Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

The Naked Gun   Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr becomes a police officer like his legendary father and must save the police department from shutting down by solving a case.     Workmates  An accident threatens to shut down the small, underfunded theatre that Lucy and Tom have built together. Lucy realises she'd do anything to save the theatre and keep her friend, who she might be in love with.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I like to try and kick things off on Saturday mornings with a bit of cheer, but I tell you what, it’s hard to look beyond yet another bleak milestone in the appalling war in Gaza. Overnight, the UN-backed food security body has confirmed famine in Gaza City. It has officially reached that threshold, the first time famine has ever been declared in the Middle East.  As the UN Secretary General declared, this is a man-made catastrophe. There are many, many third party countries that want to get more aid into Gaza. A shortage of food is not a problem, access is.  Two years ago, immediately after the October 7th attacks, I said a few things on this show. I want to share with you again a few words from that day.  “Israel has the right to exist in peace. Palestine should have the freedom of statehood. Both of those things can be true. The deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians is an appalling, utterly inexcusable act of violence. The systematic flattening of Gaza, no water, no power, no food, is an unacceptably brutal collective punishment for a huge civilian population where almost half of people are children. Both of those things can be true, too.”  As the war has progressed, the scale and nature of Israel’s reprisals has made it obvious to many millions of fair-minded people that a country born from the gravest atrocities last century is now also responsible for them. Figures from a leaked Israeli database this week suggest 83% of those killed in Gaza have been civilians.  Of course, Israel denies genocide and war crimes. But independent verification is nigh impossible, as no journalists are allowed in and many of those on the ground have been killed in Israeli attacks.  One of the many great tragedies for all of this is that it has become increasingly clear that Israel has played into Hamas’ hands. Evil as the strategy might have been, Hamas wanted to spur an extreme and disproportionate response. Motivated by their own agendas and self-preservation, Israel’s leaders fell for it. And now we have kids, mere minutes from the Mediterranean, with ribs sticking out of their skin, dying of malnutrition.  The thing I still don’t understand is how any Israeli leader thinks this will ultimately make their people safer. Maybe in the short-term Israelis can sleep easy at night, but every innocent person killed in Gaza breeds hate in five other survivors. The war in Gaza has condemned generations of Palestinians and Israelis to insecurity.  I’ll finish with a line I wrote and shared with you immediately after the October 7th attack, which sadly feels just as relevant today.  “It’s a cycle. Hate and violence is a cycle. There is no way for any party to kill and fight their way to a lasting peaceful resolution. Hamas’ attack has spurred the Israeli reprisal. The reprisal will spur Palestinians into violence in the future, which in turn will spur an Israeli reprisal. Rinse the blood and repeat. Hate breeds hate breeds hate.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an unprecedented move we're going to zip through not one, but two soup recipes this week! In a world where everything is shrinking, we're giving more, 2 for 1, etc.     Turmeric and Ginger Chicken Broth     I swear this is a steaming pot of goodness, capable of chasing away any winter ails.    Serves 2-4      Ingredients  1 chicken frame, either from your butcher or supermarket, or left over from a roast chicken dinner    1 large onion, diced    ½ leek, white and green bits chopped   2 carrots, diced      Thumb-sized piece of ginger, plus extra strips to garnish    40g fresh turmeric, grated (can use 1 heaped tablespoon dried turmeric or 50mls turmeric juice)    1-2 teaspoons sea salt    ½-1 teaspoon black pepper   Finely diced chives or spring onions to garnish        Method  In a large pot, cover the chicken frame with water and bring to a rapid simmer. Use a slotted spoon to skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.   Remove chicken frame and strip the meat off the bones. Add this back into the soup.    Taste for seasoning. Turmeric likes plenty of salt to balance its earthy flavour, so add salt and pepper (see note) as needed.    Serve in large bowls with sticks of ginger and chives or spring onions to garnish.       Nici’s note: The black pepper is important in this recipe as it helps the body absorb the curcumin which is the active anti-inflammatory ingredient in turmeric.          Greens, Garlic, Lemon and Lentil Soup  This deceptively simple soup is deeply nourishing.    Serves 4    Photo / Todd Eyre Ingredients  ¼ cup olive oil    1 large onion    3 cloves garlic, crushed    4-5 big handfuls of chopped chard, spinach and/or silver beet    400g brown lentils, drained and rinsed     750mls–1 L water   1 teaspoon sea salt & ¼ teaspoon pepper    Juice from 1-2 lemons     50g frozen feta cheese       Method  Gently fry onions and garlic in oil in a large pot on low heat.   Increase the temperature to medium and add chopped greens and cook until they wilt and even char in places.   Add the lentils. Pour over water, add salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.   Squeeze in lemon juice and taste for seasoning.   To serve, use a microplane or fine grater to grate frozen feta on top.       Nici’s note: Charring the greens gives this soup a wonderful smoky flavour.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pixies changed the alternative rock game forever.  The legendary band out of Boston, Massachusetts has been credited by the likes of Kurt Cobain for their off the wall, guitar shredding influence.  And they’re making their way back to our shores soon with a very special set of shows.   Pixies are playing two nights each in Auckland and Wellington – one night showcasing the entirety of Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, and the other a collection of their greatest hits.  The reason behind the two shows, guitarist Joey Santiago explained to Jack Tame, is twofold.  “First of all, selfishly for me, we get to stay in the same city twice,” he said.  “And I get to look around and relax, you know, so that’s good for us.”  The other reason caters to the fans, who Santiago says will be able to experience two different shows if they choose to go to both.   It’s been over 30 years since the release of both Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, but in Santiago’s opinion, they got them right the first time.    “Every time we make a record, I’m proud of it,” Santiago explains.  “After a while, when I get home I go, god damn ... did I do everything I can? Did I give it 100%?”  “And I do, but it’s like, y’know, what’s more than 100%?”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Volunteer numbers at grassroots and community sport clubs around the country are dwindling rapidly, with clubs having fewer than half the volunteers they had five years ago.  It comes as the levels of referee abuse and disorderly behaviour on the sidelines rises, with volunteers facing abuse and vitriol from the public.  However, there are still positives to getting involved – volunteer coach Haydn Jones joining Jack Tame for a chat about the pros of giving your time to a local team.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One half of the iconic Kiwi musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, Bret McKenzie is back with another solo album.  ‘Freak Out City’ is a collection of songs he developed while performing live across NZ and the US with his eight-piece band The State Highway Wonders.   The album is eclectic, filled with comedic and theatrical elements, and Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the album.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Beyond the seductive necklace of balmy beaches studding the Sunshine Coast, elevate your playground to the host of treats and treasures tucked away in the hinterland." "My hinterland base was the leafy township of Yandina, staying at the namesake hotel which has been serving up yarns and coldies since 1889. Built by Australian pioneers as a staging depot on the route between Brisbane and the Gympie goldfields, this venerable wooden pile, with wrapround balcony, is one of the Sunshine Coast's oldest watering holes." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Inside Job by Daniel Silva   Gabriel Allon has been awarded a commission to restore one of the most important paintings in Venice. But when he discovers the body of a mysterious woman floating in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, he finds himself in a desperate race to recover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.  The painting, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, has been gathering dust in a storeroom at the Vatican Museums for more than a century, misattributed and hidden beneath a worthless picture by an unknown artist. Because no one knows that the Leonardo is there, no one notices when it disappears one night during a suspicious power outage. No one but the ruthless mobsters and moneymen behind the theft—and the mysterious woman whom Gabriel found in a watery grave in Venice. A woman without a name. A woman without a face.     What I Ate In One Year by Stanley Tucci   ‘Sharing food is one of the purest human acts'  Food has always been an integral part of Stanley Tucci’s life: from stracciatella soup served in the shadow of the Pantheon, to marinara sauce cooked between rehearsals and costume fittings, to home-made pizza eaten with his children before bedtime.  In What I Ate in One Year Tucci records twelve months of eating, in restaurants, kitchens, film sets, press junkets, at home and abroad, with friends, with family, with strangers, and occasionally just by himself.  Ranging from the mouth-wateringly memorable, to the comfortingly domestic, to the infuriatingly inedible, the meals memorialized in this diary are a prism through which he reflects on the ways his life, and his family, are constantly evolving. Through food he marks – and mourns – the passing of time, the loss of loved ones, and prepares himself for what is to come.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to managing stress, we often think about the big things —job loss, death of a loved one— but what about the everyday stressors?  Things like buying a house, getting married, and speaking in public occur much more regularly, and can potentially have a bigger cumulative effect over time.  Dr Dougal Sutherland joined Jack Tame to discuss the long-term impact of everyday stressors and what can be done to mitigate potential harm.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does a tennis player have to do with investing?  Roger Federer was a Swiss tennis player, ranked world No. 1 in men’s singles for 310 weeks, including a record 237 consecutive weeks.   He won 80% of his matches, but only 54% of points, and Ed McKnight thinks there’s something here that can be applied to investing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 16 August 2025, legendary guitar shredder Joey Santiago of Pixies joins Jack to discuss the unique format of the band's current tour, which is heading to New Zealand soon.  Jack considers the levels of fairness and transparency in the latest Covid Inquiry.  Haydn Jones joins Jack from the pitch to discuss the pros of volunteering for your local sporting clubs.  Nici Wickes shares a delightful recipe for orange-caramel custard filled crepes.  And Ed McKnight's finances have been inspired by a tennis great.  Plus, Jack shares the breaking updates of Putin and Trump's press conference in Alaska, as it happens.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When rain and cold weather stops for a day, I go out into the garden.  Just looking – Julie often has new inhabitants in the garden and some of those are surprising.   Grevillia is a species that hails from Australia. Some older TV Gardening Show watchers may remember Don Burk doing his hour-long shows every week – he loved Grevillia and so do I. In mid-winter, birds and pollinating winter insects will look for these flowers, filled with nectar.  White Magnolia are coming out right now. No pollinating going on, just plenty of off-white colours that lighten up your boring garden background.   Miscanthus chinensis, still waving in the wind. A froglet sitting quietly.  Gaura Butterfly Rose with an emerging kiwi.   “Just a Daffodil”, according to Julie – bright colours in winter.  These are Hamamelis (also known as Witch Hazels). Many of these wonderful plants have an excellent smell – our yellow variety (H x Arnold Promis) is probably the exception, not much smell at all, but the bright colour stands out in a bare winter’s day.   The red Witch Hazel is known as Hamamelis x intermedia Jelena. The colours sometimes float in a copper direction, with a smell that’s just divine.   “Hamamelis” comes from two Greek words: hama (meaning “simultaneously”) and melon (“fruit”): it refers to that in autumn flowering varieties the flowers as well as the fruits that occur on the plant at the same time.   I love those Hamamelis shrubs – and while researching a bit about our specimens I came across a spectacular hybrid: Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diana’. Bright red flowers in winter but also preceded by bright red leaves before they fall in autumn.   Guess what: I’m searching for that specimen mentioned above!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reunion   Deaf man Daniel Brennan is leaving prison after ten isolating years inside and is now a man on a mission for revenge. Shunned by his parents and community, Brennan has nothing left to lose, until he is reunited with his estranged daughter, Carly (TVNZ+).    The Family Next Door   A stranger arrives in a Victorian coastal town, searching for answers. Her quest to solve a mystery raises suspicions among four neighbouring families (ThreeNow).    George Clarke’s Homes in the Wild  George Clarke travels across the wild coastlines and islands of New Zealand and Australia to explore extraordinary homes hidden in nature. Each episode highlights inventive designs that combine wilderness settings with sustainable, off-grid living (Sky Open).     LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Sports giant ESPN is signalling its TV days are numbered   The media company has announced it's going direct to fans with exactly the same thing you can get through a Pay TV provider. In the USA, the leagues make deals with networks, who then make deals with Pay TV operators, who sell bundles of networks to consumers. ESPN has just announced it’s cutting out its old friend the Pay TV operator – ouch. Why? About 35 million households have stopped paying for the sports cable channel ESPN over the past 15 years, and they think they can win them back if they don't need to buy all the other cable stuff just to get the thing they want.   In NZ terms —not that this deal is international yet— it would mean instead of only being able to get ESPN through Sky, you would be able to get exactly the same channels directly from ESPN.   