Paramount+ Announces AustralianOriginal Series, The Betoota Advocate Presents.
An iconic name on all social media feeds, it’s only natural for Paramount+ to turn to The Betoota Advocate to cover off on Australia’s most polarising news stories in the Paramount+ Australian original series The Betoota Advocate Presents.
On creating this original series, Editor At Large, Errol Parker and Editor, Clancy Overall said: “As Australia’s oldest and favourite newspaper, The Betoota Advocate has knocked back countless offers to make all manner of TV shows over the years.
“Finally, Paramount+ and Warner Bros. Australia have agreed to let us make the TV show WE wanted to make, and one that everyone else was too afraid to go near - as well as lining our pockets in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
“So, with the universe aligning, we present the modern history of Australia that nobody really talks about… for a reason. This series tackles four pillars of Australian history. Corruption, money, religion and tribalism.
“From the Fine Cotton racing scandal, to Murdoch and Packer trading blows in the Super League war, to the rise and fall of the Hillsong Church, to riots on Cronulla beach. The Betoota Advocate does not shy away from the depraved, the cringe, the hilarious and the pathetic."
Produced by Warner Bros. Australia for Paramount+, The Betoota Advocate Presents is coming soon.
The Betoota Advocate , Australia’s favourite and most trusted newspaper, delves into important Australian stories in their new series The Betoota Advocate Presents, a Paramount+ Australian Original Series premiering exclusively on Wednesday, 14 June with episodes dropping weekly.
Fronted by Editor At Large Errol Parker and Editor Clancy Overall, the pair dig deep into the controversies that shaped our nation. Across four episodes, corruption, money, religion and tribalism are key themes, with no stone left unturned to get to the crux of the headline.
Interviewing those who lived through it all, The Betoota Advocate investigates The Hillsong Story and the downfall of the church and its founder Brian Houston, the Super League war with media moguls Murdoch and Packer at the helm, Fine Cotton, the strangest racehorse controversy in our nation’s history and the heat and violence of the Cronulla Riots.
Australia has a history and sometimes it’s not pretty and The Betoota Advocate Presents doesn’t sugarcoat it. And it’s why Aussies love them.
Watching the first episode now and it’s not bad, think it would probably work well on FTA and be a nice point of difference to your Spotlights and 60 Mins.
Speaking of the latter, Nine getting a good run with archival footage used. They’ve sourced it watermarks and all so far from Sunday, 9 News, ACA and 60 Mins… yet none from any other networks.
Edit: in the credits it does reference all Aussie networks, Nine the only one not referenced and I’m guessing that’s cause their footage along with watermarks and all were used.
Just watch the first episode on FTA, which was the Super League War. It was an excellent episode, with interviews with many players and administrators who were involved at the time, plus Sandra Sully and Ray Martin. Great use of animation too. I was in high school at the time of Super League War and heard bits about it through late night news and newspapers at that time, but I learned about the behind the scenes negotiations from this episode.
The only thing I wondered was if the end credits were deliberately cut short for FTA.
I look forward to the other three episodes in the coming weeks.
