ABC Upfronts 2019

Yours in 2019: ABC’s unrivalled commitment to diverse Australian stories

The ABC will celebrate remarkable Australian stories in 2019 with distinctive new dramas, documentaries and comedies that showcase the country’s creative talent. Highlights include the return of firm fan favourites Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery and Anh’s Brush with Fame.

David Anderson, ABC Acting Managing Director, said: “The ABC tells the story of Australia and in 2019 we have many great stories to tell. We are Australia’s leading broadcaster in backing home-grown creative talent and content.

“In the year to come, as in years past, Australian audiences will come home to the ABC to share in the stories, conversations and events that shape our nation.”

Major highlights revealed today include new drama series Black B*tch (working title, Blackfella Films), starring Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths and directed by Rachel Perkins.

Just in time for the federal election is the documentary Will Australia Ever Have a Black Prime Minister? (Joined Up Films), examining the barriers to having an Indigenous national leader. The ABC’s commitment to distinctive Indigenous voices will also see the return of drama Mystery Road (Bunya Productions), currently in development, building on the record-breaking success of season one.

The ABC is the home of Australian comedy in 2019, with a bumper six series slated for broadcast. Firm favourite Utopia (Working Dog Productions) was today confirmed for a fourth season and joins a stellar line up, with new series Frayed (Merman Television), starring Sarah Kendall, and returning seasons of Squinters (Jungle Entertainment), Rosehaven (What Horse? and Guesswork Television), Get Krack!n (Katering and Guesswork Television) and The Letdown (Giant Dwarf).

ABC Factual programs will include Australian premieres Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds (Endemol Shine Australia) and Love on the Spectrum (Northern Pictures), as well as the return of the award-winning series You Can’t Ask That and Employable Me (Northern Pictures). Together, these warm and insightful series affirm the ABC’s invaluable role in telling diverse Australian stories.

Beautifully voiced by Barry Humphries, Magical Land of Oz (Northern Pictures) sees the ABC getting back into the natural history genre. In a sweeping journey across Australia, this high-quality documentary plays out across the land, with a cast of unique creatures and landscapes.

Upcoming Arts programs include documentaries China Love (Media Stockade) , a look at the phenomenon of Chinese wedding photography, Mystify (Ghost Pictures), the story of INXS’ Michael Hutchence; and Backburning: Midnight Oil (Beyond Entertainment & Blink TV), the story of the iconic Australian band Midnight Oil.

Following on from children’s programming announcements this year, the ABC also announced new series The Unlisted (Aquarius Films) and new episodes of smash hit animation Bluey (Ludo)!

New programs

Aftermath: Beyond Black Saturday

In February 2009, the worst bushfires in Australian history killed 173 people, ripping through country Victoria in a series of devastating firestorms so powerful and uncontrollable they would re-write history. This was Black Saturday. In a matter of hours, millions of hectares of bush went up in flames, 7,000 people lost their homes and countless wildlife and stock were lost. A decade on, Aftermath: Beyond Black Saturday revisits the survivors of Black Saturday to discover how they have coped with the trauma and loss and to find out what gave them the strength to go on when everything they loved was destroyed. Looking to the future, Aftermath: Beyond Black Saturday is a story of resilience and recovery in the wake of one of Australia’s worst natural disasters.

Factual, 1 x 57-minute episodes

Production Credits

A Renegade Films Production for the ABC Principal production investment for Screen Australia in association with ABC. Financed with support from Film Victoria
Director Tony Jackson Producer Lucy Maclaren Executive Producer Joe Connor
ABC Commissioning Editor Julie Hanna

Black B*tch (working title)

The captivating drama series Black B*tch (working title) is a story of high stakes ambition, betrayal and treachery, playing out in the nation’s capital. When Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman), a charismatic and contradictory Indigenous woman, is thrust into the national limelight after a horrific event, Australia’s embattled Prime Minister Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths), sees a publicity goldmine for her party. In a bold power play, she appoints Alex to the Senate.

But Alex wants to be more than just a political stunt: she wants to make a difference. So, when the Prime Minister’s cynical calculations betray her, Alex sets out for revenge that will send the political establishment into meltdown.

Drama, 6 x 1-hour episode

Production Credits

A Blackfella Films production for the ABC Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ABC Financed with support from Create NSW with Screen Queensland and Screen Canberra
Director Rachel Perkins Executive Producer Rachel Griffiths Producers Darren Dale and Miranda Dear
Script Producer Stuart Page ABC Executive Producers Kelrick Martin and Sally Riley
International Distributor is Keshet International, working alongside Endeavor Content in the US

Blue Water Empire

Blue Water Empire is a three-part dramatised documentary series giving a unique insight into the amazing culture and history of the Torres Strait Islands. The series starts pre-colonisation and covers the all-pervasive impact of the arrival of the Europeans into the islands. Following the missionaries came the pearling era, with a rush of men and women from around the world to the Torres Straits. World War II brought devastating change to the Straits and was followed by mass migration to mainland Australia. More recent times have seen an explosion of social activism, particularly the fight for recognition and sea rights that continues to this day.

Indigenous/Factual, 3 x 1-hour episodes

Production Credits

A Bunya Productions production for the ABC
Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen Queensland and the ABC Director Steven McGregor
Producers David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin and Aaron Fa’Aoso Writers Steven McGregor, John Singe and Aaron Fa’Aoso ABC Commissioning Editor Kelrick Martin

China Love

A fascinating exploration of contemporary China through the pre-wedding photography industry – a billion-dollar fantasy world. Just over 40 years ago, marriage in China was arranged by the state – romantic love was seen as a capitalist concept and was not allowed. Wedding photography (if there was any) consisted of one black and white passport photo of the couple (dressed in Mao-style outfits) as proof of the marriage. Now, China has fallen in love with love and its exploding wedding industry is worth 80 billion dollars. Pre-wedding photography is one of the most significant and curious parts, and something every couple marrying in China is eager to partake of. From underwater shoots to traditional costume, imagination and budgets can run wild, for soon-to-be or long-wed couples

Arts, 1 x 60-minute episode

Production Credits

A Media Stockade production for the ABC Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC Arts.
Financed with support from Create NSW Director Olivia Martin-McGuire
Producers Rebecca Barry and Madeleine Hetherton

Content

Australia’s first ever vertical video comedy series from multi-Emmy Award Winning Ludo Studio is made to watch in the privacy of your own phone. The show is set on the home-screen of Lucy, a Millennial and wannabe influencer who promises her online fans everything they’ve ever wanted—a partner, a career, love and contentedness— while struggling to create any of that for herself. Lucy will do anything to achieve influence —whether vegan mukbanging, live-tweeting a celebrity’s private dinner, or destroying her life with a late-night Ambien-fuelled joke comment on a political discussion. But it’s not just on Lucy’s social apps where we see the story play out. We see inside Lucy’s mind: her google searches, private messages, photos, phone calls and everything you wouldn’t want anyone to see - ever. Nothing is sacred - nothing is hidden - every private message, incognito search, deleted text and secret selfie exposed. Lucy’s only solace is her bored-workaholic housemate Daisy. While living out their relationship on their phones, Daisy is Lucy’s enabler, encouraging her to pursue the worst of ideas – all for her own malicious entertainment. This experimental series follows Lucy searching, stumbling and sometimes finding love in some seriously weird corners of the internet. While we play the voyeur witnessing Lucy’s private and public life and together we can decide… is this Content ?

