Conversations

Conversations
Conversations
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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.

  1. 8 hr ago

    Everyday magic, witch hunts and fairies in medieval Scotland

    Fairytale expert, Kate Forsyth travels back in time to the stories of her youth, to a dark, fantastical and eerie world where cruelty and mischief abound. As a young girl, Kate was sent to stay with her great aunts in Newcastle and there was introduced to the darkness, magic and mystery of Scottish folklore. These stories lit Kate’s imagination on fire, and let to a lifetime of study into these powerful stories and the messages behind them. One true story from this period that stayed with Kate was the treacherous and dramatic life story of Mary, Queen of Scots, who, in the telling, was only a few years older than the teenaged Kate. Intertwined with the true Scottish history were dark, fantastical and eerie accounts about cruel and mischievous fairies who would leave their young in place of human babies, as ‘changelings’.  This world abounded with magic - hazelnuts that give the power of invisibility and curses that cause boys to dance to their death. These legends also feature brave and ingenious girls who figure out how to rescue the sick and cursed through their own wits and knowledge of the natural world. Further information The Changeling is published by Penguin Random House. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer of Conversations is Nicola Harrison. You can listen to Kate's previous Conversations interviews on the tangled roots of fairytales, the dark and violent origins of beloved fairytales, the Russian tale of Vasilisa the Wise and her nemesis, the witch Baba Yaga, the story of a blood red rose, The intrepid and curious Charlotte Waring Atkinson, Psyche, the curious and brave goddess of the soul. This episode touches on witch trials, burning of witches, neolithic stones, storytelling, violence against women, cunning folk, ken, kenning, runes, being in touch with the seasons, old women, prayers, spells, rowan tree, faeries, fairies, fairy queen, changeling, autism, neurodivergent, neurodiverse, dauphin, King James, King James Bible,  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.

  2. 1 day ago

    Encore: My year in Japan, in stillness and silence

    Travel writer Pico Iyer was at the peak of his career when an accidental layover at Narita airport saw him begin to question everything. Pico began flying around the world solo at the age of nine. His parents lived in America and he had become a boarder at the Dragon School in Oxford. To get to school and from school he took several flights each year alone. The formative experience of travel stayed with him, and he grew up to become a journalist and travel writer for Time Magazine. Further information This episode of Conversations was first broadcast in 2020. Autumn Light: a season of Fire and Farewells is published by Bloomsbury. This episode was produced by Nicola Harrison. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. 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.

  3. 2 days ago

    How the Liberal Party lost its hold on Australia

    Paul Kelly, Editor-at-Large of The Australian, investigates how the country went from the great reform age under Hawke, Keating and Howard, into the tumultuous Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison era of prime ministers, and arrived at the current existential crisis facing the Liberal Party. Paul started his career as a political journalist in the 1970s and was at old Parliament House when Gough Whitlam was dismissed. In his latest book, Paul examines how the Liberal Party lost its long-standing grip on the Australian psyche between 2013 and 2022, as it cycled through three temperamentally and ideologically divergent prime ministers.  He says that despite its many achievements, the Coalition in office was marked by a period of under-performance and doubts over the political system's capacity to serve the national interest. Paul looks at the factors underpinning the current crisis besetting the Coalition and the reasons why Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison all struggled to govern, in very different ways. Further information The Twilight of Exceptionalism: The Liberal and Conservative Era 2013 - 2022 is published by Melbourne University Press. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode covers Liberal party crisis, Barnaby Joyce, One Nation, conservatism, populism, populist, same sex marriage plebiscite, postal survey, carbon tax, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, covid19, covid, conservative politics, conservatism, MH17, Putin, Ukraine, mossad, ASIS, budget, NDIS, Gonski, Prince Philip, knighthood, Scotty from marketing, China, AUKUS, Albanese,  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.

