Season 2012

March 18, 2012

A Brave Face In this job, we’re constantly surprised and inspired by the strength of the human spirit. But Liz Hayes has never met anyone quite like Charla Nash. Two years ago, Charla was savagely mauled by a friend's pet chimpanzee. She lost her hands, eyelids, nose and lips in the frenzied attack. In fact, by the time help arrived, there was nothing much left of her face at all. It's a wonder she survived. But Charla wanted more than that - she wanted to live. And thanks to an extraordinary face transplant, and her own fierce will, that's just what she's doing. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producer: Phil Goyen The Crystal Cave Michael Usher has just returned from a spectacular and perilous journey to the centre of the earth, to a magical place known as the Crystal Cave. To reach it, Michael descended underground, deep into the deadly heart of a Mexican lead mine. The furnace-like heat and soaring humidity there can kill you in minutes. But when you see what Michael saw, you'll understand why it was worth every suffocating gasp for breath. Reporter: Micheal Usher Producer: Danny Keens Manhunt He's Australia's most wanted man and the most elusive. Malcolm Naden has been on the run for seven years, crisscrossing some of our harshest terrain. It seems every time the police get close, Naden slips back into the scrub and the shadows. He's becoming a legend of sorts - like those bushrangers of old. And just like them, there's a bounty on his head. But Malcolm Naden is no hero. He's a desperate man, armed and dangerous and he needs to be caught. But join this manhunt for a few days, as Charles Wooley did and you soon realise just what the police are up against. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Danny Keens

March 25, 2012

Deep Trouble From the start, he was branded the Honeymoon Killer. The police were convinced Gabe Watson murdered his wife Tina while diving on the Great Barrier Reef and the media and public agreed. The view was, how could a newly-married man abandon his drowning wife? It just didn't make sense. It's taken almost 9 years for this quietly-spoken businessman to finally clear his name. But, even now, the suspicions linger. On Sunday night, in his only Australian interview, Gabe Watson tells what really happened that day on the Barrier Reef. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producers: Phil Goyen, Hannah Boocock Good Will He's one of the funniest blokes around and Hollywood's power brokers know it. Add Will Ferrell's name to a movie and chances are it will be a box office smash. Think hits like Blades of Glory, Anchor Man and Talladega Nights. Ferrell has made some serious cash playing the fool. He's reportedly worth 80 million dollars. But as Michael Usher discovered when he caught up with him recently, it's not the money or the fame that drives this thoroughly likeable bloke. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Phil Goyen

April 1, 2012

By Design Just imagine it. Seven kids and every one of them a boy. You’d give up trying for a girl wouldn’t you? Well not Andrew and Jody McMahon. They wanted a daughter so badly they decided to have one more go. But this time, there was no rolling the dice. Like thousands of other Australian couples, Andrew and Jody headed overseas where it’s legal to choose the sex of your baby. Gender selection is banned here and often condemned as a first step towards designer babies. But for the McMahons, it’s nothing short of a miracle. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Sandra Cleary God’s Angels Get ready to meet some real teenage Hell raisers. Brianna, Savannah and Tess are trainee exorcists – all- American school girls who slay demons in their spare time. Armed with just a bible, holy water and a hand-bag-sized cross, they fearlessly take on the forces of darkness wherever they may lurk. And, nowadays, that seems to be everywhere. The Catholic Church is performing more exorcisms than ever before, while the girls can scarcely keep up with demand. And we’ll give them this much. They do put on one devil of a show. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Phil Goyen Chilling Out Liam Bartlett has just returned from a place so piercingly cold, it gives him the shivers just thinking about it. It’s not Antarctica or even the top of Mount Everest. No. It’s actually a tiny village in Central Siberia. In Oymiakon, it’s so cold your eyelashes freeze together and you’re constantly on guard against frostbite. If it’s warmer than minus 55 degrees Celsius, then it’s a good day. So rug up as we venture to the coldest town in the world. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Howard Sacre

April 8, 2012

The Big Picture It's the curse of every dieter. Shed a few kilos. Then pile them all back on again. We've always blamed ourselves, we should have kept up with the exercise, shown more self-control. But researchers in Melbourne have come up with another more "palatable" explanation. They're discovered that a person's weight is predestined, that genetically your body will fight to put the weight back on again. All without you even knowing about it. There is some good news though: the new findings are turning the science of weight loss on its head. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Howard Sacre Ships of Shame They're sold to us as floating pleasure domes - luxury hotels on the sea - where every day is perfect and the party never stops. But scratch the surface of the cruise ship industry and the truth isn't so dazzling. Behind the pina coladas and the smiles lies a murky world of sexual assault, drugs and violence, even murder. Incredibly, one passenger goes missing overboard every two weeks. Now, you'd think the big cruise companies would be desperate to get their industry shipshape. You couldn't be more wrong. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Gareth Harvey Living on the Edge Bands don't get much bigger or louder than Aerosmith. For 40 years, Stephen Tyler and his crew have been rocking stadiums full of adoring fans. Backstage, though, things haven't been quite so harmonious. There's been bitter feuds, battles with drug addiction and major health scares. Yet through it all, they've kept performing. Their live concerts are legendary. But as Lara Logan from the American 60 Minutes program discovered, the real entertainment happens behind the scenes. Reporter: Lara Logan, CBS 60 Minutes Producer: John Hamlin