Drama/Comedy, 6 x 10-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Ludo Studio production for the ABC Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen Queensland
Directors Daley Pearson, Walter Woodman
Writer Anna Barnes Producer Meg O’Connell
Executive Producers Daley Pearson and Charlie Aspinwall
ABC Executive Producer Que Minh Luu

Diary of an Uber Driver

The half-hour narrative drama follows Uber driver Ben as he tries to figure out what he should be doing while helping others get where they’re going. Against the ticking clock of impending fatherhood Ben must decipher what being ‘relevant’ looks like in a relationship that seems to think he’s surplus to requirements. Lucky for him, Ben has a revolving car door of human behaviour to trawl through for clues.

Drama, 6 x 27-minute episodes

Production Credits

A RevLover Films production for the ABC Produced in association with all3media international Limited and Create NSW
Director Matthew Moore Writer Thomas Ward
Producers Martha Coleman and Lauren Edwards Executive Producers Michael Ritchie, Steve Rogers, Will Vicars, Nina Stevenson and Greg Sitch
ABC Executive Producers Sally Riley and Que Minh Luu

Escape From The City

Escape From The City is a timely ‘how-to’ guide, packed full of expert advice and industry insights for those seeking a different way of life. Each episode sees one of the hosts guiding a family, couple or individual through their life-changing decision to escape the city and move to coastal, country or regional Australia. From beach-side shacks perched on coastal cliffs in Victoria, to terraced houses in need of renovation in quiet country towns and bushland retreats on the edges of the Northern Queensland rainforest, each episode sees one of our property mad hosts take a contributor on the house hunt of their dreams. Taking into account their needs, desires and budget, our hosts scour the country and present each with four homes, with hopefully one becoming their dream home. Along the way they sample local delights and visit local attractions to get a feel for the area they are planning on moving to.

Entertainment, series of 1-hour episodes

Production Credits
A FremantleMedia Australia Production for the ABC Based on the UK format Escape to the Country, by Boundless Productions
Series Producer Jemma Carlton Executive Producer Nicole Rogers Post Series Producer Ally Griffiths
ABC Executive Producer Frances O’Roirdan

Frayed

London, 1988.

Simone Burbeck’s life appears perfect. She lives in a mansion in London with her perfect husband and children, and her life is a merry-go-round of expensive renovations, dinner parties and school fundraisers. There’s just one problem: it’s all lies. When her husband has a fatal heart attack in a disastrous session with a prostitute, the true state of their finances is revealed. Simone is broke, homeless and a social outcast. With no other options, and two children to care for, she is forced to return to her family home in Newcastle, Australia. It turns out Simone’s past isn’t quite the story that she told everyone in London. NOTHING about Simone is what it appears to be. Oh, and her real name is Sammy.

Sammy plans to cool her heels in Newcastle while she figures out a strategy to get back to London. However, the life and the people she ran away from over 20 years ago slowly pull her back in. Sammy thought she could simply shut the door on her past. But her past is about to bash that door down.

Currently filming in NSW, Frayed stars Sarah Kendall, Kerry Armstrong, Ben Mingay, Diane Morgan and Robert Webb.

Comedy, 6 x 45-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Merman Television production in association with Guesswork Television for the ABC and Sky (UK) Financed in association with Create NSW Creator and Writer Sarah Kendall
Directors Shaun Wilson and Jennifer Leacey
Producer Nicole O’Donohue Merman Executive Producers Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford Guesswork Television Executive Producer Kevin Whyte
Sky Executive Producer Morweena Gordon ABC Executive Producers Rick Kalowski and Que Minh Luu

Hardball

When Mikey’s Daddy scores a rugby league contract in Sydney, he upends their lives in NZ and plonks them in Western Sydney to live with Mikey’s Auntie (who has the people skills of a toaster). It’s not until lunchtime at his new school that Mikey discovers a game that will change his life forever – handball. Jerry, Mikey’s classmate and handball tragic, is convinced Mikey’s a handball dynamo and the school’s only hope in the inaugural Western Sydney handball tournament. With Jerry’s help, along with classmate and epic handball player Salwa, Mikey must go from zero to hero in the quest to be the best in the west!

Childrens’/Drama, 13 x 22 minute-episodes

Production Credits
A Northern Pictures production for the ABC Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC. Financed with support from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and Create NSW.
Writers Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes Directors Darren Ashton, Kacie Anning and Fadia Abboud
Series Producer Joe Weatherstone Line Producer Jacqueline King
Executive Producers Catherine Nebauer and Bernadette O’Mahony
ABC Executive Producer Jan Stradling

How Australia Found Its Mojo with Russel Howcroft

In this one-hour documentary, Russel Howcroft, the man whose passion for clever communication has been a cornerstone of Gruen’s success explores one of the most influential chapters in Australian advertising history. At the centre of this story are Alan (Mo) Morris and Allan (Jo) Johnston who in the 70s and 80s co- founded the Mojo agency. Their toe tapping, catchy ads made Australians feel good about themselves. Who wasn’t singing along to “How do you feel?”, “Going, going Amoco-ing”, “You oughta be congratulated”, “A week without The Weekly’s not the same” and the iconic clarion call to cricket fans, “C’mon Aussie c’mon c’mon”? Their commercials transcended the business of product pushing and became entertainment within themselves. After years of cultural cringe, they celebrated and elevated what it was to be Aussie. Mo and Jo sold Australia to Australians and then Australia to the USA with Paul Hogan’s ‘America you need a Holiday’ campaign. Featuring the incredibly nostalgic and sumptuous archive content Russel also talks with Allan (Jo) Johnson, Ian Chappell, Delvene Delaney, Hugh Mackay, John Singleton, Paul Hogan and other key people from the time, to explore the influence Mojo’s body of work had on our pop culture and beyond.

Entertainment, 1 x 60-minute episode

Production Credits A CJZ production in association with ABC Financed in association with Screen Australia
Producer Amelia Barry Executive Producer and director Andrew Farrell Executive Producer Polly Connolly
ABC Executive Producer Richard Huddleston

InBESTigators

Little Lunch meets Sherlock Holmes in this delightfully funny whodunnit from the creators of Little Lunch and Upper Middle Bogan . Ezra, Maudie, Ava and Kyle are ‘The InBESTigators’. Operating out of the granny flat in Ezra’s backyard, these disparate kids from grade five are led by Maudie, a freakishly gifted observer of human behaviour, who manages to solve one thorny school or neighbourhood mystery after another. While every episode offers a compelling puzzle to crack, the show prevails as a character comedy with heart.

