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Private Notes
The Coward’s Punch
Slackline
Jungle Fever
The Coward’s Punch
This summer has been indelibly marked by the One Punch epidemic. Cowardly thugs – drunk and juiced up on who knows what – attacking innocent young men without warning or provocation. On New Year’s Eve, 18 year old Daniel Christie was fatally hit in Sydney’s King’s Cross. He was in a coma for 11 days, before his family had to watch him die. Before Daniel, Michael McEwen was attacked by cowards at Bondi Beach, just before Christmas. He spent more than a week in a coma, as his family held a bedside vigil, knowing his life hung in the balance. It is a miracle that Michael survived but the impact on his family and the medical teams has been traumatic. On 60 Minutes, Michael speaks for the first time and gives a powerful example of why communities across Australia are saying ‘no more’.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Jo Townsend
Slackline
This Sunday we’ll take you over the edge in what could easily be the most extreme sport on earth. It defies gravity and belief. One man, a bouncy rope and nothing between him and the rocky canyon – hundreds of metres below. The sport is called slacklining and Liz Hayes reckons just watching it is a terrifying experience. The best slackliner in the world is a man called Andy Lewis and every time he steps out on the line he knows it could be his last. On 60 Minutes, watch as Andy walks, surfs, and dangles on the line. It’s breathtaking and sickening at the same time.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Phil Goyen
Jungle Fever
It’s a foul-tasting, vomit-inducing concoction but it’s got thousands queuing to try it. Ayahuasca is an hallucinogenic cocktail made from jungle vines and everyone from Sting to Paul Simon is trekking deep into the Amazon to test its supposedly magic properties. It’s now the fastest growing area of drug tourism and Australians of all ages are flocking to Peru to share the experience. Ayahuasca is powerful en
Scott Miller – An Olympic Downfall
The Great Shark Cull
Scott Miller – An Olympic Downfall
This Sunday, the spectacular rise and fall of Olympian, Scott Miller. In the 90s, he was the Golden Boy of swimming: a world champion, an Olympic silver medalist and a young man with so much promise. But with success came women and drugs, in abundance. The swimming pool gave way to the party scene. And the party has ended badly, with criminal convictions for drug offences, stolen goods, and prohibited weapons. On 60 Minutes, Scott Miller breaks his 13 year silence about his failed marriage to Charlotte Dawson, the drugs, the prostitutes and how he lost millions in the controversial pink batts insulation scheme. Also, you’ll see exclusive video of the police roadside sting, when he was arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs, carrying 15-thousand dollars cash. Scott’s narrowly avoided jail again and he’s now trying to rebuild his life, spending 6 months in rehab, in the hope of setting a better example for his young son.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Stephen Taylor
The Great Shark Cull
Father of two Chris Boyd was savagely killed by a great white shark last November. The Coolum local, had moved to Gracetown, Western Australia to start a new life with his girlfriend Krystle Westwood. His death was the final straw for West Australian Premier, Colin Barnett who ordered drum lines and bait hooks, to start culling sharks off WA beaches. It’s sparked local, national and international outrage. This Sunday, Michael Usher speaks to all sides of this heated issue. The shark activists claim the Premier is a murderer and are using the cover of darkness to de-bait the hooks. The Premier is refusing to back down despite the fierce backlash. At the centre of it all is a grieving girlfriend. She speaks exclusively to 60 Minutes about why something needs to be done to stop more people dying.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Stephen Taylor
Mary’s Miracle
The Killing Cove
Remembering Levi
Mary’s Miracle
This Sunday, a story that will warm your heart. Comedienne Mary Coustas and her husband George Betsis – are finally happy parents to a healthy baby girl. Theirs is one of the most difficult stories to tell, because despite all of Effie’s on stage jokes, Mary’s private battle to become a mother has been heartbreaking. Over the course of a decade and through countless IVF attempts, Mary and George struggled to conceive. When they finally did fall pregnant there was more tragedy, with the stillbirth of daughter Stevie. Unbelievably, Mary and George kept on trying, returning to their fertility clinic in Greece for six more IVF treatments. Then, just as they were about to give up the parenthood dream forever, their luck changed. On 60 Minutes, Mary and George proudly show off beautiful little Jamie for the first time, and reveal there could be one more surprise in store.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Stephen Taylor
The Killing Cove
You’ve seen the horrific pictures of the dolphin killing cove in Japan but now there’s a bigger prize being hunted. The local fishermen have successfully caught a rare albino dolphin and are shopping it round with an asking price of half a million dollars. It’s the latest blow to animal cruelty campaigners. Liz Hayes went to The Cove, where she found two Australians determined to bring an end to the mass slaughter. What they encountered were heavy handed police, a government that doesn’t care and a curious Australian who seems to be helping the Japanese.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Phil Goyen
Remembering Levi
Levi McCormack was a rare spirit. A little boy with a beautiful smile, which hid a debilitating heart and lung condition. When Karl Stefanovic first met Levi he was just 5 years old. Levi’s courage moved a nation, as he endured countless operations and medical treatments, while starting school and trying to live as a normal ch
Murder at Murphy’s Creek
The Bombay Sapphire
Murder at Murphy’s Creek
This Sunday, a 60 Minutes Special Investigation. We pursue justice for two young nurses, who were murdered in the most horrific way. Lorraine Wilson and Wendy Evans disappeared on a gap year in Queensland, forty years ago. Their remains were found at Murphy’s Creek, on the outskirts of Toowoomba, two years later. In all the time since, a code of silence and a reign of terror have protected the perpetrators of this evil crime. A gang of men swore an oath on blood never to talk about that night and the entire town lived in fear of reprisals. This Sunday we reveal what really happened to Lorraine and Wendy and how the killers have escaped justice. 60 Minutes will broadcast the confession that will crack the case wide open. And reporter Michael Usher tracks down the chief suspects, two men with the most serious questions to answer.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Stephen Rice
The Bombay Sapphire
On Monday, Hollywood gathers for the 86th Annual Academy Awards and the stars of tinsel town will be celebrated. Half a world away, there’s a movie industry 10 times bigger. The Indian movie business, better known as Bollywood, churns out over a thousand films a year and sells fifteen million cinema tickets a day to a paying audience in excess of one billion people. Even a Bollywood flop is watched by more people than live in Australia. And right now, all those Indian movie-goers are lining up to watch an Aussie girl. Pallavi Sharda is the new toast of Bollywood, a lawyer who’s traded the suits and courts of Melbourne, for the costumes and movie lots of Mumbai!
