SBS (main channel) - Programs and Schedules

Celebrate a Mardi Gras like no other exclusively on SBS and NITV

https://twitter.com/SBS/status/1359260869851369474?s=20

Saturday 6 March
NSW/VIC/TAS/ACT 6pm AEDT
QLD 5pm AEST
SA 5:30pm ACDT

Celebrate a Mardi Gras like no other Courtney Act, Joel Creasey, Narelda Jacobs and Zoë Coombs Marr return to host this year’s history-making global event live and exclusive Saturday 6 March on SBS and NITV.

As the official broadcast partner, SBS is proud to bring to life the colour and magic of the 2021 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras live and exclusively on Saturday March 6.

Proving nothing – not even a pandemic - is going to rain on this parade, Mardi Gras has found a temporary new home in 2021 – the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground to ensure the safety of participants, spectators and the community at large. While the beloved celebration of pride and diversity is moving up the road from its usual location, the spirit of this important event won’t be dampened, because there ain’t no party like a Mardi Gras party.

SBS is the place to be bringing the coverage to audiences across Australia and around the world, live and free from 6pm AEDT on SBS On Demand (geo-block removed for viewers internationally), or tune in for the full parade on SBS and NITV at 7:30pm.

This year, the event is rising to new heights with the fab four - drag icon Courtney Act , comedy superstar Joel Creasey, Network 10 Presenter Narelda Jacobs and stand-up genius Zoë Coombs Marr - returning to host this year’s coverage. Mardi Gras will light up with glittering performances and stellar interviews with a cavalcade of soon-to-be announced celebrity guests, not to mention the colourful pageantry of costumes, puppetry and props. Bringing the world together each year in a celebration of diversity and inclusion, the event is also an opportunity to reflect on the history of activism and protest that started the movement in 1978.

Courtney Act said: “I can’t wait to get my heels on the pitch, wearing a lace-front in place of a baggy green, to celebrate this unique and vibrant Mardi Gras parade with my Indigenous, black, brown, trans, bisexual, asexual, intersex, lesbian, gay and queer siblings. We’re going to bring all of the fun, glamour, heart, diversity and storytelling from the SCG and shout it loud and proud across Australia and around the world.”

Joel Creasey said: “I can’t wait to be back with my Mardi Gras besties Narelda, Courtney and Zoë to be hosting the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for my fifth time! It’s a wild ride hosting Mardi Gras, so many elements and moving parts have to come together live on the night to make it all work… so often we are flying by the seat of our pants (assless chaps) but I couldn’t be doing it with a better crew. And, after the year we’ve had, we truly need the love, light and bio-degradable glitter that is Mardi Gras. I’ve never been to a cricket ground before so I hope my Uber driver knows where to drop me. I cannot wait!”

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras remains one of the world’s largest and most loved LGBTIQ+ celebrations. This year the festival is themed RISE , a call to action that now is the time to rise again through love, compassion, respect and understanding, and to work to make the world a better place for all. The theme is a poignant message following the challenge and hardship of 2020.

Narelda Jacobs said: “Rise and shine! The world’s biggest party since last Mardi Gras is on March 6 and we’re asking Australia to rise to the occasion. We’re spreading our wings and love from the SCG into lounge rooms, pubs and clubs around the country. I’m thrilled to be reunited with the rainbow dream team of the ridiculously good-looking Joel Creasey, the unpredictable Zoë Coombs Marr and the queen with the highest hair Courtney Act. Together, the queer community has supported each other through the pandemic, now let’s rise like a phoenix to celebrate Mardi Gras 2021.”

Zoë Coombs Marr said: “It’s going to be a totally different Mardi Gras this year. I’m really excited to see the different ways that our community interprets the struggles and the magnitude of the past year, in ways that only our community can… with leather, cardboard, and eco-friendly glitter! And last year’s Mardi Gras was one of the last big events before certain viruses that shall not be named. The event has a special kind of energy that can only be rivalled by a sugar-free kid at a birthday party who’s just had red cordial for the first time. Magic!”

SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: “SBS is proud to be the official broadcast partner for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for the eighth year running. Mardi Gras is a celebration of diversity, inclusion and acceptance, which is at the core of what we do at SBS with our programming. This year’s history-making event promises to be like no other and will certainly be a night to remember.”