Childrens’/Comedy, 40 x 15-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Gristmill production in association with ABC and Netflix Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. Financing with support from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF)
Producers Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope ABC Executive Producer Jan Stradling

Love On The Spectrum

Relationships and the dating game are exciting but sometimes overwhelming for everyone – particularly for those on the autism spectrum.

Just like neurotypical people, those on the spectrum have the same desire for intimacy and companionship as the rest of the population, but difficulties in social interaction are a key feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder, which makes finding a partner an often daunting and difficult experience. This affectionate and revealing series draws on relationship coaching to help young neuro-diverse people have a better chance of finding true love. In the fast paced and often confusing world of modern dating, Love On The Spectrum sets out to teach us all new lessons on love, intimacy and acceptance.

Factual, 4 x 60-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Northern Pictures production for the ABC Principal production investment from Screen Australia and the ABC
Director and Writer Cian O’Clery
Executive Producer Karina Holden
Producer Jenni Wilks ABC Commissioning Editor Stephen Oliver

Magical Land of Oz

Across Australia, as the dawn rises the marsupials go to bed – except for the ones that don’t – because there are exceptions to every rule in this land of ancient wonders, of big skies and jewelled seas.

Narrated by Barry Humphries, Magical Land of Oz is a blue- chip, continent-wide natural history series ranging from the land’s highest snow peaks to the depths of the frigid and wild southern seas; from its last populations of wild numbats to its largest diorama of giant cuttlefish. It’s a land of diverse beauty, that delights and surprises. The series both entertains and deepens our understanding of how the natural world is made up of not just unique species, but distinct individuals, whose lives are far from predictable.

Using the latest camera technology, Magical Land of Oz reveals animal populations only recently discovered, and behaviours not associated with species we thought we knew well. We meet animal characters so enigmatic, most Australians are unaware they share not just their island continent – but their own suburban backyards. The series also explores the challenges these animals must navigate in a land of extremes and extreme human-induced change. To do this, we fill the screen with colour, dance, acrobatics, music, mating and murder – all performed by the animals which make Australia a truly magical land.

The stage is set for the story to begin. Factual/Natural History, 3 x 57-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Northern Pictures production for the ABC, BBC2, PBS and ITV Global Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ABC
Director Tosca Looby Writers Tosca Looby and Karina Holden
Executive Producers Karina Holden and Sue Clothier ABC Commissioning Editor/ABC Head of Factual Steve Bibb

Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds

Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds is a heart-warming documentary series, based around a unique social experiment where a group of older retirement home residents are brought together with a group of pre-schoolers, to see if this inter-generational contact can improve the health and wellbeing of the older people, thus helping them to lead happier, and healthier lives. Over a period of seven weeks, our two groups of ten elderly people and ten pre- schoolers, will be brought together for planned, mixed activities each day in a specially designed nursery built within a care/retirement home. Here they will share a structured timetable that encourages physical activity, social interaction, learning and happiness.

This social experiment will be run by a team of scientists, early childhood experts, and gerontologists, who will scientifically analyse and monitor the progress of both groups throughout, tracking quantifiable and measurable changes (both physical and mental) that results from the experiment to the health and wellbeing of the older group, and correspondingly, the developmental growth of the children (to chart the changes in language, cognition, movement, and emotional and social development).

Factual, 5 x 1-hour episodes

Production Credits
An Endemol Shine Australia production for the ABC. Made in association with the ABC
Senior Producer Tom Armstrong Series Producer Brooke Hulsman Executive Producer Debbie Cuell
ABC Commissioning Editor Julie Hanna

The Recording Studio

The Recording Studio is an emotionally uplifting series that gives members of the public a chance to step inside ABC’s state-of-the-art music studios. Once through the studio door they set to work with Australia’s top music producers, musicians and engineers who have collaborated with some of the world’s leading musical artists. Over two days they work together to record a very personal song that the singer then presents as a gift, a thank-you or a tribute to a loved one or their community. The Aussies who come to The Recording Studio don’t want to cut a demo or record a number one single; their motives are more personal. The series has drama, surprises and great singing. The people that walk into the studio are tested and pushed along the way, but this show is so much more than just about the singing. The life affirming reasons for giving someone the gift of a professionally recorded song creates a loving and joyous celebration of the relationships we build across time.

One song can change your life. It’s time to hit record.

Entertainment, 10 x 45-minute episodes.

Production Credits
A FremantleMedia Australia production for the ABC
Series Producer Dora Weekly Executive Producer Clare Bath
Consulting Executive Producer Digby Mitchell ABC Executive Producer Richard Huddleston

The Cry

Multi-award-winning actors Asher Keddie and Alex Dimitriades, star alongside Jenna Coleman ( Victoria, Doctor Who ) and Ewen Leslie ( Top of the Lake, Safe Harbour ) in the thrilling drama series The Cry . Based on the novel by Helen FitzGerald and written by Jacquelin Perske ( Seven Types of Ambiguity ), the four-part psychological thriller follows the lives of a young couple, Joanna (Jenna Coleman) and her husband Alistair (Ewen Leslie). Joanna and Alistair travel with their baby from Scotland to Australia to see Alistair’s mother, Elizabeth (Stella Gonet) and to fight for custody of Alistair’s daughter Chloe (Markella Kavenagh) against his Australian ex-wife Alexandra (Asher Keddie).However, when their baby disappears, it triggers Joanna’s psychological breakdown and in the glare of global media speculation and judgement, the experience changes her marriage forever.

Drama, 4 x 60-minute episodes

Production Credits

A Synchronicity Films production for BBC One made in association with the ABC, Film Victoria and Creative Scotland
Director Glendyn Ivin Producers Brian Kaczynski (Synchronicity Films) and Stuart Menzies (December Media)
Executive Producers Claire Mundell (Synchronicity Films) and Elizabeth Kilgarriff and Gaynor Holmes (BBC One)
ABC Executive Producers Sally Riley and Brett Sleigh

The Heights

The Heights is a slice of life serial drama that centres on the inner-city neighbourhood of Arcadia Heights, exploring the relationships between the residents of the Arcadia social housing tower and the people who live in the rapidly gentrifying community that surrounds it. The Heights mines the frictions and commonalities between the upper and working classes in the melting pot of urban Australia, broaching the complex social issues faced in the reality of our lives today.

Drama, 30 x 26-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Matchbox Pictures production in association with For Pete’s Sake Productions for the ABC Developed and produced with the assistance of ABC in association with Screenwest and Lotterywest and NBCUniversal
Writers Warren Clarke, Romina Accurso, Hannah Carroll Chapman, Peter Mattessi, Megan Palinkas, Nick King, Dot West, Magda Wozniak, Mithila Gupta,
Tracey Defty-Rashid, Larissa Behrendt, Miley Tunnecliffe, Katie Beckett and Melissa Lee Speyer Directors James Bogle, Andrew Prowse, Renee Webster and Darlene Johnson.
Producers Peta Astbury-Bulsara and Warren Clarke Executive Producers Debbie Lee and Chris Oliver-Taylor ABC Executive Producers Sally Riley and Que Minh Luu

The Pool

An exploration of Australian culture and identity told through the prism of the pool, a focal point throughout history that evokes deep nostalgia and childhood memories, as well as national triumphs and iconic moments of conflict, leisure, design and reconciliation. Directed by Emmy-nominated Sally Aitken, and written by Christos Tsiolkas, these key moments will be unpacked on locations across the nation by Australian luminaries as well as everyday people – each providing their unique commentary on the role of the pool in our collective imagination.

