You Can’t Ask That

You Can’t Ask That - Season 6

Wednesday April 28 at 9:00pm

Stream the full series on ABC iview from April 28: https://ab.co/CantAskThat

You Can’t Ask That, is back for a sixth season with eight unflinching episodes,featuring misunderstood, judged, or marginalised Australians answering the public’s anonymously submitted questions. All of the new episodes, as well as the first five seasons, will be available to binge on ABC iview from Wednesday 28 April. You can’t ask for more than that!

The season will also screen weekly on ABC TV, kicking off on Wednesday 28 April at 9pm with CHEATERS. This is the episode that took years to make! When we put out the call for people who had cheated on their partners to appear in the episode, we were met with a stony silence. But finally, here’s a group who bravely take a seat and face possibly the harshest questions ever asked on You Can’t Ask That.

Other episodes this season include EX-FOOTBALL PLAYERS, where Dean Widders, Brock McLean, Todd Carney, Dan Jackson, Willie Mason, Ian Roberts, and Jude Bolton are put on the spot to answer; ’Why do so many of you treat women like shit?’, and ’Have you pissed in your own mouth?’

Normally seen on The Bachelor, Osher Günsberg joins a collection of diverse Australian’s living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), who want you to know that it’s so much more than washing hands or keeping a tidy desk. In the episode on OCD, Osher says: “People have in their mind an idea of what someone living with a mental illness looks like. But it’s me counting roses in a nice, tailored uit on primetime television. That’s someone living with a mental illness.”

Have you ever wondered if AMPUTEES really can feel their missing limb, or if they ever get sick of being an ‘inspiration? Our eight amputees all have extremely remarkable and, eye-opening stories to share.

In an emotional episode on FAMILIES OF MISSING PERSONS, we meet everyday Australians whose lives were changed forever on the day a love one disappeared. When Bruce Morcombe’s 13-year-old son Daniel went missing from a bus stop in December 2003, it sparked the largest criminal investigation in Queensland’s history. A father’s deepest pain was the nation’s biggest story. When Bruce picks up a card and reads it out loud: “What would you say to them if they could hear you?” ’He answers with the conviction of a man who did everything possible in the search of his son. “That we never gave up, that we tried, and I wish I was a better parent.“ He goes onto clarify that “It’s only when something really substantial is taken away from you that you think, moneys not important, my career is not important. Family is important”.

The episode on LESBIANS features Janette ‘Jabba’ Moor, who met her lesbian partner in prison and regards sex with men as “very boring”. In the first You Can’t Ask That to focus solely on sexuality we meet nine empowered women who talk about what it’s like to be a lesbian. About the fascination and fetishization of what they do in the bedroom, the double discrimination of being ‘both a woman and gay,’ and what life’s like when your world isn’t centered around men.

Despite over 200 years of migration history, many CHINESE AUSTRALIANS continue to feel othered, still having to prove that they belong. Douglas Lam says with a smile “I’m a 100% dinky-di… This is my country; I’ve been here longer than you – bugger you”. And Lily a proud Australian Chinese woman, who was born in Wuhan, sports a ‘Made in China’ tattoo on her back.

And finally, here is a You Can’t Ask That episode where everyone in Australia has shared the same experience at one stage of their life… ADULT VIRGINS is touching, humorous and relatable. Our group of adult virgins are asked all the sticky questions such as, ‘Why are you still a virgin?’ and ‘Why not just pay a sex worker and get it over with?’

Coming up this season:

Episode 1 Cheaters

Wednesday April 28 9:00pm

Episode 2: Ex-Footballers

Wednesday May 05 9:00pm

Ex-Footballers, Willie Mason, Ian Roberts, Dean Widders and Dan Jackson join Todd Carney, Brock McLean, and Jude Bolton shed the media-trained responses and get real about the game they love – with all its complexities

Episode 3: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Wednesday May 12 9:00pm

This week, Australians with OCD who want people to know it’s so much more than washing hands or keeping a clean desk.

Episode 4: Amputees

Wednesday May 19 9:00pm

These eight amputees all have remarkable stories to share about perception and embracing a new version of themselves – the challenges they’ve faced and what they’ve gained through their limb loss.