A digital environment means that you're not constrained by the number of channels – you could have 50 events taking place at the same time, instead of being forced to make decisions about what to show on your 5 channels. It comes with risks too, sports streaming can be laggy and grainy, sometimes struggling with the fast motion of a game. Linear broadcast has had that solved for decades.     The US Government wants a piece of Intel?   According to Bloomberg, the US Government is reportedly in discussions to take stake in Intel to help the company expand its US manufacturing efforts, including its much-delayed Ohio chip factory. It's the latest instalment in the tech tariff and China-AI arms race story, where chip giants Nvidia and AMD will pay the US Government 15% of Chinese revenue to secure export licenses to China. The US had previously banned the sale of powerful chips used in areas like artificial intelligence (AI) to China under export controls usually related to national security concerns, and had threatened large blanket tariffs on the import of semiconductor chips.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A weekend spent in Wellington inspired me to re-create a dish from Ortega Fish Shack’s dessert menu: Crêpes filled with a delicate custard and doused in a caramel orange sauce – I swear they’re the best I’d ever had. This is my attempt at these and they’re very, very good.   Makes 10-12 crêpes.     Ingredients  100g plain flour   a pinch of salt   2 eggs   300ml milk   butter for frying   ½ cup store-bought thick custard   softly whipped cream      Orange caramel sauce   ½ cup caster sugar   3 tablespoons water   zest and juice of 1 orange   a splash of brandy or rum      Method  Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre then break in the eggs and pour in half the milk. Whisk together, gradually incorporating the flour to make a smooth thick batter then stir in the rest of the milk. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.   Heat a little butter in a medium frying pan. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the pan, tilting the pan as you pour, until the batter thinly coats the base. Cook over a moderate heat for 30–60 seconds until golden brown on the underside. Then flip and cook the other side for another 30–60 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.    When the crêpes are cooled, dab a teaspoon of custard and spread it on one quarter. Fold the crêpe in half then over again to form a triangle.   Make the caramel by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan without stirring until it begins to colour, about 4 minutes. Let it bubble and deepen to a light caramel colour before adding in orange zest and juice and alcohol. Simmer for a few minutes more until it thickens.   To serve: Return folded and filled crêpes to the pan, drizzle in the caramel sauce and gently heat until crepes are warmed through. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Pure decadence!     LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Friend   New York City writer Iris finds her comfortable, solitary life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor bequeaths her a Great Dane named Apollo. The huge dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.     Jane Austen Wrecked My Life   Desperately single and plagued by writer's block, Agathe gets invited to the Jane Austen Writers' Residency in England. Caught in an unexpected romantic triangle, she must let go of her insecurities to decide what she really wants for herself.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think we are all served best by transparency in government.     Leaders should be accountable for their decisions, and they should be willing to take our questions and answer them in a public format.    But it’s pretty clear to me the Covid Inquiry has fallen victim to bad and even cynical design, shaped by politics rather than a sincere desire to get a full accounting of our response.  It’s a shame, because it threatens to undermine some of the inquiry’s more useful conclusions. It is a missed opportunity.    In my view, there’s plenty of blame to share. I think the first phase of the Covid Inquiry, introduced by the last government, missed some critical elements in its terms of reference. Worst of all was the decision not to include vaccine efficacy. For something so fundamental to the response, and so important to some New Zealanders that they were willing to lose relationships, jobs, and livelihoods over it, I think the effectiveness of vaccines and whatever slim risk they carried, should have been included. I think it’s clear that different vaccines had different impacts on different variants. You can see how this might impact our procurement decisions in future.  In principle, I supported expanding the inquiry until I saw the refreshed terms of reference. If it was to be a sincere effort to consider our Covid response, the good calls and the bad, in order to move forward and better prepare for the next pandemic shock, how could you leave out the first year of the response? Sure, much of the second phase of the Inquiry might have focused on vaccines, but it also focused on lockdowns and control measures. If you really cared about our Covid response, you’d start that line of inquiry with, you know, the start of the pandemic. To exclude the period when it wasn’t just Labour in government and to exclude what have proved to be the more popular components of the government’s response was disingenuous and cynical.  The Covid-19 response was vast and complex. It’s almost impossible to unpick every decision because you have to try and separate the information we have now from the information we had at the time. The virus has cast a long shadow in New Zealand. Our response undoubtedly saved a lot of lives, but it wasn’t without costs. The pandemic might have been over ages ago, but the economic and social impacts endure.  One thing I’d add to the Royal Commission’s conclusions is that next time we need to find a better, respectful way to hear and consider dissenting views. Media obviously plays a critical role in this. But although I think we did a reasonable job last time, I reckon next time is going to be much more difficult.  Depending on the circumstances, it may not massively change government policy or the public health response. Given the conspiratorial nature of the fringiest elements, it may be an impossible task. Nevertheless, I think one of the key lessons from the Covid years is that somehow making people feel heard and respected instead of ostracised is a vital part in preventing the worst of the societal division that still afflicts us, years on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guy Sebastian is an Australasian icon with a career that’s nothing short of extraordinary.  From winning the first season of Australian Idol back in 2003, to carving out a place on the charts, to mentoring new talent as a coach on The Voice Australia – he's been in the spotlight for over two decades.  And now he’s embarking on a new chapter with the release of his tenth album ‘One Hundred Times Around The Sun’.  The album has taken Sebastian nearly five years to make, a much longer period than the typical six months to two years most artists these days create them in.  He told Jack Tame that in the early stages of his career, he felt pressure to create quickly.  “Don’t take longer than a year,” Sebastian explained. “Or you’ll disappear into obscurity.”  “Then there’s like, the pressure of doing the right thing by the fans, y’know, you don’t wanna make them wait too long.”   It’s a mentality that used to govern much of Sebastian’s process, but one that he’s managed to grow beyond.  “I just got to this point where like, I don’t want to release anything until I’m stoked with it,” he told Tame.  “I wanna love every song. I don’t want a filler on there, I want every song to be great.