Tall Tales & True

By ABC listen

What's Tall Tales & True about?

Tall Tales & True brings together the very best of live storytelling from across Australia. Courageous storytellers front up to the microphone to bare their soul and share their life-changing moments in front of a live audience. Captivating, jaw-dropping and thought provoking, these pure Australian stories will make you laugh, cry or gasp, or maybe all three at once.

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Tall Tales & True episodes:

12.06.2022
Mahmood Fazal — 'When death comes you wake up'
Before Mahmood Fazal was a writer and journalist, he was part of an outlaw motorcycle club, abusing drugs and running wild. He saw plenty of destruction and death, but when his best mate was killed everything changed. Mahmood shared this...
12.06.2022
Jen Cloher — John
Adelaide in the 1980s was not the easiest place for a kid to figure out their gender. Jen Cloher's stint as "John" the Galaga-playing champ at the local takeaway was short-lived and ended ingloriously. Jen first told this story for...
12.06.2022
Cadance Bell — Small talk
Three years before she transitioned genders, Cadance was a fat, depressed guy buying weed from bikie gangs and nursing a near-killer blood clot. Then came a surprising chat in the most unlikely place. Cadance first told this story for the...
12.06.2022
Rebecca Day – The good, the dad, and the angsty
Growing up can be pretty hard work and there's not a lot of room to think about anyone else, especially your parents. Rebecca Day has some fond memories from her days as an angsty, rebellious teen, but she does regret...
12.06.2022
Jordan Shea — Lola
When your community has lost the plot and is driven to riot after racist goading by powerful voices, who can you turn to for warmth and safety? Jordan Shea reflects on his bond with his Grandmother – his 'Lola' –...
11.29.2022
INTRODUCING – Tall Tales & True Season 13 | Rebellion
From a rebelling teen who lands her dad in a world of hot water, to a kid named Jennifer, with a secret identity, this season host and curator Mahmood Fazal brings you five frank, funny and fearless stories of rebellion....
09.06.2022
Leah Potter – Surviving the dungeon
When Leah Potter was at uni, her topless-barmaid girlfriend asked her to join her for a private gig. All she had to do was wear a corset and g-string and whip a few blokes. So began her career as a...
09.06.2022
Gala Vanting – Stumbling through step-motherhood
Gala Vanting is a sex worker. But that's not something she can tell her stepdaughter. This story is a touching collection of moments as Gala navigates her role as stepmother in her blended family. This story was first told as...
09.06.2022
Chantell Martin – Becoming herself
As a trans woman in a small town 30 years ago, Chantell Martin saw the desperation to be "genetically born female" lead others to self-harm, even suicide. So, she made a choice to be proud to be trans. That choice...
09.06.2022
Jane Whatshername – The Raid
What risks do sex workers face when their profession is criminalised? And what measures do they take to avoid being busted? "Jane Whatshername" tells a story about working in a South Australian brothel and what happened when the police inevitably...
09.06.2022
Formerly Betty – Finding a name
When you're new to sex work there's a lot to learn and there are choices to make. What will your boundaries be, and will you be prepared to cross them? And what name will you use? This storyteller chose the...
09.06.2022
Pris – A first time for everything
Pris tells the story of the first time a low-key celebrity hired her and her friend for a threesome. It was also the first time a job went horribly – but hilariously – wrong for Pris.  This story was first published...
09.06.2022
Tilly Lawless – Four bookings and a breakup
Have you ever had to work closely with an ex? Sex worker Tilly Lawless has and it's one of the four bookings she reflects on in this story about processing her personal life through her work. Tilly first told this...
08.31.2022
INTRODUCING – Tall Tales & True Season 12 | Sex Workers
This season, sex worker and author Tilly Lawless (Nothing But My Body) brings you seven stories from sex workers across Australia. You'll hear stories about the job, stories about life, and stories about a community that looks out for its own...
05.02.2022
INTRODUCING — Return Ticket
Pack your bags! Come with us on a journey of the mind…to destinations both near and far-flung, the familiar and the unexpected… in search of what the tourist never sees. An armchair travel show that scratches the surface of the...
04.11.2022
Bobuq Sayed – Stranded in Paradise
No one cares about your perfect holiday. When things go wrong, that's when the stories get interesting. Bobuq Sayed found themselves stranded, and alone with nowhere to stay on an island in Hawaii. What could have ended badly turned into...
04.11.2022
Angie Farrugia – Always be kind
Sometimes, it's the small off-the-cuff comment that can have a lasting impact. For Angie Farrugia, this moment has happened twice. And both times, these choice few words have changed the course of her life. This story was first told live...
04.11.2022
Amy Chittick – For the love of footy
Footy clubs aren't just about the game, they're community too. And, for Amy Chittick, when a shock accident left her needing support, her footy club were there through her darkest days. This story was first aired on SPUN Stories, a...
04.11.2022
James Parfitt-Fejo – The night Tracey came to town
Cyclone Tracey changed Darwin forever. Generations have heard about what happened from an adult's perspective, but what was it like for a four-year-old waiting for Santa? Jame Parfitt-Fejo recounts his family's experience of Cyclone Tracey, and how Australians rose up...
04.11.2022
Cobey Bartels – The cure to loneliness: motorcycles
Moving to a new city is hard. Making new friends, in a new city, as a lonely adult can be terrifying. Cobey Bartels tells the story of how motorcycles have saved him from loneliness more than once. This story was...
04.04.2022
INTRODUCING – Tall Tales & True Season 11 | Community
We're back, with the best of live storytelling from around Australia. This season — hosted by journalist and mental health advocate Cobey Bartels — is a celebration of community. Whether it's at home where you grew, or somewhere new; communities...
03.08.2022
PRESENTS — Dig: The Ring In
The Fine Cotton Ring In was one of the biggest scandals in Australian horseracing history. A plan to swap a slow horse with a much faster look-alike involved a motley crew of small-time crooks, a couple of horses and a...
09.29.2021
Ally and Stevie - My favourite ex
Most people aren’t friends with their ex, but Ally Garrett and Stevie Wilder are the exception. Where many relationships crumble and reach the point of no return, Ally and Stevie’s has lived to tell the tale. From young love, to overseas moves, and a gender...
09.29.2021
Jackson Browne - Big weather calling
Landing your dream job is never easy, especially when life keeps blowing you off course. Every time Jackson Browne seemed to be on the right track, life and death would get in the way. Many other people would have given up, but...
09.29.2021
Gladys Docking – Getting back on the horse
