On the 15th of December 2014, the usually bustling Martin Place in Sydney's CBD became the epicentre of chaos, as a terrorist held 18 people hostage inside the Lindt Cafe.

Ben Besant was the Tactical Operations Unit officer that brought the 16 hour ordeal to a close by eliminating the terrorist.

In the decade since that day he's been known as 'Officer A', but as of November 2024, Ben is stepping into the limelight to share his account of what happened across those brutal 16 hours.

He speaks to Ant about his role and mindset during the siege, and the 'high price' he's paid for his service as a result.

This episode contains Ben Besant’s first-hand experience of the Lindt Café Siege and includes discussions of terrorism, violence, death and PTSD. If any of these topics are triggering for you, please give this episode a miss or seek help by visiting Lifeline's website at https://www.lifeline.org.au/ or by calling 13 11 14.

LINKS

• Ben's book, Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! is available to purchase at tigertigertigerbook.com
• Follow Ant on Instagram, X, and Facebook
• Learn more about Ant on his website antmiddleton.com
• Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial.

CREDITS
Host: Ant Middleton
Editor: Adrian Walton
Executive Producer: Anna Henvest
Managing Producer: Elle Beattie

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bruce 'Hoppo' Hopkins' life may look glamorous to most - spending his days in the sun and surf. But the true cost of lifeguarding is far greater than most realise.

In this episode, the star of the hugely popular Bondi Rescue opens up about the toughest parts of the job, the toll it's taken on his life and how things are changing for the better.

In this episode, there is a mention of suicide. If this topic is triggering for you, please seek help by visiting Lifeline's website at https://www.lifeline.org.au/ or by calling 13 11 14.

LINKS

• Check out Hoppo's podcast at lifesabeach.co
• Follow Ant on Instagram, X, and Facebook
• Learn more about Ant on his website antmiddleton.com
• Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial.

CREDITS
Host: Ant Middleton
Editor: Adrian Walton
Executive Producer: Anna Henvest
Managing Producer: Elle Beattie

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the firefighting world, Greg Mullins is a legend. He's the former commissioner of Fire and Rescue New South Wales, a Climate Councillor with the Climate Council, and the founder of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action.

With over 50 years experience in fire-fighting, he is an internationally recognised expert in responding to major bushfires and natural disasters.

In this episode, he joins Ant to speak about the terrifying task of firefighting during Australia's 'Black Summer' of 2019, and the toll that has taken on him to this day.

LINKS

• Check out 'Firestorm' by Greg Mullins here
• Follow Ant on Instagram, X, and Facebook
• Learn more about Ant on his website antmiddleton.com
• Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial.

CREDITS
Host: Ant Middleton
Editor: Adrian Walton
Executive Producer: Anna Henvest
Managing Producer: Elle Beattie

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.