Why does Hollywood keep bringing back the same movies, TV shows, characters and franchises? And more importantly, do we actually want them to?

This week on The XYZ Experiment, we’re talking remakes, reboots, sequels and the stories that apparently refuse to stay finished.

Are there some movies and TV shows that are so iconic they should simply be left alone? Or do new generations deserve the chance to discover these stories with new actors, new technology and a fresh perspective?

Maybe the reason we keep returning to certain characters and worlds is because the original stories really were that good. Or perhaps nostalgia has become such a powerful force that we’d rather revisit something familiar than take a chance on something new.

From the remakes that surprised us to the ones we wish had never happened, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z ask: when does reinventing a classic breathe new life into it—and when should we just leave well enough alone?

Hosted by Darsh, Luke & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

What does being “healthy” actually mean — and with so much advice coming at us from social media, are we making it more complicated than it needs to be?

This week on The XYZ Experiment, we’re joined by Dr Fran Alves, an early-career dementia researcher at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, and a passionate advocate for understanding the science behind the way we eat, sleep and move.

Fran’s research journey began with muscle wasting before taking her into the world of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease. We talk about what happens to the way our brains and bodies use energy as we age, what her laboratory research could mean for the future diagnosis and treatment of dementia, and why our everyday lifestyle choices matter.

But Fran doesn’t just study health — she loves living it. We get into exercise, the current obsession with high-protein diets, sleep, food, fitness and the overwhelming amount of health advice filling our social media feeds. And how do we separate good science from the latest wellness trend?

And because this is The XYZ Experiment, there’s plenty of life beyond the laboratory too — including Fran’s love of her dogs and, of course, the all-important question: what’s the most Gen Y thing about her?

It’s a conversation about ageing well, staying strong and understanding what the science really says about looking after our brains and bodies — without getting lost in all the noise.

Hosted by Darsh, Luke & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

This week on The XYZ Experiment, we’re opening the door to a very personal piece of our past — our childhood bedrooms.

What did your room look like growing up? Were the walls covered in posters? Did you choose the paint, rearrange the furniture constantly, or have absolutely no say in how it looked? And what were the treasured possessions that made that little space feel completely yours?

For many of us, our childhood bedroom was the first place we got to express who we were or who we thought we were becoming. It was where we listened to music, studied, daydreamed, fought with our siblings, talked to friends for hours and occasionally slammed the door on our parents.

But what happens to that room when we grow up and leave?

Does your childhood bedroom still exist? Do your parents still refer to it as “your room” decades later? Has it become a guest room, an office or somewhere to store all the things nobody knows what to do with? And when you walk back into it as an adult, does it still somehow feel like yours?

Fiona, Darsh and Luke look back at the bedrooms they grew up in, what those spaces meant to them then, and how it feels to return to them now.

Because you may have moved out years ago…but somehow, it can still be your room.

Hosted by Darsh, Luke & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly