From Wednesday 13 September at 9:35pm
A viral video dredges up the sequined secrets of former calisthenics dynasty in Australia’s first Scandi-noir comedy. With a tour de force performance of multiple characters by creator/writer Anne Edmonds.
From Saturday 16 September at 7:30pm
It’s June 1940, and Britain faces the threat of imminent invasion. As the Battle of Britain looms, the villagers of Great Paxford live under a cloud of fear and suspicion.
Pat strikes up a friendship with a Czech soldier stationed nearby, but her joy at independence from Bob is short lived. Laura is forced to face the consequences of her affair with Richard Bowers, whilst Spencer and Claire’s relationship takes an unexpected turn. Sarah receives some shocking news about Adam, but her sorrow is overshadowed by a tragedy for Frances. Meanwhile, Alison strikes a bargain with the police.
Stars Samantha Bond, Francesca Annis, Claire Rushbrook, Daniel Ryan, Ed Stoppard, Jodie Hamblet, Ruth Gemmell, Chris Coghill, Leanne Best, Alexandre Willaume.
Saturday 2 September at 6:30pm
The Gardening Australia team is on the tools all around the country for their annual SPRING episode airing 6.30pm on Saturday, September 2, repeated on Sunday 3rd at 1pm, and anytime on ABC iview.
Leading the team’s spring bonanza, Costa Georgiadis explores the stunning displays in The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney and discovers the power of the flower.
Jane Edmanson explores a collector’s garden full of unusual, architectural beauties and gets some expert tips for growing them at home.
Sophie Thomson will take viewers to visit a true spring garden, bursting at the seams with colourful blossom and bulbs.
Tino Carnevale will reveal his secret to planting a successful summer crop including Australia’s favourite, the tomato!
Plus all our presenters reveal their must-do spring jobs in their own gardens to celebrate spring and Father’s Day. Whether you are an old hand or starting your very first patch, Gardening Australia has the inspiration and information you need to get growing!
ABC and Screen Australia are pleased to announce that filming is underway in Sydney on the telemovie event Riot.
Riot shines a spotlight on Australia’s 1970s Gay Rights Movement and the passionate individuals who were unwavering in their fight for decriminalisation, recognition and equality.
Lance Gowland is a devoted activist, steadfast and dedicated to actively fighting for his beliefs while juggling family, work and relationships. With the system against them and ever present adversity, Gowland and his fellow activists decide to come out fighting in their celebration of diversity.
An important, integral and inspiring part of LGBTQ history in Australia and the world, Riot explores the origins of the activism that led to Australia’s most famous street parade. Directed by Jeffrey Walker, the cast includes Damon Herriman as Lance Gowland, Xavier Samuel as Jim Walker, Kate Box as Margaret McMann and Jessica de Gouw as Robyn Plaister.
ABC Head of Scripted Production Sally Riley says “It could never be more relevant than now to tell this story of identity, courage and love as a marginalised community finds its voice and rises up to fight oppression and injustice. With a cast as extraordinary as this, Riot promises to be a stirring, landmark television event in time for the 40th anniversary of the birth of Mardi Gras.”
On behalf of Werner Film Productions, writer Greg Waters expressed that “At a time when the struggle for LGBTQ rights is far from over, it was a privilege to explore the lives of pioneering activists who sacrificed so much to drag Australia towards equality.”
“Riot will examine a hugely significant milestone in Australian history that is both culturally and socially important.” said Sally Caplan, Head of Production at Screen Australia. “Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of Lance Gowland’s passing and in the safe hands of Joanna Werner and Louise Smith - who have an exceptional track record for creating high quality local drama - now is the perfect time to tell the story of this iconic and highly effective activist.”
Create NSW CEO Michael Brealey said, “Riot’s true tale of the rich LGBTQ history in Sydney will undoubtedly strike a chord across the country. As we strive to increase the awareness, voice and participation of under-represented groups across the Australian screen and industry, we’re excited to be a part of this production and look forward to its timely premiere next year.”
Filming will take place in and around Sydney over the next four weeks. Riot will screen on ABC in 2018.
Production Credits: Werner Film Productions in association with ABC Television, Screen Australia and Screen NSW. Produced by Joanna Werner and Louise Smith. Executive Producer Joanna Werner. Directed by Jeffrey Walker. Story by Carolyn Anderson. ABC Executive Producers Brett Sleigh and Alastair McKinnon. ABC Head of Scripted Production Sally Riley.
