Afternoons

Time for the A-Z of Aotearoa, this is our series working the way through the alphabet and putting the spotlight on people, places and things that make New Zealand, New Zealand. We've come to X and what else could we do for 'X' but 'Xena: Warrior Princess'? The fantasy series premiered in 1995 and quickly became one of the biggest fantasy series of its era. The character of Xena was only ever meant to appear in a three-episode story arc in 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' but the character proved so popular with fans that producers created a spin-off with Lucy Lawless in the lead. It's now been 25 years since the show left our screens but it continues to enjoy a cult following around the world. The show was filmed entirely in New Zealand, the films production team built world-class infrastructure and post production facilities and gave many kiwi actors and production crew their break into film and TV Executive producer and co-creator of Xena Rob Tapert chats to Jesse and he's also joined by the hosts of the 'Xena: Warrior Nutballs' podcast Lou and Shell.

Actor Thomasin McKenzie first grabbed our attention in the 2018 film 'Leave No Trace' before hitting the big time with Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit'. Since then she's starred in a long list of critically acclaimed films and TV shows .. next on the agenda, Thomasin will portray Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn in the highly anticipated movie 'Dinner With Audrey'. She chats to Jesse.

New technology being developed in Christchurch means the city is being recognised as a global leader in diabetes research. Here in New Zealand, more than 350,000 people live with diabetes. Professor Martin de Bock from the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Otago in Christchurch recently delivered a lecture on all the exciting innovations. He chats to Jesse.

New rules will soon mean that if a children's toy meets US or EU safety standards, it will be deemed compliant in New Zealand. The Government says it's a common-sense move that will ease costs for toy importers and bring New Zealand up to date with modern safety standards. It also notes it would not reduce the safety of toys sold in New Zealand. But not everyone is convinced. Hamilton mum Jessica Jordan joins Jesse to share her worries that cheap imports could put children at risk.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.

New Zealand writer and director Andrew Niccol is turning his attention to facial recognition for his next film I, Object. We caught up with him to discuss the film amongst other things!

Wednesdays here on Afternoons means Easy Eats - that's when Kelly Gibney shares a recipe that is light on time and heavy on flavour, this week she's sharing her recipe for Turkish red lentil soup.

Each week we like to take you on an adventure ... all without leaving the comfort of your home .. we call it Heading Off and today we're off to Uluru ... also known as Ayers Rock. If you have a holiday story you'd like to share - send us a text on2101 or email [email protected] - we love to learn about your travel tales .. whether remote or local. Lynne King joins Jesse.

Now usually at around 1:45 pm on a Wednesday we talk to Claire Concannon host of RNZ Podcast Our Changing World about what she's discovered in the world of science. This week Our Changing World is looking at another podcast called 77 Degrees South and rather than chat to Claire about that, we thought we'd go straight to the source. Journalist Maia Ingoe has written and produced 77 Degrees South. A podcast which follows a team of eight young people through their month-long journey to the Ross Sea, Antarctica and inside the historic huts of legendary explorers Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. 77 Degrees South was written and produced by journalist Maia Ingoe, recording, technical and music production by audio engineer Calum Turner, narrated by Jake Bailey. Maia chats to Jesse.

It's one of the world's most recognisable icons - used across languages, writing systems, and cultures. The single right-pointing triangle has become synonymous with the play function ... inherently suggesting the start of something. But how did it become the sign for play? Dr Jason Kennedy is a senior lecturer in the department of Animation, Visual Effects & Game Design at Auckland University of Technology and he's been looking into the history of other universal media symbols. He joins Jesse in the studio.