April 29, 2012

The Trials of Gordon Wood It was a case that had it all, a flamboyant stockbroker, a beautiful model, murky business dealings and, a deadly mystery. And at the centre of it all was chauffeur Gordon Wood. Everyone believed Gordon Wood had murdered his girlfriend, Caroline Byrne, that he’d thrown her off The Gap, a well-known Sydney suicide spot. He was convicted and given a lengthy prison sentence. But Gordon Wood is now free after winning a sensational appeal. He is an innocent man but it seems public opinion isn’t swayed so easily. On Sunday night, Gordon Wood tells his story. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producer: Steven Burling A Hero’s Journey There are few Australians who can be called a genuine living legend but Ron Barassi is, without doubt, one of them. His achievements are quite incredible, a record 10 AFL premierships, a decorated public life, he’s as revered now as the day he retired. But in recent times, Ron has been quietly facing a burden that is slowly changing his life. It’s inspired an epic pilgrimage through a strife-torn country. Michael Usher was privileged to join Ron on that emotional journey, and tells us, he’s as brave and determined today as he ever was out on the paddock. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Jo Townsend Taylor Made Six Grammies, twenty million albums and one of the healthiest bank accounts in the music business. All this and Taylor Swift is barely into her twenties. It’s not just that she’s a gifted songwriter with a super-sweet voice and a girl-next-door image. What makes this country singer so beloved by her legion of teenage fans is the way she taps into their inner lives. As Lesley Stahl from the American 60 Minutes program discovered, Taylor Swift turns everyday high school angst into poetry. And it’s paying off – big time. Reporter: Lesley Stahl, CBS 60 Minutes Producer: Shari Finkelstein

May 6, 2012

Revenge Lust, sex, betrayal and revenge – this story is as juicy as any soap opera and almost as farfetched. It started out as a love triangle between an international model, her sports star boyfriend, and her unscrupulous and obsessed mother. And it spiralled out of control from there. There was a murder plot, a couple of Nigerian hit men, and a sensational trial. But what makes this tale truly incredible is how a wronged daughter chose to deal with her mother’s treachery. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Nick Greenaway The Longest Run You can’t help but be inspired by the young woman you’re about to meet. Quite simply, it’s amazing Turia Pitt is even alive today. Six months ago, she was caught in a bushfire while competing in an ultra-marathon race through the Kimberley. She and another competitor, Kate Sanderson, suffered terrible burns. Doctors warned Turia probably wouldn’t make it. But the dogged, fighting spirit of this long distance runner pulled her back from the brink. That and the love of a remarkable young man. Reporter: Michael Usher Producers: Ali Smith, Stephen Rice The Final Frontier James Cameron thinks big whether directing a movie epic like Titanic or creating the awesome alien world of Avatar. And he loves a challenge when he’s away from Hollywood, as well. His latest adventure is as sweeping in scope as anything he’s conjured for the silver screen. Cameron decided to explore the blackest depths of our oceans, as far as man has ever ventured, piloting a tiny sub eleven kilometres below the water’s surface. It was a treacherous, some might say foolhardy, undertaking. But he did it – with the help of a little Aussie know how. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: David Alrich

May 13, 2012

The Smack To smack or not to smack, it’s an issue that goes right to the heart of parenting. And there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground – you either believe that smacking is good old fashioned discipline or you consider it a form of child abuse. Dozens of countries around the world have banned it. Now there’s a big push to do the same here. That’s despite the fact that most Australians think that an occasional slap is OK. Still, very few will admit to it, let alone smack their kids in public, like one mother you’ll meet on Sunday night. Reporter: Michael Usher Packer’s Punt The Packers know a thing or two about business, so when they talk we tend to listen. Now, James Packer wants to talk about tourism but in typical billionaire style it’s a blunt message; The industry has seen much sunnier days. The big question then is how do we fix it? Packer says by getting Asia, and especially China, to visit us. And forget cuddly koalas and shrimps on the barbie, give them gambling. Of course, Packer would say that, he’s our biggest casino operator but he’s also promising that if we follow his plan, all of Australia will win. Reporter: Karl Stefanovic The Big Bang Theory Have you ever wondered how it all began? Humankind has been pondering that question since the moment we first gazed up at the stars. Now a million or so years later, a team of scientists in Europe is on the verge of unlocking the secret of the big bang, that explosive split-second when our universe was created. The scale of this experiment in a bunker deep beneath the Swiss Alps is, frankly, mind-blowing. It’s the largest engineering project since man went to the moon and, if it works, we may finally get an answer to the most baffling mystery of all. Reporter: Liam Bartlett

May 20, 2012

The Impossible Choice It’s the toughest choice any woman could make. You’ve tried so hard to get pregnant and suddenly you have an instant family – two, three even more little lives, a multiple pregnancy. It’s either the ultimate gift or a terrible burden. For many women, they have no choice, it would simply be too dangerous to carry all the babies full term. So they turn to a controversial and little known procedure called selective reduction where a doctor decides which foetuses to terminate. In fertility treatment it’s known as the dirty little secret. It’s a heartbreaking decision so it’s surprising then that some women actually choose selective reduction for lifestyle reasons. And a warning, parts of this story are confronting. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Phil Goyen The Fall Guys We’ve witnessed plenty of courageous and often crazy feats over the years. But in all of Charles Wooley’s time working on this program, he’s never encountered anything quite so jaw-droppingly insane as extreme kayaking. The guys who love this sport don’t so much live on the edge as throw themselves off it. They paddle their tiny kayaks over massive twenty-storey high waterfalls, reaching speeds of two hundred kilometres an hour as they plummet, nose first into the churning water below. They’ve shattered bones and broken backs. But, in their world, coming face to face with death is the only way to really live. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Danny Keens Absolutely Fabulous Liz Hayes wasn’t quite sure what to expect. After all, it’s hard to separate the real life Joanna Lumley from the chain-smoking, Bollinger-sodden character Patsy she plays so convincingly in “Absolutely Fabulous”. But when Liz caught up with Lumley in London what she found was a witty, self-aware and thoroughly charming woman. Although, like her famous alter ego, she is partial to the occasional glass of champers. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producer: Sandra Clear

