Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

A new twist on a classic tale.  Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is an iconic tale of star-crossed lovers, and in just a few weeks, it will be brought to life once more by Auckland Theatre Company.  Although if you’re expecting a classic performance, you’re in for a shock – instead you’ll witness a fast-passed thriller set in 1960’s Milan, complete with Kiwi accents.  The titular characters are played by Theo David and Phoebe McKellar and the two joined Jack Tame to delve into the development of the show and what it’s like to bring this new variation to life.  Performances are running from the 15th of July through to the 9th of August at ASB Waterfront Theatre – tickets are available here.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Her first album released as an independent artist, Period is Kesha’s sixth studio album.  With her taste for experimental pop on full display, the album is a return to Kesha’s wilder, hedonistic, “hot mess” era, filled with brash and unfiltered music.  The popstar says her goal was for it to create a safe space for people to feel fully embodied and liberated, unfiltered, and fearless.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the album.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne is encouraging people to spend a little more time outside this weekend.  The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey ends this weekend, which aks people to record the number of birds they see in their garden over the span of an hour.  Last weekend saw Kevin take part in the Whale Count, but he thinks most people will have better luck with the birds.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White Crow by Michael Robotham   As the daughter of a London crime boss, Police Constable Philomena McCarthy walks a thin blue line keeping the two sides of her complicated life apart.  On patrol one night she discovers a child in pyjamas, wandering alone. Taking Daisy home, Phil uncovers the aftermath of a deadly home invasion, as three miles away a prominent jeweller is found strapped to an explosive in his ransacked store.  The crimes are linked, and all the evidence points to Phil’s father as the mastermind.  Phil’s two worlds are colliding, trapping her in the middle of a vicious gang war that will threaten her career and everyone she loves.  Who can she trust – the badge or her own blood?     This Is Not a Game by Kelly Mullen   Widow Mimi lives on idyllic Mackinac Island where cars are not allowed and a Gibson with three onions at the witching hour is compulsory. Her granddaughter, Addie, is getting over the heartbreak of her fiancé, Brian, dumping her a

During the cold and wet winter months, people often spend a lot less time in the great outdoors.   This can be a bit of a problem, as recent research reveals that spending time outside can have quite a few psychological benefits.  Dr Dougal Sutherland joined Jack Tame to delve into the findings.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investing isn’t always easy, and while you may think you can afford to buy a new house or investment property, can you really?  Ed McKnight recommends that before you take on those payments, try living with the decreased income before taking on that debt.  He joined Jack Tame to delve deeper into the ‘Can I Invest’ Test.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So far, this winter of ours has been pretty wet. Yes, complaining might not help at all, but it pays to do something about the soaked soil.   Inundation is a health hazard for plants: constant wetness causes a range of diseases, many of which will be fatal. Drowning roots stuff the oxygen balance, causing severe stress, discoloration of leaves, blisters on stems and leaves, leaf-fall, and die-back of branches.   Often the plant, shrub of small tree will become infected by one of the root-rot species.   The name Phytophthora comes to mind as it is quite violent in the way it attacks whole rows of plants.  Once a tree is infected there is very little you can do to “save its life”. If you are quick to diagnose this root rot fungus, you can try some Plant Health Buxus Blight Buster – follow label instructions and spray the affected trees/shrubs regularly.   I reckon that a prevention of stagnant water is the best way to save you a heap of trouble: dig some narrow ditches that will take t

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 5th of July 2025, Theo David and Phoebe McKellar join Jack as stars of ATC’s fast-paced 60s twist on the original tale of star-crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet.  Jack considers his French sporting viewing picks for this weekend.  Mike Yardley shares his favourite apps for anything you may need while travelling.  And how does the latest Jurassic franchise instalment rate? Francesca Rudkin dishes on the latest on the big screen.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Open AI’s talent is being poached for eye-watering numbers  Being paid $100 million to join a team sounds like something from the NFL or NBA, but it’s happening in Silicon Valley too. OpenAI’s talent is being poached by other tech giants, with Meta reportedly offered signing bonuses that large to steal talent and offering salaries in the millions.    Could website and content owners cash in on AI?   Cloudflare wants to help. When newspapers, magazines, and other content creators started putting their content online it was largely free, and even if it wasn’t, they still allowed Google to crawl it since having your website be discovered was worth it. That math shifted over the years, and now with AI those same content creators are debating if they should do something different this time around.    Cloudflare —a content delivery network— has a new feature aimed to help websites if they want to start charging for AI bots and agents to scrape their sites and use their service. They’re