SBS celebrates Mardi Gras across the network:

NITV will simulcast the broadcast on Saturday March 6 at 7.30pm followed by Black Divaz at 11.30pm, about the inaugural Miss First Nation pageant. In the leadup, they will celebrate the LGBTIQ+ community with a slate of special programming. Thought-provoking documentaries Killing Patient Zero, Leitis in Waiting and The Stars Will Do will also air along with an encore screening of Faboriginal Monday March 1 to Thursday March 4 at 7:30pm followed each night by the NITV premiere of Drag Heals, a documentary that follows men who have always dreamed of letting their inner drag queen out.

From Monday March 1 at 9:30pm, SBS World Movies will showcase the best of LGBTIQ+ films from around the world with Mardi Gras Week. Titles include Goodbye Mother, Tu Me Manques, A Fantastic Woman, Carol , Call Me By Your Name and The Kids Are Alright.

SBS On Demand presents Rainbow Pride, the ultimate collection of movies exploring LGBTIQ+ themes with The Kids Are Alright, Goodbye Mother and Holding the Man just some of the highlights. In addition, our very own Courtney Act will curate a special collection of TV series celebrating the spirit of Mardi Gras. Personally hand-picked, the ‘Courtney Act Guest Curates’ collection features everything from Years and Years to Faboriginal and Gaycation and will be available to view from February 25.

SBS VICELAND will air an encore of the Mardi Gras broadcast on Sunday 7 March at 10:45pm. In the leadup, there will be screenings of acclaimed documentaries such as Deep Water: The Real Story, Country Town Pride, Australiana: Island Queens, The Last Lesbian Bars and the Australian film Holding the Man among the many highlights.

In the lead-up to the big night, SBS Radio will present some deeply personal stories from LGBTIQ+ people within our multicultural communities. SBS Arabic24 ’s My Arab Identity season 2 features Arab-Australian migrants exploring how they’re dealing with the complexities of a mixed identity. In addition, SBS Arabic24 and SBS中文 (SBS Chinese) will report live from the SCG on Facebook Live.

SBS Voices , SBS’s platform for writers from diverse backgrounds, will be releasing a special collection of eight memoir stories from LGBTQIA+ writers, submitted as part of the SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition last year. This collection of personal stories brings to life the experience of growing up LGBTQIA+ in Australia.

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As of next week, SBS will do a switcheroo, and will be airing Jeopardy at 5.05pm, with Letters and Numbers at 5.35pm (weeknights).

That would be better. I found it strange to see an American game show in a prime slot like 5.30pm.

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This is a 2019 National Geographic documentary about the small Canadian town of Gander and the stories of air traffic controllers during the 9/11 attacks, who had to make sure all the other planes in the air over America were safe, and bring them all in to land.
The musical Come From Away (which is currently playing at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre) is based on the stories.

Week commencing 21 February 2021


Sunday 21 February
07:30 pm I Am Jackie O Jackie Kennedy Onassis was the most famous woman in the world, impossibly glamorous and universally admired. She was also complex, layered, and extremely guarded, making her endlessly fascinating.
09:00 pm I Am Jfk Jnr The story of a life cut tragically short, of a little boy whose salute transfixed a nation, a boy who would grow to become the embodiment of American hopes for the future: JFK Jr.
10:40 pm Filthy Rich and Homeless Rpt
11:40 pm Police Custody: Human Chains Rpt

Monday 22 February
07:35 pm The Architecture The Railways Built S01 E09
08:30 pm 24 Hours In Emergency S16 E07
09:20 pm The Story Of The Songs: Whitney Houston S01 E04
10:15 pm SBS World News Late
10:45 pm Outlander Rpt
11:55 pm Berlin Station x 3 Rpt

Tuesday 23 February
07:30 pm Great Australian Railway Journeys Rpt
08:30 pm 24 Hours In Emergency S16 E08
09:30 pm Michael Portillo’s Abandoned Britain Rpt
10:25 pm SBS World News Late
11:00 pm The Pier S02 E02
11:45 pm Borgen x 4 Rpt

Wednesday 24 February
07:35 pm Britain’s Most Historic Towns Rpt
08:30 pm Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime
09:20 pm Vikings S06 E09
10:15 pm Romulus Series Premiere
11:24 pm SBS World News Late
11:55 pm The Night Manager

Thursday 25 February
07:35 pm The World’s Greatest Palaces S01 E08
08:30 pm Michael Mosley: Trust Me, I’m A Doctor Rpt
09:25 pm Cornwall With Simon Reeve
10:25 pm SBS World News Late
11:00 pm 24 Hours In Police Custody Rpt
11:55 pm Movie: The City Hunts A Murderer

Friday 26 February
07:35 pm Who Do You Think You Are? S16 E06 Paul Merton
08:30 pm Who Do You Think You Are? S16 E07 Sharon Osbourne
09:35 pm Mark Rylance: My Grandparents’ War Rpt
10:30 pm SBS World News Late
11:00 pm Movie: Whitney

