All The Best

Sooooo ...  the best way to think of this episode is a bit like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.   But instead of there being a bereaved scientist obsessed with resurrection, we have a monster of a story stuck together from different audio body parts made by audio makers from all over the world.   Our Programming and Community Coordinator Catarina Fraga Matos breaks down the way the audio corpse works:     Here's how the audio corpse works. Storytellers received a prompt to create a short audio story up to three minutes long. But here's the catch. The prompt they receive, it's only the last 10 seconds of the story that came before. So they take that tiny fragment and use it as an inspiration for an entirely new piece that has to be made in 48 hours, and that continues the story in some way.   Special shout-out to M.Cristina Marras for kicking off this idea for All The Best and to our amazing All The Best Intern Nili Javid for stitching all the audio corpses together.   Head Produced by M.  Cristina Marras  –  Neck  Monster by Felicity Weaver, Oliver Seymour and Carrie Zhang  Production and sound design by: Felicity Weaver and Oliver Seymour Written and narrated by: Carrie Zhang  Music/SFX: Pixabay; Pixabay; Pixabay; Pixabay  – Chest Produced by Silvi Van Wall  – Arms  Produced by Craig Garrett  Music/SFX: Freesound Community; Epidemic Sound (ES); Pixabay (Universfield; Soul Serenity Sounds; Dragon-Studio; PWLPL); Library of Congress (USA); BBC Sound Archives (via the BBC Sounds and BBC Rewind platforms). All other SFX found and/or recorded and produced by Craig Garrett. –  Hands The Birds by Alice Garner  Producer: Alice Garner Cellist: Alice Garner Voice Actors: David Bowers, Alice Garner  – Torso “Stop, Think, What's That Sound?” by Lindsey Vassallo, Imogen Brosnan, Dina Dewnarain, Liliana Occhiuto Produced by: Lindsey Vassallo; Imogen Brosnan; Dina Dewnarain; Liliana Occhiuto Sound Design by: Lindsey Vassallo; Liliana Occhiuto  Voice Actors: Lindsey Vassallo (Commissioner); Imogen Brosnan (Agent 945); Dina Dewnarain (French woman); Simba Nguyen (Train Conductor); Henry Ung (Entrance Guard) – Legs Produced by Jay Gasser  – Feet Produced by Hethre Contant   All the Best Credits  Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher All The Best Intern: Nili Javid  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird And a special shout-out to all our volunteers!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speculative fiction is all about reimagining the world.  Taking something ordinary, turning it upside down, and asking, 'What if?'   Pigeon Empathy by Alby Bennett So, quick question ... How do you feel about pigeons?  Pigeons - basic, don’t you think? Scuttling about, cooing vacantly. But in this here audio fiction, they have a secret life. Producer Alby says: “Prepare to emerge from Pigeon Empathy with a new perspective on not only pigeons, but reality itself.”  Producer: Alby Bennett Tutor / Supervising Producer: Danni Stewart Voicework: Benji Mckay Music: Blue Dot Sessions (Corner Store; Highway 104; Lakkalia; No Two Ways) SFX: Beating wings.wav by juskiddink; BIRDSong_Park.Pigeons.Cooing.Flapping wings.Human voices.Traffic 3_EM.wav by newlocknew.; Creepy static fade out into a low hiss from microphone by PantherK.; Domestic Dove Coo by haulaway.; Static Burst 2 by SilverIllusionist   iPad by Joyce de Badts Have you ever had someone you care about no longer be a part of your life and you wonder what they are up to?  Producer: Joyce de Badts  Voicework: Helena De Groot Supervising Producer: M. Cristina Marras     The Looking Glass by Keyari Page This last story comes from our second annual 24-hour radio race. The premise is that a number of audio producers gather at fbi.radio or online and are given a theme.   They spend a little time brainstorming… and then they have  24 hours to have a story finished and submitted.  The theme for this race was Mirrored.  In this audio science-fiction story, Keyari Page explores the idea of someone facing their own reflection.    Extras  You can check out  our Mirrored episode here And here are more  stories from our 24 Radio Race on our Substack   And if you really love audio challenges we are having a listening party for our recent audiocorpse.    And ... pssst ...  if you'd like you'd like to work with the All the Best team and The Wire we are hiring a new Digital Trainee!   All the Best Credits  Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher All The Best Intern: Nili Javid  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird And a special shout-out to all our volunteers!    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we explore taking unnecessary risks, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and how you and your friends can remember the same events very differently. Like very, very differently.    The Medina by Patrick Lazzar Our first story takes us to Egypt.  