2GB
314 episodes listed below
Afternoon talkback with civic bite.
2GB Afternoons with Michael McLaren keeps an afternoon audience moving through civic arguments, household concerns, culture, sport, and listener reaction. Recent Bill Woods fill-in episodes mix defence spending, cyber risk, dental costs, road travel, theatre, heritage towns, and talkback with a familiar radio rhythm.
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2GB Afternoons with Michael McLaren is built like a live afternoon companion for people who want the day sorted out aloud. It starts with the map of what is coming, then works through the stories most likely to touch households, taxpayers, drivers, workers, patients, sports fans, and people listening from the road. Recent episodes feature Bill Woods filling in for Michael McLaren, and that fill-in run gives the program a relaxed but argumentative shape. The conversation can begin with a Telstra outage and quickly widen into cyber threats, China, critical infrastructure, and the limits of Australia’s old geographic safety. It can pivot from defence spending to national service, from a Geelong refinery fire to emergency briefings, or from construction industry disputes to the question of whether regulators or unions carry real power on building sites. The show likes a concrete example. Dental care is not treated as an abstract policy field; it is framed through pain, work, chronic illness, and the reason some people risk offshore treatment. Fuel prices are not just campaign language; they are a cost felt by households trying to get through the week. There is a strong appetite for accountability, especially around public spending, bureaucratic pay, court matters, industry conduct, and national preparedness. But the program is not all stern. It has a warm memory bank. Listeners bring in historic towns, bypassed main streets, local festivals, old cafes, op shops, family jokes, weather reports, and sporting loyalties. Interviews stretch from Dr Elizabeth Devney on dental access to Graeme Agars on a life crossing oceans for golf and tennis coverage. Theatre, Cluedo, the Masters, State of Origin, road travel, heritage tourism, and secondhand shopping all sit in the same afternoon current. That breadth is the point. The show does not separate public life from ordinary life; it keeps showing how one lands inside the other. Its best moments feel like a caller-driven civic noticeboard with sharper editorial instincts. It suits listeners who enjoy talk radio that is familiar, opinionated, practical, and alert to both the big strategic picture and the small local detail.
Made for: For listeners who like current affairs, consumer issues, sport, culture, and local memory handled in a plainspoken radio style. It especially suits people who enjoy talkback that keeps one ear on national security and the other on everyday costs.
What sets it apart: Its range is unusually elastic: defence capability, dental policy, building-site regulation, golf history, theatre touring, and country-town nostalgia can all share one afternoon. The common thread is practical consequence, with listener texts and calls constantly pulling big issues back to daily life.
Join Michael McLaren on 2GB Afternoons for a mix of news, opinion, entertainment and fun from 12.00pm - 3.00pm, Monday to Friday. You can contact the show on the text line 0460 873 873
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Australian headlines become practical talkback, with direct questions, public response and enough everyday detail to show how events land beyond the studio.
2GB Afternoons with Michael McLaren uses a roomy talk-radio format to connect current Australian news with the questions people are already raising by phone and text.
Secondhand appliances meet a Mambo quiz; your afternoon was never going to stay on topic.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A live afternoon talk hour that turns an outage into a wider resilience discussion.
Bill Woods fills in for Michael McLaren in an afternoon hour that starts with the Telstra outage and the immediate hassle of lost calls. From there, the discussion broadens into resilience, preparedness, and the chance of electronic, cyber, or critical infrastructure threats,…
A loose, listener-led afternoon show that moves from news to local memory with an easy live feel.
The episode moves at an easy clip as Bill Woods fills in for Michael McLaren, shifting from Ben Roberts-Smith's bail application to the fuel crisis, Peter Coorey from the NRMA, and then listener memories of historic towns and old local cafes.
A loose afternoon hour that moves from Harry and Megan Down Under to theatre talk, listener calls, and station-life chatter.
Bill Woods' fill-in stretch on 2GB and the network stations opens cleanly, with a welcoming tone and quick access through the call and text lines.
Afternoon talk radio that folds fuel prices, op shops, and consumer caution into a casual listen.
Bill Woods fills in on Afternoons for Michael McLaren, and the segment settles into an easy mix of caller chat, school-holiday context, and practical advice.
A live Friday talkback hour from the Royal Easter Show that moves from politics to space logistics with an easy, conversational rhythm.
Lucy Zelich fills in for Michael McLaren on Afternoons with Lucy Zelich, live from the Royal Easter Show in Sydney on Friday, April 10, 2026, as the weather climbs to 30 degrees.
Bill Woods fills in for Michael McLaren on a Wednesday marked as State of Origin Day.
This episode features an interview with veteran sports broadcaster Graeme Agars, discussing his 45-year career covering major golf and tennis events like the Masters and Wimbledon for global radio audiences.
Bill Woods fills in for Michael McLaren on 2GB's afternoon slot.
This episode of Afternoons with Bill Woods covers breaking news including a refinery fire in Geelong, employment and wage updates for nurses and bureaucrats, and analysis of new defence spending.
A health expert discusses the risks and reasons behind offshore dentistry, advocating for dental care to be covered by Medicare due to its impact on overall health and chronic disease prevention.
This episode discusses the Queensland inquiry into the CFMEU and industrial relations on building sites, featuring an upcoming interview with the CEO of Master Builders Australia to explore national implications and the balance between union influence and regulatory oversight.
Bill Woods fills in for Michael McLaren.
Bill Woods fronts Afternoons for Michael McLaren.
The hour opens with a sponsor read and a bright Friday handoff.
Michael McLaren discusses geopolitical risks and national unpreparedness for crises, referencing expert Alan Dupont's analysis on Iran and supply chain vulnerabilities.
This episode explores the complex power dynamics in Iran, questioning who is truly in control amid rumors about the Supreme Leader's health and the influence of groups like the IRGC.
This episode discusses rising transportation costs, an upcoming Fair Work Commission hearing involving unions seeking to shift economic burdens, and features interviews with TWU's Michael Caine and shadow education minister Julian Leeser.
Michael McLaren hosts a live talkback radio show on a Friday afternoon, inviting listeners to call in with topics ranging from personal anecdotes to political discussions, including upcoming interviews with Coalition politicians about international affairs.
This episode previews upcoming interviews on energy geopolitics with John Berry and entertainment with Phil Rosenthal, while noting the 100-day mark of a social media ban.