Gladys got the call from the police that every parent dreads: her daughter Quita had been badly injured. Doctors said that she would never recover from her catastrophic brain injury. But what happened next surprised everyone.
09.29.2021
Paul Kidd - Getting laid at my boyfriend's funeral
Hooking up at weddings? We've all heard stories. Hooking up at a funeral? Not so much. At the height of another pandemic, Paul Kidd lost his boyfriend Darren. Paul tells the remarkable story of their relationship, from meeting on an overnight train, to going...
09.29.2021
Deena Lynch - Size doesn't matter, right?
Musician and activist Deena Lynch, aka Jaguar Jonze, gets knocked down literally and figuratively on her motorcycle all the time. She gets back up every time. Deena shares her experiences of hits and runs, and offensive assumptions about her while she’s on her...
09.26.2021
INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 10: Resilience
Tough times never last, but tough people do. This is the best of Australian live storytelling. True stories, from all around the country. This season we’re showcasing resilience. Aussies from all different walks of life share how they got knocked down, both...
07.27.2021
PRESENTS — Days Like These
From the heartbreaking to the hilarious, each episode of Days Like These introduces you to one regular human as they live through something wild. This season, we follow two men, facing off in the Tasmanian wilderness, there’s a shark-hunt through...
12.25.2020
Amal Awad – Doorknock Dating
Growing up as a Muslim in Australia, author Amal Awad had some excruciating dating experiences, most with her parents inviting prospective partners and their parents into the living room for awkward chats. Meanwhile, her dreams of hooking up with a...
12.25.2020
Charlie and Emma King — Live Like a King
Veteran Northern Territory broadcaster Charlie King is the son of two people from very different worlds and a consummate storyteller. After arriving in Darwin by bicycle, Charlie's 19-year-old father, from a well-to-do Victorian family, became ill and ended up in...
12.25.2020
Juanita Phillips — Ghost Story
Midnight footsteps on a central staircase and a misplaced baby. New South Wales ABC TV newsreader Juanita Phillips was someone who didn't believe in ghosts or haunted houses... until she lived in one. A seriously rattled mother-in-law finally sparked a...
12.25.2020
Dave Pears — Relying on Strangers
Working on a boat off an island in the West Australian Kimberley region, Dave Pears learns a lesson about relying on the care of strangers. Stung by a blue-ringed octopus while making his way to the toilet, he manages to...
12.25.2020
Sarah Macdonald — Taliban Money Tin
The last day of the school term can be exhausting for parents, kids and teachers alike. For ABC broadcaster Sarah Macdonald, the last day of school was particularly memorable. It started with her leaving a tin full of Afghan money...
12.18.2020
INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 9 | Strangers
The best of Australian storytelling... true stories, told live, from the mountains to the sea, across the desert and right around Australia. This season we're talking about strangers and how planned or unexpected encounters can turn our lives upside down....
08.12.2020
Jessica Ferrari — Disguises
We all have ways of dealing with grief. As a child, Jessica Ferrari felt so responsible for others feeling sad about the death of her father that she decided to tell them she was "over it". Years later, she discovered...
08.12.2020
Charles Edwards — Dignity
Recovering from a particularly nasty skiing accident, Charles Edwards takes up a friend's offer to join her on a Pacific island holiday. Little does he know it will lead to naked sailing and letting go of his dignity while hobbling...
08.12.2020
Louise Newton-Keogh — I Love You
Hearing the words "I love you" from her mother when she was a child sent a chill of dread through Louise Newton-Keogh. They were a warning sign of trouble ahead ... that her mother, who suffered from bi-polar disorder, was...
08.12.2020
Kwong Yue Yang — My hero Jackie Chan
As a Chinese-Australian growing up in Canberra, Kwong Yue Yang felt anything but cool. A maths nerd with a bowl haircut, Kwong struck on a plan to become a cool kid. He'd track down Jackie Chan, his movie star idol,...
08.12.2020
Elyse Mcinerney — Off With The Fairy
When nine-year-old Elyse receives a thank you note from a fairy for building a miniature palace, it sparks a pen pal friendship that leads to schoolyard adoration and shared secrets. But then on holidays, the truth is revealed about her...
08.06.2020
INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 8: "Letting Go"
The best of Australian storytelling ... true stories, told live, from all around Australia. This season we're talking about the difficult task of "letting go", in all sorts of ways. Of grief, or the fear of hearing the words "I...
12.09.2019
Elliana Lawford — In my own skin
Elliana Lawford is a Wiradjuri and Anaiwan woman from NSW, but people think she’s white because she has pale skin. On her journey to self acceptance, Elliana finds a creative way to consolidate her identity and bury shame forever. This...
12.09.2019
Bilha Smith — Transformed
As a child in Palestine, Bilha Smith was shunned. She learned early on what it was like to look and feel different. Years later, when she looked more ‘normal’, she found that, inside, she still felt ‘different’. Bilha realised that...
12.09.2019
Sinead Bevan – I'm f*#%ing helpful
Can you ever be too helpful? Yes, you can ... Sinead Bevan has the story to prove it. Sinead agrees to be a beauty salon demonstration model for a new technique called 'sugaring'. It involves hot wax, sugar and a...
12.09.2019
Bali Padda — The Big Snip
Do you remember your first ever haircut? Bali Padda does, but not for the reasons you might expect. The actor and diversity advocate tells us about an unlikely life-changing experience involving scissors and a very big bunch of hair. This...
12.09.2019
Cassie Workman — Mermaid
We all experience our bodies differently. We have our favourite bits, our less favourite bits and, sometimes, the bits that don’t feel part of us. Cassie Workman, a multi award-winning comedian and storyteller, shares her story of realisation and the...
12.09.2019
INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 7
The best of Australian storytelling ... true stories, told live, from all around our Great Brown Land. This season we’re talking about skin - feeling comfortable, or not so comfortable, in your own skin. And the things we put on...
07.22.2019
Leah Purcell — mum’s greatest gift
Leah Purcell's purpose had always been to look after her mum. And while she had dreams of the big city and becoming an actor, being a Goa-Gunggari-Wakka Wakka Murri girl from the bush made that unlikely. Leah had a baby...
07.22.2019
Gus Fitzgerald – how to survive in open water
Gus Fitzgerald was just 10 when he was swept out to sea in rough and wild surf conditions. His father calmly followed, walking down the beach. Then Gus realised, his dad wasn't going to save him. It was up to...
07.22.2019
Tim Bishop — a road trip back to country
"I could grow old with you, you know, I could really grow old with you," Tim Bishop's partner said to him. This was in the early days of their relationship, and Tim knew he was in for something. His man...