This City is Ours    A long-time member of organised crime falls in love with Diana, prompting him to reevaluate his life and contemplate a future beyond his criminal activities (ThreeNow).    Hospice Heroes A new documentary series that introduces us to the staff and volunteers of one of New Zealand’s largest hospice facilities as they help terminally ill patients (ThreeNow).     Quick round-up of the return of three blockbuster shows:   Tour de France: Unchained (Netflix)   The Bear (Disney+)   Squid Game (Netflix)    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jurassic World Rebirth  Zora Bennett leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park. Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the top-secret expedition becomes more and more risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that's been hidden from the world for decades.     The Great Lilian Hall   Broadway actress Lillian Hall pours her heart and soul into preparing for her next big role but finds herself blindsided by confusion and forgetfulness. She strives to make it to opening night while holding on to her fading memories and identity.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If I was to enter Mousse Masters, the competition currently underway to find New Zealand’s top chocolate mousse, this would be my entry – simple, classic and utterly delicious. It’s as much about the mouthfeel as it is about ensuring the distinct flavour of using a quality chocolate comes through. Mousse Masters is a one-of-a-kind competition for pro chefs and promising young chefs. It's designed to captivate the food service industry, showcase the magic of Weave Cacao’s couverture chocolate drops, and celebrate the artistry of New Zealand's chefs and bakers.   Serves 2-4      Ingredients  ½ cup cream   2 small egg yolks   1 tablespoon caster sugar    70g very dark good-quality chocolate, chopped (check out the Weave Cacao website)   ½ cup cream, whipped with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or rum or orange zest or espresso)   grated chocolate to serve      Method  Bring the first measure of cream to the boil. Remove from the heat. &nbs

Let’s be honest, so far as All Blacks tests go, this is a bit of a funny one.     If you were just weighing the odds on paper, I suppose there’s good reason why you might favour Les Bleus.   I hadn’t realised it until this week, but we’re coming off a three-game losing streak against the French, and you’ll remember last year’s first All Blacks test in Dunedin was a nail-biting one-point victory. The All Blacks didn’t scream cohesion. Add to that the fact I still don’t think we have an emphatic answer for who should start at ten, and Tupou Vai’i, surely one of the World’s best locks, is playing blindside flanker!     And yet the French are playing eight debutants and have left a slab of their elite stars back home. If it were any other test nation, I think New Zealand Rugby would have the right to kick up a bit of a fuss about the whole situation. But given the French and their history of spirited unpredictability on the rugby football pitch, it probably makes sense to secure a dominan

Robert Muchamore is behind some of the best novels available to young readers.  His CHERUB series is credited with shaking up young adult literature, with realistic language, unconventionally sophisticated themes, and portrayals of heroes that challenge tradition.  His latest series tackles concepts like corruption, protection rackets, and late-stage capitalist failure, with a twist on the tale of Robin Hood. The ninth book in the series, Robin Hood: Fury, Fire and Frost, was released earlier this month.  Muchamore told Jack Tame he’s always been fascinated by the tale of Robin Hood – this very old story that has been passed on and reimagined over and over again.  “It’s this kind of legend that's been around for so long, and everyone gets to interpret it in their own way.”  His version of the story is a more modern take, set in a contemporary world with a 12/13-year-old Robin Hood that's very similar to most modern children.  That similarity can be something of a challenge though

Lorde has described her fourth album as her rebirth.  ‘Virgin’ is her attempt to make a document that reflected her femininity, which she described as “raw, primal, innocent, elegant, openhearted, spiritual, masc”.  It deals with themes of gender identity, body image, and mental health, a more introspective album than its predecessor ‘Solar Power’.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on the album.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple in China by Patrick McGee   After struggling to build its products on three continents, Apple was lured by China’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of cheap labor. Soon it was sending thousands of engineers across the Pacific, training millions of workers, and spending hundreds of billions of dollars to create the world’s most sophisticated supply chain. These capabilities enabled Apple to build the 21st century’s most iconic products—in staggering volume and for enormous profit.  Without explicitly intending to, Apple built an advanced electronics industry within China, only to discover that its massive investments in technology upgrades had inadvertently given Beijing a power that could be weaponized.  In Apple in China, journalist Patrick McGee draws on more than two hundred interviews with former executives and engineers, supplementing their stories with unreported meetings held by Steve Jobs, emails between top executives, and internal memos regarding threats from Chinese com

Parkinson's is one of the most common neurological conditions for those over the age of 60 - Michael J Fox very famously has early onset Parkinson's, and is now a champion for awareness of the disease.     So what is Parkinson's?   A degenerative disease of the nervous system causing movement problems.   Affects 1:100 over the age of 60. Occasionally it’s early onset like with Michael J Fox.  Nerve cells in the brain break down, we lose a chemical messenger called dopamine.  There’s no simple test to diagnose, diagnosis comes from symptoms.       How do you recognise it?   It’s often very slow to develop and initially can be difficult to diagnose.   Everyone’s journey with Parkinson's is different.   It’s common to notice tremors at rest, often on one side. You may notice it gets better when moving or doing something – it can fluctuate.  Over time: Slow movements become difficult, stiff muscles, loss of balance.   Can be associated with

The Dead Cow Gully Backyard Marathon in Queensland is not for the faint of heart.  Billed as a race with no finish line, the Backyard Ultra format has no predefined length or time, but requires runners to complete a 6.7km loop every hour.  Kevin Milne was following the race, and thinks it's a good thing he didn’t manage to get his entry in on time.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Don’t downplay Quito as merely a stepping stone to the rainforest or the Galapagos. It is a superlative destination in its own right. The crowning jewel is Quito’s 17th-century Old Town, a heaving historical quarter so impeccably preserved that it was the first city in the world to be accorded UNESCO World Heritage Status." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although it’s convenient, cloud storage and email inboxes have a bigger carbon footprint than one might think.  To combat this, Kate Hall has been unsubscribing, deleting, and cleaning up her digital clutter.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.