Paddy Gower’s TFN - The F#$%ing News

Robyn Malcolm is furious over Pike River inaction, and the lack of accountability. She hopes her new movie, Pike River, can help bring justice for the Pike River families.

Melanie Lynskey talks about being from New Plymouth, being a regular Kiwi mum in Hollywood, and her hopes that her new movie - Pike River - can help bring justice for the Pike River families.

Dr Iona Weir is the brains behind Myregyna - a natural, non-hormonal ‘female Viagra’. This groundbreaking Kiwi innovation is set to transform sex and health for post-menopausal women worldwide. Plus: Told he’d lose basic mobility without urgent surgery, Blair Waldrom speaks to Paddy Gower about the brutal costs, the system’s failings, and why he’s been forced to seek treatment in Australia.

This week, we meet cousins Sophia Malthus - a wheelchair user since a riding accident - and Indy Henman, two incredible Kiwis sharing their life, laughter and challenges in a powerful new RNZ docuseries. They introduce us to the confronting world of devotism - where some people are sexually attracted to disability itself. Then: meet Cam Reid, aka Divorced Dad 83. Love technician, unlikely online s...

Paddy chats to Kiwi cycling sensation Laurence Pithie, the only New Zealander riding in this year’s Tour de France. From brutal crashes to bottle runs and team tactics, Laurence shares what it’s really like inside the world’s most gruelling race - and how he’s chasing a childhood dream. Also, meet “Leonardo da Pinchy” - the North Shore cat who’s stolen more than 150 items of clothing (yes, mostly...

Paddy meets Gemma Cale, whose nickname is "baby magnet". Gemma works as a call-taker at Hato Hone St John, dispatching ambulances to deliver urgent assistance. But sometimes she ends up delivering - talking parents through births when the ambulance just won't make it before baby. And Sir Ian Taylor beams in to address the furore caused by his "Dear Jacinda" letter, doubling down on his criticism o...

As a prime time TV host, he looked like he was living the dream. But Matt Chisholm's relationship with booze, drugs and sex workers meant there were times he didn't even want to be alive. Matt tells Paddy he's got no qualms talking to his kids about his past but says that openness will probably thwart any political ambitions! Plus, the 12-year-old chess prodigy hoping a trip to Kazakhstan is the n...

Paddy meets stars of the Auckland City team who made international headlines at the FIFA Club World Cup, investigates the “ridiculous” delays in Pharmac funding a groundbreaking new treatment and explains why he wants more billionaires.

It's a big week for Paddy as he chats to a key figure from his childhood. As host of After School, Olly Ohlson was a positive influence on a generation, not least for his groundbreaking use of te reo Māori and sign language on national TV. Paddy gets right up to date by meeting Gangstaa Boom and Jadee Poppop. The couple are blowing up on TikTok thanks to videos of them dancing in the streets of so...

WARNING: This week's episode mentions mental health and suicide. If you, or anyone you know, needs help, call or text the free 1737 service, 24 hours a day. Hey everyone. Big news! We've tweaked the Paddy podcast formula, to bring you more of his thoughts on the stories he covers. And this week - with the Government announcing a suicide prevention action plan and the use of magic mushrooms as medi...

Daniel Rankin has become a global sensation. Often wearing little more than an apron, and accompanied by faithful pug Fraser, his saucy, spicy and, yes, super-craveable Man Can Cook videos are attracting huge audiences on social media. He turns up the heat in the TFN studio. Plus, Paddy remembers Nyree Smith, one of the most positive Kiwis he’s ever met. And there’s another chance to listen to an...

Cameron Suafoa shares an emotional update from his hospital bed as he battles a rare form of cancer. The Blues forward opens up about facing a life-threatening illness as a professional athlete, the strength he draws from his whānau, and why he’s urging young men to get any unusual lumps checked early.

Fresh from being recognised in the King's Birthday Honours, Jude Dobson talks becoming a household name and why she cares so much about Kiwi history. 13-year-old Amelia Twiss explains why she'll cycle more than 500km to campaign for change after not getting a medal in a mountainbiking event. And Paddy argues that a new private pub in Parliament is a perk too 'bar' for our MPs.

Flynn Chisholm, AKA Fizzy Sends, is one of the best Death Divers in the world. He offers an incredible insight into this most extreme of sports - and explains exactly how he feels before a giant jump. Great Kiwi Dick Frizzell pops in to relive the moment he created one of his most famous works. And Paddy crowns Christchurch our best city.

Mental health advocate Jazz Thornton has delivered a blunt message to the Prime Minister: "Christopher Luxon, if you go ahead with this ban, you will once again be putting some of our most vulnerable rangatahi in our country at risk." Plus, Taupō finally has something more interesting than its toilets. Meet Boom Boom the dinosaur!

Hamish McKay is an iconic Kiwi sports presenter who kept us up to date on Three News for a decade. Since he left our screens nearly ten years ago, something has happened to Hamish that almost cost him his life. He reveals what occurred - and the drastic change he made as a result. Last weekend, Paddy headed down south and cycled from Queenstown to Invercargill - all to raise money for our rescue c...

Broadcasting legend Hamish McKay tells Paddy about the shocking image behind his decision to lose a life-saving 50kg. The former 3News sports presenter ballooned to 135kg before getting bariatric surgery in the public system to lose the weight.

Paddy sits down with entrepreneur and systems thinker Derek Handley to uncover why so many New Zealanders have lost hope in homeownership - and why they shouldn’t. Doctors said she’d never walk again after a motocross accident. Casey Brady said, “Watch me.” Hers is a remarkable story of resilience, recovery, and how hope - backed by action - is transforming her future. Hear her message for every K...

How good is David Seymour’s call to cut what he describes as a bloated number of MPs pocketing easy money as highly paid ministers? So good. There is so much waste at the top of government, and it's an insult to ordinary, hard-working Kiwis.

Launched today, B4-16 is a group of parents, experts and business leaders who want a ban on social media for under-16s. Mum and entrepreneur Cecilia Robinson tells Paddy why the ban is vital - and delivers a blunt message to social media bosses like Meta's Mark Zuckerberg.

When Paddy's friend and colleague Kanoa Lloyd lost her job fronting The Project on TV3, one thing she didn’t miss was the regular online abuse. She reflects on that frightening period in her life - and how realising she was a ‘mushroom’ led her down a new career path. This week’s Brainy Kiwi has been on Paddy's radar since last year, when the AI-powered ‘Pill Bot’ device he invented won the 2024 S...

Tory Whanau should be saluted for putting Wellington first and saving a no-doubt divisive and energy-sapping scrap for the mayoral race with Andrew Little.

With the harmful impacts of social media on our young people increasingly well-documented (and brutally illustrated in shows like Adolescence), Paddy meets two teens before, during and after 21 days of total smartphone deprivation. Will they survive? Twelve New Zealanders are walking around with a potentially life-saving chip implanted in their brains. These 'Cyborg Kiwis' are testing a homegrown...

The Prime Minister’s wife has offered one of the best takes on the polarisation of politics that Paddy Gower has ever heard, revealing her to be incredibly down-to-earth, grounded, principled, and thoughtful.

He redefined British comedy with iconic TV shows like Blackadder and The Young Ones, has published 16 best-selling novels, and written smash-hit films and musicals. Now, Ben Elton is in New Zealand for a nationwide stand-up tour, and sat down for a chat with Paddy. The Pork Pie Charity Run isn’t just bringing noise and laughter to those taking part - it’s also just raised half a million dollars fo...