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Gareth Harvey
Russian Roulette
The Ghost Cities of Fukushima
Happy Snaps
Russian Roulette
35 year old mother of two Kristy Cruise is slowly dying. A radical procedure could save her life but Australian doctors are refusing to treat her. So, Kristy is going to Russia to be blasted with chemotherapy for days, before being re-injected with her own stem cells. She hopes the treatment will stop her slow decline from multiple sclerosis. Already she’s confined to a wheelchair, with no feeling down her left side, suffering severe exhaustion and facing cognitive decline. The trip to Russia is physically, emotionally and financially taxing, but it’s Kristy’s last chance at salvaging some time with her husband and two young boys. 60 Minutes has been following Kristy on her journey and, this Sunday, the results will send shockwaves through Australia’s medical establishment.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Stephen Rice
The Ghost Cities of Fukushima
When a tsunami triggered the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011, the world feared the worst and for good reason. It is the most devastating nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Tens of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and millions of others now live in fear of serious illness. Radiation is everywhere – in the soil, trees, food, air and water. The Japanese are trying to clean it up, but they’re fighting a losing battle. This Sunday, Liz Hayes goes inside the exclusion zone to the ghost cities, deserted and abandoned, never to be lived in again. And 60 Minutes will also broadcast a warning from one of Australia’s leading medical and nuclear experts, who says the 2020 Tokyo Olympics should be cancelled, due to radiation contamination.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Phil Goyen
Happy Snaps
Few people have looked into the eyes of an attacking saltwater crocodile and lived to tell the tale – Todd Bairstow is one of them. In 2011, 60 Minutes told Todd’s unbelievable story of survival. T
On the 7th of December 2003, Daniel Morcombe was last seen waiting to catch a bus on the Sunshine Coast. Daniel was a beautiful young boy – trustworthy and punctual, so when he didn’t come home that night, his parents Bruce and Denise knew something was wrong.
His disappearance sparked Queensland’s biggest and longest police case. Detectives pursued thousands of leads, but as the days turned into weeks, and then months, the hopes of finding Daniel seemed extremely remote. The months turned into years, but Bruce and Denise Morcombe never gave up searching for their boy, or looking for his killer, and in 2009 they began calling for a Coronial Inquiry.
School’s Out
The Defector
Don’t Look Down
School’s Out
For parents, few subjects are as fraught as the question of schooling. Private versus public, personal tutors, extra homework … it seems mums and dads will now do just about anything to get their kids ahead. This Sunday on 60 Minutes, the new approach to education, that will have you falling off your chair. You see, there’s no school, no classes, no teachers, no tests – NOTHING. The kids are at home and do whatever they want, whenever they want. They learn reading, writing and arithmetic during the course of everyday life. It’s not home schooling but un-schooling, a new trend being taken up by dozens of Australian families. Giving your children control over their own education may sound crazy but you’ll be surprised at some of the results.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Hannah Boocock
The Defector
For 17 years Marty Rathbun was a loyal deputy to Scientology’s leader, David Miscavige. But then he did what no one in the Church expected: he left. Now, Marty Rathbun is speaking out about what he witnessed inside Scientology. As the Inspector General, he was responsible for recruiting celebrities, including Tom Cruise, and pursuing those who spoke out against the Church. Ironically, Marty’s former loyal footsoldiers are now on a campaign of alleged harassment against him and his wife Monique. But this time Scientology may have met its match because Monique Rathbun has launched a major lawsuit against the Church and Miscavige. It could lift the lid on The Church of Scientology’s most explosive secrets – and for the first time, see David Miscavige having to face some serious questioning.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Phil Goyen
Don’t Look Down
You’ll watch this story on Sunday and think, this guy is either mad or extremely brave. Perhaps he’s both. It’s the story of James Kingston and, no matter what you think, his exploits are truly exceptional. James is a so-
Flight MH370
The Portland Murders
Flight MH370
Three weeks ago, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared from civilian radar. Something or someone caused two different location devices to be switched off. Minutes later, it disappeared from military radar. We now know that Flight MH 370 flew for another 7 hours in the opposite direction from its scheduled destination and crashed into the Southern Indian Ocean, 2500 kilometres from Perth. Was it terrorism or a suicidal pilot? Did its crew and passengers perish on board, turning it into a ‘ghost flight’ that flew unmanned into a vast ocean? Nothing about the flight makes sense – and nothing will bring comfort to those whose loved ones were on board. This Sunday 60 Minutes speaks exclusively to the Australian families of the victims of Flight MH 370, as they describe the agony of not knowing what happened to their loved ones for 18 days. It’s the very real and raw human face of this international tragedy.
Reporter: Charles Wooley
Producers: Gareth Harvey, Alice Downey
The Portland Murders
This Sunday on 60 Minutes the crucial breakthrough in a 23 year old double murder mystery. On the afternoon of Friday, May 3, 1991, two women were stabbed to death inside a hair salon, in the Victorian coastal town of Portland. It was broad daylight, on a busy afternoon, yet the killer has never been caught and, for more than two decades, this unsolved crime has haunted the town. Now, a new witness has come forward and new evidence has emerged. It’s led Police to dust off the cold case file and begin taking new statements, DNA samples and re-interviewing old witnesses. They have a new prime suspect and you won’t believe who it is.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Lincoln Howes
The High Seas
Breathe
Musical Uprising
The High Seas
This Sunday, 60 Minutes goes inside the multi-billion dollar cocaine war, that stretches all the way from South America to Australia. In the past 3 years, our Federal Police have intercepted nearly two tonnes of cocaine on the lucrative Pacific route. Small yachts are loaded up with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the illegal drug on the coast of Ecuador, before making the long journey here. The innocent-looking yachties breeze into our eastern waters, mostly undetected, before offloading their cargo to local dealers. Tara Brown tracks the smugglers from South America to Vanuatu and Tonga, where a boat holding 200 kilos of cocaine and a rapidly decomposing corpse was discovered shipwrecked on a remote island reef.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Stephen Rice
Breathe
Stig Severinsen can hold his breath for 22 minutes. That’s right, 22 minutes! He’s the world record holder but he’s not done yet. Now, Stig is using his unique powers to free dive in the most hostile of places. This Sunday on 60 Minutes, watch as Stig swims the length of three Olympic swimming pools, under metre thick ice, in freezing water, on one breath, with only one way out. It’s an extraordinary feat. But still he’s not done. Stig wants to remove his wetsuit and try it again in nothing but a pair of speedos. What happens next, could kill him.
Reporter: Peter Stefanovic
Producer: Steven Burling
Musical Uprising
Someimes miracles do happen and Charles Wooley has just seen one in, of all places, war-torn Afghanistan. As the west is withdrawing its troops and the Taliban are gearing up for a comeback, the country is bracing for an uncertain and violent future. But there is resistance against the Taliban from a most unlikely source: young girls, orphans of the 12-year war, are fighting back with beautiful music. Risking the wrath of the music-banning mullahs, these courageous kids have formed a youth orchestra.
