Episode 1 - Karl Kruszelnicki
Wednesday 20 May at 8.00pm
Australia favourite science communicator Dr Karl takes Julia on a tour of the Wollongong family home he Last entered half a century ago, recalling a Lonely childhood and revelling his regret at not paying attention to the Life Lessons his Holocaust-survivor parents offered.
Jumping into a navy-blue Volkswagen Beetle, Karl and Julia travel to his high school and favourite beach, via the raging furnace of the Wollongong steelworks. Karl shares stories from a Life crammed with dramatic swerves, dips and U-turns, with courage, humour and his infectious optimism.
Episode 2 - Celeste Barber
Wednesday 27 May at 8pm
Julia finds actor, comedian and lnstagram goddess Celeste Barber at gorgeous Snapper Rocks on the Queensland-NSW border. Celeste takes her very first turn behind the wheel of her father’s immaculately restored Mini Cooper as they Laugh, whoop and holler their way to the family home her parents built. Then it’s off to the Burleigh Heads RSL club where Celeste recreates some of the moves from her teenage dancing career, before they conclude the day at the restaurant built on the Land her grandparents once farmed. Throughout the day Julia delights in Celeste’s hilarious, boundless energy, and Learns about the pride and heavy burden of accidentally becoming the voice of bushfire relief.
Episode 3 - Jacqui Lambie
Wednesday 3 June at 8pm
Senator Jacqui Lambie returns to where it all began - a housing commission home she shared with her mother and brother in the suburbs of Devonport.Julia learns about a rebellious teenager and the night a random assault changed the course of her life. In a classic Holden Statesman, they drive to Don College, the school where Jacqui made occasional appearances before dropping out to join the army.
Jacqui recalls the chronic back problems that ended her military career and saw her locked in a bitter battle with the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical support, a fight that inspired her unlikely entry into politics. She introduces Julia to her father Tom; whose Scottish ancestry gave Jacqui one more hurdle to overcome.
Episode 4 - Craig Reucassel
Wednesday 10 June at 8pm
Craig Reucassel was born in South Africa, before his parents’ disgust for apartheid saw them relocate to Adelaide then the Southern Highlands of NSW. He meets Julia atop Mt Gibraltar in Bowral and together they hop into a Renault 12 and drive to the Reucassels first house in the area. Next stop is Bowral High School, where Craig was introduced to debating, a discovery that would change the course of his Life. They meet Rowan Cahill, Craig’s former history teacher, whose unorthodox teaching methods inspired young Craig to find his voice. Driving to Sydney, they visit Sydney University, where he met the other Chaser boys, before walking to the nearby house in which the Chaser newspaper was born.
Episode 5 - Yael Stone
Wednesday 17 June at 8pm
Actor Yael Stone rocks up in a bright yellow van to meet Julia in Sydney’s Inner West. They drive to Balmain Public School, where Yael scored the job of school captain by gently mocking the teachers in her campaign speech. Yael tells Julia stories of the close-knit and talented Stone family, with elder siblings Jake and Elana both successful musicians. At the Stables Theatre they discuss Yael’s career, up to phenomenal Orange ;s the New Black, and the enormously difficult decision to speak out against sexual harassment in the theatre world. They end the day at Yael’s south of Sydney, meeting her sister Elana, and chatting about Yael’s decision to return her US Green Card to try and provoke action on climate change. In the backyard, Yael and Elana sing a song they wrote for bushfire relief.
Episode 6 - Gillian Armstrong
Wednesday 24 June at 8pm
Legendary film director Gillian Armstrong meets Julia outside her parents’ dream home in Mitcham in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Gillian is delighted to see that so many features of the house have been preserved and shares stories about her frustrated artistic father and his domineering family. They discuss the background of My Brilliant Career, which saw her become the first woman to direct a feature film in Australia in 50 years. They jump into the back of an immaculate FB Holden and drive to Vermont High, where a perceptive English teacher saw the storyteller within young Gillian. At Swinburne University Gillian recalls the happy accidents that saw herfall into film making and speaks out at the ingrained gender bias that prevents other women from following in her footsteps.
Episode 7 - Scott Farquhar
Wednesday 1 July 8pm
Scott Farquhar is the co-founder and co-CEO of software giant Atlassian and sits near the very top of Australia’s rich List. He arrives at the former Farquhar family home in Castle Hill in north-west Sydney and takes Julia on a tour of a house remarkably unchanged since he Lived there. In a modest Holden Barina they drive to the scout hall in which Scott spent much of his teenage years and meet his former scout master Allan Staples, who reveals his surprise and joy in Scott’s success. AtJames Ruse Agricultural High School they meet former teacher Vicky Crawford, whose mild words of rebuke in another otherwise excellent year 6 report were the catalyst for Scott’s relentless striving for excellence. They end the day at the former Atlassian office in the Sydney CBD and discuss the improbability of becoming a billionaire and his plans to provide economic, technological and social Leadership in Australia.
Episode 8 - Casey Donovan
Wednesday 8 July 8pm
Julia meets singer-songwriter and actor Casey Donovan in Bankstown in Sydney’s western suburbs. Casey relives her time as an Uber driver by delivering Julia to her childhood home before moving on to Condell Park High School. She explains that it was here than she moved from a young life obsessed with sport to a passion for music and talks about discovering her musical roots in her indigenous biological father’s family. She tells Julia how her stepfather’s belief in her forced a reluctant young Casey to enter Australian Idol, a decision that turned her world upside down. They visit inner-city music venue the Vanguard and end up at Sydney’s Opera House and discuss the swings and roundabouts of success, fame and elusive self-confidence.
