Sunday 27 May at 9:10pm
Janis Joplin’s life story is revealed through archival footage, revealing interviews with friends and family and rare personal letters, presenting an intimate portrait of a bright, complicated artist who changed music forever.
Sunday 13 May
7:40pm Prince Harry’s Story: Four Royal Weddings
8:45pm Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence Series Premiere
9:40pm National Treasure Rpt Final
10:30pm Harrow: Mens Rea Rpt Final
11:25pm Silent Witness: Awakening (Part 2) Rpt Final
Monday 14 May
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Business
11:25pm Golf: PGA TOUR Highlights
Tuesday 15 May
8:00pm The Checkout: Factory Seconds
8:30pm Brian Cox: The 21st Century Race For Space
9:30pm A Stargazer’s Guide To The Cosmos
10:30pm ABC Late News
11:00pm The Business
11:15pm Q&A
Wednesday 16 May
8:00pm Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery: Professor Brian Cox
8:30pm Gruen
9:10pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
9:40pm Corey White’s Roadmap To Paradise: Housing
9:55pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg: Jonnie Peacock, Ellie Simmonds & Clare Balding
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Business
11:25pm Four Corners
Thursday 17 May
8:00pm The Coronation Rpt
9:00pm Wentworth
9:45pm QI: Menagerie
10:15pm ABC Late News
10:45pm The Business
11:05pm Louis Theroux: The City Addicted To Crystal Meth
Friday 18 May
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Endeavour New Series
10:00pm Would I Lie To You?
10:30pm ABC Late News
11:00pm The Business
11:15pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
11:45pm Planet America
Saturday 19 May
See
There is now a live stream for ABC main channel in each state and territory (thanks to Tom W for the tip):
Sunday 7 June at 7:40pm
Narrated by Sir David Attenborough this documentary explores Tasmania, the weird and wonderful isle at the bottom of the world.
Tasmania is a vast, island wilderness of ancient forests and pristine rivers, surrounded by spectacular coastline. Its animal inhabitants are every bit as extraordinary as they are bizarre: a cast of black devils, white wallabies, miniature penguins and giant trees. With Antarctica the next landfall south, their lives are governed by the cool climate and strong seasonal calendar. Tasmania may be part of Australia, but life here is very different indeed.
Tasmania experiences greater seasonal change than anywhere else in Australia. Winter is the most challenging time of year, as temperatures fall below freezing and snow covers the landscape. On the mainland, animals like wombats, wallabies and platypus are mostly nocturnal, avoiding the daytime heat. In Tasmania, however, the cooler
temperatures mean they feed and move around in broad daylight.
Spring in Tasmania brings milder temperatures however this time of year can also bring wild weather to Tasmania, most of which comes from the west, due to prevailing winds. The result divides Tasmania in two, with a dry eastern half and a wet western half.Summer in Tasmania is most apparent in the dry, eastern half of the island. This dry half is more reminiscent of the Australian mainland to the north, though there are animals here that are distinctly Tasmanian.
Autumn’s arrival is marked by a bizarre event: the Tasmanian devil mating season. Females become
receptive several times over just a few weeks and, to ensure the fittest young, will try to mate with as many males as possible. The males, however, have a very different objective. To maximise their chance of fathering young, they try to keep thefemale in their den for as long as possible. The result is a breeding system quite unlike anything else.
Production details: A production of Terra Mater Factual Studios. Produced by Humble Bee Films in association with Black Devil Productions and BBC.
Looks fantastic!
I saw a bit of Miriam’s Big American Adventure when I was in UK in January this year. It’s quite good.
From Tuesday 29 May at 8:00pm
Does exceptional talent at a young age come from nurturing, or is it in the blood?
Following a group of extraordinarily gifted children from across Australia, this series explores what it takes to be a child prodigy.
Prodigies are a rare phenomenon – awe-inspiring, yet barely understood. In Australia, there are less than 4,000 exceptionally gifted children under the age of 12, and of those, it’s estimated that less than a hundred could be considered real prodigies.
During this series, we follow five extraordinarily talented children from around Australia and ask - what does it take to be a child prodigy? Lifting the lid on the elite worlds of dance, music, academia and fine art, Making Child Prodigies provides an intimate and candid look at the day-to-day lives of a special group of children and their families at a pivotal time in their careers.
We meet 10-year-old Aelita, an internationally renowned abstract painter who is getting ready for her homecoming exhibition in Melbourne; eight-year-old pianist Anwen, a student at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York who is preparing for her first public performance of her original compositions; 12-year-old Callum, a heavy metal guitar playing maths whiz who is recording his debut single; 10-year-old dancer Kenzie who is preparing for her toughest audition yet; and eight-year-old intellectually gifted scientist
Finn, who has an important meeting lined up with the Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull.While capturing our imagination on the scope of human potential, the journey to success for a gifted child requires immense sacrifice. Parents pour time, money, and unwavering commitment into the pursuit of a shared dream, while children with adult minds, adult abilities and adult peers can result in a fast-tracked childhood.
With a talent beyond the realms of normal, can being gifted sometimes be a curse?
At a time when society seems increasingly interested in measuring talent, and being ‘special’ is every child, and parents’ expectation, the pressure is on this unique group of children to live up to their potential. Filming over five months in Melbourne, Canberra, Rockhampton, regional New South Wales and New York U.S.A., this illuminating and entertaining series explores whether prodigious talent is down to nature or nurture, and what family conditions maximize success.
From Saturday 9 June at 7:30pm
Private inspector Frank Hathaway has always worked alone. But Frank isn’t doing so well. He’s out of shape and low on cash. Frank needs a partner. Frank needs ex-hairdresser and people-person Lu (Jo Joyner). He just doesn’t know it yet.
The two eventually join forces and form a highly unlikely and hugely entertaining detecting duo. Frank and Lu quickly discover that all is not as peaceful as it seems in their pretty theatre town. The mayor is murdered, vengeful lovers stalk the streets and a magician’s trick fatally misfires. Welcome to Stratford-upon-Avon, where low life criminals get caught up in deliciously high drama.
Tuesday 5 June at 9:30pm
The inimitable Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter, The Age of Innocence and The Real Marigold Hotel), brings her unique mix of charm, cheekiness and curiosity in this new and very entertaining three-part documentary series, when she embarks on an epic road trip through the heartland of America.
Miriam sets out from Chicago to travel almost a thousand miles to New Orleans. Along the way she meets the people whose voices and votes are reshaping the nation.
From summer camps to county jails, and all-girl motorbike gangs to a mass citizenship ceremony, the articulate, funny and refreshingly honest Miriam embeds herself in communities whose visions of their own country challenge everything she thought she knew about America.
Sunday 20 May
7:40pm The Queen’s Green Planet
8:30pm Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence
9:30pm The First Monday In May
11:00pm Banksy Does New York
Monday 21 May
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Business
11:25pm Golf: PGA TOUR Highlights
Tuesday 22 May
8:00pm Stargazing Live Premiere
9:00pm The Checkout: Factory Seconds Final
9:30pm Secrets of Silicon Valley: The Disruptors Series Premiere
10:25pm ABC Late News
10:50pm The Business
11:10pm Q&A
South Australia, Northern Territory
7:30pm Stargazing Live
8:30pm The Checkout: Factory Seconds
9:00pm Secrets of Silicon Valley: The Disruptors
9:55pm TBA
Western Australia
6:00pm Stargazing Live
7:00pm ABC News
7:30pm 7.30
8:00pm The Checkout: Factory Seconds
8:30 pm Secrets of Silicon Valley: The Disruptors
9:25pm TBA
10:25pm ABC Late News
Wednesday 23 May
8:00pm Stargazing Live
9:00pm Gruen
9:35pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
10:05pm Corey White’s Roadmap To Paradise
10:25pm ABC Late News
10:55pm The Business
11:10pm Four Corners
South Australia, Northern Territory
7:30pm Stargazing Live
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
9:35pm Corey White’s Roadmap To Paradise
9:55pm You Can’t Ask That
Western Australia
6:00pm Stargazing Live
7:00pm ABC News
7:30pm 7.30
8:00pm TBA
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
9:35pm Corey White’s Roadmap To Paradise
9:55pm You Can’t Ask That
10:25pm ABC Late News
Thursday 24 May
8:00pm Stargazing Live
9:00pm Wentworth
9:45pm QI: Medieval And Macabre
10:15pm ABC Late News
10:45pm The Business
11:00pm Louis Theroux: Law & Disorder in Lagos
South Australia, Northern Territory
7:30pm Stargazing Live
8:30pm Would I Lie To You?
Western Australia
6:00pm Stargazing Live
7:00pm ABC News
7:30pm 7.30
8:00pm Would I Lie To You?
8:30pm TBA
Friday 25 May
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Endeavour
10:00pm Would I Lie To You?
10:30pm ABC Late News
11:00pm The Business
11:15pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
11:45pm Planet America
Saturday 26 May
7:30pm Father Brown
8:15pm TBA
9:15pm Burton And Taylor
10:40pm The Level
11:30pm Wentworth
Due to poor ratings, Wentworth will now be shown at 9.30pm Thursdays from this week, after Qi at 9pm.
Their shows shouldn’t start at 8pm and 9pm when most others are still doing 7.30pm and 8.30pm.
