The Drawing Room

Humans and horses have shared a special connection for thousands of years. More recently, their calming nature has been shown to be beneficial for our mental health.Scott Brodie knows this well working to rehabilitate both ex-servicemen and servicewomen and ex-racehorses. His program is the focus of the new documentary The Healing, directed by Nick Barkla.

If you’ve been to a concert in the past 20 years and bought a T-shirt then chances are it was Brian Taranto’s (BT) business that you bought it off.

As a one-man band, BT’s company, Love Police, also organises tours - in fact, he’s been involved behind the scenes with many of the artists who have appeared in our very own Studio 240.

Guest:Brian Taranto

When it comes to humour do you prefer the simplicity of slapstick … Mister Bean fiddling with the reclining chair at his dentist.

Or the biting political satire of The Thick of It that perfectly skewers the business of politics?

Or maybe it's following the ludicrous escapades of Edina and Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous.

Whatever you prefer there's a British comedy for everyone. The new book Different Times chronicles the history of the television genre. 

Guest:David Stubbs, author

Mention Ben Folds to most people and they might know ‘Rocking The Suburbs’ or maybe ‘Brick’.

But mention Ben Folds to a true music nerd and they’ll tell you about the acoustic version of Emaline and how it was one of the first songs he was proud of writing … or the fact that the gentle love song The Luckiest was originally written for a scene in the teen movie ‘Loser’ which incredibly ended up being cut.

Whatever you do know about Ben Folds, I can guarantee there is always more to find out. The new documentary directed by Scott Hicks is 'MY NAME'S BEN FOLDS I play piano'

Guest:Ben Folds, Musician

In early 70’s Australia, Gough Whitlam was elected riding a wave of protest and demands for change.

We withdrew from Vietnam … removed The White Australia policy … Germaine Greer published The Female Eunuch.

We were grappling with our sense of identity and needed something to unify us and represent our diverse cultural and national identity.

We found it in The Opera House. It turns 50 today. 

From the sea to the spinifex, the Northern Territory is a kaleidoscope of colour. The weather isn’t just experienced- it is lived. The heat and humidity can be oppressive… stifling… maddening... a place described as a law unto itself. 

12 years ago, in Katherine, a murder was committed. The motive was clear and so was the method but was Zak Grieve also there, or did he pull out? Either way, the Northern Territory Mandatory Sentencing laws meant that Zak was locked up with a life sentence.

Award-winning journalist Dan Box examines the case and his own response to it, in his new book The Man Who Wasn’t There.

There’s nothing like history and science to remind us just how precarious our existence on this rotating rock we like to call home, really is. 

There were many points in human history where things were touch-and-go for humanity, yet here we are, and this time we’re facing another challenge… this time, of our own creation.

Climatologist and author Michael E. Mann's new book Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis aims to dispel the narrative of despair, by reminding you that humans have survived changes to our climate before and we can do it again.

Humans really do have a bizarre relationship with food. We’re obsessed with talking about food, cooking food, buying food, and eating food.

Some love watching people eat spectacular amounts of food in record time and yes, some like competing in these feats. Why?

Is it a symbol of modern gluttony or is it a sport that requires endurance and training just like any other?

Guest:James Webb, Competitive Eater

Sinéad O’Connor, James Joyce, U2, Oscar Wilde … even Derry Girls 

For such a small population Ireland has provided some real heavy hitters, culturally speaking… 

Some of these could be written off as just pop culture but writer and podcaster Caroline O’Donoghue wants people to embrace the popular, and not just from Ireland.

Her hugely successful podcast Sentimental Garbage takes a deep dive into themes and references from across the pop cultural landscape to find out why they mean so much to us. 

Her latest book The Rachel Incident is set in 2009… a time ripe for these sorts of cultural references.