Episode 5: Missing Persons

Wednesday May 26 9:00pm

The Australian Federal Police estimate that roughly 38,000 Australians go missing each year. This is an episode about the family left behind.

Episode 6: Lesbians

Wednesday June 02 12:00am

We meet nine empowered women who talk about what it’s like to be a lesbian, the fascination and fetishisation of what they do in the bedroom, and what life is like when your world isn’t centred around men.

Episode 7: Chinese Australians

Wednesday June 09 9:00pm

Despite over 200 years of migration history, many Chinese-Australians continue to feel othered, still having to prove that they belong. We meet 8 Chinese-Australians, all with very different stories.

Episode 8: Final Episode - Adult Virgins

Wednesday June 16 9:00pm

Opportunity, rural life, religion, asexuality - there are plenty of reasons for people to be virgins into their adult life. These Australians explore social milestones, pressures, hopes, dreams and the need for intimacy.

Brock McLean and Daniel Jackson opened up about eating and body dysmorphia disorders in the May 5 episode. McLean, who played for Carlton and Melbourne in the AFL, revealed he suffered from bulimia during 3-4 years of his career.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/carltons-brock-mclean-opens-up-about-his-bulimia-battle/news-story/1766ef3f4c16540dca72fdbd01736c93

Tonight’s episode featuring former NRL and AFL players was widely received, with the program name trending on Twitter. Here are some of the comments.

1 Like

You Can’t Ask That has made the top 20 on the K7 chart and is one of only three Australian entries in the top 100.

1 Like

Sally Rugg, Executive Director Australia of change.org, is on tonight’s program

You Can’t Ask That - Season 7

Wednesday May 25 at 9:00pm
Stream the full series on ABC iview from May 25

The award-winning, You Can’t Ask That is back for a seventh season with answers to all the questions you’d never ask a stranger. Available to binge on ABC iview, from Wednesday 25 May, are eight new unflinching episodes featuring misunderstood, judged, or marginalised Australians, answering anonymous online questions from the public. The series also screens weekly, Wednesday nights from 25 May at 9pm on ABC TV.

Take a FIRST LOOK at the new season

Kicking off with the season on ABC TV is JUVENILE DETENTION. With children as young as ten able to be sent to juvenile detention in Australia, this episode questions how we deal with some of the most damaged kids in society. What happens when a child is told they are bad, and can there be rehabilitation in detention? 25-year-old Dylan Voller, who first went into custody at eleven, talks about life after his infamous time in juvenile justice.

Other topics this season include BOGANS, where we meet 61-year-old Lynne who has proudly sported a mullet since she was ten, and Frida, a Muslim woman and self-described ’wogan‘, “a wog and a bogan, that’s what I am”. Much like the mullet hairstyle ‘business at the front, party in the back’ this is an episode that will have you laughing.

In an emotional episode on POSTNATAL DEPRESSION, eight parents explore the shame, public and family pressure, plus the personal guilt that surrounds this often misunderstood and taboo topic.

The episode on GAY MEN features a rare interview with 78’er Barry Charles. 71-year-old Barry shares the interview space with Liam, a 23-year-old ‘country boy’. Liam almost falls off his chair when he finds out the charming man beside him is famous for laying down in urinals at Sydney gay parties in the late 70’s to early 2000’s. ‘Troughman,’ as Barry is known, is often rumored to have passed away, or be a mere urban legend. “I can’t believe you’re real!” Liam says with wide eyes.

From the very first question "Can you read this card?’ the MODELS in this episode realise this isn’t going to be an easy red-carpet interview. Elaine Estreich (formerly known as Elaine George) the first Aboriginal model to grace the cover of Vogue bites back with a turn of phrase that instantly makes you love her “We’re not ditzy bitches, just because we’re good lookin.” While Chloe Maxwell, who found fame in the untamed 90’s, said of her catwalk experiences “Champagne, that was a must at every fashion parade, I can’t remember ever doing one sober.”

‘Is your prescription pill addiction a dirty little secret?’ In PRESCRIPTION DRUG DEPENDENCY & ADDICTION, Leah had no idea that a fall in the mum’s race at her son’s school would trigger chronic pain and a relationship with prescription opioids that would last more than a decade. In this episode, the eight interviewees talk openly about their addiction, doctor shopping, rehab and who is to blame for prescription drug dependency.