Sunday 20 August at 10PM
For the first time on Australian television
In 1973 British filmmaker John Goldschmidt travelled to Australia to make a film for Associated Television UK. Having supported the American Civil Rights movement in the United States and People’s Democracy in Northern Ireland, Goldschmidt arrived determined to make a film about the unfolding struggle for Aboriginal rights.
After visits to Alice Springs and Darwin, Goldschmidt went to Sydney where he met the author Frank Hardy. Soon the filmmaker had his story.
At Manly, Hardy provided Goldschmidt with an account of the ‘Wave Hill Walk Off’ and of the Gurindji people’s ongoing campaign for land rights. Having been closely involved with the walk off of Aboriginal stockman from Lord Vestey’s cattle station in 1966, Hardy had remained an ardent supporter of the Gurindji and their struggle to reclaim their ancestral homelands.
Hardy’s book on the ‘Walk Off’, The Unlucky Australians, had also played a vital role in communicating the situation in the Northern Territory to audiences across Australia and overseas. Now Goldschmidt, his crew and Hardy travelled north to commit the Gurindji story to film.
The film documents the re-enactment of the Gurindji Walkout from the Vestey’s cattle station at Wave Hill in 1966, and their subsequent setting up of a permanent community at Wattie Creek. Following this they filed a suit for the return of their traditional land. Throughout the film Gurindji leader, Vincent Lingiari, and Frank Hardy talk on the progress (or lack thereof) of the Gurindji people’s ongoing campaign for land rights. The film contains a restricted sequence of ceremonial enactment at a Gurindji rock art site.
Mandy Chang, ABC’s Head of Arts, TV Non Scripted Production, tells: “A bootleg copy of the film was sent to me and Sally Riley (Head of Scripted Production), by an academic who was keen to see it aired. I thought it important enough to send to our MD, Michelle Guthrie, who also expressed a desire to see this unique historical record shown on our screens.
“In the 51 years since it was made, for political reasons it was never broadcast in Australia. By co-incidence, I discovered it was made by an English friend who had never mentioned it. It’s taken well over a year and an epic search by a small team of us - both here and in the UK - who eventually tracked it down and acquired the rights. The ABC has had it restored to its full glory and I feel proud that Australians will now have the privilege of seeing the unfolding story of Vincent Lingiari and his Gurindji Mob, who having walked off Lord Vestey’s property, were lobbying the government to protest their right to land that was rightfully theirs.”
Goldschmidt’s film eventually screened in Britain and Europe to an audience of millions, though it was never broadcast in Australia. Although Hardy and others took copies of the film to the Gurindji themselves (screening it on the side of a truck), in the heated political climate of the 1970s, a combination of political and commercial pressure over land rights conspired to keep it from view.
It finally screened in Australia in selected places in 2016, the 50th Anniversary Year of the ‘Wave Hill Walk Off’. This is its first Australian television screening.
THE WAVE HILL WALK OFF OCCURRED ON 23 AUGUST 1966.
GOUGH WHITLAM HANDED BACK THE LAND TO THE GURINDJI ON 16 AUGUST 1975.
Sunday 3 September
7:40pm Grand Designs: House Of The Year Series Premiere
8:30pm TBA
10:00pm Scott & Bailey
10:45pm Top Of The Lake
Monday 4 September
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:20pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm Lateline
Tuesday 5 September
8:00pm The House With Annabel Crabb
8:30pm Catalyst
9:30pm City In The Sky Final
Wednesday 6 September
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Shaun Micallef’s MAD AS HELL
9:00pm Utopia Final
9:30pm Get Krack!n
10:00pm TBA
Thursday 7 September
8:00pm Short Cuts To Glory: Matt Okine vs Food
8:30pm Pulse Final
9:30pm The Detectives Series Premiere
Friday 8 September
8:00pm QI
8:30pm Thirteen
9:30pm Happy Valley
Saturday 9 September
7:30pm Father Brown Final
8:15pm Shetland
9:15pm Doc Martin
10:00pm Pulse Rpt
11:05pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
Sunday 10 September
7:40pm Grand Designs: House Of The Year
8:30pm TBA
10:00pm Scott & Bailey
10:45pm Top Of The Lake
Monday 11 September
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm Lateline
Tuesday 12 September
8:00pm The House With Annabel Crabb
8:30pm Catalyst
9:30pm Inside London Fire Brigade Series Premiere
Wednesday 13 September
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen Series Premiere
9:05pm Get Krack!n
9:35pm The Edge Of The Bush Series Premiere
9:50pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
Thursday 14 September
8:00pm Short Cuts To Glory: Matt Okine vs Food
8:30pm Glitch Series Premiere
9:30pm The Detectives
Friday 15 September
8:00pm QI
8:30pm Thirteen
9:30pm The Ice Cream Girls Series Premiere
Saturday 16 September
7:30pm Home Fires Series Premiere
8:20pm Shetland
9:20pm Doc Martin
10:05pm Pulse Rpt
10:55pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
From Saturday 9 September at 6.00pm
Three-part series, screening from Saturday 9 September at 6.00 pm on ABC & ABC iview.
