Australian Story
Season 25
2020 • 34 Episodes
Episodes
1. The Only Witness (Part 1)
February 17, 2020
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.
2. The Only Witness (Part 2)
February 24, 2020
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.
3. Making his Mark
March 2, 2020
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.
4. When Worlds Collide
March 9, 2020
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.
5. Caught in the Act
March 16, 2020
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.
6. The Justice Principle
March 23, 2020
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.
7. One Day at a Time
March 30, 2020
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.
8. The Two of Us
April 6, 2020
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.
9. Fighting Fire with Fire
April 13, 2020
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?
10. His Brilliant Careers
April 27, 2020
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.
11. Forged by Fire
May 4, 2020
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.
12. Mother and Son
May 11, 2020
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.
13. The Odd Couple
May 18, 2020
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.
14. Performers and the Pandemic
May 25, 2020
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.
15. Lest We Forget
June 1, 2020
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.
16. Growing Pains
August 3, 2020
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.
17. The Long Game (Part 1)
August 10, 2020
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.
18. The Long Game (Part 2)
August 17, 2020
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'.
19. Beating the Blues
August 24, 2020
Rugby league legend Greg Inglis reveals the real story behind his mental health struggles and how he turned his life around.
20. Team Scott
August 31, 2020
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.
21. The Great Escape
September 7, 2020
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.
22. Beenham Valley Road (Part 1)
September 14, 2020
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.
23. Beenham Valley Road (Part 2)
September 21, 2020
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.
24. Breaking New Ground
September 28, 2020
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.
25. Keeping Up Appearances
October 5, 2020
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.
26. To Catch a Stalker (Part 1)
October 12, 2020
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.
27. To Catch a Stalker (Part 2)
October 19, 2020
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.
28. About a Boy
October 26, 2020
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.
29. Finding Her Voice
November 2, 2020
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.
30. Fight for the Truth
November 9, 2020
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?
31. To His Door
November 16, 2020
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.
32. A Matter of Minutes
November 23, 2020
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.
33. Lest We Forget: The Australian Experience of Spanish Flu
November 30, 2020
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.
34. Cradle of Life / To Russia with Love
December 7, 2020
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.