Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Ed Gamble is a man of many hats.  Champion of the Taskmaster UK, podcast co-host, author, television host, standup comedian – on top of this, he’s an absolute food fanatic.  He’s bringing a feast of comedy to New Zealand with his new show ‘Hot Diggity Dog’, filled with his classic “ranting, raving and spluttering”.  Gamble told Jack Tame he describes the show as a collection of things that have happened to him since he last did a show, including a bit about his disastrous honeymoon and one about buying a cat with his wife.   “It’s a lot more exciting than my description of it makes it sound,” he reassured.  “I promise you’ll be on the edge of your seat, even though it sounds incredibly tedious and middle class.”  He’ll be performing live in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland – tickets available on TicketMaster.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samantha Fish is offering up nine new powerhouse songs on her latest album ‘Paper Doll’.  It’s Fish’s 13th album, and the first she’s recorded with her touring band, leaning into her strengths as a musician in a way she hasn’t before.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the new release.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose   Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine. It's been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress.      The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue   Europe is racing towards the future. Steam travel is the emblem of progress; industry and invention are creating ever greater wealth and ever greater deprivation; and on an autumn day in 1895 a young woman determined to make her mark on history boards the Granville to Paris Express with a bomb.   With her travel the train crew and her fellow passengers: the men who run the engine, who have built a life together away from their wives; a little boy travelling alone for the first time; a wealthy statesman and his ill daughter; an artist far from home and in search of a muse; and another young woman with a secret of a very different nature hidden beneath the layers of her dress . . .    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.co

Kevin Milne has been doing some research into his family history recently – notably the deaths of three of his uncles.  All three were soldiers in the First World War, and Kevin was surprised how much research already exists into the lives of New Zealand’s fallen soldiers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 26 April 2025, the master of combining comedy with his love for food, Ed Gamble joins Jack ahead of his tour to NZ.  Jack marks an unusual anniversary.  Winter warmers on your mind? Margo Flanagan of Two Raw Sisters delivers a delicious Halloumi Saagwala recipe and discusses options for alternative proteins.  Francesca Rudkin offers her verdict on the much-hyped Sinners film.   And tech expert Paul Stenhouse explains new EU rules for devices to have a mandatory label.  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.

"Few cities in the world enjoy the stature of being a music mecca quite like Salzburg. It’s one of my favourite European destinations and I recently ventured back to this Austrian jewel with Trafalgar, as part of their magnificent 10-day Imperial Europe tour. It’s like a tasting plate of some of Central Europe’s most glittering destinations, steeped in history and spilling with scenic finery. And it’s all spectacularly brought to life with specialist local guides who live and breathe these destinations, with unbridled passion and pride." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some would argue our world has got too busy, too frantic, that we never get a chance to switch off. An estimate from a few years ago believes we have as much as 34GB of information coming into us every day. Some of this business is likely due to never being able to switch off from incoming info, as well as a loss of “stopping cues” around us, e.g. ads on linear tv, intermissions at movies.  We can get into a pattern of always being on, always “doing”, never stopping and just “being”. It’s arguably not good for our wellbeing —a constant low level of stress— and can also affect relationships, e.g. having a conversation at the same time as scrolling on your phone.  Here are three things people could try if they want to experiment with an antidote to this business:   1) Mindfulness: one aspect of mindfulness is becoming aware of when your attention has shifted and moving it back to just one thing, e.g. your breathing.  2) Concentrating on doing everyday tasks one at a time, e.g. if brushing yo