How has change been activated in Australian society? What are the social revolutions that have shaped our nation? Power to the People is an immersive three-part series that explores how groups of everyday people have fought against social injustice and discrimination.
Sometimes through violence and heartbreak, but usually through fostering compassion and understanding, those relegated to the fringes of society have pushed for reform and acceptance. Interweaving archive, actuality and interviews, each episode of Power to the People is anchored by a presenter whose personal experience informs the narrative.
In the first episode, The Power of Belonging, screening Saturday 9 September at 6.00pm on ABC & iview, Kumi Taguchi looks at the waves of migration into Australia and changing attitudes towards our newest citizens. From Josipa and Frank - a European couple that met and married thanks to the Snowy Mountains Scheme, to Margaret - the granddaughter of Vietnam War refugees, Kumi introduces us to five migrants who call Australia home. Through their stories we explore what contributes to a migrant’s sense of belonging and how that enriches Australian society as a whole.
Next up, on Saturday 16 September at 6.00pm on ABC & iview, Stan Grant explores the Indigenous Rights movements of the sixties and seventies in Black Power. Looking back on pivotal events like the 1972 founding of the tent embassy and the Freedom Rides of 1965, Stan asks ‘how far have we come?’. Is there such a thing as an Indigenous nation and if so, how does it define itself? When are Indigenous people going to have equal rights?
And finally, on Saturday 23 September at 6.00pm on ABC & iview, Julie McCrossin charts the rise of the Australian LGTBQI rights movement in The Power of Love. Progressing from the criminalisation of homosexuality to the legislative and social changes brought about by the first Mardi Gras, we hear from the people who put everything on the line in the fight for equality. While identifying as other than heterosexual is more accepted in society today, the suicide rate of LGBTQI people is rising and the battle for marriage equality continues.
Sunday 17 September
6:00pm Classic Countdown: 1975 Series Premiere
7:00pm ABC News
7:40pm Grand Designs: House Of The Year
8:30pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries Series Premiere
9:30pm TBA
10:30pm The Beautiful Lie
Monday 18 September
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm Lateline
Tuesday 19 September
8:00pm TBA
8:30pm Catalyst
9:30pm Inside London Fire Brigade
Wednesday 20 September
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen
The 100th episode of the show that unpicks the dark arts of advertising, branding & spin.
9:05pm Get Krack!n
9:35pm The Edge Of The Bush
9:50pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
Thursday 21 September
8:00pm Short Cuts To Glory: Matt Okine vs Food
8:30pm Glitch
9:30pm The Detectives
Friday 22 September
8:00pm QI
8:30pm Thirteen
9:30pm The Ice Cream Girls
Saturday 23 September
7:30pm Home Fires
8:20pm Shetland
9:20pm Doc Martin
10:05pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries Rpt
11:05pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
From Friday October 6 at 8:30pm
Lee Ingleby and Hermione Norris star in this new four-part series, written by Chris Lang (Unforgotten) and Matt Arlidge (Silent Witness), which revolves around the life of David Coller (Ingleby), a family man sent to jail for seven years for allegedly killing his wife, Tara.
David has always maintained he had nothing to do with Tara’s murder, and the only person who seems to believe him is his brother Phil (Daniel Ryan). While Phil has endlessly campaigned for his innocence, David is still detested by Tara’s family, particularly her childless sister Alice (Hermione Norris).
Alice, together with her husband Rob (Adrian Rowlins), became guardians to David’s kids and the couple now enjoys a far more comfortable lifestyle than they did when Tara was alive, raising their young family with the money from David’s estate.
