Chris Hadfield is a former astronaut whose reflections from space – and weightless rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity - made him an internet sensation. He recently retired after a 20 year career as an astronaut, culminating in a spell as Commander of the International Space Station. Among countless career highlights, there is one episode that continues to haunt him - the deaths of seven colleagues in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster of 2003.

Former Greens leader Bob Brown was brought up to be a doctor, but after moving to Tasmania in the 1970s, he became a convert to preserving the beauty of the natural habitat.

Comedian or chameleon? Shaun Micallef is a man of many guises - and he tells Jane Hutcheon why he thrives on change.

He's a comedy superstar, serious actor, proud cross-dresser and would-be politician. Eddie Izzard tells Jane Hutcheon what drives his eclectic existence - and shows how make-up maketh the man.

Jane Hutcheon speaks with entrepreneur, author and publisher Lisa Messenger about life, love and career success.

Peter Carey is one of Australia’s most successful authors with a string of bestsellers and two Booker Prizes to his name. Though he’s lived in New York for 25 years, Australia is never far from his mind – or his writing.

He's a modern-day Willie Wonka who has roamed the world in pursuit of the perfect cacao bean. Willie Harcourt-Cooze produces hundreds of tonnes of artisan chocolate a year, and it's recently arrived in Australia.

From US Navy medic to transgender showgirl to Hollywood actress and consultant, Calpernia Addams has never shied away from crashing through life’s many barriers.

He’s a firm fixture on Hollywood’s comedy A-list but there’s plenty more Chris Rock wants to achieve. He gives Jane Hutcheon a rundown.

Alan Rickman is famed for his versatility, playing romantic leads, comedy characters and arch villains in the course of his 40-year acting career. He has now directed a second film, A Little Chaos, set in 17th century France.

Clare Wright is a historian and broadcaster who questions the popular narratives surrounding some of Australia’s most iconic historical events.

It’s been almost 60 years since Edna Everage first stepped on to a stage – and she still constantly surprises her creator, the Australian cultural icon Barry Humphries.

Justin Townes Earle is a singer-songwriter from Nashville whose battle with drug addiction began at the age of 10. The son of country-rock icon Steve Earle, Justin is now drug-free, married and enjoying growing acclaim for his music.

He knew comedy was his calling by the age of 12 - but for Charlie Pickering, there’s a very serious purpose to making people laugh.

As a shy child with learning difficulties, Cosentino turned to a book of magic to teach himself to read. Now the master illusionist from Melbourne has audiences in his thrall and holds the coveted title of International Magician of the Year.

Chris Buck is the Oscar-winning director of Frozen, the highest-grossing animated film of all time. He tells Jane Hutcheon how he realised his boyhood dream – and how the recent death of his son has kept him grounded.

From the grinding poverty of Mao’s China to global celebrity in the ballet world, Li Cunxin – the man now known as Mao’s Last Dancer - shares his remarkable story with Jane Hutcheon.

The Australian Sex Party's Leader Fiona Patten fought for years to enter politics and finally became a member of the Victorian Parliament. She talks about the cornerstones of the party; sex, drugs and voluntary euthanasia.

Bestselling author John Marsden has sold millions of his teen fiction books, and has now turned his skills to adult literature. But he says his real achievements stem from life as a school principal and stepfather to six boys.

Former pop diva and TV star Colleen Hewett has opened up about her own history of abuse to back a national campaign against domestic violence.

The American writer, academic and self-declared ‘bad feminist’ Roxane Gay talks to Jane Hutcheon about her ‘unexpected and delicious’ success.

Mark Seymour is a musician and former frontman of Hunters & Collectors, one of Australia's most renowned rock bands of the 1980s and 90s. He talks to Jane Hutcheon about the highs and lows as he approaches four decades in the music industry.

Michelle McLaughlin is a nurse and mother who became a road safety campaigner after the death of her young son Tom last year. She speaks of the pain of losing a child and questions whether the media is too invasive in the aftermath of a family tragedy.

David Gonski is a philanthropist and corporate adviser to some of Australia’s wealthiest companies and individuals. He talks about his life, from his arrival in Australia as a migrant, to the review of school funding for the Federal Government in 2011 which produced the catch-phrase ‘I Give a Gonski’.

From football player, boxer, beer salesman to actor and author; Matt Nable has had a whirlwind of a life. He speaks with Jane Hutcheon about how bipolar disorder, diagnosed several years ago, affected his life, but also helped him create a stellar career.

Film director Gillian Armstrong is an Australian film industry pioneer.

Author Robert Dessaix draws from his own experiences to unravel life’s big questions. Adopted shortly after birth, he talks to Jane Hutcheon about meeting - and disappointing - his birth mother, two near-death experiences and living with HIV.

On this episode: Harry Triguboff is one of only three Australians whose personal wealth tops $10 billion. But what does the property developer known as “High Rise Harry” consider a dollar well spent? He lets Jane Hutcheon in on the secret.

On this episode: The comedian Jean Kittson uses humour to tackle some of life’s toughest topics. From death and palliative care to the heated matter of menopause, nothing is off limits.

Rick Springfield has carved out a stellar career as a singer, actor and writer since leaving Australia for the US 40 years ago. But, he tells Jane Hutcheon, no amount of fame or wealth can heal a troubled mind.

Roger Woodward is regarded as one of Australia’s finest concert pianists, but he admits his quest for musical success has come at a personal cost.

Wil Anderson is one of Australia’s most sought-after stand-up comics and TV hosts. And though he battles with painful osteoarthritis, he refuses to let a pair of “dicky hips” slow him down.

In the first of three stories from Alice Springs, Jane Hutcheon meets Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns at his kangaroo sanctuary, and learns how a two-metre tall tour guide became “mum” to hundreds of orphaned joeys.

In the second of three stories from Alice Springs, Cherisse Buzzacott tells Jane Hutcheon how she defied the stereotypes of indigenous youth to pursue her dream and become a midwife.

In the final part of The Road to Alice, Shon Klose is a musician and advocate for intersex people. She uses her own experience of trauma to help indigenous children in remote communities in Australia’s Red Centre.

Dr Cary Fowler is an international expert on food security and an architect of the so-called “Doomsday Vault” deep under the permafrost in Norway. From a farm boy in Tennessee he’s survived two bouts of cancer to become the world’s leading seed banker.

Professor Paul Dolan is one of the world’s leading thinkers on the subject of happiness. The British economist has advised governments on measuring the wellbeing of nations and says designing a happier life is within everyone’s reach.

Gillian Mears is an award-winning author who is confined to a wheelchair by advanced multiple sclerosis. And while she refuses to surrender to the disease, Mears admits it has led to a drastic change of heart on the subject of voluntary euthanasia.

The acclaimed actor Hugo Weaving has played pivotal roles in some of the world’s most successful blockbusters. But in his latest part, as a cross-dressing policeman in The Dressmaker, he returns to the place he holds most dear - the Australian film industry.

John Edward is an American psychic, author and TV personality who says scepticism around his ability to “cross over” won’t quash his calling to keep the living and their dead loved ones connected.

Magda Szubanski is one of Australia’s best-loved comedy performers, yet her life has held complex challenges. She tells Jane Hutcheon how the discovery of her father’s dark wartime secret caused her to question her identity.