Batting the Breeze

President John F Kennedy arrived in Dallas, Texas, on November 22nd, 1963, appearing to be in good health; almost exactly three hours later, he left the city in a casket.  Those two facts are the onl…

“Opera singing is a civilized version of what you were doing when you were a baby. We scream like a little baby. That's what opera singing is all about.” Simona Mango did clarify that you have to scr…

If you have ever considered how you could reconnect with nature, here’s your answer – through bees.  Have you ever wondered why bees make honey? What does a drone do all day long? Why should we care …

What have a psychiatrist, a psychic medium, a bodyguard, a WWII survivor, a remote settler and a parliamentary candidate got in common? They all feature in today’s episode. The podcast has now passed…

"If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism." Today I had the privilege to meet one person with autism. Stuart Carlson is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder but he i…

Today’s guest spends a lot of time in his garden. But he cultivates voices rather than plants. Tim is a voice actor and his garden is where the real magic happens - in his voice booth. It’s his own p…

The story of the Vietnam War has been told many times in many different ways. But how often have you heard what it was like on the ground for infantry soldiers walking The Trail - that daily grind of…

In August 2000, the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea, resulting in the loss of all 118 crew members. At the time, the UK Royal Navy's submarine rescue team was one of t…

It was a mad moment in Australian political history;  The 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis - but don’t let that title put you off!  It’s a story of double-crossing, conspiracy theories, the CIA,…

Dating can be hard enough. But imagine you had been involved in a life-changing accident, were adapting to a new life in a wheelchair and were ready to pick up from where you left off with… boys.  Da…

Cats have 9 lives. Fred Rutman has at least 20. One night in May 2009, he died - three times. That summer, he died another 17 times.  Find out how this incredible story led to a new life of intermitt…

Here’s the definition of insanity for you: throwing in a good job, leaving behind a salary and travelling 10,000 miles across the globe to follow a hunch, a seed of an idea.  Then driving around the …

Can you imagine selling all your worldly possessions, your house, your car, your furnishings and reducing your ownership of ‘things’ to a 22-inch suitcase and a backpack? Well, that’s exactly what to…

Having previously spoken to near-death experience witnesses, I was keen to uncover how science viewed this extraordinary phenomenon.  I tracked down data scientist David Gerrelli. I wasn’t expecting …

Can you imagine what it’s like to breathe through someone else’s lungs?  Alastair Henry does.  In 2020 he had a double lung transplant at the age of 75. He’s only too aware of his responsibility to t…

How are your communication skills these days?  No, I don’t mean public speaking or standing up to make a presentation.  How are you communicating with your spouse, your children, and your postman?  B…

Have you ever wondered if Margaret Thatcher ever met Sir Winston Churchill?  If you search, you’ll find that nobody really knows.  However, one person does know; Edmund Murray, Churchill’s last bodyg…

Edmund Murray was Winston Churchill’s last bodyguard and as such he witnessed situations and events like no other. What happened when Mrs Onassis, Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy ended up on the yach…

Have you ever found a handwritten inscription behind an old bathroom cabinet and not stopped to read it? In that case, you may be kicking yourself by the time you’ve finished listening to the series …

Have you heard of secondhand embarrassment? Imagine you’re sitting on a train next to a toilet with an automatic opening door.  And then, for no reason, it starts to open.  Think this could never hap…