Factual, 2 x 60-minute episodes

Production Credits

A Mint Pictures production for the ABC Principal production investment from Screen Australia and the ABC in association with Create NSW
Writer Christos Tsiolkas Director Sally Aitken
Executive Producers Dan Goldberg and Adam Kaye ABC Executive Producer Natasha Negrea

The Strange Chores

From the makers of Bluey comes The Strange Chores ; an hilarious new spooky adventure in which Charlie and Pierce, two teenage wannabe warrior heroes and Que, a high-spirited ghost girl, master the skills they need to replace the world’s greatest (and oldest) monster hunter, Old Man Helsing. Helsing owns the weird house at the end of their street (which also happens to be a secret portal to supernatural worlds!). By taking the three on as apprentices, Charlie, Que and Pierce are assigned freaky, bizarre and sometimes downright terrifying chores. Together these bumbling, bickering, kind-hearted heroes-in-training do the best they can to deal with each surreal chore the only way they know how… strangely!

Children’s/Animation 26 X 11-minute episodes

Production Credits

A Ludo Studio and Media World Pictures production for the ABC Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ABC. Financed with support from Film Victoria and Screen Queensland Creators Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson Producers Charlie Aspinwall and Colin South
Director Scott Vanden Bosch Writers Daley Pearson, John McGeachin, Luke Tierney, Brendan Luno and Tim Bain
ABC Executive Producer Jan Stradling

The Unlisted

Twelve-year-old identical twins Dru and Kal discover that the world’s wealthiest individuals have created a secret society, named Infynity, which plans to impose global dominance over the world’s youth. Using high-tech electronic implants, they aspire to manipulate the world’s adolescents and have them under their ultimate control. With the help of a group of underground vigilante kids – The Unlisted – the twins realise they need to stop Infynity before it’s too late.

Childrens’/Drama, 15 x 26-minute episodes

Production Credits
An Aquarius Films production in association with Buster Productions,
ABC, Screen Australia and Film Victoria Producers Polly Staniford and Angie Fielder (Aquarius Films) Showrunner/Creator Justine Flynn (Buster Productions)
Writers Mithila Gupta, Jane Allen, Rhys Graham, Tristram Baumber, Chris Kunz, Nicholas Brown,
Greg Waters, Natesha Somasundaram and Timothy Lee Directors Rhys Graham, Justine Flynn, Nicholas Verso, Lucy Gaffy, Rebecca O’Brien and Neil Sharma
ABC Executive Producer Libbie Doherty

Will Australia Ever Have a Black Prime Minister?

The path to becoming a Prime Minister in Australia is a difficult one, forged through a series of educational, political, and social sliding doors – many much easier to open than others. But what are the odds of an Indigenous Australian realising the top job in Canberra, and how do Australia’s institutions help or hinder that journey? Starting with the arrival of a hypothetical newborn Indigenous child, this presenter-led documentary examines the statistics of each crucial life stage for this child as they grow, the social and economic barriers standing in the way of this country ever having an Indigenous Prime Minister, and the challenges that we must overcome as a nation to ensure the dream of being Prime Minister is one that all can aspire to reach.

Indigenous/Factual, 1 x 1-hour episode

Production Credits
A Joined Up Films production for the ABC Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC.
Financed with support from Screenwest
Director Catriona McKenzie Series Producer Jacqueline Willinge and Danielle MacLean Executive Producer Dan Brown and Anthony Willinge
ABC Executive Producer Kelrick Martin

Storm in a Teacup

Leon Pericles is one of Australia’s most successful printmakers and painters. Throughout Leon’s career his wife Moira has played a huge part in his success, as his creative counsel and support system. However, as Leon embarks upon his biggest retrospective exhibition to date, he is forced to do it without Moira’s support as she declines into dementia.

Arts, 1 x 60-minute episode

Production Credits
An Artemis Media production for the ABC Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ABC. Financed with support from Screenwest
Director and Writer Nia Pericles Producer Celia Tait and Nia Pericles

Mystify

INXS frontman, Michael Hutchence, was a complex and shy man who spent the bulk of his life in the public eye. Unique archival footage and recollections of friends, lovers, band-members, family, collaborators and Hutchence himself, paint a trajectory from troubled family background, up to the peaks of rock ‘n roll stardom, and down to the depths of the depressed, addicted person he became after an accident caused him to lose his sense of smell and taste, affecting his mental health and his ability to deal with his unravelling personal and professional life.

Arts, 1 x 90-minute episode

Production Credits
A Ghost Pictures production for the ABC and BBC Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. Financed with support from the ABC
Director Richard Lowenstein Producers Richard Lowenstein, Maya Gnyp, John Battsek and Sue Murray

Backburning: Midnight Oil

From their inception in the midst of the punk movement in 1975 until today, the story of a band who, with their uncompromising attitudes, brought political awareness to their music and thereby broadened the perception of a whole generation. Midnight Oil’s music narrates the times we have lived through over the past 40 years, an era of great tumult and conflict, particularly around the subject of what Australia is, what we stand for and what we may become as a nation.

Arts, 1 x 90-minute episode

Production Credits
A Beyond Entertainment and Blink TV production for the ABC Principal production investment from Screen Australia is association with ABC Financed with support from Create NSW
Director and Writer Paul Clarke Producers Martin Fabinyi and Carolina Sorensen

The Crown and Us: The Story of the Royals in Australia

Using a rich array of archive footage, this documentary series explores Australia’s nation-shaping yet ever-shifting relationship with the British Royal Family. By examining the many tours down under and royal weddings, this series explores how the monarchy manages to withstand political, religious and cultural undertows to remain deeply infused in the psyche of Australians. But with the intermittent and sometimes raucous debates over an Australian republic, will it always be that way?

Factual, 2 x 60-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Fredbird Entertainment production for the ABC Principal production investment from ABC in association with Screen Australia
Writer and Director Bernice Toni Producer Craig Graham
ABC Commissioning Editor Stephen Oliver

The Cult of the Family

This series delves into Australia’s most notorious cult known as “The Family” and its charismatic but dangerous leader, Anne Hamilton-Byrne, a one-time yoga teacher whose followers worship her as Jesus Christ reincarnated in the female form. At the heart of the cult is a dark and terrible secret – a bizarre experiment to raise a ‘master race’ of children who will save the world after Armageddon.