No Limits
Brave Face
Greek Tragedy
No Limits
The tragic tackle which has left rising rugby league star Alex McKinnon with a broken neck and the prospect of never being able to walk again, is a sobering reminder of just how unforgiving spinal injuries can be. John Maclean knows it better than anyone. 25 years ago, he too was an up and coming footy player when he was struck down in the cruelest of ways. While on a training ride on Sydney’s M4 motorway, a truck smashed into John, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Not that life in a wheelchair has held him back. He’s since achieved the most incredible feats – from swimming the English Channel to finishing the Hawaiian ironman. But John has never given up hope of walking again. Now, John’s achieving things that are astounding the medical world and redefining what might be possible for people with spinal injuries.
Reporter: Georgie Gardner
Producer: Garry McNab
Brave Face
There are many faces of courage and the most unlikely people can end up heroes. One such hero is Samantha Barlow. For nearly a decade, she’s been fighting the most terrible eating disorders. But that’s only been half the battle. Because Sam’s also had to endure the unimaginable trauma of being abused by the very person who was supposed to make her well – her psychiatrist, Dr Ming Tan. It was the most appalling breach of trust and Samantha wasn’t the only girl Tan abused. But he wasn’t bargaining on Samantha’s guts and determination to take him on. Sam’s courage would see this sick psychiatrist brought to justice.
Reporter: Ray Martin
Producer: Jo Townsend
Greek Tragedy
Nearly 80 years after the end of World War 2 and the downfall of Adolf Hitler, Nazism is very much ‘alive and kicking’ right across Europe. In fact, neo-Nazi groups are on the rise again. They’re well-organised, often violent and they’re muscling into mainstream politics. Nowhere more so than in Greece, where the economic cri
Francis
Old Souls
Moving the Mob
Francis
This Easter, as one billion Catholics celebrate the resurrection of Christ, their Church is undergoing an historic rebirth. That’s because Pope Francis is unlike any pontiff of modern times. His railing against church excesses has made Francis millions of fans among the faithful. But beyond the rhetoric, the challenges are colossal. Among them, child sexual abuse at the hands of the clergy, the Vatican’s stand on contraception, homosexuality and the role of women. For Pope Francis, it is the culmination of a lifetime’s work, a life that might have turned out very differently if the girl next door had said ‘yes’.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producers: Gareth Harvey, Nick Greenaway
Old Souls
When Tara Brown first met British girl Hayley Okines she was nine years old, going on 90. You see, Hayley suffers from Progeria – a rare ageing disease that sees kids struck down by the same illnesses that cripple their grandparents. Most of them don’t live long enough to become teenagers but thanks to a medical breakthrough, Hayley’s now 15. Finally, the Progeria kids might stand a fighting chance. And if you think Hayley’s inspiring wait till you meet her American pen-pal, Adalia Rose.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Stephen Rice
Moving the Mob
It’s a story as epic as a Hollywood blockbuster and it’s playing out, right here, in our own back yard. The greatest cattle drive in more than a century has been snaking its way from north west Queensland, deep into southern New South Wales. The mass migration evokes the glory days of our pioneering stockmen, those droving legends who would risk everything to move their mob. Today’s characters are just as compelling and just as willing to take a punt. It is one of the greatest gambles the bush has ever seen.
Reporter: Charles Wooley
Producers: Garry McNab, Grace Tobin
Reverse Stroke
Wild Patagonia
Reverse Stroke
Every ten minutes in Australia, someone suffers a stroke. It’s our second-biggest killer and has left nearly half a million survivors living with crippling disability. Despite the dramatic medical advances in other fields, there’s only so much that can be done for a stroke patient – which makes the work of one clinic in America so tantalising. The new therapy is controversial and heavily criticised, but the patients say it’s truly miraculous. This Sunday, Michael Usher meets the woman who was left paralysed by a stroke three years ago and became trapped inside her own body. She could hardly walk or talk. What happens in the next 3 minutes, has to be seen to be believed.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Jo Townsend
Wild Patagonia
There are very few places left on the planet that can be called pure wilderness. Patagonia, on the southern most tip of South America is one such place – a landscape of myth and legend. This Sunday, Allison Langdon travels to this remote land and uncovers the most breathtaking landscape. You’ll be in wonder at the giant glaciers – kilometres wide and hundreds of metres tall – as they fall away into the water below. Scientist Dr Stephan Harrison has been studying these beautiful ice flows for 20 years and says they hold a dire warning for the future of Planet Earth.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Nick Greenaway
Fatal Obsession
Elisha
Fatal Obsession
This Sunday a story of love, betrayal, and murder. Rachelle Yeo was a woman living in fear. She’d just ended an affair with a man who refused to accept it was over. That man, Paul Mulvihill, was obsessed. He had a wife and children of his own, but he wanted Rachelle, too. And because he couldn’t have her, Mulvihill committed an unspeakable act of revenge. Paul Mulvihill’s obsession has left two families destroyed – Rachelle’s and his own. 60 Minutes will take you inside the mind of a sociopath. Watch as Paul Mulvihill protests his innocence in an extraordinary video recorded just days before his conviction. And see the troubled existence of Paul’s wife, struggling to come to terms with his secret affairs and ultimate vengeful murder. Theresa Mulvihill’s already scared of the day when Paul will be eligible for parole, 22 years from now.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producers: Stephen Rice, Grace Tobin
Elisha
Many of you will remember Elisha Neave, the young Gold Coast mother battling a deadly gene that predisposes her whole family to breast and ovarian cancer. Elisha fought an extraordinary battle against the disease, all the while determined to save others from suffering the same ordeal. She never gave up. But after the bravest of fights, Elisha died in the early hours of Wednesday morning, surrounded by her family and friends. Now, her wonderful family is determined to make sure Elisha’s legacy lives on.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Stephen Rice
A Mother’s Love
The Wolf
Rio Bravo
A Mother’s Love
This Sunday, all around Australia, we’ll be celebrating our mums. And the mum you’ll meet is particularly special. Zoe Gonzalez gave birth to her first child, William, 18 months ago. Little William is the pride and joy of Zoe and her husband David. He’s also a living tribute to a mother’s determination and devotion. You see, William has a life-threatening heart condition – so serious that doctors advised Zoe to terminate her pregnancy at 20 weeks. Zoe defied them. Now, William’s remarkable improving health is the greatest gift a mum could hope for, and on Mothers’ Day they’ve got some more good news.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Stephen Taylor, Hannah Stenning
The Wolf
When the film ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ hit cinemas recently, it was a box office hit. The Hollywood juggernaut was based on the real life story of Jordan Belfort. The one-time stockbroker spent 22 months in prison for fraud and money laundering, after ripping off investors to the tune of more than a hundred million dollars. Today, Jordan Belfort insists he’s a changed man. In fact, he’s coming to Australia, selling his tale of redemption and the importance of ethics in business, at high price seminars. But the real ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ may not be all he seems – and authorities in the U.S. want to know what’s happening to his new found fortune.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Phil Goyen
