Just wondering this… it really doesn’t make sense to close TV+ either way with the ABCKids channel during the day, and it also really doesn’t make sense to merge Kids/ME which appeal to different age groups of children. Definitely a waste to only have a channel that’s only active 6am-7pm and to have a holding slide for the rest of the night 
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I get that the kids shows rate well and all…but it’s pretty sad how ABC2/ABC COMEDY/ABC-TV Plus has been little more than a glorified programming block for (at least) the past decade, isn’t it?
Probably won’t ever get the numbers due to OzTAM restrictions and whatnot but it’d be rather interesting to know how well ABC ME programs rate amongst its target demographic. We frequently see ABC Kids shows in the Top 20 for the multichannels but ME shows never make it there…
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The BBC went down this path 6 years ago when they shut down BBC three but in March announced it would be coming back. Maybe the ABC will reconsider their plans too after this announcement.
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I do get the whole similarities with BBC Three/TV+'s situation, but I think BBC Three’s saving grace and why it’s finally back on screens in 2022 is really, just how BBC Three grew as a brand - it was a thirteen year old brand by the time it was shifted to online only so it grew and got its own audience. TV+ has littler of a time to grow its brand and loyalty, which might kill the service in the long run, and for all its programming to just potentially just fold into the iview brand if the online TV+ is not successful. But ABC does have time to reconsider its strategy though!
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Not to mention that BBC Three has had a string of successful shows over the last few years (eg; Killing Eve, Normal People, Drag Race UK, etc) such that it justified being returned as a linear channel
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Black Mirror - Season 4
From Saturday 26 June at 9.20pm
Captain Robert Daly is the fearless captain of the USS Callister, exploring space with his loyal crewmates, defeating villains and restoring peace to the universe. But he’s about to meet his toughest adversary in the form of smart new recruit Nanette Cole…
Australia Debates
The brightest minds in Australia and abroad created an exhaustive national survey, asking 60,000 Australians 600 questions about pretty much everything. Now the funniest minds in Australia will debate the findings of three of those issues and come to their own conclusions.
Episode 1: Are pets better than people? Monday June 28 9:30pm
Episode 2: Do younger Australians have it harder these days? Tuesday June 29 9:30pm
Episode 3: Should social media be banned? Wednesday June 30 9:30pm
Louis Theroux: Surviving America’s Most Hated Family
Sunday 4 July at 8:30pm
Award-winning filmmaker Louis Theroux revisits the hugely controversial Westboro Baptist Church to investigate how its founder’s death has affected current and former members.
Louis Theroux: Surviving America’s Most Hated Family
Sunday 4 July at 8:30pm
Award-winning filmmaker Louis Theroux revisits the hugely controversial Westboro Baptist Church to investigate how its founder’s death has affected current and former members
Dubboo – Life of a Songman
Wednesday 7 July at 9:00pm
A celebration of the incredible artist David Page.
And We Danced
From Wednesday 14 July at 9pm
For almost sixty years, The Australian Ballet has evolved to become of one our most treasured cultural institutions. As the ballet looks forward to a new era, this three-part series look back on what has shaped this iconic company and made it uniquely ours.
For the first time in its history the ballet opens its remarkable archive. As well as rarely seen historical footage, this landmark series features interviews from past and present dancers, celebrity fans of the ballet, choreographers, artistic directors and ballet historians to tell the entertaining, and at times turbulent, story of our iconic national ballet company.
Live at The Apollo: The One About…
From Saturday 7 August at 9:15pm
Live comedy may be on hold, but the UK’s number one stand-up showcase keeps on giving. This new series brings together many of the great routines from 15 brilliant series – in six hilarious themed episodes.
For over 15 years, Live at the Apollo has brought the finest comedians from the UK’s club circuit to your TV screen. Now, audiences can enjoy all the best routines from this long-running comedy masterclass
– all packed into one riotous compilation series. From relationships to transport, celebrities to kids, and shopping to sex, each of these side-splitting specials focuses on a different topic. It’s an unparalleled line-up of laughs from the most established stars in the business, and astute observations from the household names of the future.