Home schooled in isolation, dressed identically and with dyed blonde hair, these regimented children evoke The Sound of Music and Village of the Damned . Amid allegations of abuse, starvation and dosing with LSD and tranquilisers, there are also revelations that the tentacles of the cult reached to the very top of Victorian society. But despite a five-year police investigation over three continents, Hamilton-Byrne walks away without a jail sentence and just a paltry $5000 fine. Why did she get off so lightly? What was the source of her power? How did she control her followers? And what was happening in society that allowed the cult to flourish? The series excavates the evidence gathered by police and takes testimony from cult survivors, their relatives and those who are only now prepared to speak on the record. It probes the psychology of love and loyalty, identity and betrayal, justice and truth to address the question - how did Anne Hamilton-Byrne get away with it?

Factual, 3 x 60-minute episodes

Production Credits
A Big Stories Company production for the ABC Principal production investment from ABC in association with Screen Australia
Writer and Director Rosie Jones
Producer Anna Grieve ABC Commissioning Editor Stephen Oliver

Returning favourites

7.30 With Leigh Sales

Leigh Sales presents the most detailed current affairs from an Australian perspective, with exclusive investigations and probing interviews. Plus, political analysis from 7.30

Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle.

Anh’s Brush with Fame, Series 4

Join Anh Do as he uses his passion for portrait painting to get to know some of Australia’s most intriguing personalities. In each episode, comedian and writer Anh takes his guests on a revelatory – often emotional – journey of discovery as they sit for a portrait. Anh’s challenge is to use this newfound knowledge to inform how he captures his guests on canvas. As they chat, Anh paints a portrait that is only revealed to the guest and the audience at the end of each episode. In series 4 of the hit ABC program, Anh meets 14 Australians with intriguing stories to tell. A Screentime production

Australian Story

Australian Story has been on air for over 20 years and has developed a trusted reputation for telling the stories of all Australians with intimacy, candour and integrity. The program explores the diversity of modern life featuring profiles of ordinary and extraordinary Australians. Each episode is lucidly told through engaging images and a compelling narrative. Australian Story has won many professional accolades including Walkley and Logie awards.

Back Roads, Series 5

Back Roads takes viewers to Australia’s most fascinating and diverse regional towns and communities, bringing the voices of regional and remote Australia to our audiences like no other prime time television programme. From the Pilbara to Cape York and everything in between, these stories of everyday Australians are as awe-inspiring as the landscape that surrounds them. Popular host Heather Ewart uncovers tales of resilience, inspiration and strength in community, and aided by special guest presenters, leads a program that contributes to a sense of national identity and unity.

Black Comedy, Series 4

The fourth series of Black Comedy will continue an acerbic, witty and altogether unapologetic comedic exploration of what it means to be black in contemporary Australia. The sketch comedy show is written and performed by some of the sharpest and funniest blackfellas in the country who carve up sacred cows, dismantle stereotypes, and turn modern Australian culture inside out. Alongside the current team will be some exciting new (and not so new) talents for season four.

A Scarlett Pictures production in association with ABC, Screen Australia

Bluey

Follow Bluey, a loveable, inexhaustible little six-year-old Blue Heeler dog, who loves to turn everyday family life into boundless playful adventures, developing her imagination as well as her mental, physical and emotional resilience. These adventures unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her dad, Bandit, mum, Chilli, four-year-old little sister, Bingo, and the whole neighbourhood into her world of fun. Like every kid her age, the thing Bluey likes to do best is play games, most often with her sister, Bingo. Bluey and Bingo both love to role-play. Whether they are doctors, fancy ladies, butterflies or hotel managers, they love to try on different characters just for fun. And it’s never long before Mum, Chilli, or Dad, Bandit, are dragged in to take a part in a game.

Bluey is a Ludo Studio production for the ABC. Principal production investment from BBC Studios, ABC and Screen Australia Developed and produced with the assistance of Screen Queensland

BtN

The world’s longest running children’s news program will be back on ABC ME in 2019 for its 51st season. The show is a fun way for upper primary and lower secondary students to learn about what’s happening in their world, with each program built around the major news stories of the week.

Catalyst

Catalyst returns to take you to the heart of the biggest science stories from Australia and around the world, revealing the latest understanding of how science affects our lives - from deep inside the human body to the furthest reaches of outer space. Each hour-long program delves into the very latest science, meets researchers at the cutting edge, and shows how scientific thinking is changing the lives of everyday people

Compass

Compass is an Australian weekly news-documentary program, hosted by Kumi Taguchi. The program is devoted to providing information about faith, values, ethics, and religion from across the globe.

The Deep, Series 3

The Nekton family’s amazing underwater adventures continue with new friends and familiar foes. The Dark Orca Pirates return with new tech, and Devil Daniels and Dolos are up to their old tricks. Meanwhile, the Nektons encounter amazing undersea creatures like never before - big, small and HUGE. Friendly manatees, mysterious “sea- unicorns”, giant puffer fish, a deadly “purple tide”, an enormous jellyfish, and an internet-breaking monster - all these and more await Ant, Fontaine, Kaiko, Wil - and Jeffrey, of course! -as they investigate the tantalizing mysteries of the deep. The stakes are higher than ever as they come face to face with more and more Monumentials - the vast, ancient, dangerous leviathans awakening all over the globe. And it all points to one place: the legendary civilization of Lemuria. When at last the Nektons unlock the secret and get a glimpse into the lost city, it seems their search is finally at an end…but it is only just beginning.

A Stark Production Pty Ltd & DHX Media production

Dream Gardens, Series 2

Hosted by Michael McCoy, one of Australia’s leading landscape designers, each episode of Dream Gardens sees one unloved space being transformed; from the first spade hitting the ground to the incredible end result with some of the most imaginative and challenging garden designs coming to life. Michael McCoy steps into a variety of garden shapes and sizes to follow the owners and Australia’s best designers battling weather, absent tradies, shifting design visions and budget blowouts. As well as following each garden build, the host provides practical tips and visits spectacular established gardens that provide clues and inspiration for the challenges faced by the owners in each episode. The series celebrates the great gardens of today, the best of Australian design and the spaces from which viewers can take inspiration.

The Drum

Feed your mind and exercise your thoughts with smart conversations among a panel of informed minds. Ellen Fanning and Julia Baird lead a different take on the big issues of the day and digs deeper beyond the headlines.

Employable Me, Series 2

The multi award-winning Employable Me is back for series two with a new cast of extraordinary job seekers aiming to prove that being different shouldn’t stop anyone finding meaningful work. Employable Me is an uplifting, warm and insightful series that draws on experts to uncover hidden skills which can finally harness the strengths of the job seekers to help land dream careers. We all deserve a role in society. That’s what this show is about: striving to belong and play your part. The series looks beyond first impressions to reveal there’s always more than meets the eye and many people have hidden abilities that, when revealed, can benefit both the individual and society in general. This season we will meet Sinead a talented musician and dancer who also has Down’s Syndrome. Warm and caring, Sinead is determined to work in aged care centres and has completed her Certificate 3 in Individual Support. The next step is to get her foot in the door and secure an actual paid job. We will also meet Eric, a charming and fun-loving 20-year-old, who has cerebral palsy as a result of birth trauma. Known jokingly as the mayor of his NSW Central Coast town because he knows everyone, Eric is pursuing a career in health administration, in part to give back to the sector that has helped him all his life. We also meet Sarah and Tiana who have dwarfism, Jake who has epilepsy, Kiah with Tourette Syndrome and Ryan, Paul and Kathleen who are all on the autism spectrum.