May 27, 2012

The Inside Story Whatever you think of Schapelle Corby’s guilt or innocence, it’s fair to say most Australians think she’s served enough time in prison. It’s been 8 years since she entered the notorious Kerobokan prison – sentenced to 20 years for having 4 kilograms of marijuana stashed in her boogie board bag. And it’s been a very tough eight years. Kerobokan is a hell hole and Schapelle has been diagnosed with mental health problems. But this week – an act of mercy – as the Indonesian President dramaticallycut Schapelle’s sentence by five years, raising hopes that she could be free within months. Liz Hayes has been in Bali for the exclusive inside story on Schapelle, her life in prison and the breakthrough deal to set her free. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producers: Kathryn Bonella, Nick Greenaway The Amazing Hogan Twins Imagine being able to read another person’s mind, to see what they see, to feel what they feel. Well, Michael Usher has just met two amazing little girls who can do just that. Tatiana and Krista Hogan are conjoined twins. Their physical bond is obvious. They’re joined at the head. But it’s what you can’t see that makes these sisters so special. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Phil Goyen Forever Young Nothing used to scream mid-life crisis more loudly or more eloquently than a sports car, a toupee and an ill-advised affair. But times are changing, for men and women. Nowadays, we’re more likely to stave off old age with a $12,000 push bike and a wardrobe full of passion-resistant lycra. Ocean swims, iron man events, triathlons, marathons, take your pick. But before you pull on the joggers and sprint out the door, a word of caution, getting fit and healthy later in life can actually kill you. Reporter: Karl Stefanovic Producers: Nick Greenaway, Hannah Boocock

June 3, 2012

Delta Force Love her or loathe her, there’s no denying Delta Goodrem is hot right now. She’s a coach on the wildly popular Channel Nine show “The Voice”. And she’s got yet another hit in the charts. She’s already had eight number one singles since breaking into the music business at the age of fifteen. No doubt, Delta’s enormously talented but it’s her tumultuous love life that grabs the lion’s share of the attention. There have been the bad boy lovers, the cheats, even the recent teenage boyfriend, all the stuff that’s normally ruled off limits in interviews. But when we sat down together recently, Delta announced “anything goes”. And she actually meant it. Reporter: Karl Stefanovic Producer: Sandra Cleary Deadly Pursuit It can happen in an instant. The police make a split-second decision to give chase – a young driver, high on adrenalin, takes a crazy risk and an unsuspecting motorist strays right into the middle of it all with tragic consequences. A quarter of all those who die in police pursuits aren’t hoons, they’re ordinary people who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Without a doubt, it’s a tough call for the officers involved – do they let suspected criminals speed away or do they chase them down at all costs? For the shattered families left behind, there’s only one answer. No crime is worth the risk to innocent lives. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Steven Burling The Reunion On Sunday night you’ll witness a truly amazing display of love and trust – one that’s as moving as it is unique. It’s an unforgettable reunion between a gorilla called Kwibi and the man who raised him and then released him into the wild. Zookeeper Damian Aspinall waited five years before returning to Africa to check up on his old mate. He didn’t really expect Kwibi to remember him. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Danny Keens

June 10, 2012

In the Name of Evil Milat – just the name is enough to make you shudder. Back in the early nineties, Ivan Milat stalked, tortured and killed seven young backpackers in the Belanglo State Forest just south of Sydney. When he was finally locked up – never to be released – we thought we’d heard the last of that terrible name. But there was another monster lurking in the Milat family. Matthew Milat.Matthew idolised his evil uncle and fantasised about taking a life. Then, in a callous and premeditated crime in the very same forest that uncle Ivan butchered his victims, Matthew Milat committed cold blooded murder. Now a last chilling postscript to this modern-day saga of brutality and horror. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: David Alrich Sweet Poison For years, we’ve been warned about the evils of fat. We’ve checked what’s in our food, cut out the cheese and sworn off the fries. Well, it turns out we’ve been way off target. Controversial new research suggests that the real enemy is sugar. And this stuff isn’t just making us fat, it’s slowly killing us. Tens of thousands of Australians are already suffering serious health problems due to sugar overload. But, as Allison Langdon discovered, what’s truly alarming is that this sweet poison is as addictive as the hardest of illicit drugs. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Jo Townsend A Fairytale Life There’s nothing quite like a fairytale to deliver a little box office magic. And the big movie right now is “Snow White and the Huntsman”. Charlize Theron is one of the major stars – appropriate perhaps given that her life reads like a Grimm Brothers fable. She was born a poor but beautiful farm girl in South Africa. And despite a troubled childhood and unthinkable personal tragedy, she rose to become a world famous movie star. Now she’s basking in her happily ever after – with a hit film, an Oscar and a gorgeous new addition to the family. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producers: Danny Keens, Sandra Cleary

June 24, 2012

Fall From Grace He was Australia’s Golden Boy, a superstar in the pool and a much admired role model out if it. Grant Hackett had it all – Olympic medals, world records, a beautiful young family and a stellar career. Then his world came crashing down. On Sunday night, Grant speaks for the first time about his dramatic fall from grace, about the night he trashed his apartment, the collapse of his marriage and the allegations that he physically abused his wife. It’s been an excruciatingly painful few months but now this former champion is ready to own up to his mistakes. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Steven Burling Black Beauty She’s the pride of the nation, a big bold Australian mare who’s broken all the records and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Black Caviar has been first past the post in each of her twenty one Australian starts. She’s pretty much achieved it all on home turf. So, like the great Phar Lap before her, Black Caviar headed overseas to take on the best in the world. Liz Hayes has been following her campaign from the start and is lucky enough to be at England’s Royal Ascot track for the most important race of her career this weekend. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producers: David Alrich, Ali Smith The Power of One It takes a lot of guts to stand up against a foreign government and the might of the US military. But Catherine Fisher is one brave and determined Australian. Ten years ago, she was raped in Japan by an American sailor. Neither the local police nor the US navy did anything to help. So Catherine began a long, painful and often frustrating investigation of her own. She discovered that her rapist got away with it because of a secret agreement between the Japanese government and the American military. What’s truly disturbing is that same deal applies here in Australia and U.S. sailors have already taken advantage of it. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Stephen Rice

