When a viral image of a football fan sticking a flare up his arse during England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy surfaced, it wasn’t just a meme, it was the most unlikely of doorways...

For UK stage performer Alex Hill, it became both the inspiration and the vehicle to explore loneliness, friendship, masculinity, mental health, and what it really means to belong.

His debut play, Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England, has enjoyed sell-out runs and international acclaim, returning to this year’s Adelaide Fringe after taking out Best Theatre in 2025.

Beneath the chaos and hilarious fun, Alex is posing serious questions and using his art to create space for connection and reflection.

This is Alex Hill...

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Adelaide Fringe tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/why-i-stuck-a-flare-up-my-ar-for-england-af2026

Gambling, in one form or another, has been part of human societies for centuries. Those wanting a betting opportunity could find one if they looked hard enough, but it was a far cry from the gambling bombardment we’re exposed to in the Western world today.

Australians lose more than $30 billion a year to gambling, and new figures show New South Wales residents lost $2.5 billion on the pokies alone in just three months in 2025.

The barrage of odds, ads and the growing prevalence of gambling influencers can feel inescapable, drawing millions of young men into a dangerous game with virtually no winners.

Dr Michael Zhang is a psychologist specialising in behavioural addictions. His work led to the creation of Incumental, a new app designed to support recovery from gambling problems. He says it’s not about willpower, it’s about learning new ways to respond, building new habits, and finding people who understand.

This is Dr Michael Zhang…

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https://incumental.com/

When you hear the word psychiatrist, you might think medicating mental illness, but there’s more nuance to it than that.

Psychiatry brings together biology, psychology medicine and lived experience to understand what’s going on in someone’s mind and how to treat it.

Aleem is a Pakistani Australian who migrated here 16 years ago, became a psychiatrist and in doing so recognised a major need to increase access to psychiatric services particularly for people in regional areas. He’s since founded HelloDoc, a nationwide telehealth service connecting thousands of people with psychiatrists across Australia.

We discuss the ins and outs of psychiatry, where medication fits in, how culture shapes the way mental health is understood, why so many adults are being diagnosed with ADHD later in life and more.

This is Aleem Khan…