A Northern Pictures Production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, Create NSW and the NSW Department of Industry and the ABC

Foreign Correspondent

Foreign Correspondent has been Australia’s leading international current affairs program since 1992. From the ice sheets of Antarctica to the forests of Amazonia, from the sands of the Sahara to the brimming metropolises of Asia and power hubs of America, Russia and Europe… this is Foreign Correspondent’s beat. Our teams have journeyed to more than 170 countries to report on war, natural calamity, and social and political upheaval – through the eyes of the people at the heart of it all. So, while Foreign Correspondent is about places and events, we’re more about people. Through compelling story-telling and rich cinematography, we take viewers into the lives of ordinary individuals whose personal struggles and triumphs help to explain the bigger picture.

Four Corners

Since 1961, Four Corners has been exposing scandals, triggering inquiries, firing debate and confronting taboos. We exist to serve the public interest and you. Our excellence in journalism and film-making has earned international recognition, winning 44 Walkley Awards, 16 Logies and an array of other international awards.

Gardening Australia (30th anniversary)

Gardening Australia is the country’s premier gardening show and in 2019 we celebrate 30 year on air! Still dirty at 30 – we continue to provide practical, trustworthy gardening advice to engage, inform and activate audiences around Australia to get gardening! Hosted by the hirsute and charismatic Costa Georgiadis, a dedicated team of horticulturists located around the nation provide weekly gardening inspiration and advice.

Get Krack!n, Series 2

Get Krack!n , the morning show that made you want to go straight back to bed, is back for a brand-new season! Like the cheap shape-wear that adorns them, The Kates bring their ill-fitting brand of hosting back to the chirpy, fresh, bright world of Morning TV.

A Katering and Guesswork Television production for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Principal production investment from ABC in association with Screen

Australia. Financed with support from Film Victoria. Created and Written by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan.

Giggle and Hoot (10th anniversary)

Giggle and Hoot is turning 10! To celebrate, Giggle and Hoot will be inviting the children of Australia to be involved with Giggle and Hoot’s special birthday! This will include party themes, music and the opportunity to send in birthday Giggle Galleries and cards! Some lucky Owl Pals will also get the opportunity to visit the Giggle and Hoot house!

Glitch, Series 3

Returning in 2019, is the highly anticipated third instalment of the Logie and AACTA award-winning, ABC and Netflix paranormal drama series, Glitch . This season will keep viewers on the edge of their seats for one final epic chapter. Across six compelling episodes, we follow the Risen as they move beyond Yoorana and into the wider world. However, with the invisible boundary shattered, all the rules have now changed. They cannot escape their past or anticipate who is now pursuing them, and with an unpredictable threat looming, each will be confronted with a critical choice and a moment of truth.

A Matchbox Pictures production with investment from ABC and Netflix, in association with Film Victoria. International sales handled by NBCUniversal Intl. Distribution.

Good Game: Spawn Point (10th anniversary)

Turning 10 in 2019, Good Game: Spawn Point (GGSP) is the show for younger gamers, by gamers. With reviews of the latest games, hands-on gameplay, live stream playthroughs, and stories celebrating gaming culture, GGSP has become the daily destination for young avid gamers across Australia. Video games are changing the world, so let the GGSP gang be your guide!

Gruen, Series 11

After over a decade on our screens Gruen barely needs introducing. Consistently a top rating show, a Logie and AACTA winner, it’s one of the ABC’s most successful shows. While it is still hosted by comedian Wil Anderson, much has changed since the show made its debut. Back then, the show was about products. Today, we are all the product; people are brands while brands pretend to be people! Each week the program dissects two marketing campaigns, the angle of an advertising attack, or the spin of a topical story that has made headlines either in Australia or overseas, while ‘The Pitch’ take us into the thinking of the people whose work is changing our minds and behaviours.

A CJZ production

Hard Quiz, Series 4

Hard Quiz heads into its fourth series as the biggest quiz show in Australia. Tom Gleeson will grill four self-declared experts to find out what they know about their own subjects. It’s the quiz show were the laughs matter as much as the answers, as contestants fight it out in pursuit of the Big Brass Mug. A serious quiz show. And seriously funny.

Harrow, Series 2

A Thinkative Television production in association with ABC

The brilliant, unorthodox forensic pathologist Dr Daniel Harrow is back! Waking in hospital after his near-fatal shooting, he is determined to piece together the puzzle of who wanted him dead and why. Concerned friends and family urge Harrow to rest – but of course, Harrow cannot! Harrow dives straight back into work, solving new cases every episode with the help of an extraordinarily intelligent new colleague, while doggedly pursuing the truth behind his own brush with death. Complications build as Harrow follows leads and bends the rules, only to bump up against dangerous dead-ends in his hunt for his antagonist. Nothing is as it seems, and Harrow begins to doubt his usually infallible wits. But when his daughter comes under threat, Harrow needs to dig deep, relying on his famous forensic skills – and a little luck – to solve the mystery of who is out to get him – a mystery that will throw into jeopardy everything Harrow holds dear. Currently filming in Queensland, Harrow stars Ioan Gruffudd, Remy Hii, Anna Lise Phillips, Robyn Malcolm, Darren Gilshenan and Ella Newton. Season Two welcomes Jolene Anderson.

A Hoodlum Entertainment production for ABC and ABC Studios International in association with Screen Queensland.

Insiders

In its 17th year, Insiders is Australia’s must-watch political program. Let one of Australia’s best political analysts Barrie Cassidy and the nation’s top political commentators take you to the heart of the action every Sunday morning, with a unique mix of news, interviews, analysis and plenty of laughs. " Insiders entered a very crowded Sunday morning political market in 2001. But our approach was to provide coverage with so many more elements, and to do it in a way that is informative but irreverent. And of course, have a few laughs along the way. If you took politics too seriously you’d go mad," said host Barrie Cassidy. Insiders is now the most watched morning show on Australian TV any day of the week. So, start your week with the program the politicians rely on to find out what’s going on.

Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery, Series 7

Each week, Julia invites a well-known face to take a trip down memory lane. Together they travel through time to the guest’s childhood home. It’s here that the guest has a moment to consider the directions their life has taken, the paths that have been wandered. It’s then onto the surrounding neighbourhood and on all the way to the school gate, reliving formative moments, talking about life, love and achievement, about the past, present and future. Along the way Julia will meet the pivotal people in her guest’s life such as the inspirational school teacher or the childhood best friend. Julia draws out what makes her guest tick and what inspires them. The journey creates unscripted moments and provokes reactions, showing dimensions of the guests that audiences haven’t seen before. With trademark charm and cheek, Julia will spring surprises along the way. What she discovers about her guests will explain, well, almost everything. Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery is intimate, natural and revealing. It shows that our pasts, our presents and our futures are all there inside us, just waiting to come out, waiting to go for a walk.