7.30 yes but how many of them are really sticking to 8.30 anymore?
Most channels across FTA and Foxtel do. It’s the main commercial networks who are ruining the traditional time slots with their rubbish, bloated reality shows.
Sunday 27 May
7:40pm Attenborough And The Empire Of The Ants
8:35pm Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence
9:35pm Janis: Little Girl Blue
11:15pm Citizenfour
Monday 28 May
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Business
11:25pm Golf: PGA TOUR Highlights
Tuesday 29 May
8:00pm Making Child Prodigies Series Premiere
8:30pm Back In Time For Dinner: The 1950s Series Premiere
9:30pm Secrets of Silicon Valley: The Persuasion Machine
10:30pm ABC Late News
11:00pm The Business
11:15pm Q&A
Wednesday 30 May
8:00pm Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery: Louis Theroux
8:30pm Gruen
9:10pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
9:40pm Corey White’s Roadmap To Paradise: Foster Care
9:55pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg: John Bishop
10:35pm ABC Late News
11:05pm The Business
11:25pm Four Corners
Thursday 31 May
8:00pm Grand Designs Australia: Callignee Bushfire House New Series
8:50pm Wentworth: Mind Games
9:40pm QI: Monster Mash
10:10pm ABC Late News
10:40pm The Business
10:55pm Louis Theroux: Return to The Most Hated Family
11:55pm Doctor Who: The Husbands Of River Song
Friday 1 June
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Endeavour
10:00pm The Tunnel: Vengeance New Series
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:20pm The Business
11:35pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
Saturday 2 June
7:30pm Father Brown Final
8:15pm TBA
9:15pm The City And The City Series Premiere
10:15pm Unforgotten
11:05pm Wentworth: Mind Games
11:50pm rage Guest Programmer
Sunday 3 June
7:40pm David Attenborough’s Tasmania
8:30pm Mystery Road Series Premiere
10:25pm 20 Feet From Stardom
11:55pm Doc Martin
Monday 4 June
8:00pm Australian Story
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Business
11:25pm Golf: PGA TOUR Highlights
Tuesday 5 June
8:00pm Making Child Prodigies
8:30pm Back In Time For Dinner: The 1960s
9:30pm Miriam’s Big American Adventure: The American Dream Series Premiere
10:30pm ABC Late News
11:00pm The Business
11:15pm Q&A
Wednesday 6 June
8:00pm Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery: Barrie Cassidy
8:30pm Gruen
9:10pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
9:40pm Corey White’s Roadmap To Paradise: Australia Day
9:55pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg: Roisin Conaty & Jeremy Paxman
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Business
11:25pm Four Corners
Thursday 7 June
8:00pm Grand Designs Australia: Surry Hills Very Small House
8:50pm Wentworth: Mind Games
8:50pm QI: Messy
9:20pm Wentworth: To The Moon
10:10pm ABC Late News
10:35pm The Business
10:55pm Louis Theroux: Extreme Love - Dementia
11:55pm Doc Martin
Friday 8 June
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Endeavour
10:00pm The Tunnel: Vengeance
10:50pm ABC Late News
11:20pm The Business
11:40pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
Saturday 9 June
7:30pm Shakespeare & Hathaway Series Premiere
8:20pm TBA
9:20pm The City And The City
10:20pm Mystery Road
A 30-year-old mystery begins to unravel, on May 28th
This year, the ABC is bringing audiences more gripping true crime stories, unravelling cold cases, missing persons mysteries and potential past injustices through a new suite of podcasts, documentaries and digital animation. A multi-platform true crime team will investigate historic, iconic, brutal and baffling cases across the country.
Audiences are enthralled by a well-told mystery. True crime stories hold up a mirror to injustice in our society and can have real-world outcomes, encouraging audiences to get involved in helping crack unsolved cases.
In 2017, the ABC’s award-winning podcast Trace, prompted an influx of new information and significant leads in the 1980 cold-case murder of Melbourne mother Maria James.
Our descent into the nation’s dark underworld starts with the ABC’s new podcast Unravel True Crime and its first series titled Blood on the Tracks, a podcast and an accompanying two-part Australian Story TV special which will launch on Monday, 28 May, featuring bespoke digital content across Youtube and digital platforms.
Unravel True Crime and Blood on the Tracks follows journalist Allan Clarke’s five-year investigation into the death of Mark Haines, a 17-year-old Gomeroi teenager whose body was found on the Tamworth train tracks in 1988. A rail worker discovers the body, but the scene doesn’t seem to make sense. Despite the strange evidence found at the crime scene, the family feel like they’re being ignored by police. The mystery is left to fester, causing division and suspicion in the town. Twenty-five years later, journalist Allan picks up the case, telling the story of a town divided, an investigation bungled, evidence lost, and critical leads never followed up.