July 8, 2012

Mr Grizzly Allison Langdon has never experienced a rush like it, standing her ground as a giant Grizzly Bear threatened to charge. And for a few heart-stopping moments in the Canadian wilderness, Allison didn’t think she’d make it home to tell this story. But thankfully she was with a man who has a way with Grizzlies, even very cranky ones. His name is Doug Seus and he’s worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest films. Doug is a bear trainer and conservationist. He’s so confident around these magnificent creatures that he’ll willingly stick his head inside their jaws. And that’s something you just have to see. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Nick Greenaway The Carbon Cowboy This has to be one of the most brazen and potentially disastrous scams Liam Bartlett has ever come across. David Nilsson was once accused in Parliament of selling non-existent plots of land in Queensland. Now he’s popped up in the Amazon jungle, of all places, where the fledgling carbon trading market has opened up huge opportunities for unscrupulous operators. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that’s emerged now countries like Australia have introduced a carbon tax. Rainforests are suddenly worth big money. And the natives who own them are sitting on a fortune. Or at least they should be, but that all changes when David Nilsson comes calling. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Stephen Rice Olympic Pin-ups She’s the glamour girl of the pool, famous for her high profile romances and party girl antics. He’s the cocky freestyle champion who basks in the limelight. Stephanie Rice and James Magnussen are our favourite Olympic pin-ups. They’re rarely out of the news. Now with the Games almost upon us, they intend to make even more headlines – right around the world. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: David Alrich

July 15, 2012

Deadly Encounter On Sunday night you will witness an underwater drama that is quite simply mind blowing – a face-to-face encounter with a four-and-a-half metre wild crocodile. There are no cages here, no guns, no tranquilisers, just one brave diver and a giant prehistoric man-eater. Dangerous? You betcha! But this isn’t some kind of extreme sport. This is scientific research in the scariest laboratory on earth. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producers: David Alrich, Stephen Rice My Son, the Monster It was a crime as bewildering as it was monstrous. One year ago, almost to the day, thirty-three-year-old Anders Breivik went on a bloody rampage that became the deadliest massacre in the history of peacetime Europe. Seventy seven people were killed – most of them teenagers on a camping holiday. You have to wonder how a seemingly ordinary man could do something so utterly evil. If anyone can answer that question it’s Breivik’s father. On Sunday night, in a world exclusive interview, Jens Breivik talks about what drove his son to kill and how an intelligent, churchgoing teen turned into Norway’s worst mass murderer. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Gareth Harvey Wrong Place, Wrong Time Thomas Kelly had his whole life ahead of him. He was just 18 years old – with a promising job, a new girlfriend, some great mates and a close and loving family. Then, last Saturday night, in a single, mindless act of violence… it was all taken away. Thomas was walking along a busy street in Sydney’s Kings Cross, hand in hand with his girlfriend, when he was viciously king-hit in an unprovoked attack. Two days later, his mum and dad made the heartbreaking decision to switch off his life support. On Sunday night, we talk to the people closest to this tragedy – to Thomas’ terrified girlfriend, to the mate who stuck by him during the mad dash to hospital. And to his parents, Ralph and Kathy, who are determined to give their son’s death some meaning. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Nick Greenaway

July 22, 2012

On Demand What you will see on Sunday night challenges all conventional notions about parenting. It may offend – perhaps even anger many of you. It’s called “attachment parenting” – a back-to-basics approach to child raising that’s becoming more and more popular with Mums here and around the world. The idea is that mothers agree to every demand a child makes – any time – day or night. They ask their permission to change a nappy, let them sleep in the grown-ups’ bed and even breastfeed them through preschool and beyond. But don’t just dismiss all of this as new age extremism. There is some compelling science behind it. Reporter: Michael Usher Producers: Phil Goyen, Hannah Boocock Bitter Pill It was the greatest medical tragedy of all time – a so-called wonder drug for pregnant women that devastated thousands of lives. Thalidomide was developed by German pharmaceutical giant Grunenthal in the 1950s and sold in millions of doses to an unsuspecting world. No one knows just how many babies died. But those that did survive suffered horrific birth defects. This week brought dramatic developments in a story we’ve been following for months. And on Sunday night, in a special investigation, we reveal chilling details about the origins and creators of this evil drug. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Gareth Harvey At Any Cost They’ve been pushing their bodies to the limit, training like maniacs for their shot at sporting immortality. Now, in just a week’s time, our Olympic athletes will take on the best in the world. We’d like to think they’ll be competing on a level playing field. But the sad fact is, there will always be athletes who are prepared to cheat. Triple gold medallist Marion Jones caused a massive scandal when she admitted using performance enhancing drugs at the Sydney Games. And nowadays those drugs are even more sophisticated and difficult to detect. So when London organisers claim these will be the cleanest games ever, Marion isn’t convinced. Because with so much at stake, the cheats will always be a few paces ahead. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Danny Keens

August 19, 2012

Full House Knock on Richard Wallace’s front door and you’ll be shocked – even horrified by what’s waiting for you on the other side. His home is so crammed full of rubbish that you have to crawl just to get from room to room. You see Richard is a hoarder – it’s a bizarre obsession that’s shared by millions around the world. But what’s truly remarkable about Richard is how he faces his demons with a quiet dignity and a firm belief that life will be better one day. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producers: David Alrich, Stephen Rice Baby Jack It’s a tragedy that can strike any one of us – a friend, a neighbor, even an Olympic champion. A little over a year ago, swimmer Brooke Hanson gave birth to her second son – Jack Hanson Clarke. It should have been an event to rival anything Brooke had achieved in the pool. But her little boy arrived in the world far too early. Unimaginably tiny, weighing just 663 grams and about as long as a school ruler, Jack bravely clung onto life for 9 desperate months. On Sunday night, for the first time Brooke and her husband, Jared, talk about their very private loss and share what their dearly loved son taught them about courage and life. Reporter: Tara Brown Producers: Stephen Taylor, Hannah Boocock The Diva Who do you think is the world’s most powerful celebrity? Oprah Winfrey? Tom Cruise? A Kardashian perhaps? Well, apparently, the answer is Jennifer Lopez. J Lo earned a whopping 50 million dollars last year – not bad for a humble Puerto Rican back-up dancer from the wrong end of town. It’s a triumphant return to the top for Jennifer, who reignited her career as a judge on the hugely successful American Idol. She’s now embarked on a massive six-month world tour and Allison Langdon got a taste of what we can expect when she caught up with Jennifer, and her new and much younger man, back stage in California. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producers: Steven Burling, Sandra Cleary