Saturday 27 February
07:35 pm Going Places With Ernie Dingo S04 E05
08:00 pm King Arthur’s Britain: Truth Unearthed Rpt
09:10 pm Movie: Monty Python And The Holy Grail
10:45 pm Movie: The Broken Circle Breakdown

Shadowplay

Thursday 4 March at 8:30 pm - double episode

Set in divided Berlin during the Summer of 1946, eight-part drama series Shadowplay will premiere on SBS and SBS On Demand at 8:30pm on Thursday 4 March. From the creators of Midnight Sun and The Bridge comes a provoking and dynamic period drama set against the lawless and unpredictable backdrop of post WWII Germany.

Created by Måns Mårlind (Midnight Sun, The Bridge) and co-directed with Björn Stein (Midnight Sun, The Bridge), Shadowplay is the wild west of purgatory. American cop Max McLaughlin ( Taylor Kitsch , Friday Night Lights) arrives in Berlin in the summer of 1946 to help create a police force in the chaotic aftermath of the war. Max’s goal is to take down “Englemacher” Gladow, the Capone of this divided and broken city. Secretly, Max undertakes a personal crusade to find his missing brother ( Logan Marshall-Green , Madame Bovary, The O.C), who is killing ex-Nazis in hiding. Unbeknownst to Max, he is being used as a pawn in what will become the Cold War. Shadowplay also stars Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under), Nina Hoss (My Little Sister, Homeland) and Tuppence Middleton (Mank, Sense8).

Shadowplay will premiere with a double episode at 8.30pm Thursday 4 March on SBS. Episodes will continue weekly at 9:30pm from Thursday 11 March. New episodes will be available at SBS On Demand each week on the same day as broadcast. Shadowplay will also be subtitled in Simplified Chinese and Arabic, available to stream for free at SBS On Demand. Each subtitled episode will become available at the same time as broadcast.

In an SBS On Demand exclusive, Shadowplay director Måns Mårlind will be curating a collection of TV series for Australians to experience on the platform. The collection will showcase a wide variety of European dramas personally recommended by Måns, from ZeroZeroZero and Gomorrah to We Are Who We Are. The complete curation, Måns Mårlind Guest Curates, will be available to view from Thursday 4 March.

Week commencing 28 February 2021


Sunday 28 February
07:30 pm Searching For Cleopatra
09:10 pm The Queen And The Coup
10:05 pm Country Town Pride: Untold Australia Rpt
11:05 pm Police Custody: Code of Silence Rpt

Monday 1 March
07:35 pm The Architecture The Railways Built S01 E10 Series Final
08:30 pm 24 Hours In Emergency S16 E09
09:25 pm The Story Of The Songs: Eric Clapton S01 E10
10:20 pm SBS World News Late
10:50 pm Outlander Rpt
11:50 pm Berlin Station x 3 Rpt

Tuesday 2 March
07:30 pm Great Australian Railway Journeys Rpt
08:30 pm 24 Hours In Emergency S16 E10
09:35 pm Michael Portillo’s Abandoned Britain Rpt
10:30 pm SBS World News Late
11:00 pm The Pier S02 E03
11:55 pm Borgen x 4 Rpt

Wednesday 3 March
07:35 pm Britain’s Most Historic Towns Rpt
08:30 pm Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime S01 E04
09:20 pm Vikings S06 E10 Series Final
10:15 pm Romulus S01 E02
11:15 pm SBS World News Late
11:45 pm The Night Manager Rpt

Thursday 4 March
07:35 pm The World’s Greatest Palaces S01 E09
08:30 pm Shadowplay Series Premiere
09:30 pm Shadowplay S01 E02
10:30 pm SBS World News Late
11:00 pm 24 Hours In Police Custody Rpt
11:55 pm The Good Fight Rpt

Friday 5 March
07:30 pm Viking Murder Mystery Rpt
08:30 pm Going Places With Ernie Dingo S04 E06
09:00 pm Who Do You Think You Are? S16 E08 Boy George
10:10 pm The Royals And The Nazis
11:10 pm SBS World News Late
11:30 pm Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Opry Rpt

Saturday 6 March
07:30 pm Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras 2021
11:30 pm Movie: Call Me By Your Name

This documentary debuted on Channel 4 UK in June last year. It’s about a plot to use the name of recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II, without her knowledge, in a 1953 coup to overthrow the government of Iranian prime minister Mohammed Mosaddegh.

