Jinxed! podcast explores superstition with Ting Lim on SBS Audio – Comedian Ting Lim is asking why the rituals and warnings people grow up with can be difficult to shake, even when modern life tells us to be sceptical. All eight episodes of the new SBS Audio series Jinxed! are available from Wednesday 28 October 2026.
The series brings together Australian comedians and storytellers to examine beliefs drawn from several cultures. Rather than dismissing them, Lim uses humour, personal experience and expert context to explore what the practices mean to the people who inherit them. For listeners, that makes Jinxed! more than a collection of curious customs: it is also a look at memory, family, migration and identity in contemporary Australia.
Listen to the Jinxed! trailer
SBS has released a two-minute audio trailer introducing the podcast’s mix of comedy, curiosity and personal storytelling.
Lim said the podcast starts from the tension between rational scepticism and the habits people reach for when life becomes uncertain.
I consider myself a cynic, right up until something goes wrong. Then suddenly I’m knocking on wood, avoiding ladders and wondering if I accidentally offended a ghost. Jinxed! is a safe, curious space where we can unpack the rituals, beliefs and superstitions we grow up with without judgement. Just great stories, big laughs and the occasional moment that makes you go, ‘Wait… do I believe that too?’
Ting Lim, Jinxed! host
Eight stories behind the jinxes
Each episode starts with one belief or ritual and opens it into a wider conversation about culture and experience.
- He Huang explores Ba Zi, a form of Chinese astrology that uses birth details to examine a person’s life path and fortune.
- Tilahun Hailu looks at the stigma attached to the left hand and the everyday customs that can follow from it.
- Sashi Perera and Sean Perera tackle beliefs surrounding mirrors and the fear that breaking one can invite years of bad luck.
- Ivan Aristeguieta discusses Santeria and the stigma that can surround spiritual and witchcraft traditions.
- Alex Hudson explores cemetery rituals, grave-digging customs and the ways communities make sense of death.
- George Kapiniaris considers the evil eye and asks how an old protective belief changes in the age of social media.
- Diana Nguyen examines the Vietnamese idea of the “second eldest” and the cultural logic behind birth-order language.
- Leon Filewood shares Torres Strait ghost stories, including the Poinciana Woman and the meanings carried through oral tradition.
The range gives the season a deliberately multicultural frame. Some practices are familiar across several communities, while others are specific to a place, language or family. The common thread is the way a belief can survive because it connects people with relatives, history and a sense of belonging.
Who is Ting Lim?
Lim is a Singapore-born Australian comedian whose screen credits include seasons two and three of Fisk and an appearance on Thank God You’re Here. Her stand-up work has taken her around Australia and overseas, giving the podcast a host who can move between comic observation and more personal conversations.
SBS says its audio services have served multicultural Australia for more than 50 years and now offer content in more than 60 languages. Jinxed! is presented in English, but its stories reflect the cultural knowledge and family traditions carried by communities across the country.
How to listen to Jinxed!
All eight episodes are available from 28 October through the SBS Audio app. SBS also lists Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, LiSTNR and SBS On Demand among the places where audiences can find the series.
For more TV Central SBS news, head here. Listen to Jinxed! on the official SBS Audio page.