I’m trying a different tack on Newstalk ZB.    It’s something I use with teachers and kids at school: the meaning of scientific names of living organisms helps to remind us how certain creatures operate or how they can be identified.   Once you get that in your gardening vocabulary it becomes a lot easier to prevent or control the problem that’s causing you regular troubles.   Taphrina is the name of a parasitic fungi (belonging to the family Taphrinaceae) that produce asci in a superficial hymenium having an indeterminate margin and cause leaf curling and malformations like blisters on various vascular plants.   It literally tells us it’s a name of Rotter-Fungus that causes curling, malformation, and blisters.   The second name (deformans) repeats the symptoms: it causes deformations. That tells us it is a real bummer to have on your plants (especially on stonefruit: peaches, nectarines, plums, peachcotts, peacherines, apricots, etc).  Ladies and gentlemen: we’re talking ab

Dengue fever is in the news right now after the death of a young Samoan boy at Starship Hospital last week. As many New Zealanders travel to the Pacific Islands, the recent outbreak means it’s something to consider.  The other interesting fact about dengue fever is as well as being relevant to the Pacific, it’s becoming more common around the world due to climate change – increasing temperature and humidity driving mosquito population and leading to more people being infected.      What is it?   A mosquito-spread virus. You get it when a mosquito bites you that is infected with dengue fever.   Unlike malaria, it’s carried by the small mosquitoes that come out during the day. Not the evening/early morning mosquitoes that typically carry malaria.  It’s becoming more common around the world with climate change – with hotter more humid temperatures.   Endemic in Pacific, which is presently going through an outbreak.   Can actually now be found in places like far North

OpenAI would be open to buying Google's Chrome browser   Talk about an instant audience - imagine logging into your Chrome web browser and instead of getting Google results, you get ChatGPT. The DOJ ruled last year that Google is a monopolist in Search – now comes the search to decide what to do with Chrome.   OpenAI told the judge the company would be interested in taking it over. Open AI, with ChatGPT, wants to be the way you find and access information on the web. Attempts to partner with Google Search have been unsuccessful – they only have access to Bing. Only trouble, Open AI says it's not as good as Google. The line between iPad & Mac could be about to be blurred even further   One of the regular Apple leakers has as a scoop: a menubar could be coming to the iPad when the magic keyboard is connected. Assuming it functions like the Mac version, it gives quick access to app and operating system. They also say iPadOS 19 will enhance Stage Manager, the feature that allows a user to plug

Mobland   Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires and ruin lives. In the crossfire stands Harry Da Souza, a street-smart 'fixer' who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide (Prime Video).     Etoile   In an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions, two world-renowned ballet companies in New York City and Paris swap their most talented stars. From the Executive Producers of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes a bold new series celebrating the beauty, humor, and unpredictability of a life devoted to the arts, both on stage and off (Prime Video).     Ransom Canyon   Passions run deep in a small Texas town, as three ranching dynasties fight for their land, their legacies and the people they love (Netflix).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margo Flanagan of ‘Two Raw Sisters’ serves up a delicious recipe for Halloumi Saagwala.  Serves: 2   Time: 20 minutes     Ingredients  Saagwala   1 brown onion, diced   1 tomato, diced - large   ⅓ cup coconut cream   4 cloves of garlic   1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated   1 tsp garam masala   ½ tsp chilli flakes   ¼ tsp cinnamon   1 tsp sea salt   5 cups greens (spinach, rocket, herbs, kale, silverbeet)      Fried Halloumi   100g halloumi, cut into cubes   2 tbsp cooking oil      To Serve   1 cup brown rice, cooked   2 tbsp chilli oil   2 tbsp peanuts, toasted and chopped   1/4  cup coriander, chopped      Method Add all of the saagwala ingredients, except the greens, to a pan and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the greens to the pan in the last 2 minutes. Mix until wilted.   Add the saagwala to the blender and blend until smooth and vibrant green.  