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Estelle Clifford is hitting rewind and taking it back to 2005, looking at some of the iconic albums released before music streaming services really took off. Among the albums nearly old enough to drink in the United States are Bloc Party's 'Silent Alarm', Black Eyed Peas'  'Monkey Business', and Paramore's 'All We Know is Falling' - but that's not the end of her list. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Brooding, imposing, ruggedly beautiful and spilling with forth with a storied history, Edinburgh stirs the senses of even the most jaded traveller. I’ve just reacquainted myself with the striking Scottish capital, as part of a riveting romp around the UK on Trafalgar’s Real Britain tour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Unlikely Doctor by Timoti Te Moke   Born into love but then thrust into violence, and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Moke was never destined to be a leader. After an early start as a bright boy in the eastern Bay of Plenty, nurtured by his reo Māori-speaking grandparents, Timoti's life changed sharply when his mother took custody of him when he was six. He survived abuse, state care, gangs and prison, his life marked by trauma and pain. By fourteen, he was behind bars. By twenty, he'd crossed the Tasman, trying to leave his past behind. But it was a moment in a prison cell — a glimpse of blue sky — that sparked a life-altering question: What if this isn't all there is? Through grit and an unyielding drive for justice, Timoti transformed his life. He returned to Aotearoa, became a paramedic and, after facing racism and an unsupported manslaughter charge that nearly derailed his life, became a medical student in his fifties. Timoti is now a fully qualified doctor — proof that brilliance can come from anywhere, and that our society must change to allow it. A powerful, confronting memoir of injustice, identity and the cost of lost potential, The Unlikely Doctor is not just Timoti's story — it is every child's. Because when we remove the barriers for success, we don't just help individuals — we help reshape a nation.    The Stars Are a Million Glittering Worlds by Gina Butson   Thea, a young woman crushed by guilt, flees to Central America to escape her life in New Zealand. In Guatemala, she meets the charismatic Chris and his partner, Sarah, and the three of them form a tight bond. While the rest of the world is caught in the grip of the global financial crisis, the three friends find a false reality in the backpacker party town of San Pedro. Surrounded by the dark volcanic beauty of the Guatemalan highlands, Thea starts to come to terms with her past. But everything changes when a tragedy occurs.  Knowing she has to leave Central America, but not ready to return home, Thea settles in Tasmania and into a new relationship. Bonded by grief, she and her partner make a life for themselves in Hobart. But years later, when tragedy strikes again, all Thea's old grief and guilt - together with unanswered questions - come to the surface. Against the backdrop of the pandemic and lockdowns, Thea begins to question the trust she has in her partner. She realises that if she wants to know the truth, she will need to come clean about her past. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winter can feel drab and we often end up reflecting that feeling in what we wear.   Layers on layers can leave you feeling like there’s not a lot of room to play. So, how can you keep things feeling fun while staying warm... and sustainable?   Creative connoisseur Evie Kemp joined Jack Tame for a chat about livening up your winter wear while still keeping things sustainable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Chris Woakes the English cricket batting star dislocated his shoulder in the England-India test, then yesterday came out to bat with a dislocated shoulder at number 11 to try and save the test! Very brave stuff!     What is a shoulder dislocation?   The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body.  It’s a ‘ball and socket’ joint, however sockets aren’t deep enough so the joint is supported by tendons and muscles.  Occasionally the ball can come completely out of the socket – a dislocation.  It can dislocate forward, which is common, or backwards, which is less common.    How do they happen and what are the signs?   Generally an accident that puts severe force on the shoulder can cause dislocation.   For example:   Falling from ladder and holding on it.   Collision in sport or falling onto an outstretched arm.   Car accidents.  Some people have very flexible shoulders and can dislocate with simple things like rolling over in bed, hanging out washing.   Effects: severe pain, unable to move the shoulder, occasional numbness down arm.  You can see the deformity – can see the ball out of the socket, bulging out.       What do we do about it?   See a doctor who will examine the shoulder.   An Xray to make sure it is not broken.   Then pop it back into place with light sedation or anaesthetic.   Then keep the arm in a sling for 1-2 weeks, avoiding lifting or using the shoulder for six weeks. It can take up to 3-4 months to fully heal.   Physio is often important to strengthen the shoulder and get moving.       Are there any complications?   You can fracture the shoulder.   Can tear cartilage (or lining) of the shoulder.   Sometimes the tendons and muscles supporting the shoulder tear – call this a rotator cuff tear.   Nerve damage can occur.   Sometimes requires surgery.   Can become recurrent and requires surgery to stop it popping out: orthopaedic surgeon.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 9 August 2025, Australian idol legend Guy Sebastian joins Jack in studio for a chat about releasing album number ten, and gives a very special performance of a brand new track.  Jack considers his experiences with the NYC subway compared to Auckland's new CRL.  A hearty recipe for the weekend, Rosa Flanagan of Two Raw Sisters shares a how-to for her Slow Cooked Moroccan Lamb and Pumpkin dish.  Ruud Kleinpaste reckons it's about getting warm enough to get back into the garden.  Plus, Catherine Raynes shares details on a brand new Kiwi tale of resilience, The Unlikely Doctor by Timoti Te Moke.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a weird winter – cool and often wet. Indeed, I grew a few edibles in my tunnel house after most of the tomatoes had been removed.    With rubbish weather I tend to divert to bird hobbies, rather than vegie-garden maintenance. But in early August things become a bit more positive, and today that was highlighted when I visited my old mate Mike (a Scottish builder with heaps of Scottish humour).  He had already planted small strawberry plants under a cover of dense pea-straw – yes, next summer’s fruit extravaganza: STRAWBERRIES! New Zealand Gardener usually gives you the latest varieties available.  I had totally forgotten that I could have planted them a month or so ago, here on the port hills! Time to become a lot less lazy!  Friable, well-draining soil with heaps of organic material in the top layers. Some granular, general fertiliser (not too much – just a bit) so that the roots will lick their food on the warmer, early-Spring days. The pea-straw (and mulch) protects plants from heavy frosts (and later on as a medium on which the developing fruit will stay in dryer conditions – not on wet soil).  Go to your local garden centre and ask the local experts what kind of strawberry varieties work well in your neighbourhood –  I bet they’ll have Cama Rosa and Camino Real as their “short day” varieties (they can be planted in May-June).  Other varieties, such as Aromas, Seascape, and San Andreas are day-neutral and can be planted in spring.   