Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

"Fuelled by popular culture and history’s long shadow, Derry~Londonderry is enjoying its moment in the sun. The Walled City in Northern Ireland has stamped its mark on the tourist map, appealing to a broad band of visitors. On my recent swing through the island of Ireland, Derry~Londonderry certainly didn’t fail to impress, serving up a heady cocktail of colour, culture, and the echoes of extreme...

Most Kiwis will be taking time off over the summer, and while most of us are probably looking forward to relaxing before next year kicks back in, some will be looking for things to do.  If you’re searching for ideas, Kate Hall has a few ideas for sustainable activities you can do over the summer break.  Waste audit  Go through one week's worth of rubbish and see what the main culpri...

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 13 December 2025, comedian Alan Davies joins Jack to discuss his return to the stand-up stage for the first time in a decade.  Jack weighs up who should take responsibility for children under 16 on social media .  Kevin Milne considers the use of AI when writing personal messages.   Nici Wickes goes savoury with a...

Yes, I realise it won’t be summer for another week or so, but the following observations are just a few Gardeners’ Tips to muck around with:  Ancistrocerus gazella is an introduced “potters wasp” from Europe. It got here decades ago and is a really cute predatory wasp that does some great things in your quarter acre paradise. This little wasplet makes nice nests inside hollow tubes and then i...

Summer is fun however it’s good to remember how to stay safe when it comes to things like sun, food, insects, and alcohol. Here’s what to watch out for and how to stay safe over the holidays.   The number one thing to think about the sun – it makes us feel good but can cause harm!   Sunburn sets us up for skin cancer. Be especially careful with children!   Use SPF 30+ sunscreen, rea...

Disney characters are coming to Sora   The three-year partnership with OpenAI will bring Disney’s iconic characters to the company’s Sora AI video generator. But no voices will come with them, and only animated characters will be included, like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and Simba.  A key part of this deal: Disney is also making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI. And the user-gener...

The Abandons  In 1850s Washington, two families led by powerful matriarchs — one wealthy, one poor but deeply loyal — battle for supremacy on the lawless frontier (Netflix).     Trigger Point Death is always just a heartbeat away for bomb disposal officer Lana Washington. In the new season, what appears to be a bomb threat in central London soon reveals itself as something far...

Jay Kelly   Famous movie star Jay Kelly and his devoted manager, Ron, embark on an unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men confront the choices they've made, relationships with loved ones, and the legacies they'll leave behind.    Beat the Lotto   Almost everyone has played the Lottery and everyone would like to win it. Whitaker's documentary tells...

This slow-cooked lamb dish is a festive treat and it’s super simple to make spectacular with a final flourish of pomegranate jewels and fresh herbs that make the whole thing feel properly celebratory.      Ingredients  1 butterflied leg of lamb (1.6–2kg)   3–4 garlic cloves, slivered   Zest and juice of 1 orange   2 tbsp olive oil   2 tbsp runny honey  ...

These days there seems to be nothing AI can’t do for you. Write emails, grocery lists, stories, summaries, and even Christmas messages.  But should you be getting an AI to write what should be a heartfelt personal message? Kevin Milne can’t help but find the thought of connecting with friends and loved ones this way extremely shabby.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

It’s funny how becoming a parent instantly makes you care more about stuff.    As a child, I used to find it really embarrassing when my Dad would yell out at cars that were driving too fast. Now, I’m that guy. Every time a car hoons up our street, I want to scream at the driver. Sometimes I do.  “There are kids here, you tosser!”  My values in education have very much sharpene...

Alice Taylor has changed the way thousands of Kiwis think about cooking at home.  You may know her for her time as a contestant on Masterchef or from her social media presence at Alice Taylor Eats. She favours no-frills recipes and honest conversations around food accessibility and it’s seen her following skyrocket to half a million across her profiles.   The ethos behind her accounts is...

More and more people seem to be opting for alcohol-free drinks.  The success of Lisa King’s AF Drinks really brought it home to Kevin Milne just how much alcohol consumption habits are changing.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At some point, everyone has been left disappointed when a musician or artist leaves New Zealand off their tour schedule. But our neighbours across the ditch rarely have the same issue. Chris Schulz is having a mammoth week over in Australia – going to the Good Things music festival, two Kendrick Lamar shows, and is seeing Lady Gaga tonight.  He joined Jack Tame for a chat about his jam packed...

Shattered Lands by Sam Dalrymple   A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it.  As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire’, or more simply as the Raj.&...

"It’s been eleven years since I last filled my heart with Ireland – a shamefully long break in transmission. On my latest visit to this most enchanting of destinations, my road trip began with a jaunt through Ireland’s “Hidden Heartlands.” Far beyond the heavily trafficked haunts like Dublin, Galway, or Killarney, this interior patchwork of counties beats to a slower pace across Ireland’s central...

Why do we remember the “good old days” as being so good?   In past weeks we’ve touched on events that are blasts from the past, or the good old days. Most people have fond memories of these good old days. Politicians refer to this too to pull on our heartstrings (and votes) e.g., “Make America Great Again” – the inference being that we can make it good like the past.   So why do the good...

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 6 December 2025, foodie and social media phenomenon Alice Taylor joins Jack to discuss her quickfire rise, what a day in the life of a content creator looks like, and what makes conversation around food accessibility so important.  Jack discusses his pet peeve grammatical errors.   Chef Nici Wickes has many ideas for e...

One of the rottenest pests gardeners get on their plants are Pseudococcus longispinus, or any of its close relatives.  Longispinus derived from the word meaning “with a long spine or tail”, so we’re talking about the Long-Tailed Mealybug. Mind you, there are other rotters that don’t look anything like these mealybugs – a variety of scale insects do the same kind of damage, which you really do...

The Landing Chardonnay 2024, Bay of Islands. RRP from $55.00   If you’re heading to the Bay of Islands this summer, then I can highly recommend a day visit to The Landing. The land’s suitability for viticulture was long ago identified by the missionary Reverend Samuel Marsden. He established the first permanent European settlement in New Zealand, near where our vineyard now sits.     The...

Netflix is buying the studios of Warner Bros Discovery   Netflix will also get HBOMax (but I can't see that sticking around long). Shareholders of WBD will get $23 in cash and $4.50 in shares of Netflix common stock, valuing the deal at $83 billion ($144 billion NZD).  The TV networks that were part of the old Discovery company, plus the Warner Brothers networks like CNN, TBS, TNT, etc,...

Sean Combs: The Reckoning   Unpacking the allegations behind Sean "Diddy" Combs and his Bad Boy empire, spanning decades of his life and career (Netflix).     25 Years of Location Location Location  Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer have been finding homes for the people of the UK. Now, as they hit their silver anniversary, Kirstie and Phil remember the happy moments and turbule...

Giving edible gifts at Christmas is a winner I say! Some ideas take some forethought, like preserved lemons, fruit pastes, chutneys and sauerkraut, but there’s plenty of other ideas that you can whip up over a day or weekend right before the big day. Think shortbreads, flavoured oils, scented salts or sugar meringues, spiced nuts, dukkah, gingerbread loaf, or one of my favourites, biscotti.  ...

Eternity   In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with, and her first love, who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.     Twiggy   A portrait of international supermodel, actor, singer and iconic British figure, Twiggy.    LISTEN ABOVE...

The moment the syllables spilled from my mouth, I knew I’d screwed up.     “And a repeat offender...” I said.  “Verse a detective dog.”    Verse.    It was the opening few stanzas of last night’s news, the part of the show where we tease a few of the evening’s top stories. And as the opening credits played, with my microphone fader pulled down, I called out to my...