What's Tall Tales & True about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Tall Tales & True episodes:

Mahmood Fazal — 'When death comes you wake up'

Jen Cloher — John

Cadance Bell — Small talk

Rebecca Day – The good, the dad, and the angsty

Jordan Shea — Lola

INTRODUCING – Tall Tales & True Season 13 | Rebellion

Leah Potter – Surviving the dungeon

Gala Vanting – Stumbling through step-motherhood

Chantell Martin – Becoming herself

Jane Whatshername – The Raid

Formerly Betty – Finding a name

Pris – A first time for everything

Tilly Lawless – Four bookings and a breakup

INTRODUCING – Tall Tales & True Season 12 | Sex Workers

INTRODUCING — Return Ticket

Bobuq Sayed – Stranded in Paradise

Angie Farrugia – Always be kind

Amy Chittick – For the love of footy

James Parfitt-Fejo – The night Tracey came to town

Cobey Bartels – The cure to loneliness: motorcycles

INTRODUCING – Tall Tales & True Season 11 | Community

PRESENTS — Dig: The Ring In

Ally and Stevie - My favourite ex

Jackson Browne - Big weather calling

Gladys Docking – Getting back on the horse

Paul Kidd - Getting laid at my boyfriend's funeral

Deena Lynch - Size doesn't matter, right?

INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 10: Resilience

PRESENTS — Days Like These

Amal Awad – Doorknock Dating

Charlie and Emma King — Live Like a King

Juanita Phillips — Ghost Story

Dave Pears — Relying on Strangers

Sarah Macdonald — Taliban Money Tin

INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 9 | Strangers

Jessica Ferrari — Disguises

Charles Edwards — Dignity

Louise Newton-Keogh — I Love You

Kwong Yue Yang — My hero Jackie Chan

Elyse Mcinerney — Off With The Fairy

INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 8: "Letting Go"

Elliana Lawford — In my own skin

Bilha Smith — Transformed

Sinead Bevan – I'm f*#%ing helpful

Bali Padda — The Big Snip

Cassie Workman — Mermaid

INTRODUCING — Tall Tales & True Series 7

Leah Purcell — mum’s greatest gift

Gus Fitzgerald – how to survive in open water

Tim Bishop — a road trip back to country