Rio Bravo
Hosting the biggest sporting event on the planet is a gargantuan challenge. You need world-class infrastructure and now, more than ever, the tightest possible security. The world’s elite athletes and their fans need to be guaranteed of their safety. In July, the Football World Cup will play out in one of the world’s most volatile cities: Brazil’s incomparable Rio de Janeiro. And as if that’s not enough – the Olympics will be there in 2016. The only problem: Rio is South America’s most f
Ricky
The Forgotten Girls
Ricky
There’s something about Ricky Martin. As one of the world’s most successful entertainers, he’s blessed with a spellbinding passion and energy that few can match. He’s sold millions of albums and earned millions of dollars. But getting there wasn’t easy. It’s taken years of dedication and hard work for the boy from Puerto Rico to make it to the top. Along the way, he’s faced some extraordinary challenges – the toughest being his decision to tell the world he was gay. Since that day, Ricky Martin’s life has blossomed, becoming a father to two beautiful boys and achieving even greater musical success. This Sunday, Ricky Martin speaks from the heart about his personal demons and his family. Liz Hayes gets swept up in Ricky’s world, from his home in Puerto Rico to South America’s biggest musical festival in Chile, and one thing is for sure, he’s more popular than ever.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Phil Goyen
The Forgotten Girls
They screamed but no one heard them; vulnerable girls who were neglected, beaten and abused by men who were supposed to be caring for them. Parramatta Girls Home in Western Sydney was run like a prison camp for teenagers, who were rounded up and judged by authorities to be in moral danger. But whatever those dangers may have been, there’s no doubting the terror and torment that was in store for some girls inside this Government Institution. For more than four decades, the victims of that systemic abuse have kept their silence – cowered by fear and shame. Now, those vulnerable young girls are strong women with their own daughters and granddaughters. This Sunday, they take Tara Brown back to the derelict building that was meant to save them, to confront their fears head on. It’s an extraordinary act of courage as they pursue justice against their abusers.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Laura Sparkes
Love Scam
The Cahill Express
Russian Revolution
Love Scam
Despite the umpteen warnings and thousands of tragic stories, more and more Australians are being duped by get rich quick schemes and love scams. Australian police estimate 2 million dollars leaves Australia every week, never to return, as part of a scam. And that’s just the money they know about. For one 67 year old grandmother from Western Australia, an online friendship has cost much more than her life’s savings. Jette Jacobs flew to South Africa believing she was starting a new relationship with 28 year old Jesse Omokoh, but just days after meeting him, Jette was found dead in her apartment. This Sunday we pursue the man police believe killed Jette Jacobs, and the search for Omokoh took us all the way back to Nigeria.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Steven Burling
The Cahill Express
When the Socceroos line up in Brazil next month for the World Cup, there’s no doubt it’s going to be tough. But our top goal scorer, Tim Cahill, will be there to bolster our hopes. It will be the 34 year old’s third World Cup and almost certainly his last. It’s an emotional time for a man who doesn’t like to show his emotions. But Tim Cahill has millions of reasons to smile. After a magnificent career in England’s premier league and a bank balance to match, he’s now being paid handsomely to play his favourite game in America. Liz Hayes spent a week with Tim, his wife, and four children in New York as he prepared to don the green and gold again.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Phil Goyen
Russian Revolution
When we first broadcast the story about Kristy Cruise, the young Gold Coast mother struck down by multiple sclerosis, the response was simply extraordinary. Kristy was so determined to beat her MS that she flew to Russia to undergo a ground-breaking stem cell treatment not available here in Australia. It’s not a cure, but it can stop the disease in its tracks. And for the thousand
World’s Biggest Family
Turia Pitt
New Hope
World’s Biggest Family
This Sunday, a story that couldn’t get much bigger. A story which proves that no matter how many places you’ve been, the world can still throw up surprises. Tara Brown has just visited a family in a far flung backblock of India. It’s a family with a big difference; it’s the biggest family in the world. If you think your home life is occasionally chaotic and often expensive then wait till you see this. There’s Mr Ziona, his 38 wives, their 94 children, their 33 grandkids, and they all live under the one roof! They’ve got their own school, football stadium, and an omelet for the family dinner requires 480 eggs!
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Gareth Harvey
Turia Pitt
Turia Pitt is unstoppable. It’s now three years since she was horrifically burnt in that Kimberley bushfire while competing in an ultra marathon. When we last caught up with her, Turia took a huge leap of faith and removed the black face mask she’d worn since that terrible day. This Sunday you’ll see just how liberating it has been for Turia. She’s competing again – on the bike and in the water. And now, for the first time, she’s returning to the remote outback where her life changed forever. For a woman who has overcome so much adversity, it will be the ultimate test of courage.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Ali Smith
New Hope
Parents will sacrifice everything to give their children the best chance at life. And right now, 35 Australian families are in Canada for one last shot at helping their kids with learning difficulties, to read, write and add up. It’s a giant leap of faith: they’ve left their homes, their jobs – and often split their families – to enroll their children in a program that, on the surface, looks nothing like education. The Arrowsmith School in Vancouver is all about re-wiring the brain, so that kids with conditions like dyslexia can, for the first time, learn
Lion Man
Rory’s Story
The Eagles
Lion Man
This Sunday meet the extraordinary man who’s known as “The Lion Whisperer”. Kevin Richardson’s bond with Africa’s dominant predator is as astonishing as it is touching. He’s devoted his life to understanding and protecting the mighty Lion which is battling human encroachment and shrinking habitat. Along the way, he cuddles them, tickles them, even sticks his head in their jaws! Despite Kevin’s research, it’s now feared that within just twenty years there will be no lions “born free”. Join Allison Langdon as she tracks some wild lions for a unique African experience.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Steven Burling
Rory’s Story
It’s the sort of news no parent can imagine being told – that your child has a rare tumor the size of a football in their abdomen. But that’s exactly what’s been growing inside 11 year old Rory Williams. Rory’s plight is very close to us at Channel Nine. His dad Grant is a colleague and mate, and Rory is the godson of reporter Ben Fordham. Grant, Rory and Ben have come together to tell this story in a bid to raise awareness about the lifesaving work of the medical teams at The Sydney Children’s Hospital on the eve of the Gold Telethon Appeal. And while they were filming this story, the Williams family has been rocked by more shocking news. Now Grant has cancer, too.
