Conversations

ABC Australia

Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption.

Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling.

Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia’s most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more at the Conversations website.

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2,001 episodes
Updated Today

Episodes2001

Newest first

Jul 1, 2019 · 51 min
Born blind at the right time: Ron McCallum
Left totally blind by treatment he received as a premature baby, Ron credits technology, love, and good timing with his success in life and the law
Jun 28, 2019 · 52 min
A dirt bike and a secret: Heather Ellis
When she rode her motorbike solo across the Silk Road, Heather thought she had nothing to lose. Her HIV positive diagnosis was far more serious in the 1990s than it is today
Jun 27, 2019 · 49 min
The murderer who wasn't there
Zak Grieve was 19 when he was found guilty of murder, although the judge said he wasn't at the scene of the crime. Steven Schubert tells his story
Jun 26, 2019 · 44 min
A shipwrecked French cabin boy and his Australian Aboriginal family
The astounding fate of Narcisse Pelletier, taken in by the people of Night Island after being abandoned on the coast of far north Queensland in 1858
Jun 25, 2019 · 52 min
A sizzle in the brain changed Lavinia Codd's life
After a stroke at age 31, Lavinia Codd lost part of her memory, and half her vision. Then she became fascinated by her brain's ability to regenerate (R)
Jun 24, 2019 · 51 min
Inside the comic mind
'Becardiganed polymath' Robin Ince on the fascinating brains of stand-up comics
Jun 21, 2019 · 53 min
Stories from Elmswood Farm
Patrice Newell was a model and a TV host before she began again as a biodynamic farmer
Jun 20, 2019 · 50 min
Richard Tognetti: 'Je suis Wollongong'
Richard Tognetti was a boy when he first showed a brilliant talent for playing the violin. But in the town where he grew up, his talent made him a target
Jun 19, 2019 · 51 min
Rozsy's terrible secret
Angela Hamilton was raised by a tyrannical father, who terrorised his family. Decades later, she found out the truth about what he'd done during WWII
Jun 18, 2019 · 49 min
The evolution of Poh
How a shy Mormon girl named Sharon became Poh Ling Yeow (R)
Jun 17, 2019 · 51 min
State secrets and marsupials
Australia through the eyes of The New York Times Australia bureau chief, Damien Cave
Jun 14, 2019 · 51 min
Midnight Oil's Rob Hirst
Chasing the back beat and adventures in wide open spaces, Rob remains essentially the same as the boy he was (R)
Jun 13, 2019 · 52 min
Not your average dentist
After treating a patient named Anna, Sharonne Zaks saw the power relationship with her patients differently. She developed a new branch of dentistry to help care for survivors of sexual assault Sharonne Zaks grew up in a family of dentists, and when she too became a dentist, she developed an empathetic relationship with her patients, never judging them even if they'd avoided the dentist for years. After some years, a patient named Anna profoundly changed Sharonne's understanding of a patient's
Jun 12, 2019 · 49 min
Water, Water: a story collection
Eight stories exploring the pleasures and perils of water
Jun 11, 2019 · 51 min
Barrie Cassidy and Private Bill
Barrie unearths a family wartime secret after fifty years (R)
Jun 10, 2019 · 51 min
The rise of the land dragon
Alex Landragin was born into a champagne-making family in the French village of Verzenay. When he was five, his family began a new life in Australia. Then a freak accident changed everything.
Jun 7, 2019 · 52 min
Finding the erotic in everyday life with Esther Perel
Esther is a therapist who spent years studying intimacy, monogamy and sexuality. She became the world's most well-known expert on modern love When Esther was a teenager she was voraciously curious about human behaviour. She thought she'd become a journalist or a translator, but instead she grew up to become the world's most famous contemporary psychotherapist. Esther became known around the world after the release of her podcast "Where Should We Begin?" in which she counsels real-life couples
Jun 6, 2019 · 53 min
A mother I never knew — the secret of Peter Papathanasiou
The story of family bonds so strong that one couple gave their child to another, to be raised in a country far away
Jun 5, 2019 · 49 min
Liz Jones and the fire at La Mama
The matriarch of La Mama on life in and out of Melbourne’s beloved theatre
Jun 4, 2019 · 51 min
The 'Angel of Death' of Sydney's underworld
Dulcie Markham was one of the most notorious characters of Sydney in the 1930s, but many of her lovers met a grisly end