1:15 Music during surgery, are there benefits?

For anyone who has undergone surgery chances are that when your lights went out, the music came up.

Music in surgical operating rooms is fairly commonplace, with many believing it calms and focuses the mind.

But does it?

The question intrigued one musician and medical student so much, he decided to turn it into a PhD project

Dr Anantha Narayanan speaks to Jesse.

Dr Anantha Narayanan is combining his two passions for his phD research - music and surgery.

Dr Anantha Narayanan is combining his two passions for his phD research - music and surgery. Photo: Supplied

1.25 NZ's creepiest Christmas display

What could potentially be the country's creepiest Christmas display is again on show in Dunedin.

Created in the 1930s, the Pixie Town exhibit has a rich and interesting history - even which touring across Australia, England and the United States.

The spooky pixies are now homed at the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

Jesse speaks to the curator there, Peter Read.

Pixie Town

Pixie Town Photo: www.toituosm.com

1.35 Fall armyworm fight gearing up

The fight against the fall armyworm has stepped around Aotearoa.

The unwanted invasive species has been discovered in Northland for this current growing season and  collaboration has begun to combat it's spread with the hope it can be eradicated.

Ashley Mills from the Foundation for Arable research speaks to Jesse about their co-ordinated efforts to deal with the pest.

Fall Armyworm

Fall Armyworm Photo: Foundation for Arable Research

1:45 Feature album

2:10 Television Critic: Claire Chitham

Today Claire talks to Jesse about Fargo and Colin from Accounts.

2:20 Made in NZ: All terrain wheelchairs

As we head into summer, many of us are looking forward to enjoying the great outdoors across Aotearoa-New Zealand.

Thanks to some classic Kiwi ingenuity that is an option for those unable to explore some of our best known tracks on foot.

The ViMo all terrain wheelchair is the brainchild of Wairarapa man Peter Thompson, he speaks to Jesse.

ViMo all terrain wheelchair

ViMo all terrain wheelchair Photo: www.vimowheelchair.co.nz

2.30 Expert Feature: First Aid

With summer on the doorstep and outdoor adventures on the agenda for the holidays, this week's expert topic is a timely one.

We're talking about first aid, how to be prepared and what you can do to help if you're first on the scene of a accident or someone's been hurt in some other way and has come to you for help.

Red Cross National Manager for First Aid Training Operations Kate Keville's our expert today. You can text any of your questions to 2101 or email jesse@rnz.co.nz.

Disaster Preparedness kit.  First Aid Kit in foreground with breathing maks

Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen

3:10 The Beatles 'confidante', his book finally published after nearly 50 years

From the early days of the Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool to the last recording session in London, Mal Evans did whatever needed to be done to keep the fab four on track. He was the road manager, bodyguard and keeper of their guitar picks, a little weed and a secrets he kept in meticulous notes and diary entries. Evans was working on a book when he was shot and killed by Los Angeles police in 1976. The archives almost ended up in the rubbish, but with the help of Yoko Ono, the family got them and handed them over to Beatles  expert Dr Ken Wommack.  He's written the book Evans started called LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND: The Untold Story of Mal Evans.

Mal Evans

Photo: public domain

3:35 Voices

On Voices today, we're exploring the idea of being "woke" - a word with roots in African American vernacular, that's become bit of a catchall phrase for various social justice causes globally.

Protesters wait for the start of the Black Lives Matter rally in Aotea Square in Auckland.

Protesters wait for the start of the Black Lives Matter rally in Aotea Square in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Mabel Muller

3:45 The Panel with Nuwanthie Samarakone and Simon Wislon