Bliss
From Tuesday 10 August at 9:30pm double episode
Andrew is an accidental bigamist. He never planned to lead a double life but as a serial ‘people pleaser’ he has managed to acquire two families in the one city. Starring Stephen Mangan and Heather Graham.
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Inside the Met
From Wednesday 11 August at 9:00pm
With privileged access to the Metropolitan Museum, this three-part documentary will capture preparations for the Met’s anniversary in April 2021. This will be a definitive, Landmark work, a snapshot of the institution from top to bottom, at a unique moment in its history.
Inside the Met is an observational documentary series that begins as the largest art museum in the Americas prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday with a treasure-trove of landmark exhibitions. Then Covid strikes. Within a week of the grand opening, for the first time in its history, the Met closes its doors. Then comes another whirlwind: in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, there are urgent demands for social justice. Throughout this rollercoaster year, we’ve had unprecedented access from boardroom to basement. Unsure of when it can reopen, uncertain about how to keep afloat financially, and questioning its very purpose, Inside the Met reveals a great institution as it celebrates its 150th birthday and makes history in ways no one could have predicted.
Tall Poppy: A Skater’s Story
Sunday 1 August 8:30pm
Tall Poppy – A Skater’s Story, an inspirational coming-of-age story about Australian skateboarder and Olympic hopeful Poppy Starr Olsen screens on Sunday, 1 August, 8.30pm on ABC TV Plus and ABC iview. Three days later Poppy will compete in her first Olympic Games.
A girl who loved to skate from the age of eight, Poppy became the number one female bowl skater in Australia at age 14 and at 17 went on to take out bronze at the X Games- the ultimate competition in the world of skateboarding. The same year, skateboarding was announced as a new sport category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Suddenly Poppy is not just skating for herself, she’s skating for Australia.
Filmed over 10 years, the documentary follows Poppy as she grapples with the transition from child prodigy skateboarder to world-renowned athlete in a male dominated sport. The film takes you into Poppy’s everyday world from when she first picks up a skateboard through to the moment her Olympic plans are upended in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Compounding an already difficult situation is Poppy’s new relationship. She’s fallen in love for the first time with Una, a Canadian skateboarder. They are now stuck on opposite sides of the planet indefinitely. As the world emerges from the pandemic, the future is uncertain.
Kath Earle, ABC Head of Screen, Sport & Events said, “We are proud to bring Tall Poppy: A Skater’s Story to ABC TV and ABC iview as part of our commitment to delivering high quality, blue-chip sports documentaries to a broad audience. This debut film will sit alongside our other sport documentaries Freeman, Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh in India and the award-winning The Australian Dream.
Screen Australia’s Head of Documentary Alex West said, “We are thrilled to support director Justine Moyle’s debut feature documentary and I’m sure viewers will be captivated by Poppy Olsen’s incredible story when it airs on ABC TV.”
Poppy is highly regarded in the global skateboarding community. She is currently ranked Australia’s number 1 and the world’s number 4 female park skateboarder. For over 10 years she has been a spokesperson for women in sport and is a much sought- after ambassador for youth culture.
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Brian Cox’s Adventures in Space and Time
Monday 16 August 8.30pm
Discovering our place in the universe. Brian Cox looks back on a decade of discovery and towards the next space frontier, asking the biggest question of all – what’s next?
Brian Cox believes we are at the start of a new age of space travel, where space flight is on the verge of becoming routine. In this episode, he explores the latest science and takes a new look at his old films and asks: how far can we go in our exploration of the cosmos?
Brian begins in Russia’s cosmonaut training facility in the outskirts of Moscow, where he dons a spacesuit to discover what ‘the right stuff’ is and what it might take to carry out maintenance on the International Space Station in low earth orbit.
He then looks at some of the most extraordinary achievements of space exploration to date. Under the clear sky of the Atlas Mountains, he tells the story of how we started to explore the cosmos from earth.
In Russia’s Star City, Brian visits the office of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. At Cape Kennedy Space Centre he marvels at the enormous Saturn V rocket that launched the first men to the moon. Looking to the future, Brian recalls his meeting with aerospace engineer and visionary advocate of Mars exploration Robert Zubrin.
“Whose Line is it Anyway” returned to ABC TV Plus tonight, with double episodes. The first episode aired at 8.30pm, with the second at approx 8.55pm. The guide says its from the 2020 season. Glad this show has returned.
