Sunday Morning

8:10 Are microplastics behind a raft of unexplained cancers? 

We all know that microplastics are now ubiquitous in our environments, but we still don’t know their true impact on human health. A group of researchers recently published a major scientific review into how microplastic exposure can affect our digestive, reproductive, and respiratory systems. 

Dr Nicholas Chartres from The University of Sydney is the lead author and joins Jim to discuss the findings. 

8:25 The Sunday Morning Quiz with Jack Waley-Cohen   

Our quiz master Jack Waley-Cohen is back for another Sunday Morning quiz.   

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC quiz show ‘Only Connect’ which is known for being both difficult to crack and totally obvious.     

It’s Sunday morning, so wake up your brain and have a go!       

8:30 Did the weird diet fads have it right? 

Who remembers the grapefruit diet or the cottage cheese diet? 

Nicola Shubrook is a nutritionist with the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, and the Institute for Functional Medicine. 

She's also a regular contributor to BBCGoodFood.com and she speaks to Jim about what we might learn - if anything - from diet fads of the past. 

9:10 Mediawatch 

This week Mediawatch looks back at what turned out to be a mostly disaster-free holiday season in New Zealand. But the outside world has changed since Christmas - and the media industry’s problems didn’t take a holiday either.    

9:35 Lomu: The Lost Tapes 

For the first time ever, All Black legend Jonah Lomu’s extraordinary life is recounted through previously unreleased footage that captures the raw and intimate moments from his memorable life. 

Lomu: The Lost Tapes airs Sunday, February 2 at 9.25pm on Three and Three Now and charts his journey from humble beginnings to the height of a transcendent rugby career. 

The film is voiced by his friend and former teammate Sean Fitzpatrick who joins us to tell us more. 

10:10 Jan Gradvall: The Book of ABBA 

Renowned music journalist Jan Gradvall gained unparalleled access to ABBA after doing a story for a Swedish newspaper in 2013 and subsequently gaining the group’s trust.  

Since then, Jan has grown intimately familiar with the 70s pop supergroup and put a decade of deep research into his new offering The Book of Abba: Melancholy Undercover, for which he also interviewed each of the band members exclusively. 

He joins Jim to chat about one of the world's most famously private bands. 

11:10 The hidden risk of hairwashing 

For most people having your hair washed is a bit of harmless pampering. However research suggests that sitting at those awkward basins can cause neck pain, injury and on very rare occasions a condition known as beauty parlor stroke syndrome (BPSS). 

Dr Maria Ashioti wrote about the phenomenon for The Conversation, she joins Jim to discuss. 

11:25 David Robson: Is alcohol a placebo? 

Most of us have experienced a confidence boost in a social situation from alcohol, in fact many people looking to cut down or stop drinking worry about losing that social buzz, but new research from the University of Washington in Seattle might help to allay these worries. 

Award-winning science writer David Robson has been testing the water. 

11:40 Calling Home: Jordan Rondel 

Jordan Rondel has baked cakes for some of the biggest names in the biz including the likes of Miley Cyrus, Margot Robbie, Flea, George Clinton, and Lorde. 

Originally based in Auckland, five years ago Jordan took her premium cake-making business The Caker and set up in Los Angeles, carving out a name for herself with her premium cake kits and gorgeous freshly baked cakes.  

Last year she sold The Caker business, but she still keeps a hand in the game. For this week’s Calling Home, Jordan talks to Jim about life as The Caker, building a business in the US, and what’s on the horizon next.