Reporter: Ben Fordham
Producer: Steven Burling
The Eagles
In the pantheon of Rock ‘n’ Roll, few bands have soared as high as The Eagles. Quite simply, they’re one of the most enduring rock groups of all time. Even in our digital era, their signature song Hotel California has been downloaded over one million times. But the highs have been matched by terrible lows. The Eagles kicked off in 1971 – broke up spectacularly ten years later – then went back on the road in 1994. And, more or less, that’s where they’ve been ever since. Now they’re on their way back to Austr
Abduction
Game of Drones
Abduction
This Sunday, a special investigation into the abduction of two teenage girls 17 years ago. Vanessa Conlan and Jessica Small were only 15 when they were taken from the main street of Bathurst, west of Sydney. The girls were driven out of town by an unknown man, until he stopped and they ran for their lives. Vanessa managed to escape, but Jessica hasn’t been seen since. For years, local police did next to nothing about the girls’ abduction and Jessica’s suspected murder. But nearly two decades on, this cold case is finally cracking. 60 Minutes speaks to the key witness who saw Jessica’s final struggle, the person who found crucial evidence eight months later, and tracks down the man who may know where Jessica is. At the middle of it all, is a heartbroken mother, a distraught best friend and one dogged detective.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producers: Laura Sparkes, Grace Tobin
Game of Drones
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No – it’s a drone. These small, agile flying machines are revolutionising the way we see the world. Drones are the new frontier in aviation – from sport to policing, wedding videos to war-fare, these incredible gadgets can go anywhere and film anything. Soon, they’ll be able to do anything too. You see, their applications are only limited by our imagination. Charles Wooley visits the high tech nerve centre of drone research where you can play tennis against them and fly them with the wave of your hand.
Reporter: Charles Wooley
Producer: Stephen Rice
Parent Power
The Assassin
Parent Power
A parent’s love knows no bounds, especially when a child is diagnosed with a deadly disease. But what lengths would you go to if the disease was so rare that pharmaceutical companies saw no profit in developing a cure? Well, more and more parents of desperately sick kids are taking matters into their own hands. Armed with passion and the power of the internet, they’re bringing urgency to the usually glacial pace of drug discovery. This Sunday, Michael Usher talks to one Australian couple whose son and daughter have developed an ultra-rare fatal genetic disease. They’ve found a cure and established a medical trial, only to face the impossible decision – which child will they save?
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producers: Lincoln Howes, Jo Townsend
The Assassin
Gavrilo Princip fired the deadliest shot in history. One bullet that richoted around the world and defined the course of the 20th century. Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, triggering the beginning of World War One and the unprecedented carnage that would follow. Sixty thousand Australians would make the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle. This week marks 100th anniversary of the Archduke’s assassination. Charles Wooley revisits the exact spot where the world changed forever and meets the assassin’s family, who claim he’s a hero.
Reporter: Charles Wooley
Producer: Nick Greenaway
5 Seconds Of Summer
Forced Marriage
5 Seconds Of Summer
This story is about an unlikely group of Aussie teenage lads who’ve formed a band called 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER. 5SOS, as they’re known, are topping the music charts all over the world, and collecting millions of fans to boot. Teenage girls go wild for them, but they’re not a boy band. They write their own music and are determined to be original and authentic rockers, not manufactured popstars. The boys have just played to a packed Wembley Stadium in London. And Peter Stefanovic took their Mums along for the ride.
Reporter: Peter Stefanovic
Producer: Steven Burling
Forced Marriage
This Sunday the most extraordinary story of kidnap, survival, escape and hiding. 13-year-old Rania Farrah was supposed to be on the trip of a lifetime, a tour of historic Egypt with her older brother. Instead, the Sydney teenager would be taken captive by her father’s family in Syria, and held against her will. She endured horrific beatings and the most horrific breaches of human rights. She would be married off to her cousin, a man she’d never met, in a land she didn’t know. Young Rania was a prisoner in the secretive and sinister world of forced marriage. But refusing to be defeated, she secretly plotted and pulled off a daring escape back to Australia on the day she turned 18. Now, she’s forced to live in hiding, fearful her father will track her down and kill her. On 60 Minutes, Rania very bravely speaks to Liz Hayes in the hope of lifting the veil on a hidden crime that affects hundreds of Australian women.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producers: Steven Burling, Steve Jackson
Riding The Monster
The Pink Panthers
Curing Cancer
Riding The Monster
When you think of the biggest waves in the world, it’s a fair bet that England’s south coast isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. It’s not a coast or a country that contributes much to the world of pro-surfing. Which makes Andrew Cotton all the more exceptional. Andrew is a mild-mannered plumber from Devon who happens to be a super-surfer, master of the biggest waves on the planet. In fact, he’s ridden what some have dubbed the biggest wave ever. Earlier this year he took off on a monster whipped up by a fierce storm in the Atlantic Ocean. This Sunday, he shows Tara Brown how he survives when these mountains of water crash over him.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Gareth Harvey
The Pink Panthers
The French Riviera is the summer haven for the richest of the rich. Millionaires and billionaires go there to laze in the sun, drink cocktails and shop. Hard on their Gucci heals is a gang of thieves, the likes of which police admit they’ve never seen. They’re called the Pink Panthers and their jewels of choice are diamonds. So far they’ve stolen nearly half a billion dollars worth in brazen raids across Europe and Asia. They hit hard and fast, taking their loot, before making their getaway – all in under two minutes. The cops chasing them say the Pink Panthers are about to strike again, but they have no idea where.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Stephen Rice
Curing Cancer
It could be one of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the 21st century – a cure for childhood cancer. That’s what researchers are on the verge of, right now in America. Desperately sick children, previously given no chance of survival, are now cancer free. It’s all thanks to a dedicated group of scientists who are using one of the most notorious killers of our time – HIV – to fight leukaemia. This Sunday, see the miraculous recovery of little Austin. We first met him last Septembe
Gorilla Warfare
The Coward
Kylie
Gorilla Warfare
In the dark heart of Africa lies a place very few people have seen. It’s called Virunga. And it’s home to one of the last populations of mountain gorillas in the world. Despite decades of civil war and brutal poaching the gorillas are clinging on, protected by rangers who are literally prepared to die for the cause. Every month, a ranger gets killed by a poacher. Now a Belgian Prince has put himself between the gorillas and harm’s way, but he’s facing a new, more dangerous threat. Big oil is threatening to move into Africa’s oldest national park, and they’re much more brazen than the poachers.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Nick Greenaway
The Coward
It is the story of our times: young men with a skin-full, randomly attacking innocent people, with catastrophic consequences. Michael McEwen is the victim of a sickening one punch attack, who’s surprised everyone with his will to live. But there’s another, rarely heard side of the story. Who are these violent young men who leave people like Michael fighting for life, and why do they do it? Well, one of these cowards has now shown considerable courage. Daniel Clementson is brutally honest about what drove him to almost kill someone with just one punch. It’s a confronting insight into the mind of an aggressor, when a moment of madness can change lives forever.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producers: Jo Townsend, Grace Tobin
Kylie
Kylie Minogue has been part of our lives for nearly 30 years. She first burst onto the scene as Charlene in Neighbours, the tough, street-smart girl from Ramsay Street who took the knocks and dished them out. Now at 46, she’s a bonafide superstar, one of our greatest ever exports, but there’s still a lot of Charlene in Kylie. You see, deep down she’s still the girl from the suburbs of Melbourne, and more than ever she’s enjoying her return to Australia. Karl Stefanovic sat down with Kylie to reflect
Gerard Baden-Clay tried to portray himself as ‘Mr Middle Class’ – a successful small-businessman, proud father and loving and devoted husband. But the real Gerard was the complete opposite. He was an incompetent real estate agent whose business was hemorrhaging money; he was intolerant with his three young daughters and he was a womaniser who wasn’t even faithful to his long-term mistress. But why Gerard Baden-Clay thought all his problems could be fixed by killing his beautiful wife Allison, only he knows. So far he’s not saying, but after being convicted of murder, he now has a lifetime in prison to think about it. This Sunday 60 Minutes takes you inside the extensive police investigation which led to Baden-Clay’s prosecution.
