Some stories are best told first-hand by those at the centre of the action. 

It's how the ABC's Australian Story has brought us so many compelling personal narratives and it's a format that's captivated the program's host Leigh Sales.

So which episodes stick in her mind? There's a dramatic rescue on the Franklin River, the widows who found love again, Jelena Dokic's family anguish and the adventures of missing sausage dog, Valerie. 

This week, Sam Hawley is joined by ABC presenters and journalists to discuss their best stories and interviews from 2025.

Today, Leigh Sales on the tales she can't forget.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this conversation included a reference to a past episode of Australian Story about football coach Wayne Bennett and his son’s disability. In the 2018 Australian Story episode Trish Bennett says her son Justin suffered brain damage after a triple-antigen vaccine caused seizures.