Tell You First

Singapore’s land reclamation story is not a smooth tale of engineering triumph. It began with failed seawalls, ten year delays and costs that multiplied sixfold, before evolving into a strategy that has reshaped the landscape. In this episode,  we trace how Singapore has spent the past two centuries pushing the coastline outwards, and why the same methods are now hampered by rising cost...

At the mouth of the Singapore River once stood a massive inscribed stone that may have been the oldest written record ever found here. No one could decipher its inscriptions, but its historical significance was never in doubt. This episode tells the baffling story of how the colonial British administration blew up the fabled Singapore Stone in 1843 to make way for a fort. We cover how that single...

There was a moment when YouTube felt like the most exciting place in Singapore. YouTube channels creating slapstick listicles became media conglomerates overnight, cross-genre collaborations were everywhere, and videos on the Trending tab were the talk of the town.   So why did this ecosystem crash and burn as quickly as it came to prominence? In this episode, OG YouTuber Noah Yap joins us to...

On a quiet Tuesday night in 1991, the routine Singapore Airlines shuttle flight SQ117 from Kuala Lumpur to Changi Airport turned into a nine-hour hostage nightmare. As hijackers flung crew out of the plane, issued ultimatums and set fires in the cockpit, authorities in Singapore made a call that would cement its place in counterterrorism operations history. In this thrilling episode, we walk throu...

Orchard Towers opened in the 1970s with food competitions judged by Lee Kuan Yew’s mother and dreams of clean modern retail. Over time, bars, massage parlours, and underground economies moved in. We explore how this transformation happened, the crimes that cemented its reputation, and why its past refuses to disappear even as the building has rebranded.   Tell You First is an original p...

Yellow boots, a giant mole, and broken English. Phua Chu Kang has cemented his place as a household name across Singapore, JB, and some say Batam. But the story behind how the sitcom came to be is far less known. From rehearsing in storerooms with no sponsors, to sweeping major Asian television awards and becoming a regional phenomenon, Gurmit Singh joins us to unpack how Phua Chu Kang was created...

In the 1980s, Singapore was openly labelled the world’s leading producer of pirated tapes, exporting millions of counterfeit cassettes across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In this episode, we trace how piracy became a full-blown industry with factories, retail shops, and global supply chains, and how Singapore shed its past to become global intellectual property hub.   Tell You Fir...

That reinforced room within your HDB flat is not just for luggage and old fans. It’s a blast resistant capsule meant to keep you alive through bomb shocks, debris and even chemical attacks. From British era tunnels to modern HDB shelters stacked like a concrete spine through every block, we explore how Singapore turned everyday homes and MRT stations into a nationwide survival system.  ...

Surrounded by modern estates and valued at over a hundred million dollars on paper, residents here still pay rent in the tens of dollars and leave their doors open to neighbours. Behind it all stands one woman and her resistance to commercialisation. This episode explores why Kampong Lorong Buangkok still exists, how the kampong spirit endures, and why some residents refuse to trade for a flat. &n...

Singapore has never banned alcohol outright, but after the Little India riot it built a maze of rules that changed Singapore’s drinking culture and stopped people from buying rum raisin ice cream after 1030pm. We explore the incident that sparked the law, the backlash from businesses and residents, the absurd enforcement stories, and whether the crackdown actually fixed the problem or simply...

Long before Chinatown became known for its historic temples and colourful shophouses, its streets were controlled by secret societies fighting over turf, vice money, and influence. What began as migrant aid networks slowly morphed into violent gangs, stretching their reach from Chinatown’s back alleys to European drug routes. In this episode, we explore how Singapore’s underworld grew...

What began as a celebrity Muay Thai match featuring Steven Lim spiralled into one of Singapore’s darkest sporting moments when bodybuilder Pradip Subramanian collapsed after stepping in as a last minute replacement. Together with Julian Wong from Rice Media, author of Steven Lim: One Last Shot at Fame, we uncover the rushed decisions, the missing safeguards and the tragic chain of...