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Louis Theroux: Selling Sex
Sunday 5 September 8.30pm
Louis Theroux interviews women legally providing sexual services in exchange for money and explores whether selling sex can ever be a healthy way to make money.
The exchange of sex for money is legal in Britain, so long as it doesn’t involve coercion, exploitation, or any kind of public nuisance. Now, fuelled by websites and social media, a new economy has emerged – bringing a world of transactional sex to people who might never have previously considered it.
BAFTA award-winning filmmaker, Louis Theroux, returns to the UK to meet women legally providing sexual services, either to make a living or to supplement their income, potentially earning hundreds of pounds per hour. But rather than on the streets or in illegal brothels, these women sell sex from their own homes or hotels, utilising technology to share photos, make bookings and vet potential clients - making the exchange more accessible and, according to some, safer than the illegal alternatives.
The age-old issue of whether sex should ever be traded remains, with many believing it to be exploitative and damaging, driven by a society still shaped by the desires of men. Yet there are those who feel that selling sex can be a valid, empowering choice for those who choose to engage in it.
As Louis meets the women and men participating in the new sexual economy, he explores whether selling sex can ever be a healthy way to make money.
George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces - Season 7
From Monday 6 September 9.25pm
Architect George Clarke and master craftsman Will Hardie travel around the UK to see the most ingenious and eccentric builds being created by pioneering small space designers.
George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces returns for its 7th series. Over ten episodes, architect, George Clarke and master craftsman Will Hardie travel around the UK to see the nation’s most ingenious and eccentric builds being created by our pioneering small space designers.
From abandoned sewage works, subterranean air raid shelters, even cockpits of commercial airplanes and cattle trucks, this series shows how with a bit of vision and innovative design even the most unusual space can be transformed into a thing of beauty.
And in search of inspiration, George travels to Japan where innovation and ground-breaking design blend seamlessly to create breath-taking spaces like no other.
And on their own build, inspired by a toy tree house from George’s childhood, the boys attempt the impossible; to build their own four tonne, six-metre-tall version of the toy without any foundations.
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The Stand Up Sketch Show - Season 3
From Saturday 25 September 9.15pm
The Stand Up Sketch Show is back! This time it’s bigger, funnier and more outrageous than ever before.
The Stand Up Sketch Show features some of the UK’s top comedians performing their finest stand- up comedy routines on stage which are then hilariously brought to life in sketch form.Each sketch begins with a comedian telling their story on stage in front of a live audience, before shifting into a surreal reconstruction of their material. Using some of the circuit’s sharpest material, the reconstructions feature visual jokes, surprise cameo appearances, ridiculous props and laugh out loud silliness.
Episode 1 stars Russell Kane, Kojo Anim, Seann Walsh, Elf Lyons, Luke Kempner, Josh Weller and
Jayde Adams.
Production credits: Produced by Spirit Media for ITV2 in the UK.
Ghosts - Season 3
From Tuesday 28 September 9.10pm
Sitcom Ghosts returns for its third series, following married couple Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) who share their old inherited country home with a lively ensemble of spirits.
In episode one, a film crew comes to Button House to shoot a reconstruction of an assassination plot for a historical documentary - a scheme which may have involved one of the spirits. Mike persuades Alison to give an interview about the old house in the hope of drumming up some publicity, forcing her to turn to Thomas for advice on the art of public speaking.
Production credits: Produced by Monumental Television for the BBC
a-ha: The Movie
Wednesday 15 September at 9:00pm
This film follows a-ha on tour, telling the story of how three young Norwegians followed their dream of becoming pop stars. When Take On Me reached number 1 in 1985 the dream came true. Or did it?
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The Six: Titanic’s Last Secret
Sunday 17 October 9.30pm
Executive produced by James Cameron, this is the extraordinary story of the six forgotten Chinese survivors of the Titanic.
