Sunday Morning

8.10 The latest from the UK with Christian Smith 

UK correspondent Christian Smith talks to Jim about the big stories making news in Britain. This week: the ramifications of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Christian Smith is a lawyer and journalist who's worked as a producer for Times Radio in London. He's currently the Litigation Editor at The Lawyer online, and host of The Lawyer Podcast. 

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!    

8.35 Calling Home: Shaun Gamble from Kalundborg, Denmark 

Kalundborg, West Zealand, is a town of about 17,000 people, 110 km from Copenhagen. It’s been home to Shaun Gamble for 16 years, and he runs a cafe and coffee roastery there. He joins Jim to tell him about life in the historic port town. 

9.05 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at how the media respond to NZ First making immigration an election issue, in terms critics have condemned as racist. Also: HBO is the latest streaming video service coming here, but are we oversubscribed already? And why did the PM putting up an umbrella end up heavily analysed by our media?

9.35 An inside look: Four years of Russia's War on Ukraine  

Next week marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, yet there is no end in sight. The drawn-out war has fallen from headlines with so much other turmoil in the world at the moment, but ReliefAid founder Mike Seawright says the people of Ukraine need help as much as ever. 

Mike joins Jim along with his Ukraine-based colleague Kseniya Zboryk, who recalls her life before the war and her hopes for what might come after. 

10.05 Nic Scanlan-Dyas on his new novel Remodelling Murder 

Nic Scanlan-Dyas has had a more unconventional career trajectory than most. From being an actor in the UK in his 20s, to a director at Lehman Brothers just in time for the global financial crisis,to writing songs for a band called 1Eyedman in Tokyo. Now based in Auckland, Nic's poised to release his debut crime novel.

Remodelling Murder is a locked-room mystery set in an English country mansion, with a cozy tone that nods to the stylistic voice of authors like Richard Osman, Bob Mortimer and Lucy Foley. Nic joins Jim to chat about his new book and what inspired it. 

10.30 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 rates of falling in love for single adults, the potential benefits of showering in the dark, and the introduction of a new social networking feature across open AI products. 

10.40 Film adaptation of Joy Cowley’s ‘Holy Days’ hits the big screen 

Heartwarming dramedy Holy Days will be released in New Zealand next week.  Adapted and directed by Nathalie Boltt, the movie brings to life Dame Joy Cowley’s much-loved novel of the same name, and features a star-studded cast including Miriam Margolyes, Jacki Weaver, Judy Davis and NZ’s own Elijah Tamati.  

The film follows a lost young boy and three nuns who embark on a road trip. Nat joins Jim to tell him about the Canadian-New Zealand co-production. 

11.05 Constantly distracted? Here’s how to handle it. 

Do your thoughts dart every which way? You’re probably more able to focus than you think. Oscar de Bos is the co-author of a newly published book Focus On-Off and is the founder of Focus Academy, a Dutch-based organisation that helps people manage information overload.  Oscar is with Jim to discuss how distraction works at a neurological level and has tips for re-gaining focus and getting more done. 

11.35 Making Tracks: Fables 

Fables is the project of Tamaki Makaurau-based indie-folk artist Jess Bailey. Her latest release ‘Eyes Closed’ is the third single off forthcoming debut album Change is a Slow-Moving Beast, out this year via Home Alone Music. 

Jess talks to Jim about the genesis of the song, which explores ‘darker emotional currents beneath a glossy surface’. 

11.40 What have we been getting wrong around exercise? 

Doctors and psychologists have proposed a shakeup to the way we think about longstanding recommendations around exercise. 

Research shows that as little as four minutes of activity a day can be life changing, while one minute of robust activity prevents premature death, heart attack, or stroke. Experts call it VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity.  

Dr Aj Ali is a Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at Massey University. He joins Jim to discuss what VILPA might look like in one’s day-to-day life.