In 2026 ABC Radio National will offer audiences more of what they love, including additional episodes of the acclaimed Global Roaming program and a refreshed schedule with regular appointment listening blocks for arts and science content.
In the new year, Global Roaming will welcome author and journalist Latika M Bourke and foreign affairs journalist Kylie Morris who will join existing presenters Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald presenting episodes every weekday.
Latika said: “The world order is changing before our eyes and understanding Australia’s place in this turmoil has never been more important.
“Radio National’s expansion of its already unmissable Global Roaming program is much-needed for our times and as The Nightly’s Writer-at-Large based in London, I’m excited and honoured to contribute to helping make sense of our rapidly shifting global order.”
In 2026, Radio National will double down on its commitment to the arts with a new and live, weekday Radio National Arts Hour airing from 10–11am. The hour will be anchored by an arts presenter from Monday to Thursday, presenting interviews and news focused on visual and performing arts. The program will then lead into a daily specialist arts program covering books, design, food, and film including:
- The Screen Show with Jason di Rosso
- Every Bite with Jonathan Green
- The Book Show with Claire Nichols
- And a new architecture and design program Anthony Burke’s By Design, presented by the much-loved host of ABC TV’s Grand Designs Australia, Grand Transformations, Restoration Australia and Culture By Design.
On Friday, the hour will be dedicated to The Bookshelf hosted by Kate Evans and Cassie McCullagh.
Following the decisions of presenters Daniel Browning and Michael Cathcart to step away from their roles, ABC Radio National will retire The Art Show and The Stage Show and Arts in 30.
After a wildly successful debut, the network’s ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Books countdown will return for another year. The 2025 Top 100 Books campaign brought together avid and occasional readers alike around the theme of “Top 100 Books of the 21st Century.” The results of the vote were celebrated over a wonderful two-day live broadcast in October. Next year’s theme will build on the success of year one and will be sure to ignite lots of debate!
For the scientifically inclined, Radio National’s stable of renowned science programming will feature each weekday with 1.30-2pm becoming the daily home for All In The Mind, What the Duck, Science Friction and the Science Show.
On Saturdays, The Science Show continues as a full-hour program, with Robyn Williams welcoming a co-presenter for the first time in the show’s history. After five decades of solo hosting, Robyn will be joined by Belinda Smith, an award-winning science journalist and presenter of Lab Notes.
In January 2026, Australia’s voice of science Dr Karl will co-present a new six-part series, The Challenger Legacy, alongside Walkley-nominated science reporter Fiona Pepper. The series explores the lessons of the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, its impact on space exploration, and the big questions that still resonate as NASA prepares to launch astronauts back to the Moon early next year.
“The Challenger disaster was a tragedy, but it also reshaped how we think about engineering and risk. This series takes a deep look at the science behind the fateful mission and asks what NASA – and all of us – have learned from the disaster,” Dr Karl said.
Schedule changes in the new year see ABC Radio National Breakfast with Sally Sara shift to a 6am start.
News coverage will still begin at 5.30am with a mix of ABC News Daily and highlights from The Radio National Hour.
The Radio National Hour with Fran Kelly continues at 6pm each weeknight.
On weekends, The Music Show will move from the morning to afternoons.
The full Radio National schedule for 2026 can be found here.
About Latika M Bourke
Latika M Bourke is The Nightly’s Writer-at-Large in London, specialising in geopolitics.
She is a moderator and MC and Expert Associate at the Australian National University’s National Security College.
Latika spent eight years in the Canberra press gallery and has worked for The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC and 2UE.
Latika hosts Latika Takes: The Podcast, whose guests have included Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Virgin co-founder Richard Branson, Retired US General and former CIA Director David Petraeus and more.
She regularly appears on the BBC, Sky UK, Monocle and Times Radio.
About Kylie Morris
Kylie Morris is an award-winning foreign correspondent and broadcaster who holds a Master’s in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She reported on the Trump presidency as Washington correspondent for Britain’s Channel Four News, where she helped break the Cambridge Analytica story, earning BAFTA, Emmy, and Peabody awards.
Kylie previously hosted More 4 News in London, worked as Asia correspondent, and reported for the BBC from Bangkok, Kabul, and Gaza, covering conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, and the Palestinian Territories. She began her career with the ABC in Newcastle and reported for Radio National’s Background Briefing. Most recently, Kylie has been a presenter and producer for The Radio National Hour, alongside Fran Kelly.