Executive produced by James Cameron, this is the extraordinary story of the six forgotten Chinese survivors of the Titanic. On arrival in New York, these survivors were accused of dishonourable behaviour by the press and escorted out of the country within 24 hours. They were never interviewed, they just disappeared.
n The Six: Titanic’s Last Secret, an international team of researchers sets out to uncover their story, tracking down descendants, debunking myths and racist assumptions, and learning what really happened to these remarkable men.This epic journey takes us across continents from China to the USA, Canada and the UK. Along the way, we discover the survivors’ involvement in the first world war, the immigration policies that singled them out for discrimination and the secret repatriations that shaped their lives.
Featuring exclusive interviews with James Cameron, stunning animations, and Titanic movie footage, including a previously unreleased deleted scene, this story of discrimination and survival against the odds will resonate with audiences.
Production credits: Produced by Luo Tong and distributed by TVF International.
A Night At The Movies: The Girl On The Train
Friday 22 October 8.30pm
Rachel (Emily Blunt), spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day. Everything changes when she sees something shocking.
Don’t miss the thrilling 2016 hit movie The Girl on the Train when it premieres on ABC TV Plus.Rachel (Emily Blunt), devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day.
Everything changes when she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
Production credits: Universal Pictures.
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The Girl on the Train had previously aired on 10 (the FTA premiere was January 6, 2019).
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I think I remember watching it on 10, wasn’t too bad.
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Although most likely to be shown on ABC-TV Plus, is there not a very slim chance that “About Sex” could be shown on ABC ME given that it’s aimed at teenagers?
The Wonder Gang - Season 2
From Monday 18 October at 7:40am
Willow, Whyla and Wes are The Wonder Gang. They’re a determined team of fact finding kids who will do whatever it takes to answer any questions about Australia’s amazing animals and nature. With the help of their cute quokka pals Quidget, Quinton and Quest, they research, observe and experiment in their library and laboratory to find facts for kids everywhere.
Mark Seymour+The Undertow: Slow Dawn Live
Friday 5 November 8.30pm
The ‘Undertow’ playing songs from the world recorded live on the floor of the Forum in the heart of Melbourne, Australia.
“For a long time I’ve suspected that artists become cocooned by their own success. That through drive and ambition they lose sight of how the world really is. After decades of touring, that blinkered dinosaur might well be me.
With that in mind, and a darker sense that the world, particularly the U.S., was on the brink of some great catastrophic change, I decided to travel across America, South Africa and Ireland, without a plan. Unencumbered by the routine of performance.
And in the thick of it, it dawned on me that we were following old trails; that these lands were littered with the debris of civilization where pilgrims and armies had gone. Some to escape, others to plunder and destroy, long ago.
Ideas arrived. Notes. Stories of cities, towns and wilderness. Ruined suburbs, derelict schools and hospitals, castles, monasteries, the churned grassy slopes where prairie wars were once waged, land taken and given up, the sound of big animals roaming free, roaring in the dark and the garish pride of a giant neon cowboy looming over a Nevada casino.
Not long after we returned the world shut down, as did all the rooms I assumed would open their doors so that I could bring these stories home.
The change was sudden. Shocking. And there was a sense too, that it might be permanent. I felt the need to seize the opportunity to document the band performing these songs live, in a moment in time when the possibility might never arrive again…
How frail we are in the face of nature. Here are eleven songs gleaned from the world in a time of darkness. Through a train window, behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Spark and a push bike ride through Austin, Chicago…” -Mark Seymour
Kylie Minogue: In Golden
Friday 12 November 8.30pm
Filmed at various UK venues over the course of Kylie Minogue’s tour of the same name in late 2018, Golden: Live in Concert is a beautifully shot record of a performer at the top of her game.
Off the back of her No 1 album released earlier that year – her 14th studio album – and containing a host of her biggest hits from through the years, the show was both critically acclaimed and a commercial success.
The film was directed by Blue Leach and Kylie’s creative director, Rob Sinclair, and won the award for Best Live Concert at the 2019 UK Music Video Awards. A TV version aired on Channel 4 in the UK as a Christmas Day special and on Channel 9 in Australia on New Year’s Eve.
Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace
Friday 19 November 8.30pm
Nick Cave performs solo at the piano, in a film shot June 2020 at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace.
In this unique performance, Nick Cave performs songs from his extensive back catalogue, including a selection of rare tracks. The songs are taken from across the breadth of Cave’s career, including early Bad Seeds and Grinderman, right through to the most recent Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album, Ghosteen.