August 26, 2012

License to Kill It’s monstrously unjust. A husband or boyfriend kills in a fit of rage – then blames his victim to wiggle out of a murder charge. It’s called the Provocation Defence. The man says that his wife or girlfriend drove him to it -that she was a nag or cheat. And that’s all the excuse he needs to get his murder charge reduced to manslaughter and to receive a much lighter sentence. It’s a license to kill. Yet our courts are buying it, letting the meanest and most brutal in our society get away with murder. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Stephen Rice The Good Wife It’s a big call but the lady you’re about to meet is convinced other women hate her just because she’s pretty. Anti-feminist crusader Samantha Brick claims her fabulous good looks have been a curse, that they’ve lost her friends and made her life Hell. But perhaps the problem isn’t her beauty but rather her outspoken views on marriage and relationships. She wants to return to the dark ages where the dutiful wife cooks, cleans and obeys. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Gareth Harvey A Wild Life He’s a living legend – as old as the Queen and to me at least – just as impressive. He’s made seventy documentaries, entertaining half a billion people. And he’s observed more species of animal than anyone else on Earth. We are talking of course about the inimitable Sir David Attenborough. Charles Wooley was privileged enough to be granted his only Australian interview during his recent tour of this country. More than a decade has past since Charles last met Sir David and he’s delighted to say the years have treated Sir David very well, indeed. He only wishes they’d been so kind to the planet. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Sandra Cleary

September 2, 2012

Charlotte’s Hell On the internet, they’re known as trolls. But let’s name them for what they really are – bullies, plain and simple. These cowards lurk in the shadows of the online world, using false names to spread their messages of hate. Their attacks can be vicious, intensely personal and, with the growth of social media like Twitter and Facebook, dangerous as well. Just days ago, television celebrity Charlotte Dawson was pushed to the very brink by these creeps. She was still shaken when Tara Brown spoke to her but she somehow found the strength to share her story. Her hope is that by speaking out, she can save someone else from the Hell that she only just survived. Reporter: Tara Brown Producers: Stephen Taylor, Hannah Boocock DIY Mums They’re the newest and most controversial operators on the fertility scene. Private sperm donation websites operate like online dating services, matching up would-be mums with donor dads, for free. Unlike traditional sperm banks, the woman actually gets to meet the potential dad. And he’s encouraged to become involved in his new baby’s life. This is a do-it-yourself method of getting pregnant so it’s light on romance and there are possible health risks. But, as Allison Langdon discovered, it’s also produced lots of little love stories and some very modern families for the mums brave enough to try. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Jo Townsend Licence to Thrill His name is Bond. James Bond. And he has to be the coolest chap on the planet. He’s triumphed over scores of unforgettable villains, bedded hundreds of beautiful women and saved the world over and over again. Fifty years have passed since Sean Connery first shrugged on a dinner jacket and ordered his martini shaken, not stirred. And now we’re gearing up for movie number 23. “Skyfall” stars the famously muscle-bound Daniel Craig. And no doubt, it will be another blockbuster for a franchise that’s become one of the most successful in movie history. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producers: Danny Keens, Sandra Cleary The Great Escape On Sunday night you will witness one of the most extraordinary acts of survival you’ll ever see. Ken Peters was performing in a show at Sea World in San Diego when a killer whale suddenly turned on him. For the next ten minutes, Ken was locked in a life-and-death struggle with the three-tonne predator. It’s incredible that he kept his composure and made it out of that tank alive. Others haven’t been so lucky. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Stephen Rice

September 9, 2012

Walking Tall We all want to fit in. That’s just the way we’re wired. But for the young man you’ll meet on Sunday night, blending into the crowd is an impossible dream. Igor is dangerously tall – 8 foot – and getting bigger by the day. While the first thing you notice about Igor is undoubtedly his height, spend some time with him and you realise he’s also charming, funny, complex and heartbreakingly lonely. He also has the biggest smile you’ll ever see – you just have to find a way to coax it out of him. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Phil Goyen Kidnapped! It’s the kidnap capital of the world – a city where someone is snatched off the street every three hours. In Sao Paulo, just walking outside your front door can be dangerous. Not even children are safe. The men and women who track down and rescue the hostages are members of Brazil’s crack anti-kidnapping unit. Allison Langdon joined these courageous men and women for one incredibly intense week. At times, Allison felt like she had wandered onto the set of a Hollywood action movie – except on this beat the bad guys and the bullets are real. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Steven Burling Mental as Anything She’s a chick from the ‘burbs – a down-to-earth Aussie sheila who’s risen to the top in Hollywood.Toni Collette got her start in that wonderfully odd little Australian movie “Muriel’s Wedding”. Her role as the dumpy, wedding-obsessed Muriel from Porpoise Spit set her on the road to international stardom. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she also happened to be blessed with bucket loads of talent. In the eighteen years since, Toni has won a Golden Globe and an Emmy as well as been nominated for an Oscar. Now she’s come full circle playing Shaz in the new Australian Film “Mental.” It’s another quirky local comedy. And it’s taken her back to the place she loves best – home. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Sandra Cleary Saint Catherine In Africa, she’s considered a saint. And having seen her at work, we’re not about to disagree. Dr Catherine Hamlin has devoted her life to healing the broken bodies of Ethiopian girls who have been forced into marriage and then get pregnant at far too young an age. But today this gentle woman is angry – angry with the Australian charity that has collected millions in her name. She accuses the charity of not passing the donations on. It’s a 15-million-dollar rift that threatens a lifetime’s work. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Stephen Taylor