While the strawberries are slowly getting in their winter development, it may be useful to take a look at your rhubarb. This plant tends to be reasonably tolerant of a bit of frost – if the frosts are heavy and mean, you might find that patience will be a good virtue. I saw it growing in Mongolia in the wild (permafrost), in the deserts (dry as a bone), with big weta-like critters hiding underneath!  It’s a great crop if you’re into crumbles and fruity bits for breakfast (with muesli and yoghurt and soaked sultanas) and stuff like rhubarb pies.  In good hot summers it might take a break in the hottest period of the year. In the North/hot areas, it may pay to allocate a cooler spot and some shade for the warmest period of the day to stop it “bolting” – the flower stalks can be broken off, the edges of the leaves can become beautifully red, but it’s a sign of the breakdown of chlorophyll and hence the beginning of summer die-back.   Rhubarb requires a nice, fertile free-draining soil, so if you’ve got heavy clay soil break it up and add heaps of compost to make it friable.  Alternatively: plant it above the soil level (in a raised bed). I reckon you can even grow it in a big container with good mix, but keep it watered, so it doesn’t dry out too much.  Fertiliser: rhubarb loves compost and manure (yes, some rotted cow poo/sheep/pig or horse –  preferably gone through a composting cycle).  Keep the plant base free of weeds. Pests and diseases are usually of no great concern – slugs and snails are your main problem and they will only go on the leaves. Copper sprays may prevent leaf-spots, but they’re not a big deal usually.  Harvest: cut the stems for consumption and use leaves in compost bins (all good – the oxalic acid is not going to harm anything in that bin!).  Alternatively, the large leaves are great on the ground as “weed mat”.  Look around for various cultivars – if you are lucky you might find some of the old-fashioned bright red varieties that look fantastic: Moulin Rouge, Crimson Crumble, Cherry Red, Ruby Red, Glaskin’s Perpetual…  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chat GPT-5 is here – what does it mean? What does it do?   They claim it's the best yet at creative writing and coding, and apparently just feels more human-like in its responses. It will also make information up 25% less than GPT-4. Importantly, they've trained the model to fail gracefully when posed with tasks that it cannot solve, which is better than it taking shortcuts or lying about finishing it. It is much better with health related questions too, according to its benchmarks.   Users can pick from four preset personalities—Cynic, Robot, Listener, and Nerd.   Something you'll notice if you've never paid for ChatGPT, or used another provider, is a new thing called "reasoning". This is effectively where the AI talks to itself a little, and spends time "thinking" through the question before answering.     ChatGPT is huge   They say they now have 700 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, 5 million paying business users, and 4 million developers utilizing the API. The company is not yet profitable. It plans to raise $40 billion this year and is on a pace to pull in revenue of $20 billion by year’s end.     If you've got an Emirates flight later this year, there's a new rule about power banks  Emirates will ban the use of power banks aboard its flights and only allow passengers to bring one such device onto the plane. The airline says the "significant growth" in customers using power banks has led to a rising number of lithium battery-related incidents during flight across the industry. The airline also wants the power banks stored somewhere they can be quickly removed in case they set fire.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday  Tim Burton’s quirky Addams Family drama is back for a second season.   Nevermore is back in session as Wednesday tangles with a new principal, a devious campus stalker and a waning grip on her psychic powers (Netflix).    Outlander: Blood of My Blood   A romantic saga that unfolds across time. From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways (Neon).    Stolen: Heist of the Century  In 2003, a gang of thieves rob the impenetrable Diamond Center, Antwerp; who was behind one of the world's biggest heists and how did they pull it off? (Netflix)    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne is off this afternoon, flying down to Christchurch for a very special event.  He’ll be a guest speaker at his old college’s, St Bede, 100th Annual Old Boy’s Dinner.  This is a special moment for Kevin, as he wouldn’t describe his time at the college as the most successful.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rosa Flanagan, one half of the Two Raw Sisters, is offering up a delicious recipe for slow cooked Moroccan lamb and pumpkin.  Serves: 6  Time: 2.5 – 3 hours — 150 mins    Ingredients  2 tbsp cooking oil   1 red onion - thinly sliced  1 carrot - diced   4 cloves garlic - crushed and chopped  2 tbsp tomato paste  1 tbsp freshly grated ginger   1 tbsp cumin seeds   1 tbsp smoked paprika  2 tsp ground turmeric  1 stick of cinnamon   ½ - 1 tsp chilli flakes  1 cup dried prunes  400g canned tomatoes  2 cups vegetable stock  4 lamb shanks OR 1x 400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained   2 cups chopped pumpkin - deseeded and skin left on  Herby Lemon Millet   1 cup millet  2 cups water   1 cup herbs - chopped  1 lemon - zest and juice  2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil  ½ cup almonds - roasted and chopped    Method  Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.   In the pot, add the onion and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic, tomato paste, ginger, cumin seeds, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon stick, chilli flakes and prunes. Cook for another minute or two until fragrant.  To the pot, add the canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, lamb shanks or chickpeas and chopped pumpkin. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid. If you are adding lamb shanks, cook on low heat for 2.5 -3 hours, or until the lamb is tender. Or if you are using chickpeas, cook on low for 30-40 minutes.   While the stew is cooking, prepare the millet. Place in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir through the herbs, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and chopped almonds.  Add a generous scoop of herby lemon millet to each bowl and top with the stew.   Any leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Alternatively you can freeze for up to 3 months.    Simple Swaps / Additions   You can also use a slow cooker for this recipe, follow the same method of frying off the onion, carrot, spices and prunes in a pan, then transfer that to the crockpot along with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for 2.5-3 hours.   Change the red onion for brown onion or a leek.   Use celery or zucchini instead of a carrot.   Use 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon instead of 1 stick.   Use dried apricots or dates instead of prunes.   Use kumara (sweet potato) or potatoes instead of pumpkin.   Instead of lamb shanks you could use diced lamb or beef.  Change up the millet for any other grain such as couscous, quinoa or brown rice.   Use whatever herbs you love / have such as coriander or parsley.   Use any other nut or seed instead of almonds such as walnuts, pumpkin seeds or cashews.   Low FODMAP - replace the red onion with 3 stalks of celery and leave out the garlic and prunes completely. Check that the vegetable stock you use is low FODMAP, alternatively use 2 cups of water + 1 tbsp miso paste.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weapons    When all but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.     Mr Burton   The story of the wild school boy Rich Jenkins, son of a boozy miner and an English teacher who recognised his talent, Philip Burton.