The Correspondent  The story of the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Australian journalist Peter Greste, who while reporting on the Arab Spring uprising becomes entangled in a deadly game of rivalries.     Sinners  Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their Mississippi hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had a funny entry in my calendar this week that took me a moment to decipher.   ‘Mava 1C anniversary’ it said.    My heart skipped a beat. Anniversary?! Oh, hang on. No. Stand down.    Forget romance. What my entry was telling me I’d just reached the anniversary for this very radio show, in which I’d shared with you our decision to become a one car household.   We made the call at the start of 2023 because Mava had an old dunger that needed to go, and in theory it didn’t seem necessary for us to replace it. Sure, it was convenient having two cars. It was what we’d always been used to. But with a bit of coordination and organisation, we reckoned at the very least, moving to one car was worth a crack.    We’re now more two years in, and we are still a one-car household. But in other ways, our circumstances have changed. For starters, there’s now four of us – Me, Mava, our eight-year-old, and our 10-week-old baby. That means a baby capsule AND a booster seat. And we’ve u

Ciarán Hinds’ acting pursuits have taken him far from his roots in Northern Ireland.   A quality actor - he lends himself to both villainy and simmering heroics.   His long career has included intimate Shakespearean theatre productions right through to major franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and the Disney animated film Frozen.   His latest project ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ is an intimate character study on human spirit – the Prime Video series based on the novel by Richard Flanagan.  He told Jack Tame when he was first introduced to the project, he’d heard of the book but never read it.   “They sent me a couple of scripts and I was immediately hooked by the quality of the writing and the story itself,” Hinds said.  “So I went out and got myself the book.”  “Deeply moved, I was, by the savagery, the cruelty, the brutality, the love, the deep passion, the haunting... it’s a huge and hugely emotional read for anybody,” he told Tame.&nbs

In Beirut’s 7th album, Zach Condon returns to a place he had no plans to ever go back to.  ‘A Study of Losses’ was commissioned by the Swedish circus troupe Kompani Giraff, and at first he was hesitant to write a soundtrack for a circus, the idea a reminder of a time he’d been pigeonholed, as he says, “as a whimsical circus waif”.  However, videos of the troupe’s performances and an abstract of the work upon which the new project would be based changed his mind.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on Beirut’s new album.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nine Hidden Lives by Robert Gold   Secrets only survive in the dark  When journalist Ben Harper is asked to help re-examine an unsolved murder case from thirty years ago, he immediately agrees. It's not just that the victim was also a journalist, murdered after she'd published a series of shocking interviews with victims of domestic abuse. It's also that he understands all too well the need of victim's daughter, Doctor Uma Jha, for answers.  But it's not long before their investigation leads to threats being made on Uma's life. Ben needs to unravel this crime before it's too late, but instead he finds himself tangled in a web of lies and deception. After all, a crime like murder has implications for many people.  People who have been keeping secrets for thirty years, and will do whatever it takes to protect them.     Strangers in Time by David Baldacci   Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, h

Less well known than the days that follow it is Maundy Thursday – the day in which Jesus Christ shared the Last Supper with his 12 apostles.  A theme of the day is humility, and Kevin Milne had a taste of that and a bit of humiliation both earlier on this week.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 19 April 2025, Northern Irish acting legend, Hollywood royalty, and the man who has been in almost every major film franchise of the 21st century, Ciaran Hinds joins Jack to discuss the intimate character study of his new project The Narrow Road to the Deep North.  Jack considers the legacy of the Blue Origin spacecraft against this week's discovery within Earth's very own Big Blue.  Catherine Raynes reviews the latest novel from David Baldacci – the perfect long weekend read.  For those sick of hot cross buns, chef Nici Wickes has an alternative Easter breakfast recipe.  And as Food appreciation month approaches, sustainability expert Kate Hall reframes our view on food scraps.  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.

"You could spill vast rivers of blue Danube ink try to encapsulate the enduring brilliance of Vienna and all that it has lavished on the world. It’s the city that vaulted Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss and his waltz into the world’s consciousness. The city that unleashed the genius of Freud, published the world’s first newspaper, conceived the delicious Torte, and was the powerbase for the imperial Hapsburgs. Vienna remains a city of culture, class and beauty; of churches, castles and concert halls." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.