  4. 5 days ago

    NAIDOC 2026: From an iron lung to the page — Gayle’s life in comics and words

    Wongaibon woman, Gayle Kennedy tells the story of her childhood, punctuated by years of treatment for polio. A bright child, she blitzed school and was drawn to comic book writing, which led to an award-winning career as an author. Gayle was two when she contracted polio. The family was living in a camp outside Condobolin when little Gayle collapsed at her aunt’s house. Gayle’s mother was in hospital at the time, where she had given birth to Gayle’s younger brother.  She ran from the hospital to her sickly toddler, and brought Gayle in for treatment. Gayle was sent to Sydney and spent six months in an iron lung, a mechanical respirator that covered her whole body, leaving her head exposed. For years she would return to Sydney for follow up therapy.  Gayle was a bright student who overcame racism at school and after she graduated she worked with the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, then set up the Ivanhoe Land Council. During this time, Gayle was introduced to Streetwize Comics, which inspired to give writing a go and got a job as a comic book writer. Years later, Gayle became unwell again, and she was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome. She was miserable and suffering, and when she joined the NDIS her life changed for the better. She started writing stories that were published in the Sydney Morning Herald and went on to win the David Unaipon Award for her book Me, Antman and Fleabag. Further information This episode was produced by Rebecca McLaren. The Executive Producer of Conversations is Nicola Harrison. This episode contains reference to father's love, mother's love, polio, post-polio syndrome, Abbotsford station, Ivanhoe, Wangaaypuwan, Royal Flying Doctor Service, rehabilitation, children's hospital, kind nurses, long drop toilet, racism, Catholic school, Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, cousins, nepotism, Balmain, NDIS, scooter, how to drink in the park, Redfern, blackfellas, saying yes, giving things a go. 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.

  5. 6 days ago

    NAIDOC 2026: Troy Cassar-Daley: the boy from Halfway Creek

    Troy grew up travelling between two very different worlds with his Indigenous mum and his Maltese Dad. At just 17 he started on his path to becoming one of Australia's biggest country music stars (R) CW: Mentions suicide, please take care when listening Troy Cassar-Daley is a proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man, and one of Australia's most beloved country music stars. As a 17-year-old musician just starting out, Troy joined a band called Little Eagle.  Soon afterwards, he won the Tamworth Starmaker Quest, and within a few years, Troy was a fully-fledged country music star. In his long career, Troy has won 40 Golden Guitars and 5 ARIA Awards, among many other accolades.  In his most recent album, Between the Fires, Troy digs deep into his own family history, with songs of grief, love and connection. Further information Troy is touring now - more details here Help and support is always available If you need to talk, 24/7 crisis support is available from Lifeline by calling 13 11 14. You can also text and chat online with counsellors here.

  6. 8 Jul

    NAIDOC 2026: Anita Heiss with stories of love and war from the Wiradjuri people

    Writer Anita Heiss has based her novel  Dirrayawadha on stories from the 1800s during the frontier wars in Bathurst, when martial law was declared.

  7. 7 Jul

    NAIDOC 2026: Rachel Perkins on 'The Australian Wars'

    The filmmaker on her series which documents a period some historians call the most important war Australia has ever fought in. Rachel Perkins is one of this country's great storytellers, translating distinctively Australian stories for the screen, including a television series first released in 2022 called The Australian Wars. It tracks the bloody conflicts that broke out across the continent after the arrival of the British colonists. Rachel says these are the most important wars in our history: they were fought on Australian soil, between Australians, to determine the ownership and control of the entire country. The stories from this era are stories of violence, of peace, of epic adventures, which make up the foundational narrative of this nation. This episode of Conversations was first broadcast in 2022  Further Information The Australian Wars is available to watch on SBS on Demand. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. It explores Aboriginal history, British colonial history, frontier wars, the Native Police, death, conflict, grief, Australian history, guns, violence, land ownership, control, documentary

  8. 6 Jul

    NAIDOC 2026: Victor the fire man on burning country to heal it

    Tagalaka man, Victor Steffensen on the ‘walking encyclopedias’ — dear old men he met who entrusted him with their decades of cultural knowledge and taught him to apply the right traditional burn for the right environment, so Country can thrive.  Victor advocates for small, cool fires that emit white smoke. This is something Indigenous people have done for tens of thousands of years to help Country survive and thrive. Victor was a young man who wasn’t sure which direction to take when two elders in Far North Queensland took him under their wing. He was hungry for knowledge and a beautiful, trusting relationship grew between the three men.  The old men poured their expertise into Victor, who captured it all on videotape. Today Victor teaches all around the country, using traditional methods on how to safely burn the landscape so plants, animals and people can flourish. Further information The Knowledge: Learning from ancestral wisdom to save our challenging global environment is published by Allen & Unwin. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.  This episode covers Indigenous elders, cultural knowledge, doubt, backburning, bushfires, fuel load, drip torch, cool burn, mosaic burn, everything is connected, sacred knowledge, climate change, native grasses, crocodile country, knowledge sharing, Indigenous knowledge systems, NAIDOC week, lost language, mentors, Indigenous rangers, Kuranda, camping, fishing. 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.

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Hosts & Guests

About

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.

Information

  • Channel
    Conversations
  • Creator
    ABC Australia
  • Years Active
    2005 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2.9k
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    Conversations

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