Includes piano renditions of Girl In Amber, Nobody’s Baby Now, The Mercy Seat, Jubilee Street, Higgs Boson Blues, Into My Arms and The Ship Song.
The performance was filmed by award winning Cinematographer Robbie Ryan (The Favourite, Marriage Story, American Honey) in Alexandra Palace’s stunning West Hall and edited by Nick Emerson (Lady Macbeth, Emma, Greta). Cinematography by Robbie Ryan.
Production credits: A Ros & Lawrence Production
Brian Johnson: A Life on the Road
From Wednesday 1 December 9.00pm
Brian Johnson: A Life On The Road is a six-part series featuring AC/DC Brian Johnson in conversation with some of the biggest names in Rock and Roll history as they explore the realities of life on a global rock tour. In this first episode he chats with The Who’s Roger Daltrey.
Brian Johnson has known Roger Daltrey for 40 years and their lives have followed a similar trajectory, from humble origins to global stardom. Brian meets Roger outside the house he grew up in, in Shepherd’s Bush, London. They take a walk through the neighbourhood streets and end up at Bush Hall, where The Who rehearsed in their early days.
In Bush Hall, Brian and Roger discuss how in many ways, the modern rock tour was invented by The Who. They pioneered many of the moves and postures of the live rock show: the bombast, the aggression, the strutting, the element of danger on stage, the ear-splitting loudness, and the move into bigger arenas with laser shows and giant TV screens. And while on the road, The Who were second to none in terms of rock and roll mayhem – it was a non-stop carnival of drugs, groupies, and wrecked hotel rooms.
Brian and Roger’s conversation turns to The Who’s 1969 album Tommy and subsequent tour – and how it transformed The Who from a quirky, antagonistic art-rock band into stadium-filling Rock Gods.Their tête-à -tête then focuses on a series of historic gigs, in particular some of The Who’s experiences in America which turned them into the kind of band which, in the 1970s, would go on to shape modern touring on an epic scale, with all its pomp and excess.
Production credits: A Sky UK Production
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Would I Lie To You At Christmas
Thursday 9 December 9.00pm
Rob Brydon is back in the host’s chair for a very special Christmas episode of the award-winning comedy panel show Would I Lie to You?
This week, guests Jo Brand, Joe Swash, Joe Lycett and Ruth Madeley join Lee Mack and David Mitchell to sort the festive facts from the fibs.
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Brassic - Season 3
From Tuesday 4 January 9.30pm
In a daring and in-your-face start to the series, Vinnie finally gets released from prison and with the newly promoted Detective Carl Slater watching his every move, he is doing his best to lie low.
Brassic returns brasher and bolder than ever. In the last season, fans were left with a cliff-hanger: What did Erin whisper to Vinnie before he got arrested? The answer to this and much more will be revealed in season three!
Vinnie, freshly out of prison, is jubilant to be reunited with his gang of mates but dismayed to learn that he now has the newly promoted Detective Carl Slater watching his every move. Vinnie knows he needs to keep out of trouble… but playing it safe has never been his strong point.
Soon he and his lifelong friends are back to their usual tricks with a hilarious new onslaught of wild and wonderful heists on the horizon.
Bigger, braver and more bonkers than ever, it’s a hectic world of bulls, snakes, kidnappings, betrayal, and this time, a full-size horse…
Production credit: A Sky One original.
Return to Belsen
Sunday 23 January 8.30pm
Examining the legacy of the Nazi death camp and what it can teach us today.
When British troops liberated the Belsen Nazi death camp in April 1945, war correspondent Richard Dimbleby made a historic broadcast, revealing to the world for the first time the true horror of the Holocaust.
Now, 76 years on, broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby traces his father’s footsteps, exploring Belsen’s legacy and its important lessons for the present day.
We follow as he visits Anne Frank’s grave and talks to both survivors and Germans who lived and worked nearby. He’ll also reflect on the recent and worrying resurgence of antisemitism in Europe.
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ABC TV Plus will fasttrack the Christmas special of The Last Leg this Saturday (Xmas Day) at 8.30pm, hours after the UK broadcast. Special guests are Joanna Lumley, Big Zuu, and The Darkness.
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