· Tara Brown meets the forensic and detective team who painstakingly put together a circumstantial case so strong, the jury had to convict.
MH-17
Dame Helen
Unholy War
MH-17
It’s been the most painful of weeks as Australians have watched in anguish and anger at the slow recovery of bodies from the crash site of MH-17. And for the families of those onboard, it’s still a long and torturous journey, before their loved ones come home. Making sense of it all will take even longer. Michael Usher has spent the week in Ukraine, and from the Prime Minister down, they feel Australia’s pain but the search for answers is excruciating.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producers: Stephen Rice, Grace Tobin
Dame Helen
Dame Helen Mirren has never been more popular. The long-time leading lady with a career spanning four decades is known for her class, wit and no-nonsense attitude. She’s a legend of the theatre, small screen and box office, collecting Oscars, BAFTAs and Golden Globes for her roles portraying various monarchs. She’s practically royalty herself. So for Karl Stefanovic, scoring an audience with the sassy Dame in Los Angeles was part thrilling, part terrifying. Because she’s certainly a lady who says exactly what she thinks.
Reporter: Karl Stefanovic
Producer: Jo Townsend
Unholy War
It began with the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Palestinian extremists. Then came the retribution killing of a fifteen year old Palestinian boy by Israeli extremists. Now this most brutal of conflicts has again spiralled into dreadful bloodshed. And once again, it’s the vast mass of ordinary people who are trapped between the fanatics in their midst. This Sunday, Allison Langdon takes you inside the Jewish settlements on the West Bank, and to the war raging on the Gaza Strip, as Hamas and the Israeli Defence Force try to blast each other away.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Green Rush
Giants of the Deep
Scotland the Free
Green Rush
Marijuana as medicine – especially for children – is something most people have a very firm view about. That is, they’re against it! But this story will likely change your mind; it certainly changed Michael Usher’s. In parts of America, prescription pot is legal and, many believe, saving lives. Politicians, doctors and patients are also shifting their thinking and there’s now a green rush to legalise cannabis for medicine nationwide. Here, it is a crime, forcing Australian families to break the law to help their children. But they don’t have to do that in the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado where Michael has been to investigate how the medical marijuana business works in practice – and to meet the little girl who’s helped change the laws across America.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producers: Phil Goyen, Grace Tobin
Giants of the Deep
They’re the biggest fish in the ocean – making them one of the biggest targets for fishermen around the world. The whale shark is massive, magnificent and on the brink of extinction. But in a tiny corner of the Philippines, man and shark have come to a unique compromise. Fishermen, who used to hunt this marine giant, now protect it – reaping a financial bonanza from tourists. And everything had been going swimmingly, until a group of Western environmentalists turned up.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Gareth Harvey
Scotland the Free
Charles Wooley admits this story is personal. You see, it’s the story of his birthplace – Scotland – and the historic decision it must make in September. Scots will vote on whether to remain part of Great Britain or to ‘go it alone’: to finally be free from the “Sasinacks”, the English, who have lorded over them for centuries. There will be many whose knowledge of Scottish history extends only as far as Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart. But for Charles, the argument over Scottish independ
Baby Gammy
The Australian parents of baby Gammy and his twin sister speak in an exclusive interview to tell their side of the story.
Rush of Love
Brave Knight
Brothers in Arms
Robin Williams
Rush of Love
This could be the strangest love story you’ll ever see. A high flying London banker falling head over heels for a convicted drug mule serving life in a Bali prison. She is Nikki Butler, a mother of two, and wealthy finance worker. He is Scott Rush, one of the infamous Bali Nine drug couriers. They’re in love. In fact, they’re engaged. Scott proposed in his cell. Nikki said yes. It sounds completely ridiculous — but it’s true.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Gareth Harvey
Brave Knight
Liam Knight has had a horrendous 20 months. In January last year Liam was speared through the skull with a metal pole, thrown by a teenage gatecrasher at an 18th birthday party. It was a miracle Liam survived. This afternoon, Liam’s assailant was sentenced to a minimum of 8 years for his crime. Because he’s a minor, we can’t name him, but “DS” will be eligible for parole when he’s 24, young enough to resume the football career he told the court he loved. Liam Knight loved footy too. He also loved surfing, but both have been taken from him because Liam has been given the life sentence of permanent brain damage. This Sunday, Liam Knight and his mother Mary can finally talk freely about what happened the night of the attack, and the teenage girls who invited the gatecrashers. Viewers will see the impact on Liam’s life, and how his permanent brain damage is a daily battle for mobility and against seizures. It’s an emotional warning every parent and teenager must see.
Brothers in Arms
Ever since the Edgerton brothers were boys, they’ve been embarking on adventures together. From the backyard bushland they’d knock around in as kids – to the backlots of Hollywood, Joel and Nash have been brothers in arms. Joel stars in front of the camera – most famously opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby. Nash is a director and stuntman – whose roles are often more high
Curtis Landers
Justice Overboard
Barnesy
Curtis Landers
Curtis Landers is about as lucky, and as unlucky, as they come. Back in May, the 15 year old was a rising footy star when a routine tackle went terribly wrong. Badly dislocating his spine, Curtis was initially diagnosed a complete quadriplegic. His parents were told their boy would never walk again, and even struggle to breathe on his own. The outlook could not have been more bleak. But there’s always hope, and Curtis has defied the odds. This Sunday, it’s the feel good story of the year, as Curtis walks out of hospital and back onto the football field to kick a ball with his mates.
Reporter: Peter Overton
Producer: Hannah Stenning
Justice Overboard
Susan Neill-Fraser is behind bars – a grandmother convicted of murdering her partner, Bob Chappell. Convicted by a jury of her peers, she was sentenced to 23 years. But there’s one problem: Susan Neill-Fraser is innocent. That’s the unqualified conclusion of some of the finest legal minds in the country, including our leading expert in miscarriages of justice. Charles Wooley first looked at Susan’s case a year ago, and was convinced there was enough reasonable doubt to acquit her at trial. Now, the case to set her free is even stronger, if not undeniable, thanks to the new and compelling forensic evidence which 60 Minutes will reveal for the first time this Sunday.
