Australian Story (1996)
Series 2020
Putting the "real" back into reality television, Australian Story is an award-winning documentary series with no narrator and no agendas — just authentic stories told entirely in people's own words.
Released May 29, 1996
Episode 30 min
None+
Genres: Biography, Documentary, News
Keywords: tmdb.australia, imdb.two-word-title, imdb.biographical-documentary
Network: ABC TV
S25E1 - The Only Witness (Part 1)
A cyclist found dead on a country road with very few clues as to who hit him. Against all odds, two country cops track down the driver, only to discover he is connected to another death.
Feb. 17, 2020, midnight
S25E2 - The Only Witness (Part 2)
Concluding the two-part story about one man who has killed two people. The man was convicted of killing a cyclist on a lonely road but is still to face charges relating to the shotgun death of his wife six years earlier.
Feb. 24, 2020, midnight
S25E3 - Making his Mark
When Marlion Pickett took to the field in the 2019 AFL Grand Final, it set the scene for one of the most heart-warming moments in sporting history. Follow the father of four's journey from three years in jail to AFL debut.
March 2, 2020, midnight
S25E4 - When Worlds Collide
The journalist and comedian paying a high price for dissent. Vicky Xu is an outspoken critic of China whose pursuit of stories about human rights and the mass detention of Uyghurs means she doesn't feel safe to return home.
March 9, 2020, midnight
S25E5 - Caught in the Act
Shane Jenek is the man behind drag queen superstar Courtney Act. It hasn’t always been easy for Shane reconciling himself with Courtney’s popularity but together they’re conquering the world and spreading a message of inclusivity.
March 16, 2020, midnight
S25E6 - The Justice Principle
Three sisters from Melbourne's insular Jewish Adass community return to Israel to investigate why it's taking so long to extradite their former headmistress Malka Leifer back to Australia to face sex abuse charges.
March 23, 2020, midnight
S25E7 - One Day at a Time
As Australia faces an unprecedented pandemic, we track five Australians on five different days: a choirmaster, an intensivist, a scientist, a psychiatrist, and a school principal - each has a unique response to the crisis.
March 30, 2020, midnight
S25E8 - The Two of Us
The touching friendship between jazz musician James Morrison and his long-term mentor Don Burrows, who passed away last month after a long battle with dementia.
April 6, 2020, midnight
S25E9 - Fighting Fire with Fire
Two elders from Cape York entrusted Victor Steffensen with the ancient knowledge of cultural burning. Could this method of fire management used by generations of Indigenous people be the answer to Australia's bushfire threat?
April 13, 2020, midnight
S25E10 - His Brilliant Careers
Actor Sam Neill is a Kiwi but has done much of his best work in Australia. He talks life, love and his other grand obsession: making wine.
April 27, 2020, midnight
S25E11 - Forged by Fire
During the worst bushfire season in Australia's history, NSW fire chief Shane Fitzsimmons stood out. A rebellious child with a troubled background Shane's personal loss and resilience have made him a truly outstanding leader.
May 4, 2020, midnight
S25E12 - Mother and Son
When Tim Sharp was three, his mother Judy was told he had severe autism and should be put in an institution. Now at 32 Tim is an artist whose work is exhibited around the world. The epic tale of a mother's love and devotion.
May 11, 2020, midnight
S25E13 - The Odd Couple
John Doyle and Greig Pickhaver, better known as Rampaging Roy Slaven and HG Nelson, provide a rare insight into the special chemistry behind their enduring comedy act.
May 18, 2020, midnight
S25E14 - Performers and the Pandemic
From his carport-turned-studio in Melbourne, Adam Hills introduces this story about the novel, positive and hilarious ways performers have found to keep themselves working and entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 25, 2020, midnight
S25E15 - Lest We Forget
For the first time on TV, an in-depth look at how Australia survived the influenza pandemic of 1918. Long-forgotten archival material not only provides a unique insight but shows uncanny parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 1, 2020, midnight
S25E16 - Growing Pains
Nathan Cavaleri was seven years old when he found international fame as a prodigy on the blues guitar. Now at 38, he talks about the childhood stardom that both inspired and haunted him.
Aug. 3, 2020, midnight
S25E17 - The Long Game (Part 1)
Actor Joel Edgerton gives a candid account of the challenges he's faced on his long road to Hollywood success and how his family helped him stay true to himself.
Aug. 10, 2020, midnight
S25E18 - The Long Game (Part 2)
In Part 2 of this candid account of the actor and filmmaker's 25-year career, we focus on Joel Edgerton's rise to the top, the anxiety attacks he now grapples with, his charity work and making sense of 'a selfish life'.