When the hustle and bustle of the Medina, a chaotic market in the heart of the city centre, becomes all too overwhelming, a stranger offers to show Seamus and his friend Alex  a "secret leather market." Producer: Patrick Lazzar  Supervising Producer: Nicholas Doring  Featuring: Seamus McDyre Tutor: Camilla Hannan     Routine Traffic Stop by Eleanor Crosby-Hardman In a small Victorian town, Craig, on his way to work, finds himself in the middle of a real-life police drama and ends up on the other side of the car crash of a lifetime. Producer: Eleanor Crosby-Hardman Peer Supervising Producer:  Ellie Starkiss Featuring: Craig Hardman Tutor: Dylan Bird   As We Remember It by Alannah Kein Have you ever had that experience where you realise that your memory of an event doesn't match anyone else's version of the story? April 10th, 2026. A night in Adelaide city for Gather Round. As they retraced one night, their stories of the event began to conflict in surprising ways. Through a seemingly simple story of friends, football and beverages, this audio piece explores a bigger question. Are our memories a record of the truth, or simply the stories we come to believe as such? Producer: Alannah Kein  Peer Supervising Producer: Saro Blaikie Featuring: Michaela Kein; Leo Hemsley; Abhay Narsai Tutor: Dylan Bird   Don't forget to check out our Substack! All the Best Credits  Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher All The Best Intern: Nili Javid  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Episode Tile: Jennifer Ibe And a special shout-out to all our volunteers!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are exploring the liminal spaces. Looking for answers between what we think that we know and the unknown spaces.  Between Two Worlds by Olivia Wright What’s your take on card readings, psychics and traditional understanding of fate and spirituality?   Producer Olivia takes on a journey to explore the realm of psychics and why people are drawn to them. Producer: Olivia Wright  Supervising Producer: Thomas Phillips  Featuring: Michelle Buckley; Callum Moloney Navigating a grief by Isaure Duruy  Sometimes new understandings of the world can come through dealing with the passing of a loved one.  Theo talks to producer Isaure about his experience of the passing of his mother from cancer.   Producer: Isaure Duruy Supervising Producer: Thomas Phillips  Featuring: Theo Schwartzmann Funeral Trees by Fionn McCabe Coming to see the world in a new way can come from a simple misunderstanding.   Fionn’s attempt to explain the death of a loved one to his son creates a new and beautiful understanding.    Written and read by Fionn McCabe Producer: Zacha Rosen    This story was originally published on Or It Didn’t Happen, an audio fiction radio show from fbi.radio’s archives.    Stargazing by Jiali Hong Do you ever just sit still at night and just look at the stars?  It's probably pretty hard to do if you live in the city, but if you get out of the city, into the bush on a clear night, you might be surprised at what you can see.   Producer Jiali interviews Sam, a 26-year-old astrophysicist who drives outside of the cities to chase stars in the night sky.  Produced by Jiali Hong Featuring: Sam  Supervising Producer: Mell Chun  Music:  Youtube Free copyright/ Bilibili Free copyright If you are looking for more stories like this 🙂! Stargazing, Navigating A Grief, and Between Two Worlds were produced by students at the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with the Centre for Advancing Journalism. Special thanks to Louisa Lim, Thomas Phillips, Dan Semo, Mell Chun and Persephone Waxman. You can hear more student stories from this cohort over at The Yarn.    All the Best Credits  Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Digital Trainee: Imogen Brosnan (Thank you so much, Immi!) Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Episode Tile: Jennifer Ibe And a special shout-out to all our volunteers!    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we return to the theme surveillance.  Looking beyond what it feels like to be watched but, also what it like to do the watching.     Behind Me by Xuanmeng Cai Xuanmeng explores the theme of hyper-vigilance. examining why women feel unsafe on their way home after dark, how the body responds to possible danger, and why this fear has become such a familiar part of everyday life. Producer: Xuanmeng Cai  Supervising Producer: Persephone Waxman  Featuring: Vivian Chen; William Hua; Jordan Liu Music/SFX: BBC Sound Effects; Blue Dot Sessions    Watching From Far Away by Xinnang Wang Xinnang examines that murky area or parental surveillance. She speaks to speaks to Xiaoqi Chen, a master’s student at the University of Melbourne, about family expectations, silence, independence, and how “watching” slowly changed from one-sided into mutual care. Producer: Xinnang Wang Supervising Producer: Thomas Phillips  Featuring: Xiaoqi Chen Music/ SFX:  Cobwebbed from Purple Planet; A Greater Love from Purple Planet   Uber by Ruonan Yang Have you ever thought of what it might be like to be an Uber driver?  Through personal experience and a conversation with fellow rider Shirley Wang, Ruonan reveals how surveillance shapes life in the gig economy. Producer: Ruonan Yang Featuring: Shirley Wang   Mt Rothwell  by Alexandra Nevill  Alexandra Nevill investigates how one sanctuary is doing things differently. Using surveillance as a tool to restore biodiversity, and deal with disruptors. Producer: Alexandra Nevill Featuring: Sheryl Nettleton, Field Officer at Mount Rothwell Safe Haven; Matthew Singleton, COO of Odonata   The stories in today’s episode were produced as part of a collaboration between the University of Melbourne, The Centre for Advancing Journalism, and All The Best. You can tune in to more stories like these on the Centre for Advancing Journalism’s podcast The Yarn.    All the Best Credits  Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Digital Trainee: Imogen Brosnan  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Episode Title: Izzy Boustead And a special shout-out to all our volunteers!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.