Sunday Morning

8.10 UK and US news with BBC Correspondent Rich Preston 

BBC News presenter and foreign affairs reporter Rich Preston joins the show once again—this time from the United States—to give us the latest news from across the UK and US. 

Rich anchors the BBC's international and domestic news channel for a global audience, and he's hosted the BBC's coverage of many major events. 

8:30 Sunday Morning Quiz with Jack Waley-Cohen 

Quiz master Jack Waley-Cohen is back with his Sunday Morning quiz.  

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC's quiz show Only Connect, known for being both hard — and at the same time totally obvious. Wake up your brain and have a go!    

8:40 Making Tracks: Bic Runga 

This week New Zealand music great Bic Runga has released Red Sunset, her first album in 15 years. Bic joins Jim to discuss the album and why its newly released single ‘Ghost in Your Bed’ remained unfinished for 10 years.  Bic heads off on her Red Sunset tour in early March. 

9:00 Mediawatch 

This week Mediawatch looks at how the state of some of our critical infrastructure is back in the news again, as Wellington struggles with sewage spills and political debate rages over importing gas as an energy backstop. Also: how real New Zealand news is being ripped off and turned into fake news on Facebook. 

9.40 A Chef’s Ode to the Golden Queen Peach

Chef Helen Turnbull has a soft spot for the Golden Queen peach – so much so, she’s written the fruit an ode. Helen is the chef at Paraparaumu Beach restaurant 50-50.  She’s worked in Tokyo, was awarded Best Emerging Chef at the Capital Awards in 2014, has met Gordon Ramsay's exacting standards, was encouraged to come back home by Sir Michael Hill, and opened Josh Emett’s Rata Restaurant in Queenstown. She joins Jim to share a recipe for a sublime Golden Queen peach mousse. 

10:05 Still Rocking at 90: Engelbert Humperdinck 

British music star Engelbert Humperdinck exploded on to the music scene at the same time as the Beatles and The Rolling Stones and became great friends with Elvis. The about-to-turn 90-year-old is still touring and, in June, will bring his ‘The Celebration Tour’ to New Zealand.   Englebert joins Jim from the USA to talk about his more than 60-year career and what keeps him on the road. 

10:35 Useful Science with Bonnie Harrison 

Bonnie Harrison is here guiding us through the latest weird and useful headlines from the world of science, including the benefits of roasted coffee in the morning, whether there are dangers to being a night-owl and can dogs really eaves-drop?  

10:40 Violent dreams and Parkinson's disease – Is there a link? 

Sleep neurologist and Professor of Neurology at the Sorbonne University in Paris, Isabelle Arnulf says young people who have turbulent dreams need not be concerned but they can be a warning sign in another age group.

She's with Jim to discuss wild dreams and Parkinson’s, and the discovery that some of the disease’s symptoms seem to switch off during sleep. 

11:05 Winter Olympics update with Lavina Good  

Sports commentator Lavina Good joins Jim from Milano Cortina 2026 where she has been enjoying all the Winter Olympic action. She shares some of the weird and wonderful moments happening on - and off – the slopes. 

11.25 Is a Long Life in Your DNA? Scientists Think So 

A new study shows genetics play a more significant role in longevity than previously thought.  

Ben Shenhar, a PhD student at the Weizmann Institute's Department of Molecular Cell Biology in Israel and one of the study's authors, says genetics could be responsible for 50 percent of the variation in human lifespan. He joins Jim to discuss the findings and whether we inherit longevity from our mothers or fathers.  

11:50 Consumer's Jon Duffy on dodgy Uber behaviour

Chief Executive of Consumer NZ Jon Duffy joins the show to discuss what you can do if an Uber driver leaves you stranded.