Todd Sampson on doomsday preppers, aliens and why people reach for the extreme episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 20, 2026 · 40 MIN

Todd Sampson on doomsday preppers, aliens and why people reach for the extreme

from Good Weekend Talks · host The Age and Sydney Morning Herald

Todd Sampson began his TV career on Gruen, the long-running ABC series about advertising, before transforming himself into a human guinea pig to scrutinise the limits of the human brain and body.His upcoming show, called Why?, explores the reasons behind why people turn to extreme beliefs and behaviours such as doomsday prepping, base-jumping or alien worship. In this chat, hosted by The Sydney Morning Herald science reporter Angus Dalton, Sampson talks about his upbringing, how he went from 'ad man' to TV, and the moment marrying a doomsday prepper really came in handy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Todd Sampson on doomsday preppers, aliens and why people reach for the extreme

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