The 9pm Edict – Stilgherrian

05 June 202605 June 2026

The 9pm Rockets are Always Blowing Up with Dr Alice Gorman and Rami Mandow

Left: Dr Alice Gorman. (Photo: Simon Royal/ABC) Right: Rami Mandow. (Photo: Supplied; Post-processing: Stilgherrian). Not the best ALT text, I know, but yeah a white women and a man "of Middle-Eastern appearance". — *Left: Dr Alice Gorman. (Photo: Simon Royal/ABC) Right: Rami Mandow. (Photo: Supplied; Post-processing: Stilgherrian)*

Is Pluto a planet? Currently, officially, no. But the Trump-appointed head of NASA wants to reinstate Pluto’s planetary privileges. Why? Let’s find out with space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk and astrophysicist Rami Mandow.

26 May 202626 May 2026

The 9pm Capybara of Hope with David F Porteous

A square-faced Scottish man in a shirt, tie, and dark suit looks to the right and ponders the fate of the world as he stands in a black void. — David F Porteous exists in an ocean of darkness following the UK’s Eurovision loss. (Photo: Supplied).

How long does UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer have left? And what is the Chelsea Flower Show? Today’s special guest is Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous, and he can help us with neither of these things.

17 May 202617 May 2026

The 9pm Shootout at the OK Philippines with Erin Cook

A white woman with her long brown hair tied back wears a yellow and black top, sunglasses, and a smile like the Mona Lisa. Behind her stretches out a view of a tropical landscape and, eventually, the ocean. It's Erin Cook! — Erin Cook stands tall over South-East Asia. (Photo: Supplied).

Have you seen what’s going on in the Philippines? They’re trying to impeach the vice-president — again — and there was even a shootout in the senate building. It’s time to chat with journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia. And as always we talk about a lot of different things.

10 May 202610 May 2026

The 9pm David Attenborough from 1984

Photograph of an audio cassette in its plastic case. A handwritten insert reads “Science journal 29.8.84 84/35” and then a list of the program items. (See later on the web page.) On the right-hand side is a the scan of a scratched-up black and white photo, with 35mm film sprocket holes. It’s a hotel room. A middle-aged white man in a grey suit sits on the couch with his elbows on the coffee table. He looks very tired. In the foreground, out of focus, the hands of someone off-camera load a reel of quarter-inch tape onto a Nagra recorder. Conversation is imminent. — *An audio cassette recording of Science Journal 84/35 from 1984. (Photo: Stilgherrian) Inset: David Attenborough, seen in 1984. (Photo:* Robin Goodfellow.)

Something different to kick off the mid-2026 series. Just two days ago, on the 8th of May, Sir David Attenborough celebrated his 100th birthday. As it happens, way back in 1984, I interviewed him when he was just Mr Attenborough, and here is that interview.

12 April 202617 April 2026

The 9pm Cornucopia of Tech Policy Pleasures with Johanna Weaver and Zoe Jay Hawkins

Two women stand looking into the camera. Both are wearing white t-shirts. Both have their arms folded. On the left is Johanna Weaver, with brushed-up greying hair, bright pink earrings, and glasses. On the right is Zoe Hawkins, with long straight black hair worn loose. Both are trying to look more serious than they actually are. — *Johanna Weaver (left) and Zoe Jay Hawkins from the Tech Policy Design Institute. (Photos: Supplied)*

From Australia’s teen social media ban to AI safety, there’s so many tech policy matters these days! So to wrap up the summer series — finally! — I decided to chat with Johanna Weaver and Zoe Jay Hawkins from the Tech Policy Design Institute in Canberra.

01 April 202601 June 2026

The 9pm Artemis II and the Space Cockroaches with Dr Alice Gorman and Rami Mandow

As I post this, we’re supposedly just hours away from the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon. So what better time to chat with space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk and astrophysicist Rami Mandow?