Australian Story

Frontline

Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.

20/20

20/20 is an American television newsmagazine that has been broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects. The program's name derives from the "20/20" measurement of visual acuity. The hour-long program has been a staple on Friday evenings for much of the time since it moved to that timeslot from Thursdays in September 1987, though special editions of the program occasionally air on other nights.

48 Hours

This newsmagazine series investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, driven the reopening — and resolution — of cold cases, and changed numerous lives. CBS News correspondents offer an in-depth look into each story, with the emphasis on solving the mystery at its heart.

VICE

A documentary news series with a taboo-breaking team who deliver incredible news stories from around the world.

History 101

Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.

The New York Times Presents

A series of standalone documentaries powered by the unparalleled journalism and insight of The New York Times, bringing viewers close to the essential stories of our time.

Biography

Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.

CBS News Sunday Morning

The sparkling notes of a trumpet fanfare and the familiar logo of the sun alert viewers that it's time for CBS's Sunday morning staple. Journalist Jane Pauley helms the show, taking over hosting duties from Charles Osgood, who spent 22 years on the job. A morning talk show, this program airs at a different pace and focuses much of its attention on the performing arts. After a quick update of the day's news and national weather, correspondents offer longer-length segments on a variety of topics, from architecture to ballet to music to pop culture to politics.

Doctor Who Confidential

Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The running time of the first two series was 30 minutes, being extended to 45 minutes in the third. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons.

Black Snow

Unsolved murders, missing people, cold cases. How do you cope with not knowing what happened? Detective James Cormack (Travis Fimmel) is focused on solving cold-case mysteries. At the same time, he’s haunted by his personal quest to find his younger brother, who vanished when they were children.

Welcome to Wrexham

Documentary series tracking the dreams and worries of Wrexham, a working-class town in North Wales, UK, as two Hollywood stars (Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds) take ownership of the town’s historic yet struggling football club.

American Masters

American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.

VICE News Tonight

VICE News' half-hour nightly newscast. We now interrupt your regularly scheduled worldview.

30 for 30

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

Down to Earth with Zac Efron

Actor Zac Efron journeys around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien in a travel show that explores healthy, sustainable ways to live.

Top Gear

Motoring programme featuring reviews of and reports about cars of all types.

Natural World

Natural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history brand. It is currently the longest-running series in its genre on British television, with more than 400 episodes broadcast since its inception in 1983. Natural World is produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, but individual programmes can be in-house productions, collaborative productions with other broadcasters or films made and distributed by independent production companies and purchased by the BBC. Natural World programmes are often broadcast as PBS Nature episodes in the USA. Since 2008, most Natural World programmes have been shot and broadcast in high definition.

Nature

Consistently stunning documentaries transport viewers to far-flung locations ranging from the torrid African plains to the chilly splendours of icy Antarctica. The show's primary focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world. A comic book based on the show, meant to be used an as educational tool for kids, was briefly distributed to museums and schools at no cost in the mid-2000s.

History's Greatest Mysteries

Investigates a wide range of historically compelling topics and the mysteries surrounding each including the Titanic, D.B. Cooper, Roswell, John Wilkes Booth, and more. Fresh, new evidence and perspectives will be showcased, such as never-before-released documents, personal diaries and DNA evidence.

Lorena

This four-part docuseries investigates the events of 1993, where Lorena Bobbitt sliced off her husband's penis after years of abuse. John and Lorena Bobbitt's stories exploded into a 24-hour news cycle. She became a national joke, her suffering ignored by the male-dominated press. But as John spiraled downward, Lorena found strength in the scars of her ordeal.

Australia: The Story of Us

Australia: The Story of Us is an extraordinary journey through the people, places and events that have shaped Australia, from the first footprints on our continent to the present day. Astounding visual sequences, amazing CGI and dramatic re-enactments bring these stories to life and show how we came to be the country we are today.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Coverage of the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Gold Coast Cops

Follow the work of Gold Coast police officers from the newly created Rapid Action & Patrols Group (RAP). The elite taskforce is responsible for policing everything from bikie gangs and street violence to drug heists and organised crime.

Landline

Landline is an Australian national rural issues television program broadcast on ABC1. Presented by Pip Courtney, the program discusses rural issues regarding farming, mining and fisheries from around Australia. Each week the show wraps up with an update on commodity prices for livestock and mining, and detailed national weather rainfall reports. The program premiered on Sunday 2 February 1992 at 12:00 pm and has remained in that timeslot throughout its entire run. The program is also repeated the following Monday at 11:00 am. Landline was the first program that broadcast on ABC2 when the channel was launched at 6.35 am on 7 March 2005. On the newly launched channel, the program is broadcast on Mondays at 6:25 am, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 9:15 pm. Previous presenters include Deborah Knight, Ticky Fullerton, Anne Kruger and Sally Sara.

The Great Barrier Reef: A Living Treasure

The Great Barrier Reef is a living, breathing organism supporting the richest, most complex ecosystem on the planet.

