Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Andrew Upton is an accomplished storyteller, theatre-maker, director, producer, and writer for stage and screen, who has adapted and directed works by Chekov, Ibsen, Molière and more.

He also spent 8 years as Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company, 5 of those he shared as co-artistic director with his wife Cate Blanchett.

But after a life in theatre, Andrew has stepped into new territory, with the release of his debut novel, Krank Fuss.

The book is framed as a letter from a German WWI veteran to his daughter in Nazi Germany, about a chicken with a deformed foot who is ostracised from her brood who learns that even though she has no say over the conditions of her life, her decisions still matter.

Andrew now lives in the English countryside with Cate and their 4 children and chickens. Guest: Andrew Upton, author of Krank Fuss

In ongoing Sunday Extra puppet news, the largest ever exhibition of the Jim Henson Company's works will be opening at the Queensland Art Gallery in September.

Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of the Jim Henson Company will be the first to cover 70 years of the company's history.

The exhibition also celebrates 50 years of The Muppets, and the 40th anniversary of Jim Henson's film Labyrinth.

Guest: Amanda Slack-Smith, Curatorial manager of the Australian Cinémathèque — Queensland Art Gallery, and curator of Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of the Jim Henson Company.

Voyager frontman and Eurovision alumnus Danny Estrin has another great love: cars. 

He hosts the new SBS documentary series, Precious Metal, exploring the people who love their cars and the stories behind them - including his own unusual Soviet-era ZAZ. 

Guest: Danny Estrin, host of Precious Metal and frontman of Voyager. 

In this year's Rex Cramphorn Memorial Lecture, Murrawarri theatre-maker and Moogahlin Performing Arts Artistic Director Lily Shearer reflects on the power of land-based performance and the central role of Country in First Peoples storytelling. She discusses how Moogahlin embeds Country into the commissioning, writing and staging of its work, and why place, belonging and cultural continuity remain at the heart of her artistic practice.

Guest: Lily Shearer, Co-Founder & Artistic Director of Moogahlin Performing Arts

As AI begins to transform how decisions are made, democracy expert Beth Noveck asks whether we can use AI to make institutions more responsive, deepen citizen participation, and strengthen democracy at a time when confidence in public institutions is under strain.

Guest: Professor Beth Noveck, director of The Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University and author of Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy

Japan's Defence Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi made a visit to Canberra on August 18 to discuss enhancing Australia's defence relationship with Japan with his counterpart, Richard Marles.

One measure discussed is a potential arrangement for Japan to test hyperson missiles and "advanced weapons and emerging technologies in Australia". 

There was no direct mention of China but the ministerial statement issued afterwards reads that the paid "reiterated our serious concerns about the situations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea."

But will Australia-Japan collaboration imporvoe security in our region?

Guest: Dr Donna Weeks, Emeritus Professor at Musashino University, Tokyo.

This week saw major shifts in Syria's economic and security situation, which have combined to relieve some of the constraints on the government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.

On the security front, a key Kurdish independent fighting force, the SDF, announced its decision to dissolve and merge with the Syrian national army.

And earlier in the week, the US removed Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, where it had been since 1979, and which has been a barrier to investment.

How will the new government capitalise on this improved situation, and are there lingering concerns in the country at the pace of change?

Guest: Heidi Pett, Damascus-based correspondent for Al Jazeera

Arantza Garcia Ferrand reads her poem Dentist Appointment,  commissioned by Red Room Poetry for Poetry Month and discusses the difference between the written and spoken word as a poet

Guest: Arantza Garcia Ferrand, Red Room Poetry Youth Ambassador and winner of 2025 Australian Slam Championship

To describe someone as 'colourful' can sometimes be a euphemistic way of implying some kind of shady activity.

But when it comes to Bharat Sundaresen it is a literal description of his wonderfully technicolour outfits and outlandish nail art.

Bharat grew up in Mumbai, India a cricket-obsessed kid, but always felt like an outsider in the conservative and hierarchical society.

The sense of not belonging led to drug use in his late teens, which quickly spiralled into addiction and led to a near-fatal overdose.

Bharat bounced back from rock-bottom eventually finding his way into the commentary box at international cricket matches and a move to Australia where he became a citizen in 2025.

A South Australian indie video game company called Powerbomb Games released a new video game last week, which celebrates the “strangeness” of AFL. Pro Jank Footy is a Street Fighter-style game depicting an AFL match, with commentary by Aunty Donna comedian Broden Kelly, and the more goals that are kicked, the more absurd and chaotic the gameplay gets. David Ashby is one of the creators of Pro Jank Footy, and he describes the game as “a love letter to Aussie Rules Footy and our absurd culture.” 

Guest: David Ashby, co-creator of Pro Jank Footy.