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I first moved to New York, I spent my first year living in a railroad apartment above an Ecuadorian fruit shop on Second Avenue.   It was a character-building experience. I went weeks without heating or hot water in winter, and my windows had almost no effect whatsoever in keeping out the ceaseless sound of trucks thundering past my bedroom enroute to restock the city.    When I arrived they’d just start construction on the Second Ave subway, a few blocks from my home. The project was hitting a few speedbumps. Bedrock turned out to be deeper than anticipated, a worker nearly died after being stuck in waste-deep slop on site, and what was supposed to be a controlled explosion sent rocks flying all over a busy Manhattan intersection.  Curiously, the Second Ave subway route was first proposed in the 1920s, which Wikipedia tells was about the same time that planners first mused over the possibility of the Morningside Deviation, a train tunnel in central Auckland.    Stage One of the Second Avenue subway was a 3.2km tunnel. The Central Rail Link is 3.5km.   Second Ave ended up costing more than $7 Billion. The Central Rail Link blew out however many times but at last check was $5.5 Billion.    The weird thing about a big underground tunnel development is that most of us never fully appreciate the scale of the work. It’s obvious I suppose, but even if you live and work in the city, while you get used to a few cones and traffic delays up above the ground, you have no real perspective about the extraordinary activities happening somewhere beneath your feet.  Auckland Transport has this week released its updated transit map with the CRL stations. Apparently they’ve done 1600 test runs so far. They’ve run trains more than 5000km – Kaitaia to Bluff two-and-a-half times. They’ve been driving trains at 70kmph directly underneath Auckland’s CBD and at no point have I felt so much of a rumble or a shudder. I reckon the vast majority of us up top have been absolutely none-the-wiser. The kid in me who briefly considered becoming an engineer (and even volunteered to spend a school holiday touring the Lyttelton Tunnel) can’t help but think that’s pretty cool.   After riding along on a VIP tour yesterday with all the politicians and movers-and-shakers, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown was in vintage form.    How was it? He was asked.   “It was a ride in a train.” He said.    “We don’t want excitement.”   Well, maybe not. But guilty as charged.    Maybe it’s the engineering. Maybe it’s the people-watching. Maybe it’s the broader sense of momentum and life, but whether it’s a tube, an underground, or a subway, I love a bit of subterranean mass-transit.     You know you’re a nerd when you’re less excited about the opening of New Zealand’s first IKEA than the transport connection you’ll take to get there.   After years of construction, the Second Ave subway opened two weeks before I moved back home. One of the last things I did on my last few days in New York was ride a loop. Not because I had somewhere to be but because I wanted to see what all that fuss and money and effort had created, out of sight, underneath my feet.    I can’t wait to do the same thing here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you better off than you were two years ago?    Are you bathing in the soothing waters of the long-promised economic recovery? Is your future more secure? Is your food more affordable? Your insurance? Your rates? Is your road smoother? Are your children better educated? Is your water less polluted?  Or do you think some of our most senior leaders’ time and attention is better used fussing over measures like the order of words on our passports and the transfer of payWave fees from a surcharge to the main bill?   The latest folly, announced by our Foreign Minister on a week in which Gaza was stricken by starvation, and the US thanked us for opening an FBI office here by increasing proposed trade tariffs, seeks to enshrine the name ‘New Zealand’ in law.    Ah yes, what a pressing issue. Tell you what, between that and the passport reordering, those tens or hundreds of thousands of kids who’ve fled to Australia are gonna be clambering over one another to get back home.  Here’s my view on the name of our country: call it what you want. You want to call it Aotearoa? Fine. You want to call it New Zealand? Fine. You want to combine the two? Go for it. You do you.  The thing about language is it’s fluid. It changes over time. There’s a reason we don’t all speak in Shakespearean prose. And it has nothing to do with compulsion.   To those who say an increasing use of Aotearoa is some sort of affront to our collective values, I’d have thought freedom of expression is a value more worthy of protection. And for what it’s worth, if New Zealand First was trying to enshrine the name ‘Aotearoa’ in law, I’d have the same response.  One of the justifications given for this member’s bill is that using Aotearoa threatens NZ Inc., our international brand. Is there any evidence that our exporters are being compelled en-masse to send their products overseas with the name Aotearoa, instead of New Zealand? Who, pray tell, is risking that international brand value by forcing this change on the packaging of our top products? I’d suggest it’s a pretty unsophisticated exporter who would voluntarily confuse their international customers. Or, you know, maybe this just isn’t really a big deal.   I’ve a real distaste for performative politics that either drum up angst about a problem that doesn’t exist or do something symbolic at the expense of real action.   I never cared for the trend of councils and governments declaring Climate Emergencies and patting themselves on the back, while simultaneously doing nothing new in a policy sense.   There is a very simple way to see through this specific bill. Consider the timing. If the name of New Zealand is seriously so threatened, why didn’t New Zealand First introduce this bill 12 months ago? Why not six years ago? Why not negotiate it into the coalition agreement when they formed a government?   My instinct with this kind of move is always the same. Don’t ask ‘What does this achieve?’ or ‘Why is this an issue? Instead, ask ‘what are they try to distract us from?’   The ‘meh’ jobs report? The lame economic growth figures? The gang numbers ticking over 10,000 for the first time ever, this week? Or could it possibly be the fact that a few hours before the New Zealand (name of state) member’s bill was announced, Australia and the UK achieved comparatively lower trade tariffs with the United States, while our government’s top officials were apparently surprised to learn that our tariff had been increased? Actually, maybe we should call ourselves Aotearoa. Who knows? It might have confused Donald Trump just long enough to keep us at 10%.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man of many talents, Cliff Curtis is a Hollywood star hailing all the way from Rotorua.   He’s known for his metamorphosis, carving out credits in a mixture of major franchises and more personal productions, and his latest project feels like a blend of both.  Curtis is starring in Jason Momoa’s ‘Chief of War’, which tells a tale of the turn of the 18th century, when the four kingdoms of Hawai’i were at war.  He told Jack Tame he’s very proud and humbled to be a part of this production.  “As a storyteller in the screen industry for the last three decades at least, we’ve managed to tell a variation of stories from our small corner of the world,” Curtis said.  “But you know, this series, when led by the likes of Jason Momoa and his co-creator Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, they can bring scale to the narrative.”  “It's a big deal for us.