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A superstar line-up of entertainment led by UK powerhouse Rita Ora will perform at this year’s historic 2021 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras live Saturday 6 March 6pmAEDT on SBS On Demand, or catch the full parade at 7:30pm on SBS and NITV. Other performers include soulful electronic duo Electric Fields, ARIA Award-winning art-pop songwriter Montaigne and indie pop darling G Flip. Comedy superstar Joel Creasey, Network 10 Presenter Narelda Jacobs, stand-up genius Zoë Coombs Marr and drag icon Courtney Act return to host this year’s coverage.

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Week commencing 7 March 2021


Sunday 7 March
07:30 pm Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime S01 E05
08:30 pm Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime S01 E06
09:20 pm Killer Bridges Rpt
10:20 pm Michael Mosley: Coronavirus Special Rpt
11:20 pm Contagion Rpt

Monday 8 March
07:35 pm The Secret Life Of Lighthouses Series Premiere Rob Bell explores the rugged east coast of Scotland to discover how the Bell Rock lighthouse earned its reputation as a wonder of the industrial world.
08:30 pm 24 Hours In Emergency S16 E11
09:25 pm The Story Of The Songs: Aretha Franklin S01 E07
10:20 pm SBS World News Late
10:50 pm Outlander Rpt
11:55 pm Butter Lamp Rpt
12:14 am AEDT Cycling: Paris-Nice 2021

Tuesday 9 March
07:30 pm Great Australian Railway Journeys Rpt
08:30 pm 24 Hours In Emergency S16 E12
09:35 pm Michael Portillo’s Abandoned Britain Rpt
10:30 pm SBS World News Late
11:00 pm The Pier S02 E04
12:00 am AEDT Cycling: Paris-Nice 2021

Wednesday 10 March
07:35 pm Tony Robinson: Britain’s Ancient Tracks Rpt
08:30 pm Australia In Colour Season 2 Premiere
09:20 pm Departure FTA Series Premiere
10:20 pm SBS World News Late
10:50 pm Romulus S01 E03
11:50 pm Oh Lucy! Rpt
12:15 am AEDT Cycling: Paris-Nice 2021

Thursday 11 March
07:35 pm The World’s Greatest Palaces S01 E10
08:30 pm Michael Mosley: What’s My Diagnosis
09:35 pm Shadowplay S01 E03
10:40 pm SBS World News Late
11:10 pm 24 Hours In Police Custody Rpt
12:00 am Julian Rpt
12:15 am AEDT Cycling: Paris-Nice 2021

Friday 12 March
07:30 pm Mystery Of Rome’s Sunken City Rpt
08:30 pm Going Places With Ernie Dingo S04 E07
09:00 pm Who Do You Think You Are? Rpt
10:10 pm The Royals And The Nazis
11:10 pm SBS World News Late
11:40 pm Travel Man Rpt
12:15 am AEDT Cycling: Paris-Nice 2021

Saturday 13 March
07:30 pm World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys
08:30 pm Movie: Monty Python’s Life Of Brian
10:10 pm Kubrick By Kubrick Rpt
12:20 pm AEDT Cycling: Paris-Nice 2021

Season 4 will premiere in the US on Wednesday, April 28.

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SBS announces successful Australia Uncovered documentaries for 2022

SBS has selected four productions which will receive development funding, and is also exploring commissioning of a fifth program, as part of its Australia Uncovered single documentary strand, exploring diversity and equality in contemporary Australia.

Five projects were shortlisted from a high number of submissions received, with production teams participating in a live pitching session at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) 2021 on Wednesday 3 March for a chance to share in development funds for documentaries, to be broadcast on SBS in 2022.

Australia Uncovered documentaries can range from one-hour to feature length, must have something compelling to say about Australia, and align with the SBS Charter. Filmmakers are encouraged to be creative in their approach to style, form and construct. Australia Uncovered launched with an inaugural call out for projects in 2020, and the first season of the strand will broadcast on SBS this year.

Joseph Maxwell, Head of Documentaries, SBS, said: “We’re thrilled to be investing in the development of this exciting and compelling mix of documentaries through Australia Uncovered, showcasing diversity and tackling issues in ways that connect so beautifully to our unique purpose at SBS.

“The calibre of the projects shortlisted this year was incredibly impressive, and the projects were brought to life through another successful live pitching session at AIDC 2021. We’d like to thank all of those who made submissions this year, and we look forward to seeing what untold stories we uncover through the Australia Uncovered strand in the future .”

Development funding has been awarded to the following projects:

The Carnival

You gotta thrill ‘em, not kill ‘em… The Carnival takes us into a curious, parallel world from another time as four generations of Bell’s family carnival take their show on the road.

