Episode 1
Wednesday 08 November 9:00pm
At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, speed skater Steven Bradbury won Australia’s first ever Winter gold medal after everyone else in his race fell over, proving to the world that you don’t need to be the best at what you do in order to come out on top.
Featuring interviews with Bradbury himself, as well as with his parents, his coach and expert sports commentators, this episode tells the little-known story of what Bradbury went through in the years before the famous (and highly unusual) victory that made him a household name. Through song, dance and some very dodgy skating re-enactments, the episode celebrates a classic Australian underdog who never took no for an answer and relied on just a little bit of luck along the way.
Episode 2
Wednesday 15 November 9:00pm
Tasmanian-born Mary Donaldson was living an ordinary life when on a last-minute whim she accepted a friend’s invitation to go out drinking during the Sydney Olympics.
Arriving at a pub called the Slip Inn, she caught the eye of a dashing young man called Fred, who just happened to be the Crown Prince of Denmark.
The pair embarked on a secret long-distance relationship, and – after the Danish tabloids outed their romance – Frederik had the difficult task of convincing his mother, the Queen of Denmark, that Mary was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
In this documentary-meets-musical, The Chaser’s Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen use the Mary fairy-tale to ask broader questions about Australia’s relationship with royalty; and to also question the limits of Australian patriotism and egalitarianism: deep down, how many of us secretly cling on to dreams of improving our lifestyle or our social standing, even if it means saying goodbye to the country we love?
Featuring interviews with Angela Bishop, Peter FitzSimons, Sarrah Le Marquand and Mary’s personal transformation coach Teresa Page.
Episode 3
Wednesday 22 November 9.00pm
A musical comedy about the international meltdown caused by Johnny Depp when he brought his two Yorkshire terriers into Australia, where he was filming a Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Depp and his partner Amber Heard had arrived in Australia by private plane but failed to declare their dogs to Australian customs.Keen to make an example of them, the Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce threatened to have the dogs put down unless they “buggered off” back to the US.
In this documentary-meets-musical interpretation of the events, The Chaser’s Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen use the tale to satirise Australia’s paradoxical relationship to celebrities: demonstrating how, on the one hand, we’re far too easily impressed by them; while, on the other hand, we hate it if they get special treatment just because of who they are.
The episode features interviews with Barnaby Joyce, Lanai Scarr and Marc Fennell, but, sadly, not with the dogs.