Reporter: Charles Wooley
Producer: Laura Sparkes
Barnesy
“Legend” is a word that’s often bandied about, and not always justified. If ever there was a dead set legend it’s Barnesy. Born in Scotland, raised in Adelaide, adored across the country, Jimmy Barnes has been belting out hits since the early seventies. While he won fame and notoriety as the front-man of Cold Chisel, it’s now thirty years since the band split and Jimmy went solo. There, through it all, has been his loyal wife Jane. Their partnership is rock and roll’s greatest love story. The hell-rais
The Father's Day Massacre:
Bravery. Courage. Defiance. Heartbreak. They’re not words you normally attach to Father’s Day but Sunday, September 2nd 1984 was a Father’s Day like no other. It was the day two rival bikie gangs went to war in the car park of a Sydney pub, leaving dozens of people wounded and seven dead, including an innocent 15 year old girl. The notorious Milperra Massacre remains the worst single outbreak of bikie violence the world has ever seen. This Father’s Day marks 30 years since that bloodbath stunned Australia. In this special edition of 60 Minutes, Michael Usher takes viewers inside the massacre like never before.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Garry McNab
The Slipper Scandal
It was one of the great political scandals of our time. When Peter Slipper ratted on the Liberal Party and accepted the Speaker’s job in Federal Parliament, he helped prop up a Labor Government that was on the verge of collapse. The sexual harassment claim and publication of vile and disgusting text messages that soon followed, would destroy Slipper and further destabilise the minority Gillard government. When the whistleblower and alleged victim decided against continuing his case, most thought that was the final chapter in a sordid and grubby political chapter. This Sunday, 60 Minutes will reveal that The Slipper Scandal lives on, and festers inside the current government led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott. James Ashby, the man at the centre of those dramatic events breaks his silence for the first time. What he tells Liz Hayes will rock the Abbott Government.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Stephen Rice
The Great White
The Dark Web
Birdsville
The Great White
Just as we start lifting our gaze towards summer, we’re confronted with the chilling news of another fatal shark attack. When 50 year old Paul Wilcox was taken by a great white shark off Byron Bay this week, he became the fourth confirmed shark fatality in Australian waters in just 12 months. It seems shark attacks are becoming more frequent – and this latest incident, being at one of the country’s most iconic beaches, makes it all the more confronting. But a leading group of shark researchers believe we might have it wrong when it comes to sharks, especially great whites. And they’re going to extraordinary lengths to prove it. This Sunday they take Allison Langdon on the dive of her life. Face to face with a great white shark, outside the cage, and totally exposed.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Nick Greenaway
The Dark Web
This Sunday, we’ll take you into a world you probably never knew existed. It’s called the Dark Web, and it accounts for 90 per cent of the internet. It’s easy to find, and once you’re there, you can get whatever you want – drugs, weapons, even order a hitman. Scarier still, it’s totally untraceable. It’s the new place Australian teenagers are buying drugs and, as you’ll see, for some it has deadly consequences. 60 Minutes delves into this subterranean realm, as the F-B-I hunt for one of its masterminds.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producers: Stephen Rice, Grace Tobin
Birdsville
Long before cricket, rugby league or Aussie Rules became the collective obsession of the nation, one sport reigned supreme. Horse racing was our first national sport. In fact, a settlement couldn’t be called a “town” unless it had a racetrack. These days many of those country tracks have closed but not in Birdsville, in outback Queensland. For more than 130 years they have staged and run the Birdsville Cup. It may not stop the nation, but this day of boozing, brawling
Plane Graveyard
Lifesaver
A Cuban Revolution
Tony & Gaga
Plane Graveyard
This Sunday, take a flight through the twilight zone to the big hangar in the sky. The place where jumbo jets go to die. The great aeroplane graveyard. Charles Wooley was given a one way ticket to the middle of nowhere (but somehow he made his way back!) to report on this most amazing of spectacles. You might think it’s a story about the decline of the airline industry, but in fact it’s the exact opposite.
Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Stephen Taylor
Lifesaver
Dr John Swinnen is a lifesaver – by training and nature. The Australian surgeon has swapped the comforts of life in Sydney for the dangers and devastation of Gaza in the Middle East. He’s been working around the clock to help the thousands of people injured in the recent war with Israel. It’s a conflict saturated in politics and opinion, but for Dr John Swinnen all that matters is helping people. Guest reporter Mark Burrows discovered a deep compassion in a man who knows what it’s like to lose a loved one.
Reporter: Mark Burrows Producer: Howard Sacre
A Cuban Revolution
Cuba has become a bucket-list holiday destination for thousands of Australians. A unique place to enjoy balmy weather, salsa dancing and plenty of cocktails. While that may be true for tourists, it’s a world away from reality for those who actually live there. The romance of Che Guevara has long since faded in this communist stronghold. 3 streets back from the bars and the beach – the poverty and oppression begins. But that could be all about to change, because three years after the Arab Spring, the internet is finally coming to Cuba.
Reporter: Liz Hayes Producer: Phil Goyen
Tony & Gaga
This is a musical collaboration as bizarre as it is perfect. Tony Bennett is the legendary 88 year old crooner who has been singing professionally since the 1940s. Lady Gaga is the most avant-garde name in pop music today. For all their dif
Special Report: Female State
Stand Up Australia
Our Best Bloke
Special Report: Female State
It wasn’t so long ago that the world hadn’t even heard of Islamic State, or ISIS, but this past week, U-S led air strikes against the extremist, fanatical group confirmed its status as the new global terrorist threat. ISIS controls a vast swathe of territory across Iraq and Syria. And its influence reaches well beyond the Middle East. On Tuesday night, a Melbourne teenager was shot dead after stabbing two police officers who wanted to question him over alleged threats against the Prime Minister and, last week, counter terrorism police conducted the biggest ever raids in Australia, after intercepting plans of a local ISIS member to kidnap and publicly behead a random victim. And so the world is rallying to help in the fight against ISIS but, on the ground, it’s a war fought largely by the Kurdish people of northern Syria and Iraq. And within their ranks is a brave and unique force of women: the Kurdish female freedom fighters. These mothers, wives and daughters are highly trained, committed and absolutely fearless. They will stop at nothing to protect their homes and their families. They are the front line in the global war against ISIS. Tara Brown has just spent a week in northern Syria and Iraq, and witnessed these courageous women in action. Many of them are teenagers, most are young women in the 20s and 30s. They’ve all been forced to delay any thoughts of study, career, travel or family – to preserve the way of life we so easily take for granted.
Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Gareth Harvey
Stand Up Australia
We do it all day long and you’re probably doing it right now. Sitting. It’s become as normal as breathing. We now sit down every day for longer than we sleep. And the latest research says sitting is as bad as smoking. It sounds dramatic because it is. Excessive sitting has been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. A
The Alarming Truth
The Courageous Dr Davis
Neil Diamond
Trail Blaiser Update
The Alarming Truth
It was Australia’s most deadly house fire. Ever. Eleven people, eight of them children, were killed as an inferno engulfed the home in which they were sleeping. Two families, together for a cousins sleepover, ripped apart by tragedy. Three years after that fatal fire at Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane, the scars remain raw for the survivors. Disturbingly for the rest of us, authorities have not heeded the lessons from the tragedy. As this 60 Minutes special investigation reveals, Australia’s most popular fire alarm, the one that’s likely fitted in your home, is unlikely to save you.
Reporter: Karl Stefanovic
Producer: Rebecca Le Tourneau
The Courageous Dr Davis
This is a story of courage and inspiration. Dr Ian Davis was in the prime of his life, and part of the team charged with curing leukemia, when he diagnosed himself with motor neuron disease. He knew straight away he had very limited time left, so Ian set out to achieve more than most of us would in a lifetime. He’s jumped out of planes, jammed on stage with Pearl Jam, set up his own brewery, and ridden a specially designed bike from Brisbane to Sydney to raise money for MND research. Then Ian began reading books to his unborn son, in case he lost the use of his voice, or worse still, never got to meet him. Ray Martin has been with Ian every step of the way on this emotional journey, and was there when Ian’s final wish came true.
Reporter: Ray Martin
Producer: Jo Townsend
Neil Diamond
There are stars. There are superstars. And then, there’s Neil Diamond. He’s not so much in a class of his own, as an entire galaxy. Neil Diamond has sold more than 125 million albums, among the biggest selling artists of all time. For more than half a century he’s been writing and performing hits. And at age 73, this “solitary man” has no intention of slowing down. Allison Langdon took Neil
John of God
Shallow Water Blackout
U2
Bruce and Denise
John of God
John of God claims he can cure any disease. He’s a Brazilian spiritual leader who’s been courted and praised by everyone from Presidents to Oprah Winfrey. Tens of thousands of sick and elderly people flock to his casa every year in the hope they’ll be cured of their diseases. He operates on some of them, and claims to deliver divine healing onto others. It’s big business, too: from therapeutic crystal beds, to blessed bottled water and costly magic pills, John of God’s devotees must dig deep into their pockets for the healing and enlightenment. Now he’s bringing his religious show to Australia next month, so Michael Usher went to investigate John of God’s medical and spiritual credentials.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producers: Phil Goyen, Grace Tobin
Shallow Water Blackout
One moment 12-year-old Jack MacMillan was happily splashing about in the family pool. Within minutes, he was dead. There was no cry for help, no desperate fight for his final breath. Jack was the victim of a deadly but little-known condition called Shallow Water Blackout. It’s brought on by the simple act of holding your breath underwater and its thought to be the number one cause of drowning among competent swimmers. Kids are at risk in backyard pools right across the country and, believe it or not, they’re even more at risk in swim squads at the local public pool. Swimming Australia is scrambling to re-issue it’s guidelines around hypoxic training but, as Allison Langdon discovered, even our top swimming coaches can’t agree on what’s safe for our kids.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Lincoln Howes
U2
Over the last 40 years, U2 has risen from the rough streets of Dublin to become global superstars. Just last month they caused a sensation when their latest album was released to Apple’s half a billion iTunes account holders, for free. Some critics said it smacked of desperation, wh
Who Killed Irma?
Foo Fighters
Tommy and Nathan
Who Killed Irma?
This Sunday, a murder mystery like no other. Two apparently unrelated crimes, 11 years apart. One is a relatively harmless teenage prank. The other a cowardly murder of a Canberra grandmother. 72 year old Irma Palacsics was bashed and murdered in her own home in 1999. Fifteen years on, the killers probably thought they’d got away with it, but a recent break-in at a local “pitch and putt”, has this cold case warming up. Extraordinary new forensic science has linked the two crimes and, now, a son is about to betray his killer father.
Reporter: Charles Wooley
Producer: Laura Sparkes
Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl has to be the nicest guy in rock and roll. He’s the front man for Foo Fighters – one of the most successful bands in music history. He’s also a middle aged suburban dad with three beautiful daughters. Now, Foo Fighters are about to release their 8th studio album, Sonic Highways. And Dave, who’s worth a cool $200 million, is riding high. He showed Allison Langdon around his studio, his cars, his hometown and tells stories about Coldplay, Prince Harry, Nirvana and being busted in Australia. Be warned: he’s got a wicked sense of humour and he swears like a trooper.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Stephen Rice
Tommy and Nathan
On Tuesday, Australia will again stop everything for the Melbourne Cup as 24 horses and jockeys thunder around Flemington. Of course, winning The Cup is the pinnacle of any racing career. And this year, no jockey wants it more than Tommy Berry. But he doesn’t want victory for himself. Tommy is riding for his identical twin brother Nathan, who died earlier this year from an acute form of epilepsy. Nathan was also a jockey and, come Tuesday afternoon, Tommy says they’ll be together in the saddle riding for Cup glory.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Nick Greenaway
Sandakan
Dirty Business
John Cleese
Little Legend
Sandakan
Australia is a nation well-versed in the cost of war. From Gallipoli to Afghanistan, Iraq to Vietnam, we honour young Australians lost on the battlefield. For the servicemen and women who come home, there can be a heavy, often invisible cost. It’s called Post Traumatic Stress. Treating the psychological scars of conflict can be challenging, but one group of veterans has found a remarkable form of therapy. Allison Langdon recently joined them on the infamous Sandakan death march route in Borneo. Despite being one of the deadliest chapters in our military history, this trek was all about life.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Nick Greenaway
Dirty Business
Banks are supposed to be held to the highest corporate standard and they’re never shy to tell us when they’re doing things right. But there’s a story that our big four banks are not telling you. It’s a story of alleged forced evictions and land acquisitions – families losing the homes they’ve held for generations. And it’s been happening with the financial backing of Australian banks. The Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ and NAB are all accused of putting profit before people. You see, the banks have invested in, or financed, big overseas agricultural companies in poorer, developing nations. The result is land grabs on a scale that would be condemned if they happened here in Australia.
Reporter: Michael Usher
Producer: Phil Goyen
John Cleese
There aren’t too many comedians who could boast that they’ve changed the face of comedy, but John Cleese can, even if he’s far too modest to make such a claim. From Monty Python to Fawlty Towers, John Cleese has created some of the funniest and most enduring characters of our times. And at 75, he’s showing no signs of retiring. He’s just penned an autobiography, and while it explains a lot about the man, one thing he can’t explain is why John Cleese makes us laugh.
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