Landline

A CJZ production

Pip Courtney and the team of journalists travel the country bringing viewers up to date with the people, issues and events affecting rural and regional Australia. For nearly three decades the multi-award-winning show has featured stories on topics including farming, agriculture, food, economics, innovation, history, climate and more.

The Letdown, Series 2

The Letdown is the story of new mum, Audrey, and the local Mothers Group she thought she didn’t need. Audrey is determined not to be defined by motherhood. In theory, this seems fairly easy. In practice, her career-focused husband, self-obsessed mother and fancy-free best friend, make it damn near impossible. Series Two will continue to explore the highs and lows of parenting. We pick up the experience one year in, when life with a baby has become the new normal. With sleeping, weaning and feeding relatively under control, the parents will confront the next barrage of challenges: walking, talking (first words for bubs, complete sentences for Mums); returning to work (multitasking hell or child-free haven?); childcare (and the sickness that accompanies it) and self-soothing for all (with sugar and screens). It’s a series about all of the decisions you make as a parent, big and small. And the pressure to make the right ones. The new normal brings with it more change, more chaos and naturally, more comedy. As our babies learn to walk, so too do the parents (metaphorically). There are plenty of stumbles, and possibly a few concussions, but ultimately, everyone will find their feet.

A Giant Dwarf production for the ABC and Netflix. Production investment from Screen Australia in association with Create NSW

Little J and Big Cuz, Series 2

Little J, he’s five and Big Cuz, she’s nine. They’re a couple of Indigenous Australian kids living with their Nanna and Old Dog. Little J and Big Cuz are busy with the ups and downs of playground and classroom. There’s always something surprising going on whether it’s at school, in the backyard… or beyond. The gaps in Nanna’s ramshackle fence lead to Saltwater, Desert and Freshwater Country. With the help of Nanna and their teacher Ms Chen, Little J and Big Cuz are finding out all about culture, community and country.

A Ned Lander Media, Media World and Blue Rocket Production for NITV and A BC Children’s Content. Principal production investment from NITV in association with ABC. Financed with support from Screen Australia, the Tasmanian Government through Screen Tasmania, Film Victoria, the Australia Council for Educational Research and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation

Media Watch

Media Watch is Australia’s leading forum for media analysis and critique. Since 1989 Media Watch has been exposing conflicts of interest, journalistic deceit, misrepresentation, manipulation and plagiarism. Media Watch turns the spotlight onto those who ‘make the news’: the reporters, the online editors, producers, camera operators and photographers. We also keep an eye on those who try to manipulate the media: the PR consultants, media agencies, spin-doctors, lobbyists and social influencers.

Mustangs FC, Series 2

Stand by Mustangs fans!! The new season is about to start and it’s all kicking off! Series two brings more relatable stories about young women and their friendships, challenges and triumphs. There’s more of the Mustangs’ signature humour and heart, wrapped round stories about bullying, body image, sexuality, the politics of moon cups and menstruation and how to handle some serious over-spraying of boyoderant! And of course, there’s soccer to play! After getting to the finals last year but missing out on actually raising the trophy, the Mustangs are pumped and ready to get back in the game. Problem is – there’s a Ruby shaped hole in the team since she defected to the Wildcats. The girls don’t even know if they can win a single match without her, never mind a shiny silver trophy. Time for some new players and a massive shake up of the team’s formation that means big changes for Marnie. Being captain of the Mustangs has been so important to her, but is dishing out all that advice and support starting to mean that her own game suffers? Buckle up people of Earth. Things are about to get interesting in Mustangs land!

A Matchbox Productions production for the ABC. Principal production investment from ABC in association with Screen Australia. Financed with support from Film Victoria

Mystery Road, Series 2

A mangrove swamp. An endless sky. A headless body.

Detective Jay Swan takes on a grisly case in order to be closer to his family, but has he left it too late? Set in a small coastal community where the desert meets the ocean, secrets past and present run deep and dark. Jay must reconcile the law and deep lore and confront a dangerous enemy. It’s a world of cults, carpetbaggers and smugglers, of ruined churchmen and crazed archaeologists.

Produced by Bunya Productions for the ABC. Mystery Road Series Two was developed with assistance of Screen Australia

News Breakfast

Wake up to great conversations and all the information you need to start your day. Michael Rowland and Virginia Trioli are joined by Paul Kennedy with sport, Madeleine Morris with finance and Nate Byrne with your weather. The ABC News Breakfast team recently celebrated their 10th anniversary.

Offsiders

Offsiders is a live discussion show for anyone who’s serious about sport. A panel of writers, broadcasters, coaches and athletes assemble on Sunday mornings to look for

meaning in the week’s major developments in sport, through in-depth analysis and lively debate .

Planet America

The Chaser’s Chas Licciardello and the ABC’s John Barron set out to discover the real America — its politics and its people — with US and Australian experts coming along for the ride!

Play School

Play School aims to encourage children to think, feel, wonder and imagine. Through stories, songs, and activities, children are actively encouraged to participate with the program and learn through play.

Q&A

Q&A is a television discussion program that focuses mostly on politics but ranges across all of the big issues that set Australians thinking, talking and debating. It is driven by interaction: Q&A provides a rare opportunity for Australian citizens to directly question and hold to account politicians and key opinion leaders in a national public forum and Q&A is broadcast live so that not only the studio audience but also the wider audience can get involved. We aim to create a discussion that is constructive, that reflects a diverse range of views and that provides a safe environment where people can respectfully discuss their differences.

Rage

Rage is an all-night music video program that airs every weekend in Australia on ABC. For over 27 years Rage has been showcasing a diverse range of music videos from Aussie and international artists, making it the longest-running music television program still in production.

Restoration Australia, Series 2

With a new host and refreshed format, series two of Restoration Australia follows homeowners across the country as they lovingly restore forgotten heritage gems into living homes. This time the restoration challenge moves beyond old colonial homes to embrace houses from all periods, including iconic modernist masterpieces and even an inner- city gasworks. With greater budgets and increased time pressures, the homeowners battle white ants and water-damaged walls while discovering fascinating insight into the origins of these houses, their histories, and why they were built the way they were. The ambitious restorations are a journey of discovery for both homeowners and viewers alike, with take-away tips for audiences that can be applied to everyday home renovations . Each episode ends in a final reveal, showcasing a finished renovation and a home ready to live in. Inspiring and surprising, the results are truly spectacular. A FremantleMedia Australia production

Rosehaven, Series 3

Series three finds best mates Daniel (Luke McGregor) and Emma (Celia Pacquola in her AACTA Award winning role) now firmly ensconced as bona fide real estate agents, weathering the storm of recalcitrant landlords, anxiety inducing tenants, an overbearing boss (Daniel’s mum) in a town where a pig wandering down the main street doesn’t raise an eyebrow. However, big changes are set to shake up their personal lives. Daniel questions his life with Grace, while newly single Emma finds herself questioning her future. They’ll meet Barbara’s sister, host a wake, get lost, get bogged and somehow manage to sell a block of land that turns the town against them… it’s just another day at the office at McCallum Real Estate.

