Sunday Morning for Sunday 14 April 2024

8:10 Sam McAlister: The BBC producer behind Prince Andrew’s infamous interview 

In 2019, under extreme scrutiny for his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and facing allegations about his own conduct, Prince Andrew sat down for the infamous interview with BBC’s Newsnight.  

BBC talent booker Sam McAlister was the hand behind this extraordinary hour of television. The new Netflix drama, Scoop is her account of what happened starring Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, and Billie Piper as Sam herself. 

8:35 Jack Whaley-Cohen: The Sunday Quiz    

Quiz master Jack Waley-Cohen joins us once again as our Sunday Morning question master.      

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC quiz show Only Connect which is known for being both difficult to crack and totally obvious.   

It’s Sunday morning, so wake up your brain and have a go!   

8:40 Hauser: Rebel with a cause 

A cellist is not the first person that springs to mind when you think: Rebel. 

But Hauser, the classical world’s answer to Cher, is just that. The Croatian cellist is part virtuoso, part consummate performer, knowing for showstopping pyrotechnics. 

His worldwide solo tour ‘Rebel with a Cello’ lands in New Zealand this month.  

9:00 Mediawatch 

This week Mediawatch rounds up a week of unprecedented cuts to TV news - and the likely loss of hundreds of journalists' jobs. And we hear from the news boss at Newshub about its imminent closure, which was confirmed this week. 

9:40 Kate Sylvester talks exclusively to Jim Mora about the end of an era 

In a shock move after 31 years in the industry, fashion designer Kate Sylvester is walking away from the eponymous brand.  

From its origins in the 90s as a subversively feminist streetwear brand, Kate Sylvester is one of a handful of homegrown fashion houses to have stood the test of time.  

Kate reflects on the early days of building the brand with her partner Wayne Conway, with “nothing more than wild faith in each other and a dream”.  

10:10 Calling Home: Maia Ramsden in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 

New Zealand athlete Maia Ramsden is calling home from Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA where she studies at Harvard University.

10:30 The headlines we didn’t read  

RNZ producer, Mary Argue, has been reading all the headlines - so you don’t have to.   

She'll discuss everything from the expansion of the universe, the usefulness of beta-blockers, and the debate about AI robot butlers – should they be bipedal?  

10:40 David Robson: How to lead a life of no regrets 

'Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ is not confined to The Clash’s back catalogue, it’s a dilemma we face constantly. But how to make big life decisions with no regrets?  

Science writer David Robson says the key is understanding the brain’s biases and learning how to overcome them.  

11:06 Boris Heifets: Hope as a powerful placebo 

Ketamine – an anaesthetic drug primarily developed as a horse tranquiliser – is also known to be a powerful psychedelic.  

In recent years has enjoyed the limelight for its use in treating depression. Study after study – including here in New Zealand – has shown the drug to give profound and fast relief to people suffering from severe depression.  

New research from Stanford University, however, suggests that placebo is more powerful than we realise.  

Stanford University’s Dr Boris Heifets says, “Placebo is probably the single most effective, consistent intervention in medicine, full stop”.   

11:30 Dr Stephen Best: Restoring sight for all  

Ophthalmologist Stephen Best can work modern-day miracles.  

For the past 25 years, the glaucoma specialist has removed cataracts, prevented blindness, and restored sight to hundreds, if not thousands of people. 

The original West Coaster has travelled the globe with his work, teaching others to treat glaucoma thereby reducing preventable blindness with organisation Sight For All.  

He speaks to Jim from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  

11:40 Australia correspondent: Bondi mall attack

Six people have been killed in a knife attack on Saturday at Sydney's Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre.

We speak to ABC correspondent Joe Hathaway-Wilson. 

11:45 Professor Al Gillespie: Iran attack on Israel escalates

Iran has launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel, in an attack that may trigger a major escalation between the regional archenemies. Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirmed it has targeted specific places in Israel.

Iran had vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that killed seven Revolutionary Guards officers including two senior commanders. 

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack. The United States is pledging to back Israel.

Waikato University's International Law professor Alexander Gillespie gives us his analysis of the escalating situation.