September 16, 2012

In the Pink On stage, she’s a feisty rock chick – a woman with a big voice whose songs can make a bloke feel very small indeed. Just ask her husband. So it always surprises us how approachable and down to earth Pink is. When Peter Overton caught up with her in Los Angeles recently, she had hubbie Carey Hart and new daughter Willow in tow. They’re as normal a family as you’d find and incredibly welcoming. Motherhood clearly suits Pink, we would even say she’s mellowed since our last meeting. But some things don’t change. She still packs a wicked sense of humour. Reporter: Peter Overton Producer: Steven Burling Breaking the Silence We thought it was a haven, a model school where disadvantaged young boys and Catholic brothers all lived together as one big happy family. You may remember it from the famous lottery that raised millions in its name. But Boys Town, in Beaudesert Queensland, wasn’t the Godly place we all believed it to be. For many of the boys there, it was a pure hell. Those kids are grown men now. On Sunday night, after a lifetime of shame, they’ve found the courage to talk about what happened to them at Boys Town. Their stories are some of the hardest we’ve ever heard. But for the first time, the authorities are listening. And court action has now begun in what’s becoming one of the largest cases of its type in Australian legal history. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Danny Keens A Lethal Mix It’s the most dangerous of brews, a potentially lethal concoction of heavy spirits and high octane energy drinks. Young people love the stuff, whether they buy it readymade or mix their own. The alcohol gets them drunk and the energy drinks keep them awake. It can be like knocking back half a dozen cups of coffee, except they’re already buzzing from a skinful of booze. The idea is to make the fun last longer. But there’s nothing fun about landing in hospital. And that’s far from the worst that can happen. Reporter: Tara Brown Producers: Stephen Rice, Ali Smith

September 30, 2012

Bali – 10th Anniversary Special We thought it could never happen to us, that Australia was immune to the horror of terrorism. But then, ten years ago, a series of bombs ripped through Bali’s nightclub district and we lost our innocence. 202 people died that night, including 88 Aussies. Over the past decade, we’ve followed the survivors as they’ve rebuilt their lives. Some have done it publicly, defiantly thumbing their noses at the terrorists. Others like Carren Smith have struggled out of view – until now. On Sunday night, we revisit some of our inspirational survivors and, for the first time, Carren shares her incredible story. Reporter: Peter Overton Producer: Jo Townsend Going Native Keeping wild animals locked up, whether in a zoo, a cage or a backyard will always be controversial. In Australia, we’re not allowed to keep our native animals as pets. But it’s quite another story over in America where Aussie wildlife has become the latest must-have accessory. Michael Usher found fully-grown kangaroos being fussed over like household cats and dogs and tiny marsupials marketed as pocket pets. It’s a multi-million dollar industry; it could also hold the key to saving our precious animals from extinction. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Phil Goyen Firestorm Allison Langdon has just been to the gates of Hell. A place, where right under your feet, under homes and roads, immense fires burn out of control, fuelled by enormous deposits of coal. These fires are scarring the land and poisoning the people in a forgotten corner of India. It’s an environmental disaster and it’s raged unchecked for close to a hundred years. Now, over a million people are quite literally living on top of a firestorm. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Gareth Harvey

October 7, 2012

Total Recall You have to wonder, what on Earth was Arnold Schwarzenegger thinking? There he was, one of the most famous men in the world, a massive movie star and the governor of California, with a glamorous political wife in Maria Shriver and a brood of kids. Then he goes and sleeps with the household help. And it wasn’t a simple one night stand either- the affair resulted in a child – a boy called Joseph who is now 15-years-old. The scandal broke in May last year and Schwarzenegger hasn’t said a word about any of it – until now. His confessional with Lesley Stahl of the American 60 Minutes program is one of the most compelling interviews we’ve ever seen. Schwarzenegger certainly regrets what he’s done but is he sorry? We’ll leave that for you to decide. Reporter: Lesley Stahl, CBS 60 Minutes Producer: Rich Bonin One Way Ticket Every year, thousands of young Australians fly off for a gap year adventure. Their travels take them all over the world, often to poor and dangerous places that make their mums and dads fret. But Karen Bourke wasn’t worried when she waved her son off at the airport. After all, Glenn was only going to New Zealand and that’s almost as safe as home – right? But the world capital of adventure tourism can be a deadly place as Glenn and eight others so tragically discovered. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producers: Gareth Harvey, Ali Smith Terry Terrific Sometimes just leading an ordinary life can be an extraordinary achievement. That’s certainly the case for 17-year-old Terry Vo. Seven years ago, Terry was playing backyard basketball when an attempted slam dunk brought a brick wall crashing down on him. The accident severed both his hands and his left foot. World-first surgery reattached those limbs. But what really amazed us was how this brave little boy smiled through everything. Tara Brown has been following Terry’s progress from the start and is pleased to say his story just gets better and better. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Stephen Taylor

October 14, 2012

Fatal Distraction Most of us have done it at some time or other. And it’s as dangerous as it is crazy. Now, new research has found that texting while driving is far riskier than we ever thought. Start punching out a conversation on your phone and your chance of having an accident jumps enormously. You may as well be hurtling down the highway blindfolded. Yes, we know it’s hard to resist a beeping mobile, but this story should make every one of us think twice before we text behind the wheel because a few seconds of distraction is all it takes to shatter lives. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producers: Nick Greenaway, Hannah Boocock Switched at Birth Imagine making a decision – just one decision – that would haunt you for life and rip away everything you loved. Back in 1991, Sandy Dawkins and Megs Clinton Parker discovered that their two-year-old sons had been switched at birth, that they were each raising a child that was not biologically their own. They could have swapped the boys over then and there. But they didn’t. For the next two decades, we watched as Sandy and Megs tried to make their bizarre relationship work. But, perhaps inevitably, it all fell apart. Now, 23 years later, there’s been yet another and even more extraordinary twist in this bitter family saga. Reporter: Peter Overton Producer: Nick Greenaway Trip of the Tongue Imagine waking up one morning and not sounding like yourself, in fact sounding like someone from an entirely different country. Liam Bartlett has just spent a few fascinating days with three otherwise normal women who have the medical world completely stumped. One day they felt sick, the next they were jabbering away with thick foreign accents. One can now pass for Russian. Another has developed a French lilt. The third sounds Chinese. It’s called Foreign Accent Syndrome and it’s a condition that’s as rare as it is strange. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producers: Howard Sacre, Gareth Harvey

