Xena: Warrior Nutballs

*Lou, Shell, and MaryD have entered the 90s AUXIP chat room*

 

This week we’re diving into the fandom itself with a true OG Xenite - MaryD! The absolute powerhouse behind AUSXIP 💻⚔️ Before socials, before streaming, there was AUSXIP… and MaryD was the Aussie legend running the show.

 

We yarn about the wild west days of the internet and her work creating the 25th anniversary book “Xena: Their Courage Changed Our World” 📜🪶. MaryD’s been doing the mahi (work) keeping us Xenites informed for 30 years, and fundraising hundreds of thousands of dollars through her annual AUSXIP charity auction! We get into the legacy, the chaos, and the aroha (love) for all things Xena 💪💜. 

 

MaryD is Xena-verse icon - we ADORE her! 😌🔥

 

Wanna keep up with MaryD and all things Xena? Too easy:

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OMG babes 💖✨ we are, like, SO excited because this week, we’re adding the divine Alexandra Tydings 💘👑 to the whānau!!! Aka Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love from Xena: Warrior Princess 💕 Tubular right?!

 

We go FULL Gaphrodite 💞🌈 yes babe, that kiss 💋💖 diving into Alex’s thoughts, angles, and all the deliciously sapphic vibes 😍💓It’s flirty, fabulous, and totally dripping in looooooooove 💕💅✨

 

…okay stepping out of our valley girl era for a sec, we go on a real journey in this chat - Alex is unbelievably smart and generous, and there’s truly something in here for every Xenite: from the origins of Joxer's theme tune, or working with Alexis Arquette and Kiwi Director Garth Maxwell on “The God You Know” S6E12, to wholesome memories of working with their big bro Ares, AKA Kevin Smith! 💖

 

We welcome the magnificent Goddess of Aroha | Love - Alex Tydings! 

 

Show notes: 

 

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Golden curls, heroic biceps, and a whole lot of Kiwi charm, this week we’re joined by Aotearoa legend Michael Hurst (ONZM) ✨

 

Xena fans will know Michael across the wider Xenaverse: from his iconic turn as the ever-loyal hero Iolaus in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys 💪⚔️, to popping up in Xena: Warrior Princess as Nigel and the delightfully grumpy ferryman Charon ⛵🔥. But his impact on the show goes far beyond what we see on screen. Michael also stepped behind the camera to direct some truly memorable episodes 🎬.

 

Most famously, he directed the fan-voted favourite “A Day in the Life” (S02E15) 🐟 

 

The beloved episode that gave us fishing, bickering, and peak domestic subtext chaos between Xena  and Gabrielle ⚔️📜💛. 

 

He also helmed unforgettable episodes like “A Tale of Two Muses” (S04E06), “Lifeblood” (S05E16), “Antony & Cleopatra” (S05E18), “Who’s Gurkhan?” (S06E4), and “To Helicon and Back” (S06E15).

 

In this episode we chat about the wild early days of the Kiwi screen industry 🎥, and what it was like helping shape one of the most beloved shows of the ’90s, both in front of the camera and behind it. It’s a joyful kōrero (conversation), full of laughs and stories, with one of the great creative forces of the Xenaverse 🌟.

 

Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raunchy_twyford/ 

 

Keep up with Michael's work: http://michaelhurstnow.com/ 

 

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In this interview, Lou and Shell find themselves sitting down with one of the biggest legends in Aotearoa’s creative industries: Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand (ONZM, CNZM). 👑🎭

 

The 2020 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, honoured for her contributions to the arts and advocacy for Te Reo Māori, Jennifer reflects on her time in the Xena-verse.⚔️🥝 

 

She stormed onto our screens as the fierce and formidable Boudica in “The Deliverer” (S3E4) and returned as Zehra in “The Play’s the Thing,” (S4E17) bringing gravitas and razor-sharp wit to every scene. 🛡️🔥

 

We talk about what it meant to bring a real-life warrior woman to life within this bold fantasy world, and her favourite memories working alongside the late great Kevin Smith - Ares 🗡️🖤

 

Regal, grounded, and gloriously sharp - Nutballs, you will understand after listening why we are still in awe. 

 

Follow Jennifer on Instagram: @jen_wl_te_atamira 📸

 

Book tickets to see Jennifer in “Helen Clark in 6 Outfits” 7th to 26th April, Auckland, New Zealand: https://www.atc.co.nz/whats-on/2026-season/helen-clark-in-six-outfits

 

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He’s the co-creator, executive producer, writer, director and yes, an avid fisherman 🎣 - the one and only Rob Tapert (eeeeee!!!!!) joins us for a kōrero/chat about bringing Xena: Warrior Princess to life ⚔️

 

Rob takes us back to the very beginning, what drew him down to Aotearoa New Zealand, the magic of building something wildly ambitious on the other side of the world, and how a scrappy team of Kiwi and Aussie creatives managed to capture that once-in-a-lifetime lightning-in-a-bottle which turned Xena into a global pop culture phenomenon ⚡🌍

 

Yes, we do get him to say the words hard yakka 💪 as he reflects on the creative risks, and the secret ingredients which gave the show its heart, humour, and enduring queer legacy 🏳️‍🌈

 

Plus, in a moment we’ve been holding our breath for, Rob shares a candid and much-anticipated update on where things stand with that reboot script 👀

 

This one is candid, wholesome, and beautifully bittersweet (see what we did there?) and a rare chance to hear directly from the Kiwi-by-choice screen legend himself ❤️

 

Cast a line, Nutballs… this one’s a big catch 🐟✨

 

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