Rise of the Continents

The Earth’s continents are instantly recognizable. These iconic landmasses seem permanent and unchanging, yet they are merely the wreckage of a much larger long-lost supercontinent – Pangaea. In this stunning four part series Professor Iain Stewart uncovers the evidence for this ancient past. He reveals how the world around us is full of clues – in the rocks, the landscapes and even the animals. All of which tell us how the land we live on was created.

Adventure

Long-running travel programme

Matildas: The World at Our Feet

This is the inspirational and intimate behind-the-scenes story of the Matildas - Australia's women's national football team working towards the World Cup on home soil. We follow the players on and off the field as they inspire the next generation.

Extraordinary Australia

Australia's biodiversity thrives in the diverse terrestrial and marine habitats that span the country. Lush rainforests offer a refuge for countless plants and animals, while the vast dry eucalyptus woodland is home to numerous specially adapted species. Kangaroos, wallabies and platypuses are just a few of the iconic animals that call Australia home, showcasing the country's evolutionary distinctiveness. Meanwhile, the waters surrounding the country support some of the most spectacular marine biodiversity on the planet. Vibrant coral reefs, seagrass meadows and rocky shorelines contribute to the country's rich marine tapestry. This is a unique world filled with stunning natural beauty, inhabited by some of the most extraordinary and deadly animals on the planet.

Out There with Jack Randall

Zoologist Jack Randall journeys into Australia's Outback to encounter extraordinary wildlife.

Constructing Australia

Murder by Medic

They know how to kill and how to cure. Inside a hospital, at home, or maybe even next door. They are trained to save lives but also know how to take them. Delve into the stories of killers who broke the Hippocratic Oath to use their medical knowledge for murder, taking the lives of often vulnerable victims instead of caring for them.

Coast Australia

Coast Australia follows renowned Scottish archaeologist and historian Neil Oliver on his very first trip to Australia, as he and a diverse group of co-hosts gather stories about our spectacular coastline: the history, the people, the archaeology, the geography and the marine life, investigating interesting and little known facts along the way. Oliver’s co-hosts, all experts in their field, are journalist and Australian arts and culture specialist Miriam Corowa, environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery, marine scientist Dr Emma Johnston, anthropologist Dr Xanthe Mallett and television presenter and landscape architect Brendan Moar.

The ABC Of

The ABC Of... an interview series, revisits the pasts of famous Australians delving deep to uncover hidden archival gems, exploring how they changed Australia and how Australia changed them.

Judith Lucy Is All Woman

One of Australia's favourite comedians Judith Lucy, is out to discover where women are at in modern Australia and what it means to men - talking to people from all walks of life from all over the country.

The Pacific: In The Wake of Captain Cook

History is taking to the seas and walking in the footsteps of Captain James Cook. 250 years after Cook began his epic exploration of the Pacific, Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Piano) journeys in his wake uncovering stories that resonate from those times on both sides of the beach. Sam begins with a disclaimer – he is merely an actor – but the story of Cook, and the impact he has had on the Pacific in the 250 years since his first voyage, has always fascinated him.

Shipwreck Hunters Australia

A unique team of adventurous divers and underwater filmmakers are joined by expert maritime archaeologists on the hunt for long-lost shipwreck secrets along the vast coast of Western Australia. Led by an obsessed pirate captain, the missions combine new evidence and archival research in an all-out adventure into the mysterious past in one of the most stunning places on Earth.

Great Australian Railway Journeys

Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw’s Handbook to the Chief Cities of the World, Michael embarks on six new railway journeys across spectacular Australia.

Stephen Tompkinson's Australian Balloon Adventure

Stephen Tompkinson's adventure begins in dramatic fashion when his maiden flight over South Australia's Flinders Ranges ends in a crash landing at 40 mph. But he presses on to the Barossa Valley, where a serene flight over the vineyards is followed by a far from calm cricket match against local winemakers - the outcome of which sends Stephen packing for Victoria and a spell on the mighty Murray River. Stephen's bid to win Australia’s biggest balloon competition continues. A childhood dream is fulfilled when he walks out onto the pitch of the Melbourne Cricket Ground during an Aussie Rules game - and trumped the following morning when his balloon flies through the ground's goalposts. His balloon truck gets a makeover and the city's Greek festival nearly ends in a diplomatic incident. Then heavy rain prevents him flying over Canberra - and to get back on track he risks a flight to 10,000 feet. Actor Stephen Tompkinson's attempt to win Australia's prestigious Canowindra Balloon Challenge concludes in this final episode. Stephen heads to Sydney, where he samples some of the city's culinary delights with MasterChef's Matt Preston, helps judge a drag competition, and receives some encouragement from the British High Commissioner to Australia. When the day of the race finally arrives, he meets his competitors at Canowindra. The teams have to hit three targets laid out over the countryside, but things start disastrously for Stephen when he misreads the wind and drifts off-course. Can he recover and win the challenge?

Back Roads

Take a road less travelled to the small towns and communities that make Australia special. Join Heather Ewart and guest presenters as they discover remarkable stories and inspiring people you'll never forget.