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The debut album from Australian musical group Folk Bitch Trio, ‘Now Would Be a Good Time’ is filled with beautiful harmonies and dark wit.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the album and the way the trio puts their own spin on the genre.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer Island by Kristin Hannah   Years ago, Nora Bridge walked out on her marriage and left her daughters behind. She has since become a famous radio talkshow host and newspaper columnist beloved for her moral advice. Her youngest daughter, Ruby, is a struggling comedienne who uses her famous mother as fuel for her bitter, cynical humour.   When the tabloids unearth a scandalous secret from Nora's past, their estrangement suddenly becomes dramatic. Nora is injured in an accident and a glossy magazine offers Ruby a fortune to write a tell-all about her mother. Under false pretences, Ruby returns home to take care of the woman she hasn't spoken to for almost a decade. Nora insists they retreat to Summer Island, to the lovely old house on the water where Ruby grew up, a place filled with childhood memories of love and joy and belonging. There Ruby is also reunited with her first love and his brother. Once, the three of them had been best friends, inseparable. Until the summer that Nora had left and everyone's hearts had been broken...     Red Star Down by DB John   A family man is poisoned at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. A Russian intelligence officer is assassinated in a Washington hotel. And a real-estate mogul and reality-TV star has just become the 45th President of the United States.   A terrible conspiracy is about to unravel and three people find themselves caught in the crosshairs... A CIA agent whose past missions refuse to stay buried. A student in Moscow who dares to challenge the Russian president on live TV. And a North Korea spy embedded in the White House who secretly admires the man he is working to undermine.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Tucked between North Wales and the serene good looks of the Lake District, gritty, vital Liverpool provides an indelible and grounded dose of "real" urban England. It proved to be one of my favourite destinations on my whistle-stop romp with Trafalgar’s Real Britain tour. Yes, Beatles fans flock to Liverpool to learn about the Fab Four's early days, but the city’s appeal extends far beyond those towering music legends." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With winter well and truly set in, some are dreaming of clearer skies across the sea. Kevin Milne has a trip to London coming up, him and his wife deciding to pop over and visit two of their sons on their home turf.  Although this is a trip to see family, there are a few interesting details that Kevin shared with Jack Tame.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blue Zones are an area of interest for many, geographical locations in which people live longer than average. Some such areas are in Sardinia, others in Okinawa in Japan, Nicoya in Costa Rica, and Ikaria in Greece – all of which have a significant number of people living into their 90s or hundreds.   But why are these people living so much longer than average? Dr Dougal Sutherland delves into the research and reasons behind the extended lifespans of those in Blue Zones.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 2nd August 2025, Kiwi acting legend Cliff Curtis joins Jack to discuss his starring role in the brand-new series spearheaded by Jason Momoa, Chief of War.   Jack considers the bill that would enshrine the name New Zealand into law.  Dougal Sutherland picks up on Jack's interest in Blue Zones, joining the show to share what contributes to longer life in these areas, and just how realistic it is to achieve in alternative environments.  And hot off judging awards for the best New Zealand pie, Nici Wickes gives in to Jack's sweet side with her personal recipe for pie of the year.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plants need a couple of really important chemicals to give them a healthy life and growth.   We all know the top three elements: Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P) and Potash (K), but Magnesium (Mg) should also be in the line-up of important nutrients   A lack of any of the mentioned nutrients will show specific symptoms on the Plants:   A lack of Nitrogen (which supports leaf-growth) makes leaves looks small and weird – often quite yellow, especially the older leaves. Nitrogen is often transported by the plant from old leaves to the younger leaves, to give them some small chance to survive and keep photosynthesis going.   Phosphorus deficiency (important for root growth): Purpling of leaves; you can see that clearly in tomatoes. In severe cases the leaves will start to die around the edges.   A lack of Potash (potassium – stimulates flowers and fruits) often shows up in the form of chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves in the area between the veins). Even the young leaves are struggling and show wrinkling, which often causes them to die. Few Flowers and/or fruit is a dead give-away.   A Magnesium deficiency (stimulates Photosynthesis) is characterised by distinct curling of the leaves as well as that Interveinal chlorosis (yellowing between the veins) mentioned before. Sometimes the leaves get a red tinge or lots of brown dead spots on the leaves… a real mess!   The Micronutrients are needed by plants in much smaller quantities, yet they are absolutely important to keep your plants in good condition   A lack of Micronutrients can create all sorts of troubles: stunted growth, dark green veins in yellowing leaves, die-back of stems and twigs, smaller leaves with die-back, leaf scorching, and discolouration…   It’s not difficult to find the symptoms.   There are many types of fertilisers on the market: the “general fertilisers” often have an NPK code on the package – some are granular, some are in liquid form.   Higher N will stimulate green matter (leaves). Higher Phosphate is great for root crops. Higher K stimulates Flowering and Fruit set.  But the “Trace elements” are the packets that will look after most of the Micronutrients; we often forget those!   Micronutrients also come in different formulae – some gardens (and soil conditions) need more than others.    You can even buy some Nori (のり) at the supermarket: Japanese seaweed! It’s harvested from the ocean, the largest nutrient trap on the Planet! It has lots of trace elements that are useful for your garden, made from rinsed seaweed.    Check that it has less than 4%, so you know it has been rinsed, and the amount of salt has been reduced – too much salt is not good for the plants!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Rivers 'Convergence' Sauvignon Blanc 2025, Marlborough    RRP from $22.00   Pungent, ripe, varietal and high energy. Aromas of red bellpepper and apple, fresh citrus peel and white peach, there’s also green mango and cape gooseberry as well as fresh basil. On the palate – youthful, equally high energy with laser-like acidity, flavours of fresh fruits led by citrus, then tropical and white stone fruit. A high energy wine best enjoyed from day of purchase through 2029. Exceptional value.      Food match:   One of the many classic matches with sauvignon blanc is Oysters. Not everyone can do oysters, so steamed mussels work just as well.   These first two are match of contrast – salty food needs a high acid wine.   Another rule with food is that a richly textured food can have a higher acid wine for contrast; a dessert with cream or ice-cream should have a high acid wine like a sweet sauvignon blanc for contrast, as well as weight from the sugar in the wine.   The match options with sauvignon blanc are endless.    