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Handpicking the best audio storytelling from around the world.

Please email listening recommendations to us at pods@rnz.co.nz and you can find more information about all the shows we feature here.
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Quick hits

The Small Print

12:15pm '13 Minutes to the Moon': the moon landing reconsidered Almost 50 years ago, in July 1969,  the US astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong went to the Moon on Apollo 11 and then all safely came back to Earth again. It was a round trip of more than 760,000 kilometres and it was all achieved using computers and navigational technology we'd laugh at today. No wonder it's still hailed as one of the greatest achievements in human history. Now a new BBC series called '13 Minutes To The Moon' reconsiders the moon landing. And using gripping old audio and interviews with astronauts, scientists, engineers and Mission Control staff, it takes you inside the historic mission and shows how close it came to failure. We play some of Episode 1 of '13 Minutes to the Moon' called 'We Choose to Go' and speak to the show's host Kevin Fong who wanted to be an astronaut, worked for NASA, and says his interest in space travel inspired his career in science and medicine. '13 Minutes to the Moon' is presented by Kevin Fong and produced by Andrew Luck-Baker for the BBC World Service. 

12:35pm 'Studio 360' on life as an opera extra 'Studio 360' is a show about culture and the arts featuring stories about, and interviews with, the people writing or making some of the biggest plays, books, shows, dance, films, and music. Listener Ian Henderson tipped me off to it by emailing pods@rnz.co.nz and says 'Studio 360' is one of his favourite shows. Ian highlighted a recent episode all about the old folk song and murder ballad "In the Pines": it's been covered more than 200 times by artists including Lead Belly and by Kurt Cobain and Nirvana on their MTV Unplugged album from 1993. I share another Studio 360 story featured in that same episode, with host Kurt Andersen introducing us to Iggy Berlin and his life as an opera extra, or supernumerary. 'Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen' is produced by PRI/PRX and Slate and we feature some of an episode called "Daveed Diggs and Suzan-Lori Parks, 'In the Pines' and supernumeraries". With thanks to Jocelyn Gonzales and Kathleen Unwin for their help sharing that with you.

12:40pm Nothing but the truth? 'Running from COPS' COPS is the longest running reality show in TV history. The format's simple. Cameras follow police officers on the beat as they catch and arrest baddies and suspected criminals. Thirty seasons in there's now more than 1000 episodes, a new half hour show comes out every week, and repeats play everywhere TV is watched. But is the 'reality' this pioneering show presents a true, fair and accurate picture? Well not so much, according to Dan Taberski and his Headlong team. They follow the wildly popular 'Missing Richard Simmons' and last year's 'Surviving Y2K'  with the final part of the Headlong trilogy called 'Running From COPS'. We play some of episode 1 'The One-Celled Amoeba' from 'Running from COPS', hosted by Dan Taberski and produced by Henry Molofsky.

12:50pm Autism insights: 'The Parenting Spectrum' Getting a diagnosis that you or someone you know is on the autism spectrum is a lot to process and get your head around; for families, loved ones and of course for the person themselves. Fiona Churchman and Travis Saunders got the news about their son Patch when he was just a toddler. Patch is now a 9-year-old and in 'The Parenting Spectrum' Fiona and Travis explore what autism is and what Patch's experiences have taught them. In the process they build up a picture of the things they wish they'd known when Patch first got his diagnosis. Most of the people they speak to on the show have an autism diagnosis themselves, so often-overlooked perspectives are kept in the foreground. And although the overall tone's inspiring and positive, Fiona and Travis haven't forgotten the hard times when they felt all alone, and at a loss over what to do. We play some of Episode 1 called 'Diagnosis' from 'The Parenting Spectrum' presented by Travis Saunders and Fiona Churchman, featuring Patch, and produced by Jennifer Lenman for ABC Audio Studios. 
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