417 - Bomb Plot At Adelaide Oval With Michael Ball And Zoe Baird

In a conversation that peels back layers of both fiction and reality, Michael Ball demonstrates why Adelaide sits at the heart of Australia’s intelligence network while his character Zoe Baird navigates a bio-terror plot during a pop concert. Ball’s journey from RAAF intelligence sergeant to published author reveals the hidden world of modern espionage, where accountants and IT managers pose greater threats than gun-wielding operatives, and where Adelaide’s unassuming facade masks its role as a significant intelligence hub.

The SA Drink of the Week delivers a genuine surprise as Bickford’s new sugar-free cordial range passes the ultimate test of a self-proclaimed “super taster” who typically rejects artificial sweeteners. These magnificent recreations using fruit juice concentrate and stevia prove that innovation can honour tradition without compromise.

Our Musical Pilgrimage celebrates the decade that defined a generation with Denim and Stripes, an original eighties anthem crafted for radio newsreader extraordinnaire, Mel Usher, weaving together Madonna’s Adelaide Oval concert memories with the fashion and music that shaped an era.

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Running Sheet: Bomb Plot At Adelaide Oval With Michael Ball

00:00:00 Intro

Introduction

00:03:43 SA Drink Of The Week

This week’s SA Drinks Of The Week, are the five flavours available in Bickford’s new sugar-free cordial range.

When Sofia from Bickford’s reached out offering samples of their new sugar-free cordial range, my immediate instinct was decline. As a self-proclaimed super taster with hypersensitive olfactory sensors, artificial sweeteners typically leave a metallic, clingy aftertaste that ruins any drinking experience. My honesty about this aversion only strengthened Sofia’s determination to prove these products different.

The verdict: these cordials are magnificent. Released during Dry July, Bickford’s has achieved something remarkable with their five-flavour range including lime juice, lemon juice, tropical, lemon lime bitters, and raspberry. Using fruit juice concentrate for flavour and a naturally derived stevia blend for sweetness, they’ve eliminated the telltale artificial aftertaste that plagues most sugar-free alternatives.

The lime cordial, crucial to get right given Bickford’s heritage, delivers authentic citrus punch without compromise. The raspberry, typically the most challenging flavour to recreate without leaving tanginess from artificial substitutes, tastes indistinguishable from its sugared counterpart. At just eight calories per serve and available nationally through Coles, these cordials prove that innovation can honour tradition.

For anyone who’s sworn off sugar-free beverages after previous disappointments, these warrant one more attempt.

00:08:18 Michael Ball

Michael Ball’s entrance into our studio carries the quiet confidence of someone who spent over a decade analysing threats most of us never consider. His latest novel drops readers directly into Adelaide Oval during a terrorist attack, but this isn’t mere sensationalism. Ball knows something most South Australians