Game for anything, our PORN STARS answer the questions ‘Do your mum and dad watch your porno’s?’ and ‘Was this your childhood dream?’ In the episode we meet trans porn star Marissa Minx, librarian Nikki Stern (known in the 80’s as ‘the Horny Housewife’), Arianny Koda, Robbie Oz, Rubie Valentine, and gay porn star Woody Fox, as they take us on the journey of what it’s like to be involved in porn, and the ethics of the industry.

And finally, DEMENTIA, where our participants answer some pretty brutal questions, such as ‘Do you want to kill yourself before dementia turns you into a vegetable?’ Theresa, who was diagnosed with dementia around the same time as her mother-in-law, says that caring for her was the rawest, most painful thing she’s had to do. “I was looking into my own future”.

Series 7, Episode 1- Juvenile Detention

Wednesday 25 May 9.00pm

The award-winning, You Can’t Ask That is back with answers to all the questions you’d never ask a stranger. This episode looks at Juvenile Detention and questions how we deal with some of the most damaged kids in society.

The award-winning, You Can’t Ask That is back for a seventh season with answers to all the questions you’d never ask a stranger. Each unflinching episode features misunderstood, judged, or marginalised Australians, answering anonymous online questions from the public.This episode looks at Juvenile Detention and questions how we deal with some of the most damaged kids in society. In Australia children can be sent to juvenile detention as young as ten years old.

In most states in Australia if you have been incarcerated in juvenile detention you are never allowed to talk about your experience to the media without seeking permission from the courts. In this episode of You Can’t Ask That, we hear from seven people incarcerated for varying length of times over the past 50 years. There are no blurred faces, there are no silhouettes.This is the first time Glenn Broome, 58, has been interviewed about his time in juvenile detention. Glenn didn’t start life easy, “Shortly after I was born my mother handed me into a police station and took her life, so I grew up in care until I was 22.” Glenn spent much of his youth in and out of Juvie.

Glen picks up the question card, “Did it fix you?” he speaks calmly and with conviction “It made me buckled and twisted along with hundreds of others.“

Series 7, Episode 2 - Postnatal Depression

Wednesday 1 June 9.00pm

An emotional You Can’t Ask That episode on Postnatal Depression, where eight parents explore the shame, public and family pressure, plus the personal guilt that surrounds this often misunderstood and taboo topic.

As many as 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men experience depression in the year after the birth of their baby. In this emotional episode on Postnatal Depression, eight parents explore the shame, public and family pressure, plus the personal guilt that surrounds this often misunderstood and taboo topic.

Having a baby is sold as one of the most exciting and rewarding things you’ll ever do. But what if it isn’t? What happens if that joy is replaced by depression? What if the only way out of it seems to be harming yourself or your baby?

When weighing up her decision to come on the show to talk about her experiences, Clary remarked, “Another woman might watch this and then make that phone call that could save her and her baby’s life. Why would I ever be ashamed about that?”

This selfless attitude is a hallmark of tonight’s episode. The seven mothers and one father, invited to speak, share their stories with humour, heart and understanding.From shame to public and family pressure, personal guilt, and the universal desire to be the perfect parent, tonight’s episode provides a portal into one of the most perplexing illnesses in existence.

Production credit: You Can’t Ask That is an ABC Production. Series Director and Producer: Kirk Docker, Series Producer: Josh Schmidt, Executive Producer: Frances O’Riordan and Head of Entertainment: Nick Hayden. #YouCantAskThat

Series 7, Episode 3 – Gay Men

Wednesday 8 June 9.10pm

The gay men in this episode of You Can’t Ask That re-examine the definition of masculinity, explore the ins-and-outs of sex between men, and talk about what it’s like to find your place in a predominately straight world.

The You Can’t Ask That episode on ‘Gay Men’ features a rare interview with 78’er Barry Charles. 71- year-old Barry shares the interview space with Liam, a 23-year-old ‘country boy’. Liam almost falls off his chair when he finds out the charming man beside him is famous for laying down in urinals at Sydney gay parties in the late 70’s to early 2000’s. ‘Troughman,’ as Barry is known, is often rumoured to have passed away, or be a mere urban legend. “I can’t believe you’re real!” Liam says with wide eyes.