It’s the first part of a number of new ABC true crime stories, which will also include an animated digital series, TV documentaries and additional seasons of the Unravel True Crime podcast. The true crime collection was conceived within the ABC’s Content Ideas Lab, which was launched in 2017 as part of the ABC’s Investing in Audiences strategy to produce innovative content that connects with new audiences.
‘Creating distinctive and innovative content in ways that reach new audiences is exactly what the Content Ideas Lab is all about,” said Angela Stengel, Head of the Content Ideas Lab.
“The runaway success of Trace illustrated that there is an audience appetite for high-quality, true crime content. This is a great opportunity for the ABC to marry this fresh, multi-platform approach with trusted, quality journalism.”
The ABC is unrivalled in its commitment to distinctive and high-quality Australian content, delivering these in-depth stories and investigations, helping to solve crimes and shine a light on injustices across the country.
Australian Story: Blood on the Tracks – Mondays 8pm, 28 May & 4 June on ABC and iview
Unravel True Crime – Episodes available weekly from Monday 28 May. Episode 0 is now available.
From Sunday 10 June at 7:40pm
Grand Designs New Zealand is back with popular host, Kiwi architect Chris Moller. Series 3 shares more stories of creative and enterprising New Zealanders who take on the challenge of building their own unique and inspirational homes.
Following the internationally successful Grand Designs format, the series follows the process of these incredible design projects, as well as the personal journeys of those building them – from the initial blueprints, through to the long and often arduous task of turning the plans into practical living spaces.
Using both modern and traditional building techniques and materials, Grand Designs New Zealand features houses with locations ranging from remote forests to the busy inner city, to private island escapes and tree canopy hideaways.
Sunday 10 June
7:40pm Grand Designs New Zealand: Imitation Villa Series 3 Premiere
8:30pm Mystery Road
9:25pm Whiteley Sunday Arts
11:00pm TBA
Monday 11 June
8:00pm Back Roads Series 4 Premiere
8:30pm Four Corners
9:15pm Media Watch
9:35pm Q&A
10:40pm ABC Late News
11:10pm The Business
11:25pm Golf: PGA TOUR Highlights
Tuesday 12 June
8:00pm Making Child Prodigies
8:30pm Back In Time For Dinner: The 1970s
9:30pm Miriam’s Big American Adventure: The American Dream
10:30pm ABC Late News
11:00pm The Business
11:15pm Q&A
Wednesday 13 June
8:00pm Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery: Raelene Boyle
8:30pm Gruen
9:05pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
9:35pm Corey White’s Roadmap To Paradise: Terrorism
9:55pm Adam Hills: The Last Leg: Gemma Chan
10:35pm ABC Late News
11:05pm The Business
11:20pm Four Corners
Thursday 14 June
8:00pm Grand Designs Australia: Southport Heritage House
8:50pm QI: Mix And Match
9:25pm Wentworth: Checkmate
10:10pm ABC Late News
10:40pm The Business
10:55pm Louis Theroux’s LA Stories: Edge Of Life
Friday 15 June
7:30pm Gardening Australia
8:30pm Endeavour
10:00pm The Tunnel: Vengeance
11:05pm ABC Late News
11:35pm The Business
11:50pm The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
Saturday 16 June
7:30pm Shakespeare & Hathaway Series Premiere
8:20pm Poldark Series 4 Premiere
9:20pm The City And The City
10:20pm Mystery Road
11:15pm Unforgotten
From Thursday 28 June at 8:50pm
Everyone’s A Critic opens the door into some of the nation’s most prestigious art galleries.
A diverse cast of everyday people, siblings, friends, couples and families, are invited in to give their reactions and opinions on works that were created by Australian and internationally-renowned artists. For some ‘critics’ visiting galleries is a regular occurrence, for others this is the first time.
Over the course of the series, the critics visit the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum of Contemporary Art, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Lyon Housemuseum and Campbelltown Arts Centre. Subjects including Australian identity, race relations, love, family, gender and pop culture are explored through paintings, installations, sculptures and photography.
Through archival material, each work of art will be placed within an artistic, cultural and historical context, allowing our critics to continually frame, and reframe their understanding of the work. The subsequent conversations create space for heartfelt, personal and revealing connections to how the art reflects the critics own life experience.
Everyone’s got a story, everyone’s got an opinion, Everyone’s A Critic.
First up, the critics visit the National Gallery of Victoria’s Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne and encounter works by artist Del Kathryn Barton, British-born painter Tom Roberts, surrealist Judith Wright, Jeffrey Smart and Bidjara man, Michael Cook.
