest for perfection, have we lost the art of craftsmanship?

Lawyer Kimberley Motley took a nine-month assignment in Kabul, and never looked back, becoming the first foreign litigator to practice in Afghanistan's conservative and male-dominated courts

Katy was described by Donald Trump as disgraceful, a liar, and 'third-rate' during her coverage of his successful Presidential campaign (R)

When they were kids, Stephen and his brothers would climb onto the laundry roof and put on a show for their neighbourhood. Stephen's since made an exceptional career as a dancer, and at the helm of Bangarra Dance Theatre

We reprise the former Deputy Prime Minister's account of his time as Australia's representative to the Vatican (R)

Comedian Adam Rozenbachs booked his father on the trip of a lifetime. But it turns out his Dad doesn't like museums or monuments, galleries or landmarks, or travelling much at all

Broadcaster Phillip Adams is a filmmaker, former ad man and author - and he’s just celebrated his 80th birthday

The author of bestselling novel, Pachinko, explores the lives of generations of Koreans in Japan

Forensic anthropologist Lucina Hackman uses scientific evidence and rational deduction to identify the dead, and return the missing to their loved ones

Uncle Jack was forcibly removed from his mother as a baby and denied his Aboriginality. A one-off trip to Fitzroy connected him with a family he didn’t know about, and promptly landed him in jail

One of the all time greatest and silliest stories in Australian history

The farcical events that unfolded when a group of conspirators hatched a plot to defraud bookmakers of millions of dollars (R)

When Anne was ten, she walked onto the school playground and a girl spat in her face after calling her ‘a dirty, Arab Muslim’. To her shock, the teacher did nothing. The incident sparked Anne's ongoing passion for justice

Tim Flannery on the bizarre geography of prehistoric Europe, and how an asteroid the size of Manhattan ruptured everything

Natalie Walker supports the innocent partners and families of perpetrators of online child sex offences. She founded an organisation to provide peer support, and transform the stigma applied to secondary victims

Hung Le and his family made a terrifying escape from Saigon in 1975. All they had with them was one suitcase, a box of biscuits and some seasick pills. As they left, they saw Saigon on fire. Later, Hung's father became the 'lost artist' of Vietnam

Law Professor Jeremy Gans with stories of jurors using ouija boards in court, falling in love with advocates and snoozing through proceedings (R)

Niki Savva on the bungled coup which ousted Malcolm Turnbull and installed his surprise successor, Scott Morrison

Bryan’s played more than 80 roles on stage and screen. Raised in working-class Sydney, his talent, hard work, and unmistakable presence have been his ticket to the world. From Breaker Morant and Newsfront to Two Hands and Sweet Country, a huge number of classic Australian films feature Bryan, a testament to his talent, popularity and work ethic. Bryan also spent a period working in America, starring most notably in Cocktail and Gorillas In The Mist, before ultimately choosing Sydney over Hollywood.In the 1980s, working on the American-made series The Thorn Birds utterly changed Bryan’s life. He and British co-star Rachel Ward fell in love and married soon after.Their creative partnership has been enduring and they worked on Bryan's latest film Palm Beach together, with Rachel directing and co-writing, and Bryan also co-producing.Palm Beach was inspired by a reunion of friends in later life, and a health scare that rocked Bryan’s confidence for several years. Further informationBryan was awarded the Australian screen industry's top honour, winning the Longford Lyell Award at the 2018 Australian Academy Cinema Television AwardsTo 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.

Yosemite’s most punishing climb is the 3000ft sheer face of El Capitan mountain called the Dawn Wall. Tommy grew up exploring Yosemite and in 2015 he and his partner Kevin Jorgeson became the first to free-climb the wall

Dan Ziffer had a front row seat for the testimony of victims, financial advisors and bankers offered up to Australia's Banking Royal Commission

Adele Ferguson on the dishonest dealings of Australia's banks and financial institutions, and the damage done to customers and whistleblowers

Peter's Korean birth mother spent years searching for her son in America. Then she discovered an AFL star living in Perth (R)

Writer Dominic Smith on the glittering, perplexing history of the silent film era