Sammy J

A What Horse? / Guesswork Television production presented by Screen Tasmania, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and SundanceTV

Sammy J is a weekly satirical series of 3-minute bite-sized, biting, vignettes of the political machinations of Canberra and beyond. Sammy’s unique comedic talents, satire, song and his insatiable appetite for politics, will blend with the successful characters and ‘small worlds’ of his previous two series to create a new platform from which he can harass and heckle the politics of the day.

Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, Series 10

Shaun Micallef celebrates his 25th year in television with his 10th season of Mad as Hell. “It’s a bit like the frog in the saucepan of water,” says the comedian of working for the ABC. “If you turn up the heat, the frog doesn’t notice because he’s cold-blooded. Eventually the water’s boiling and the frog’s like ‘Hey, WTAF?’ and he explodes… Actually, it’s not a very good analogy.” Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell , Australia’s longest-running half-hour news satire program of that name returns in 2019.

Produced by ITV Studios Australia and Giant Baby in association with the ABC

Squinters, Series 2

Returning in 2019, the six-part comedy series Squinters celebrates the comically mundane ritual of the everyday work commute and the new season is set to deliver more laughs, more stars and even more road trip worthy moments. Season 2 picks up with Aussie distribution company ‘Kosciusko’ taken over by an American conglomerate. Under new management, our travellers have new jobs and for some, new passengers along for the ride. Over the six episodes, we learn intimate details of their lives, relationships and struggles, as they navigate their new workplace. New cast members Claudia O’Doherty, Stephen Peacocke, Justine Clarke, Anne Edmonds, Genevieve Morris and Ernie Dingo. A Jungle Entertainment production for the ABC. Production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Create NSW

The Twist: True Crime Stories

The best endings are the ones you don’t see coming. The ones that leave you gasping, upend everything and smack you in the face like a coward punch. Welcome to the unpredictable world of 'The Twist’ Each episode tells a single, impeccably researched true crime Australian story and is structured to ensure a red-herring filled, unfolding narrative that builds to a hero twist. Story selection favours little known cases but famous tales will also be included if a surprising new angle or new way of telling them is discovered. Telling real stories with real victims via animation in a sensitive way will be challenging and ensuring taste and accuracy will be a core priority for all involved. The animation style itself will vary as appropriate for each episode, while remaining consistently cinematic and muted in palette. Elements such as animation, music, sound design and script in The Twist will be tweaked as appropriate to align with the circumstances and gravity of each story. Crimes of passion, criminal on criminal homicides and fraud will be prioritised over crimes involving rape, sexual abuse and suicide. Where appropriate, law enforcement, surviving relatives, victims and stakeholders will always be consulted and codas will be bolted onto the end of episodes, allowing extra context, disclaimers, tributes and photographs of characters to be added without breaking the narrative flow.

A Broken Yellow production in association with Screen Australia

triple j’s Hottest 100

Every year hundreds of thousands of music fans from all over the world tell triple j which songs made the biggest impact on their lives in the last 12 months, culminating in a massive count down of the Hottest 100 songs of the year. The songs always mark a distinct moment in time and none more so than those which top the poll, including recent #1’s: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘HUMBLE.’ (2017) and Flume’s ‘Never Be Like You (feat Kai)’ (2016).

triple j’s One Night Stand

triple j’s annual free, all ages concert provides the chance to experience live music in a remote area that’s not on the usual musical touring map. It’s also a chance for the rest of Australia to get to know a really special part of the country, as triple j spotlights a different regional area each year. Over the past 15 years we’ve travelled from the glistening coast of Geraldton WA (2016) to the outback in Mount Isa QLD (2017) and even the tiny town of St Helens TAS (2018) in the country’s Southern-most state. Each journey has seen top Aussie talent join the party with the likes of Vance Joy, Middle Kids, Peking Duk, Violent Soho, Alison Wonderland and more performing for crowds of up to 20,000 people.

Utopia, Series 4

Set inside the offices of the “Nation Building Authority”, a federal government organisation responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects, Utopia explores that moment when bureaucracy and grand dreams collide. It’s a tribute to those political leaders who have somehow managed to take a long-term vision and use it for short-term gain. A Working Dog Production in association with the ABC

The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, Series 4

The Weekly is an award-winning comedy show. In the unmitigated cluster funk of the 24-hour news cycle, Charlie Pickering and The Weekly team wrap their mouths around the gushing firehose of current events. Each week they’ll try to figure out what’s going on, why it’s happening and if anyone is ever, ever going to make it stop!

A Thinkative Television production in association with ABC

You Can’t Ask That, Series 4

You Can’t Ask That returns for a fourth series — uncovering the truth behind eight new groups of marginalised or misunderstood Australians. Asking the most outrageous, uncomfortable and shocking questions sourced from the public, the series confronts discrimination and stigma, empowering those who live in judgement. You Can’t Ask That will be one of the most entertaining and diverse programs on Australian television in 2019, featuring the first-person voices of over 60 people with unique lived experiences. The series will travel the country to interview African-Australians, alcoholics, survivors of domestic violence, intersex people, former politicians, disaster survivors, deaf people and travelling show people (apparently some don’t like being called “carnies”). Last year this ground-breaking program won the European Broadcast Union’s Rose d’Dor for Best Reality & Factual Entertainment Program and three United Nations Association of Australia Media Awards. The ABC original series format has achieved immense success globally, with nine international commissions to date — well on the way to becoming the ABC’s biggest original format hit. In every episode of You Can’t Ask That the audience witnesses subjects, stories, people and perspectives that most others tiptoe around. With no subjects off limits, the questions are confronting and the answers surprising.

Vote Compass

An ABC Production

An integral part of our election offering is Vote Compass , a civic engagement tool that lets Australians explore their place in the political dataset for reporting on voters’ views during the election campaign period. Vote Compass received 1.2 million responses in 2016 federal election which makes it the largest survey of voter attitudes ever undertaken in Australia. ABC News has hosted Vote Compass for the past two federal elections (and multiple state elections) and plan to run it again for the next federal election.

ABC Acquisitions for 2019

  • Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders
  • Vera
  • Midsomer Murders
  • Endeavour
  • Death in Paradise
  • Call the Midwife
  • Wow! That’s Amazing
  • Food Investigators
  • Secret Life of Boys, Series 3
  • So Awkward, Series 5
  • Emma S2 TBC

ABC Events for 2019

  • Anzac Day
  • New Year’s Eve
  • Aus music Month
  • Australia Day
  • NAIDOC Week
  • Science Week

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