Saturday Extra - Full program podcast

On Saturday Extra's final show of the summer break:  Our best conversations with authors of notable books. CNN's Jake Tapper on one of the most fateful decisions in American history - Joe Biden's decision to run for re-election despite evidence of his decline; actor Griffin Dunne on coming of age in a family of larger-than-life characters in Hollywood; and historian Sophia Rosenfeld on the history of how choice became synonymous with freedom and self expression.

From the Colossus of Rhodes to the hanging gardens of Babylon, we visit the seven wonders of the ancient world with author and historian Bettany Hughes; and from jewels to jumbo jets, a history of diplomatic gift giving; journalist Ed Wong on how travelling China with his father taught him that his family story is deeply entwined with China's rising power; 50 years of Papua New Guinean independence. Plus two new takes on Australian history with Professor Mark McKenna and Annabel Crabb.

On the show: Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, Lord Norman Foster who was awarded the Pritzker prize for architecture , and Irish novelist Colum McCann who won the National Book Award in America.

What shaped the world in 2025?
We revisit the heartbreaking conflicts and the peacemaking.
From the powerful influence of the Trump presidency to the Australia federal election, the big beautiful bill to Beijing's rising power, we take stock of pivotal developments with the world's best analysts. 
Highlights from our most insightful conversations with some of the world's biggest thinkers: Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, Anne Applebaum from The Atlantic, David Rennie from The Economist, among other greats.

Welcome to Summer on Saturday Extra where you'll hear some of our best conversations of 2025. This week - Australian arts and culture. A conversation with the playwright Suzie Miller about her blockbuster play, Inter Alia; David Wenham brings back the much loved character Jonny Spitteri for the sequel to the 2003 cult film Gettin' Square. Music from the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian World Orchestra; and nature photographer Leila Jeffreys reveals how she captures intimate portraits of birds.