October 21, 2012

Built on Lies Who could ever forget those images after the Christchurch earthquake, of the local television station reduced to rubble? One hundred and fifteen lives were lost in that building. Now one of the key people responsible for its construction has been revealed as a monumental impostor. Brisbane man Gerald Shirtcliff conned his way into the building trade. For 42 years, this fraud masqueraded as an English engineer called Will Fisher. He stole Mr Fisher’s name, his birthday and his professional qualifications. It was a monstrous deception, a real life “Catch me if you Can” – as audacious as it was evil. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Stephen Rice First Words Imagine not being able to communicate with your own child, never knowing what they’re thinking or how they feel. That’s what life’s like every day for the parents of severely autistic children. And it’s just as distressing for the kids who have no way of expressing themselves and often lash out in frustration. But finally, there’s a way. Just as computer apps have revolutionised our lives, they’re also changing how autistic children interact with their world. Now they’re truly connecting with their mums and dads for the first time. And if you think that’s remarkable, consider this: world first technology has made it possible for doctors to see how autism affects the brain, providing hope that we’ll one day find a cure to this most mysterious of conditions. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Phil Goyen Frozen Frontier As a 60 Minutes reporter, Charles Wooley has been lucky enough to have travelled to every continent on earth – bar one. Antarctica, that vast icy wilderness at the bottom of the world. Well, finally he made it. Charles spent an unforgettable week there and the images will stay with him forever. The incredible scale, the wildlife, the night-less skies, the frightening emptiness and, amazingly, the colours of ice. Australia is the biggest stakeholder in this beautiful land and we’ve pushed harder than anyone to protect it from exploitation. But, as Charles discovered, change is on its way. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Nick Greenaway

November 4, 2012

A Father’s Fight When Michael Roberts fell madly in love with a beautiful American woman, he never imagined his life would end up as strange and as chilling as any crime thriller. Theirs was a whirlwind online romance. Within weeks of meeting, Michael had packed his bags and moved halfway across the world. It proved a fatal mistake. You see, Michael’s new wife, the mother of his two young children, turned out to be a cold blooded killer. And just when you think it can’t get more sinister, more unbelievable, there’s another twist to the tale. Reporter: Michael Usher Producers: Danny Keens, Hannah Boocock The Contenders It’s the greatest show on Earth right now. And for good reason, this American election campaign has everything. There are Mormons and millionaires, celebrities and shock jocks. Then just when it seemed campaigning had settled into a steady rhythm, along came hurricane Sandy. That monster storm kept President Obama and his rival Mitt Romney off the hustings for a couple of days. But behind the scenes, the party machines kept chugging on. Liz Hayes sat down with two of the most influential and entertaining cogs. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producer: Phil Goyen The Majestic Mantas It has to be one of nature’s greatest shows. Certainly we’ve never witnessed anything like the dancing manta rays of the Maldives. Their mesmerising underwater ballet only happens at one place on Earth and, even then, only rarely. So, it’s devastating to think that these massive and majestic creatures are being hunted to extinction. And, if we’re not careful, the curtain will come down on their hauntingly beautiful performance forever. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Gareth Harvey

November 11, 2012

The GoPro Revolution They’ve revolutionised the way we see our world and created a new breed of film makers who are as crazy as they are daring. GoPro cameras are tiny; small enough to be attached to a bird, strapped to a base jumper’s helmet or swallowed by a shark. The video they produce is, quite simply, extraordinary. You feel like you’re right there in the middle of the action. As you’ll see it’s one wild ride but a ride you can safely enjoy from the comfort of your own sofa. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producers: Stephen Rice, Howard Sacre Stopping the Clock It’s the great dilemma of young women everywhere – how to build a successful career, without missing out on motherhood. Now, doctors have found a new way for women to have babies well into middle age and beyond. This revolutionary procedure is called ovarian tissue freezing. It quite literally puts a woman’s biological clock on ice. But here in Australia, the surgery is considered so controversial, it’s only available to cancer patients; women who are left infertile by the very treatment that saves their lives. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producer: Sandra Cleary Driving Blind Right now, a young driver – probably a man – is about to make a potentially lethal decision. He’s blind drunk and he knows it. But he’s going to get behind the wheel of his car anyway. The terrifying thing is he’s probably done it before. And, worse still, there are others in the car in search of a good time. Gaol, stiff fines, the constant scare campaigns – nothing, it seems, can stop this stupidity. The result is carnage. A rising toll of young people killed and seriously injured. And behind the appalling statistics are shattered families. Look into the eyes of Ebony Dunsworth’s parents and, like us, you’ll despair. Reporter: Michael Usher Producer: Howard Sacre

November 18, 2012

High Dive Whoever could forget that dive at the Beijing Olympics? Or the look of pure joy on Matthew Mitcham’s face when he realised he’d won gold. But behind the smiles and Matthew’s extraordinary athleticism, all was not as it seemed. You see, there’s another, darker side to Matthew. A tortured childhood, battles with depression and, most disturbingly, the revelation that he was hooked on drugs – addicted to crystal meth or ice, as it’s known. And as Matthew’s life unravelled, he feared he would lose everything he loved and had worked so hard for. Reporter: Liz Hayes Producer: Stephen Taylor Brute Force Reckless, dangerous, even thuggish. You’d think we were talking about a violent street gang. But these are the words used by the New South Wales coroner this past week to describe members of that state’s police force. She was ruling on the death of a Brazilian student during a Sydney arrest in March. That young man, Roberto Curti was tackled by eleven officers. He was doused in capsicum spray and tasered 14 times. It was a horrible way to die and one that continues to haunt the close-knit family he’s left behind. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producers: David Alrich, Steven Burling Song Bird She’s had one hundred hit singles and written songs for The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Kylie Minogue and Adele. Carole King is, quite simply, the most successful and prolific female songwriter of all time. In fact, over the last fifty years, her music has been recorded by one thousand singers. For those too young or too befuddled to recall the 1960s and early seventies, the songs of Carole King provide a perfect snapshot of the time. It was an age when love and optimism reigned supreme and the earth moved in quite wonderful ways. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Steven Burling, Phil Goyen