Production company: Pony Films.

Key creatives: Isabel Darling (Director) and Dylan Blowen (Producer).

Hard-Ons

This is the story of Australian multiculturalism and racism, with Sri Lankan, Korean and Croatian kids from Punchbowl in the 1980s. It’s very much a positive story about the changing face of Australia. In short, the Hard-Ons are not just a band, they are Australian multicultural icons.

Production company: Living Eyes Pty Ltd.

Key creatives: Jonathan Sequeira (Producer/Director) and Wade Jackson (Producer).

Reprotech

Over a casual dinner, investigative journalist Sarah Dingle learns that the much-loved man who raised her, and died when she was just 15, was not her biological father. Not only does she realise she’s a product of donor conception - she finds that the records of her conception have been deliberately destroyed - her biological father’s donor code has literally been cut out of medical paperwork.

Production company: SAM Content Pty Ltd.

Key creatives: Sally Aitken (Director) with Aline Jacques and Marianne Leitch (Producers).

Kids Raising Kids

Exclusive access inside a one-of-a-kind high school for teen parents.

Production company: Only Human.

Key creatives: Patrick Abboud (Director) and Marcus Costello (Associate Producer).

In addition to the selected projects receiving development funding, SBS would like to offer a commission to After Trauma, from Walking Fish and Good Thing Productions (with Lachlan Mcleod, Director, and David Elliot-Jones and Charlotte Wheaton, Producers), pending financing and release strategy details. After Trauma is a fly-on-the-wall insight into the world of trauma cleaning through the journey of charming transgendered business owner, Sandra Pankhurst, and the lives of a motley crew of workers at Frankston’s Specialised Trauma Cleaning Services (STC).

Hopefully this gets some funding, Sandra is a real storyteller and I think this would be interesting.

Week commencing 14 March 2021


Sunday 14 March
07:30 pm Michael Palin In North Korea Rpt
08:30 pm Michael Palin In North Korea Rpt
09:20 pm Burger Wars: Burger King Vs McDonalds Rpt
10:10 pm Meat: A Threat To Our Planet? Rpt
11:15 pm Police Custody: Vigilante Justice Rpt

Monday 15 March
07:35 pm The Secret Life Of Lighthouses S01 E02
08:30 pm 24 Hours In Emergency S16 E13
09:25 pm The Story Of The Songs: Rod Stewart S01 E06
10:20 pm SBS World News Late
10:50 pm Outlander Rpt
11:50 pm Berlin Station x 4 Rpt

Tuesday 16 March
07:30 pm Great Australian Railway Journeys Rpt
08:30 pm Insight Season Premiere
09:30 pm Dateline Season Premiere
10:00 pm The Feed Season Premiere
10:30 pm SBS World News Late
11:00 pm The Point 2021 NITV Encore Season Premiere

Wednesday 17 March
07:35 pm Tony Robinson: Britain’s Ancient Tracks Rpt
08:30 pm Australia In Colour S02 E02
09:20 pm Departure S01 E02
10:20 pm SBS World News Late
10:50 pm Romulus S01 E04
11:50 pm Romulus S01 E05

Thursday 18 March
07:35 pm The World’s Busiest Stations Rpt
08:30 pm Michael Mosley: What’s My Diagnosis S01 E02
09:35 pm Shadowplay S01 E04
10:40 pm SBS World News Late
11:10 pm 24 Hours In Police Custody Rpt

Friday 19 March
07:35 pm The Crucifixion Mystery
08:30 pm Going Places With Ernie Dingo S04 E08
09:00 pm The Royals In Wartime
09:55 pm Secrets Of Britain Rpt
11:05 pm SBS World News Late
11:35 pm Elvis Presley: The Searcher Rpt

Saturday 20 March
07:30 pm World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys
08:30 pm Movie: Blues Brothers: Aretha Franklin Tribute
10:50 pm Movie: No Country For Old Men

SBS has acquired the rights to 3-part BBC documentary The Surrogates, which debuts on BBC3 via iPlayer on March 14.

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Mardi Gras

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Way too much green. They could have had the green grassy image at the front of the desk but made the rest of the set other colours.

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Agree. A bit too much green.

SBS does know how to make these special events work. Mardi Gras, Eurovision, Soccer World Cups etc. Good thing is that the Mardis Gras was simulcasted on NITV also. Extra eyeballs, and also boosts the evemt too.

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The set used one of the commentary boxes at the Noble Stand at the northern end. The green should have been stripped back so we could see a wider view of the ground.

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