Among the others featured on this week’s episode include the loud-and-proud Theodoras who left school after being cyber-bullied. There’s trans gay man Joel Wilson, who came out to his dad three times, first as a lesbian, then as a trans man, then as a gay man; and Dr Brad Mackay who is engaged to be married but whose devoutly religious family struggle to except his relationship.

We look at the long-term effects of being forced to conceal who you are, re-examine the definition of masculinity, explore the ins-and-outs of sex between men, find out what it’s like to find your place in a predominately straight world, and how it feels to be part of a marginalized group that38.4 percent of people in this country still believe you shouldn’t be allowed to get married.

Production credit: You Can’t Ask That is an ABC Production. Series Director and Producer: Kirk Docker, Series Producer: Josh Schmidt, Executive Producer: Frances O’Riordan and Head of Entertainment: Nick Hayden.

Series 7, Episode 4 - Models

Wednesday 15 June 9.05pm

From the pitfalls of ‘pretty privilege,’ to teenage exploitation, unrealistic beauty standards, and mental health issues, eight models share the unvarnished truth about one of the most desired and least understood professions.

The award-winning, You Can’t Ask That is back for a seventh season with answers to all the questions you’d never ask a stranger.

From the very first question "Can you read this card?’ the eight MODELS in this episode realise
this isn’t going to be an easy red-carpet interview. Elaine Estreich (formerly known as Elaine George) the first Aboriginal model to grace the cover of Vogue bites back with a turn of phrase that instantly makes you love her “We’re not ditzy bitches, just because we’re good lookin.”

While Chloe Maxwell, who found fame in the untamed 90’s, said of her catwalk experiences “Champagne, that was a must at every fashion parade, I can’t remember ever doing one sober.”Elaine and Chloe are joined by Bridgette Malcolm, a Perth girl who conquered the modelling world, Sarah Stephens, who won the Girlfriend magazine model search when she was just 16, ex-male model Luke Wallace, plus size model Mahalia Handley, model/activist Khadija Gbla, and South Sudanese Australian model Malaan Ajang.

From the pitfalls of ‘pretty privilege,’ to teenage exploitation, unrealistic beauty standards, and mental health issues, the models on tonight’s program share the unvarnished truth about one of the most admired, desired and least understood professions in the world.

Production credit: You Can’t Ask That is an ABC Production. Series Director and Producer: Kirk Docker, Series Producer: Josh Schmidt, Executive Producer: Frances O’Riordan and Head of Entertainment: Nick Hayden.

Last time Chloe Maxwell was on TV, she appeared alongside husband Mat Rogers as part of the latter’s profile on Australian Survivor: All Stars.

Series 7, Episode 5 – Prescription Drug Dependency & Addiction

Wednesday 22 June 9.05pm

‘Is your prescription pill addiction a dirty little secret?’ is one of the questions eight interviewees answer when they talk openly about addiction, doctor shopping, rehab and who is to blame for prescription drug dependency.

It is among Australia’s leading causes of death, and it is likely to come in a packet, handed to you over the counter by your local pharmacist or doctor. In 2020, prescription medication killed almost twice as many people in Australia as car accidents and more than heroin and methamphetamine combined.

In this episode we meet eight people, from a variety of backgrounds, with vastly different stories of how they became dependant and addicted to pharmaceutical drugs. For some, it was physical pain, for others emotional stability, and still more used them for mental health issues. Some of these stories began decades ago, when the understanding of the potential for dependency on these drugs was less evolved.

As the statistics continue to show, both public and medical professionals alike are still being caught unawares by the addiction potential of pharmaceutical drugs, in particular opioids and benzodiazepines.

This is not an anti-prescription drug episode. Everyday millions of Australians appropriately use prescription medication for the betterment of their lives. They do so with significant benefit. This show focuses on one aspect of prescription medication; cases where there has been the development of dependence. There is no shame in potentially becoming dependent on a medication, and there is help available. We hope the episode encourages you to, if necessary, discuss any concerns you have with their GP or preferred medical professional.

Production credit: You Can’t Ask That is an ABC Production. Series Director and Producer: Kirk Docker, Series Producer: Josh Schmidt, Executive Producer: Frances O’Riordan and Head of Entertainment: Nick Hayden.

Series 7, Episode 6 – Porn Stars

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Wednesday 29 June 9.05pm

Game for anything, our Aussie Porn Stars answer some very eye-opening questions in this episode of You Can’t Ask That, as they take us on the journey of what it’s like to be involved in porn, and the ethics of the industry.

The porn industry is often assumed to be the final port of call in a desperate and destitute life. The place you end up when your acting career falls in a heap, you run afoul of addiction, or you’re just not quite right. The participants in tonight’s episode however don’t stack up to those stereotypes, they love what they do.

Nearly every viewer who watches this episode is alive because someone had sex, yet the subject remains surrounded by a veil of secrecy and even shame. At least in the public domain. Behind closed doors it’s a different story with Australians consuming among the most pornography anywhere in the world. According to leading adult website, Pornhub, where we ranked ninth in the world for visitors to the site in 2018, 80% percent of Australians viewed porn before they engaged in any other sexual experiences.

As much as Aussies love watching it and the actors love doing it, some researchers are concerned it normalises sexist attitudes. While others have said it creates unrealistic expectations around bodies and performance. In this episode, we explore some of these concerns with eight guests from the industry and try to answer the question why we have such a complicated and often contradictory relationship with porn. We also show how these confusing and often extreme attitudes are impacting the people behind the industry.

Episode 7 – Juvenile Detention

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Wednesday 6 July 9.05pm

This episode looks at Juvenile Detention and questions how we deal with some of the most damaged kids in society. What happens when a child is told they are bad, and can there be rehabilitation in detention?

The Australian government has a dirty little secret that is making us one of the most shame-faced nations in the developed world: we lock children up.

Despite being urged by 31 countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2019 to raise the age of criminal responsibility from ten years old to 14-years-old - the age set by the UN - we refused. This means kids in this country can be incarcerated before they’re old enough to have a Facebook account.

In most Australian states, the government has banned former child inmates from talking publicly about their time behind bars if they haven’t sought permission from the courts. In this episode, we hear seven former inmates incarcerated for varying periods of time over the past 50 years. There are no blurred faces and no silhouettes.

The episode also questions how a country as lucky and abundant in resources as Australia treats its most damaged, vulnerable and underprivileged kids. We ask what happens when a child is never even given the chance to break the cycle of trauma, poverty and incarceration? When they are told they’re bad and locked up before being given a realistic chance to prove otherwise?

Are we giving kids any hope of rehabilitation? What could be done to reduce young people’s risk of offending or re-offending and what would that compassionate and pragmatic prison system look like?

Production credit: You Can’t Ask That is an ABC Production. Series Director and Producer: Kirk Docker, Series Producer: Josh Schmidt, Executive Producer: Frances O’Riordan and Head of Entertainment: Nick Hayden.

Episode 8 – Dementia - Season Final

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Wednesday 13 July 9.05pm

This episode we meet people living with dementia and hear their all too common - though no less exceptional – stories. There will be laughs, there will be tears, there will also be mind- altering insights.

Death, taxes, and dementia. If you are a woman and you are Australian, the chances are you will experience all three. For women, dementia is the leading cause of death and comes in second for all Australians. Despite its prevalence, this often-debilitating neurodegenerative disease remains misunderstood and often gets missed altogether.

In this episode you will meet people living with dementia of all shapes, sizes - and ages. Their all too common - though no less exceptional - stories also take us through some complex philosophical terrain. Like what is the value of memories? And who should decide our right to die? There will be laughs, there will be tears, there will also be mind-altering insights.

Production credit: You Can’t Ask That is an ABC Production. Series Director: Kirk Docker, Series
Producer: Josh Schmidt, Executive Producer: Frances O’Riordan.

ABC iview has every episode from every season except for season 7 episode 7

Aussie porn star Angela White features in the June 29 episode. Angela previously appeared on Interview with Andrew Denton on Seven four years ago to discuss her career, and she will be on Abbie Chats (part of Pilot Showcase) on 10 Play next week.