Before Katong had cafes and condos, it had a cattle baron who built a seaside palace complete with a tower, fountains and a private football field. Step inside the strangest building in Katong and discover how a teenage money changer became Singapore’s Cattle King, and the scandals that turned his mansion into a site of glamour and crime.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced...

Few know that Christmas Island was once run from Singapore, complete with Singaporean schools, homes, and food. But in 1958, a $20 million deal was struck with Australia to transfer ownership of the island. In this episode, we tell the story of the island’s colonial tug-of-war, the politics behind its “sale,” and why visiting today feels like stepping into a 1960s version of home...

Did you know Singapore’s most famous creature wasn’t born from myth, but a government-led marketing effort? Over the years, it’s been loved, mocked, and endlessly reimagined, but it remains as one of Singapore’s national icons. In this episode, we uncover the story behind the creature that was engineered to sell Singapore and accidentally became its soul. Tell You First is...

A packet of tissues on a table means one thing in Singapore: it’s reserved. But how did this strange system of trust and order evolve in a city obsessed with efficiency? We explore how “chope culture” has stirred debates about kindness and convenience… and even becoming avant-garde artwork in Paris?? Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry...

In a quiet corner of Toa Payoh lies a dragon that has seen presidents, queens and generations of children. Once a symbol of modern design and national pride, it now guards memories of sand-filled adventures and scraped knees. We awaken the legend of how this mosaic creature came to define an era of Singaporean imagination and what its survival says about our nation’s playfulness. Tell You Fi...

From banning Playboy and pinball to cutting the hair of foreign pop stars, Singapore once waged a full-blown crusade on what it called “yellow culture.” This episode dives into the secret morality purge that started with tabloid scandals in the 1950s and spiralled into raids, bans, and a nationwide obsession with purity and control.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced...

Legally recognised under British colonial rule, polygamy was rife in the early days of Singapore. Many men chose not to register their marriages, using this loophole to avoid financial or legal responsibility. In this episode, we discover how Singapore’s first generation of women activists set out to rewrite the law, and improve the rights of women in Singapore.   Tell You First is an o...

It started in April 2004 with a newspaper article about a bathroom tap. By the time it ended, the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) CEO was in jail, its board resigned, and the majority of Singaporeans had cancelled their donations to NKF. In this episode we break down the scandal that stunned Singapore.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funn...

Originally Singapore’s first coal-fired power station, St James has been many things, a warehouse, a nightclub, and now Dyson’s global headquarters. We follow its 100-year journey from fuelling the island’s first lights to powering late-night discos and high-tech innovation, and how it became a symbol of Singapore’s evolution from industrial grit to modern cool.   Tell...

For a few dollars, you could rent a bed beside coffins and wait for death. This was life on Sago Lane, once known as the “street of the dead.” In this episode, we trace the dark history of these death houses, from their origins in 19th-century Chinatown to their eventual ban in 1961, and ask what they tell us about Singapore’s changing relationship with death.   Tell You Fir...

Many know Haw Par Villa for its surreal statues portraying themes from Chinese folklore, or maybe even its water splash ride taking visitors through the 10 Courts of Hell. But few know the loss and misfortune that the park and its Hong Kong counterpart share. In this episode, we take you beyond the spectacle to the story of the Aw brothers, the Tiger Balm magnates whose family tragedies and busine...

Singapore has more than a hundred mapped haunted sites, a best-selling ghost book series, and a ghost festival that turns entire streets into altars. But our spirits are more than superstition. In this episode, we explore how Singapore’s ghost stories carry hidden histories of migration, trauma, and maybe even love?   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Minis...

At over 200 acres, Bukit Brown was once the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, home to the graves of more than 100,000 people including pioneers like Ong Sam Leong, Chew Boon Lay and the ancestors of Lee Kuan Yew. When plans for an eight-lane highway threatened to cut through it, activists and historians rallied to defend a site rich in heritage and biodiversity. Together with Munah Baghar...