As David and Phil campaign for his release, Chief Inspector William Bleech (Nigel Lindsay) has a lot to lose should the conviction be overturned. If David is acquitted, Detective Cathy Hudson (Angel Coulby) is in line to replace the chief inspector – but no one knows she and Bleech are in a secret relationship.
When David is released on a technicality, his is still under a cloud of suspicion. How is he going to rebuild the life he’s lost? Who should he trust? How will he manage his complex web of relationships? And the question stands: is he truly innocent?
From Friday October 6 at 9:30pm
Created by Homeland and 24 writer, Patrick Harbinson, new contemporary UK thriller Fearless stars acclaimed actress Helen McCrory (Peaky Blinders, Penny Dreadful). This gripping six-part drama follows Emma Banville, a human rights lawyer known for defending lost causes, as she sets out to prove the innocence of Kevin Russell, who was convicted for the murder of a schoolgirl, Linda Simms, 14 years earlier: a crime which he maintains he didn’t commit.
Firmly believing there has been a miscarriage of justice, Emma is determined to reveal the truth behind Linda’s death and is prepared to go to extreme lengths to discover what happened and free Kevin. However, as Emma digs deeper into the case, risking her career, personal life and reputation, she begins to sense powerful forces at play within the police and intelligence services who want to stop her uncovering the truth.
Sunday 24 September
6:00pm Classic Countdown: 1976
7:00pm ABC News
7:40pm Grand Designs: House Of The Year
8:30pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries
9:30pm TBA
10:30pm The Beautiful Lie
Monday 25 September
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm TBA
10:40pm Lateline
Tuesday 26 September
8:00pm TBA
8:30pm Catalyst
9:30pm Inside London Fire Brigade
Wednesday 27 September
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm Get Krack!n
9:35pm The Edge Of The Bush
9:50pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
Thursday 28 September
8:00pm Short Cuts To Glory: Matt Okine vs Food
8:30pm Glitch
9:25pm TBA
Friday 29 September
8:00pm QI
8:30pm Thirteen
9:30pm The Ice Cream Girls
Saturday 30 September
7:30pm Home Fires
8:20pm Shetland
9:20pm Doc Martin
10:05pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries Rpt
11:05pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
Sunday 1 October
6:00pm Classic Countdown: 1977
7:00pm ABC News
7:40pm Doc Martin Season 8 Premiere
8:30pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries
9:30pm TBA
10:30pm Glitch
11:25pm Silent Witness
Monday 2 October
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm TBA
10:40pm Lateline
Tuesday 3 October
8:05pm David Attenborough’s Micro Monsters
8:30pm Catalyst
9:30pm TBA
Wednesday 4 October
8:00pm Hard Quiz
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm Get Krack!n
9:35pm The Edge Of The Bush
9:50pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
Thursday 5 October
8:00pm Short Cuts To Glory: Matt Okine vs Food
8:30pm Glitch
9:30pm TBA
Friday 6 October
8:00pm QI
8:30pm TBA
9:30pm Fearless Series Premiere
Saturday 7 October
7:30pm Home Fires
8:20pm Shetland
9:20pm Doc Martin
10:05pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries Rpt
11:05pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg
Another ABC/Netflix co-production set for 2018.
From Sunday 1 October at 7:40pm
Martin Clunes returns to play the nation’s favourite grumpy medic in a brand new series of Doc Martin.
Martin Clunes stars as Dr. Martin Ellingham, the GP with a brusque bedside manner and a phobia of blood, in eight new episodes of the hugely successful drama produced by Buffalo Pictures, and set in the idyllic hamlet of Portwenn in Cornwall.
Picturesque Port Isaac provides the beautiful backdrop for the popular series, with all regular members of the cast reprising their roles, alongside guest appearances from stars including Sigourney Weaver, Caroline Quentin and Art Malik. Caroline Catz plays Doc Martin’s wife and local school headmistress, Louisa Ellingham.
After having therapy to save their marriage in the last series, they face the challenge of living happily together with their baby James Henry. Martin Clunes says: “The Doc is as obstinate as ever, but he is trying his best to be a better husband and father.”
Returning to this eighth series, Dame Eileen Atkins plays Doc Martin’s formidable Aunt Ruth, who is beginning to doubt the wisdom of going into business with Bert Large and his son Al.