The season:    A gift to the NZ wine sector with near perfect growing conditions.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft becomes the second $4 trillion company   All fuelled by the increased revenue from the Cloud Computing business, which provides compute for AI services. This is a huge win for Microsoft – the company that was absolutely written off in the mid 2000s and was expected to go the way of Yahoo. Microsoft is still second place to Amazon Web Services in the Cloud category. Their CFO announced they'll spend $30 billion on its AI infrastructure investments in the next quarter.   Apple was the first US company to hit $1 trillion in 2018, first to hit $2 trillion in 2020, first to hit $3 trillion in 2022, so by that math, it should have hit $4 trillion in 2024, but Nvidia beat them. Nvidia only became a $1 trillion company in 2023 – two years ago!   For context, $4 trillion would be like giving all 5.3 million New Zealanders USD $750,000 (NZD $1.2 million).    Apple says Trump’s tariffs will cost it another $1 billion   That's on top of the $800 million the tech giant spent on tariffs during the June quarter. Quarterly revenue jumped 10% to $94 billion between April and June. Apple moved a chunk of iPhone production to India to avoid some of the China tariffs, but President Donald Trump is threatening 25% tariffs on Apple if it doesn't start producing more in the USA.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Assassin   A retired assassin reunites with her estranged son, but her dangerous past catches up with them, forcing them to go on the run together while uncovering a dark conspiracy that threatens their relationship (ThreeNow).    Outrageous  In the 1930s, 6 sisters refuse to play by the rules, and their often-scandalous lives make headlines around the world. Their tales involve betrayal, scandal, heartache, and even imprisonment (Neon).    Murder in a Small Town   Karl Alberg moves to the idyllic coastal town of Gibsons to become the new police chief and soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. Unfortunately, the gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets, and Karl needs to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore (TVNZ+).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It Was Just An Accident   What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences. A co-production between Iran, France, and Luxembourg and explores political repression in Iran and morality.     Bank of Dave 2: The Lone Ranger   Dave Fishwick takes on a dangerous and formidable opponent than the big banks: Payday Loan Companies. Dave recruits Jessica and Oliver to his cause. Together they embark on a journey that will bring down an entire industry of predatory corporations.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An apple pie, plain and simple, with no sugar added – these are a real favourite served with ice cream, cream, and cinnamon.   Makes 6 individual pies      Ingredients  1 kg apples, granny smith   1 cup water    2 x 400g blocks sweet short pastry   Ice cream to serve    Cream to serve   Cinnamon to serve      Method  Set the oven at 200 C fan bake with an oven tray already in the oven to heat up. Grease large-sized (Texan) muffin tin.    Prepare the apples by peeling, coring, and slicing, and placing with 1 cup of water into a saucepan with the lid on and gently cook for about 15 minutes. They should retain their shape without turning into pulp.   Drain in a colander, reserving the juice which can be reduced to a syrup by simmering it for 5-8 minutes. Cool the apples completely before you start filling the pies. Please note apples do not need added sugar, as they are sweet enough.   Now roll your pastry out and cut into circles about the size of a small saucer. Gently line the muffin tin holes with pastry. Patch up any tears or holes.   Fill to 3/4 with the apples and then cover with another smaller round of pastry and pinch top to bottom to seal. Use a sharp knife to make a small cross on the top (this lets the steam out).    Place on hot tray and bake for approx. 25 minutes near the bottom of the oven, as this makes sure the bottoms cooks. The pastry should be a lovely golden colour. Keep checking to making sure the edges of the pies aren't burning. Cool in tins then gently remove from their tins.    Serve with ice cream and clouds of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon with a small jug of the reserved apple syrup.     LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tour de France is reaching its final legs, with drama, gruelling climbs, and triumphant podiums all playing out across the world.  Craig Geater is up close and personal with the professional cycling world, a bike mechanic with over 20 years of experience working with the Tour de France.  He’s worked with some of the sport’s greatest riders and most successful team, and his currently the head mechanic for Australian outfit Team Jayco AlUla.  Geater joined Jack Tame to break down what it’s like working on something as grand as the Tour de France, his time as Lance Armstrong’s personal mechanic, and the unique nature of the competition.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taking care of babies can be complicated.  With so many new tasks and new things you have to teach to a child, it can be tough sometimes to try something a little bit different.  Since she gave birth, Kate Hall has been using Elimination Communication, otherwise known as infant potty training, and she joined Jack Tame to give an update on how that’s working.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fifth studio album from British singer-songwriter Billie Marten, ‘Dog Eared’ is an album filled with nostalgia.  The title comes from the practice of dog earring books, Marten having a fondness for marking up the books she reads – underlining passages, scribbling ideas in margins, and folding corners.   It tells the story of who she was as she wrote and recorded the album, each song touching on a different childhood memory.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the release.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Few British cities can match eye-catching York and its wondrous layers of history. Northern England’s walled city was founded by the ancient Romans, was conquered by the Vikings and also boasts a trove of medieval riches. The city’s storied history is woven into virtually every brick and beam. All these ingredients underpin York’s star-power, serving up a stirring sense of Ye Olde England, when tripping the UK. But it’s so much more than just a living museum." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Forsaken by Matt Rogers   In the twilight of his career, Logan learns he has been a vessel for furthering government interests, not a rogue hitman for a band of vigilantes. The revelation destroys him.  But when Jorge Romero – an investigative reporter and Logan's oldest friend – is brutally and inexplicably murdered, Logan allows his fury to deliver him from despair.  With an ally in Alice Mason, a homeless witness with a target on her back, Logan goes to war. Against whom, he isn't sure, but he knows powerful forces are at work behind the scenes.  Now, to deliver justice, Logan and Alice must confront their demons and win a savage battle that could destroy their lives... even if they survive.     Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson   In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.  Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.  Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.  She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.  Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.  She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:  Jet is going to solve her own murder.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.