Aug. 17, 2020, midnight
S25E19 - Beating the Blues
Rugby league legend Greg Inglis reveals the real story behind his mental health struggles and how he turned his life around.
Aug. 24, 2020, midnight
S25E20 - Team Scott
The inside story of the campaign to solve an enduring crime mystery. The body of Scott Johnson was found at the bottom of a cliff in 1988. Police decided it was suicide but his brother was convinced it was a gay hate murder.
Aug. 31, 2020, midnight
S25E21 - The Great Escape
After nearly seven years in limbo on Manus Island, an audacious plan was hatched to get Kurdish refugee Behrouz Boochani to freedom in New Zealand.
Sept. 7, 2020, midnight
S25E22 - Beenham Valley Road (Part 1)
When Jamie Pultz left the police, there was one case he couldn't drop: the suspicious death of young Queensland mum Kirra McLoughlin. His podcast investigation turned up some startling discoveries.
Sept. 14, 2020, midnight
S25E23 - Beenham Valley Road (Part 2)
When Jamie Pultz left the police, there was one case he couldn't drop: the suspicious death of young Queensland mum Kirra McLoughlin. His podcast investigation turned up some startling discoveries.
Sept. 21, 2020, midnight
S25E24 - Breaking New Ground
When drought almost sent him broke, fifth generation Cooma sheep farmer Charles Massy converted to regenerative agriculture to heal his land. A PhD led to a book and now he's the 'philosopher king' of a growing movement.
Sept. 28, 2020, midnight
S25E25 - Keeping Up Appearances
Rory O'Donoghue starred in iconic TV comedy The Aunty Jack Show as the hugely popular tights-wearing, cane-twirling Thin Arthur. But off-stage Rory lived with a crippling secret that family and friends are now ready to share.
Oct. 5, 2020, midnight
S25E26 - To Catch a Stalker (Part 1)
Di McDonald was told Max Gardiner was 'a good catch'. But when she ended their short relationship, he terrorised her for years. Determined not to let him break her, Di tells how she brought her stalker to justice.
Oct. 12, 2020, midnight
S25E27 - To Catch a Stalker (Part 2)
Desperate and alone in a 3-year battle against an obsessive stalker, Di McDonald meets policewoman Beck Norris who takes on the case. Norris enlists the FBI profiler who caught the Unabomber, to bring Di's stalker to justice.
Oct. 19, 2020, midnight
S25E28 - About a Boy
Quaden is a nine-year-old with dwarfism who just wants to fit in. When his Mum posted a video of Quaden distraught after a tough day at school they couldn't have predicted what would unfold, as they triumphed over the trolls.
Oct. 26, 2020, midnight
S25E29 - Finding Her Voice
Singer Megan Washington went public with a 'shameful' secret six years ago and then stopped making music. In this update she describes the long road back to a new album and why the best art happens out of your comfort zone.
Nov. 2, 2020, midnight
S25E30 - Fight for the Truth
An outback town, a newspaper in trouble and an unlikely saviour. Broken Hill is fighting to keep its century-old newspaper alive but can the Barrier Truth's owners and loyal community steer it through its toughest time yet?
Nov. 9, 2020, midnight
S25E31 - To His Door
Serial killer Bradley Edwards hid in plain sight for nearly 25 years. Australian Story reveals the extraordinary twists and turns that led to police cracking the case and revisits the families of two of his victims.
Nov. 16, 2020, midnight
S25E32 - A Matter of Minutes
On Christmas Day two years ago Mick O'Dowd was feeling unwell. 24 hours later he was battling for his life. The life-affirming story of Mick and Katharine O'Dowd and the silent killer most people have never heard of.
Nov. 23, 2020, midnight
S25E33 - Lest We Forget: The Australian Experience of Spanish Flu
In the midst of the COVID lockdown, Australian Story undertook the ambitious task of delving through the archives and speaking to expert historians to produce the definitive piece on Spanish Flu. A special encore screening.
Nov. 30, 2020, midnight
S25E34 - Cradle of Life / To Russia with Love
In the season finale, Australian Story meets an 81-year-old inventor who's saved the lives of hundreds of premmie babies and checks in with the hilarious Dustyesky 'fake Russian' choir for a special Christmas performance.
Dec. 7, 2020, midnight
Network: ABC TV
Episode Runtime: 30 min.
Season Runtime: 33327 min.
Released: May 29, 1996
Last Air Date: Nov. 3, 2025, midnight
Status: Returning Series
Certification: NR
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