November 25, 2012

Abducted! It's been the most public and bitter of family feuds - two parents, four children split across the world and splashed all over the media. The story begins with a desperate escape. Mum, Laura, flees Italy and her allegedly violent Italian husband, to return home with the couple's four daughters. Two years later, the Australian Federal Police arrive on the doorstep and literally drag the children onto a plane back to Italy. Watching those girls struggle against the police and scream for their mother, it all seemed so heavy handed and so wrong. But there are two sides to every story and this Sunday night for the first time, you'll hear what Dad's got to say. And there's a third player in this sorry tale: the Australian government which knowingly aided and abetted an international kidnap. Reporter: Tara Brown Producers: Gareth Harvey, Steven Burling Unlikely Princess A few years back, the British Royals were so unpopular they could do no right. Then came the wedding of William and Kate and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Now, with their recent trip to Australia, Prince Charles and Camilla proved The Firm is more popular than ever, much to the chagrin of Republicans like Charles Wooley. What you might not have noticed while you were out fluttering your Union Jacks, was that another Royal had slipped into town. Zara Phillips, the Queen's eldest granddaughter and darling of the English horsey set was on the Gold Coast doing a little bit of, dare we say, commercial business. Reporter: Charles Wooley Producer: Stephen Taylor The Seekers Before AC/DC, before INXS, before the Bee Gees, even before the Easybeats, Australia had a supergroup that was as big and as successful as any band in the world. They were and are The Seekers: Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley. The Seekers started out in 1962, an endearingly daggy folk group that, against all odds, outsold the Rolling Stones, played alongside The Beatles and drew two hundred thousand people to a single concert. They've been through their ups and downs, as you do over a half century but now, they're back and their songs are as contagious as ever. Reporter: Ray Martin Producer: Sandra Cleary By Design How far would you go to choose the sex of your baby? For Jodi and Andrew McMahon, the proud parents of seven sons, the answer was halfway around the world. Earlier this year, Tara Brown joined the McMahon tribe on their epic quest for a baby girl. The method they used - called gender selection - is extremely controversial, so much so that it's banned in this country. But, nine months on, it's hard to argue with the results. Reporter: Tara Brown Producer: Sandra Cleary

December 2, 2012

Mind over Medicine We’ve all heard about placebos, those phoney sugar pills that doctors sometimes hand out to trick people into thinking they’ve been medicated. It’s all about using the extraordinary healing power of positive thinking. Well, now researchers are making revolutionary advances in the science of placebos. So much so, it’s gone way beyond swallowing fake tablets to cure minor ailments. They’ve now got patients undergoing pretend operations to fight disease and chronic pain, and the results are nothing short of remarkable. Reporter: Allison Langdon Producers: Jo Townsend, Phil Goyen Accidental Genius It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood movie, an ordinary bloke takes a blow to the head and then, suddenly, incredibly is transformed into a genius. Far fetched right? Well you’re about to meet three people who’ve gone through that experience in real life. They’ve all suffered some kind of brain damage and survived to become gifted musicians, mathematicians and artists. Scientists call them acquired savants. It’s a fascinating field of study and it could just hold the key to making us all a whole lot smarter. Reporter: Liam Bartlett Producer: Howard Sacre The Master He’s given us some of Hollywood’s most memorable moments: Jaws rearing from the ocean, a young Drew Barrymore face to face with E.T, Indiana Jones trapped in a snake pit. And those are just a few scenes from an incredible career that spans four decades and 27 films. Stephen Spielberg is the most successful film maker of his generation, maybe of all time. Yet, as Lesley Stahl of American 60 Minutes discovered, he still panics before every new project. Reporter: Lesley Stahl, CBS 60 Minutes Producers: Ruth Streeter, Rebecca Peterson The Vanishing When Liz Hayes first met conservationist Chris Darwin two years ago – great, great grandson of the naturalist Charles Darwin – she was a little taken aback. He’s unconventional to say the least. And unusually generous. To combat what he calls our “biggest extinction period in history”, he bought up vast tracts of prime Australian bush. So, when the miners and their trucks began to muscle in on his land, he embarked on a series of experiments just like his famous Great Great Granddaddy. (This story is an update to the original story broadcast on: 27th June, 2010) Reporter: Liz Hayes Producer: Jo Townsend

December 23, 2012

The Treasure Hunter You're about to embark on a grand adventure with one of our last great explorers. Bob Ballard scours the world's oceans looking for submerged treasure and he's found plenty of it over the last fifty years. Deadly Encounter Witness an underwater drama that is quite simply mind blowing. A face-to-face encounter with a four-and-a-half metre wild crocodile. God's Angels Get ready to meet some real teenaged hell-raisers. Brynne, Savannah and Tess are trainee exorcists; all-American school girls who slay demons in their spare time. Armed with just a bible, holy water and a handbag-sized cross, they fearlessly take on the forces of darkness wherever they may lurk. And, nowadays, that seems to be everywhere. The Catholic Church is performing more exorcisms than ever before, while the girls can scarcely keep up with demand. And we’ll give them this much. They do put on one devil of a show.

December 30, 2012

Wall to Wall It's an album that defined one generation and became a rallying cry for another. 33 years have past since Pink Floyd released "The Wall" but the music is as powerful and relevant as ever. Revenge Lust, sex, betrayal and revenge - this story is as juicy as any soap opera and almost as farfetched. It started out as a love triangle between an international model, her sports star boyfriend, and her unscrupulous and obsessed mother. And it spiralled out of control from there.There was a murder plot, a couple of Nigerian hit men, and a sensational trial. But what makes this tale truly incredible is how a wronged daughter chose to deal with her mother's treachery. Chilling Out Liam Bartlett has just returned from a place so piercingly cold, it gives him the shivers just thinking about it. It's not Antarctica or even the top of Mount Everest. It's actually a tiny village in central Siberia. In Oymiakon, it's so cold your eyelashes freeze together and you're constantly on guard against frostbite. If it's warmer than minus 55 degrees Celsius, then it's a good day. So rug up as we venture to the coldest town in the world.