Ian McNeice is back to play Bert Large, with Joe Absolom as his son Al. Bert is desperate to make his home distilled whisky a success, but there’s a shortage of customers willing to buy. Meanwhile guests are not exactly flocking to Al’s bed and breakfast, and he fears he will have to close the doors for
good.
ABC will show a special documentary Unconquered: The Invictus Games, showcasing the inspiring stories of the men and women who will represent Australia in this year’s Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada.
Get ready to triple your laughs with three new comedies premiering next month on ABC and ABC iview.
Fans of comedy legend Shaun Micallef rejoice… Australia’s longest serving caretaker Prime Minister Andrew Dugdale is back in a new series of The Ex-PM. Beloved comics Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor return to quirky country life in a second season of Rosehaven. And, motherhood and mayhem go hand in hand in mothers’ group comedy The Letdown, starring Alison Bell and Noni Hazlehurst - and based on the Comedy Showroom pilot named Best Television Screenplay at the 2016 AACTA Awards.
ABC Head of Television David Anderson says “We’re lucky here in Australia to have such dynamic and risk-taking comedy talent. It means there is always a sense of freshness and edge in what we get to see. Next month’s line up is no different – Rosehaven, The Letdown and The Ex-PM are a great showcase of Australian comedy at its best. We look forward to sharing triple the laughs with our audiences!”
ABC Head of Comedy Rick Kalowski says “These three series Rosehaven, The Ex-PM and The Letdown - the first a small town charmer, the second a joke-packed political satire, the third an often heartbreaking comedy-drama, from creators/stars both established and new - speak to the ABC’s unceasing commitment to be the home of Australian comedy of every kind. We couldn’t be prouder of all three shows.”
Daniel (Luke McGregor) and Emma (Celia Pacquola) are back in a second season of their hit, award-winning Rosehaven. They’re housemates and workmates again and finally both feel like they belong. The question now is whether Rosehaven agrees. Also stars Kris McQuade, Katie Robertson, David Quirk and Sam Cotton. Sundance TV (USA) now co-presents the show with ABC TV, bringing this quintessentially Aussie comedy to the rest of the world.
The Letdown is the story of Audrey (Alison Bell), a struggling new mum, and the parents group she thinks she doesn’t need. The series proves that being a parent can be both extreme and hilarious. Directed by Trent O’Donnell the show also stars Noni Hazlehurst, Duncan Fellows, Sacha Horler, Leon Ford, Lucy Durack, Celeste Barber, Leah Vandenberg, Xana Tang and Sarah Peirse. Netflix will stream the series globally outside Australia and it will be available on Netflix in Australia after its run on the ABC.
Comedy is back on Thursday nights with the return of the hit series The Ex-PM. Retired, third longest serving caretaker Australian Prime Minister, Andrew Dugdale (Shaun Micallef) is called back into the political fold to run in a sudden, ‘must win’ by-election. Also stars Nicki Wendt, Kate Jenkinson, Francis Greenslade, Nicholas Bell, Lucy Honigman, Ming-Zhu Hii, Jackson Tozer and the late, great John Clarke in his final television appearance.
PLEASE NOTE:
The Letdown episode 1 is the original award winning pilot, now starring Duncan Fellows as Jeremy, with 6 brand new episodes to follow.
The original seasons of Rosehaven and The Ex-PM will be available on ABC iview from Wednesday 11 October and Friday 13 October respectively.
From Saturday 28 October at 7:30pm
Victoria, created and written by acclaimed novelist Daisy Goodwin, marks the start of a landmark account of the life of one of history’s greatest monarchs. With cinematic production values and an ensemble cast of award-winning talent, Victoria draws on real-life events and the Queen’s own exhaustive diaries to paint a vivid portrait of her transformation from an impulsive eighteen- year-old to her early years as wife, mother, and head of a global empire. Rich and character-driven, stretching from the upper echelons of the royal court to the below-stairs staff, this is a story of passionate affairs, power struggles and unrequited love, at the centre of which stands the new Queen - a strong, complex, and wilful woman who must, somehow, become an enduring icon.
Fairfax reports Chris Taylor from The Chasers will host a new 10-part series Screen Time, a Gruen-style show discussing film, TV and online titles. It is set to debut on Tuesday October 17 with pilot to be filmed next Friday, September 29.
Tuesday nights.
