ABC1's blog

5:00pm – Sunday, August 2 on ABC1

This week on Sunday Arts, Michael Veitch meets one of the world’s most celebrated cellists, Steven Isserlis.

Steven Isserlis Well known for his flamboyant performances and acclaimed for his musicality and technical skills, Steven Isserlis is one of the world’s most celebrated cellists. He regularly performs with the most prestigious orchestras around the globe, has an incredibly successful solo career and has released a number of widely acclaimed CDs. This week on Sunday Arts Steven performs for us and chats to Michael Veitch about his passion for music education and performing, and the latest books that this multi-talented performer has written for children. Steven Isserlis is currently in Australia, touring with Musica Viva and his Hungarian pianist, Dénes Varjon. You can see him perform in Sydney on August 3, Brisbane on August 5, Canberra on August 6, and Newcastle on August 8.

Sunday Arts will be repeated on ABC2 – Sunday, August 02 at 7:30pm

1:30pm – Sunday, August 2 on ABC1

Emily Kngwarreye had a brief but prolific career as one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists after she first began painting canvases in her late seventies.

Her artworks have been captivating people the world over for the past twenty years, and that interest hasn’t waned since her passing back in 1996.

In the second of the two-part program we follow the exhibition as it reaches Japan, the planning, the hanging and eventually the opening of what turned out to be a hugely successful show.

And despite different cultural backgrounds, the power and energy of Emily’s work communicates in a language that’s timeless and universal.

Message Stick: Emily In Japan: Part Two will be repeated on ABC2 – Monday, August 03 at 5:00pm

Saturday August 01, 9:15pm

DS Max Carter (Christopher Fox) leads an investigation into an armed robbery at a toy shop where CCTV footage appears to show two known thieves casing the shop the day before.

Carter suspects that a woman seen arguing with an employee moments before the robbery was acting as a decoy, but PC Millie Brown (Clare Foster) is convinced of her innocence.

The Bill will be repeated on ABC2 – Tuesday, August 04 at 9:20pm

Saturday August 01, 8:30pm

Sun Hill’s crime scene expert Eddie Olosunje (Jason Barnett) is devastated when he misses some vital evidence, and is hauled over the coals by acting CID head DS Stuart Turner (Doug Rao).

Turner and DC Mickey Webb (Chris Simmons) are investigating what they initially think is an aggravated burglary, but soon discover it is much more than that.

A young boy is frightened to tell the truth in case he’s split up from his disabled father, and his efforts to hide the facts of his father’s assault hamper the investigation.

7:30pm – Saturday, August 1 on ABC1

The three-day cyclonic storm that blew Gerry into town finally departs, leaving in its wake some major damage to the Far Out East. Citing safety regulations, the council demands the resort be repaired by close of business – or forfeit its residency certificate – so Vance leads the charge to set things straight, mustering all hands on deck.

Art is dismayed when Gerry quickly ingratiates himself with Vance and his long-lost grandson – Josh – who takes a shine to his Pop and agrees to help him in the reconstruction of the rotunda. Gerry’s belief in redistribution and the universe providing – by way of opportunistic theft – leaves Josh with some tricky moral choices. Art is frustrated to boiling point by the old man’s tireless charm.

Things go from bad to worse for Art when it is revealed that a company takeover has seen his book dumped before publication. The fact that Eve hasn’t even read Art’s book puts further strain on their union as Gerry leaves a trail of chaos which leads to a brush with the law.

Meanwhile Eve’s frustration with both her work and domestic situation increases as Carter Smith, the handsome, celebrity greenie, woos her with offers that make her position at council tenuous. When Art arrives to find Carter has crashed what was meant to be a romantic dinner with Eve, all goes awry and the night culminates in a messy confrontation between the fractious lovers..

10:00am – Saturday, August 1 on ABC1

On Saturday 1st August, rage pays tribute to the undisputed ‘King Of Pop’, Michael Jackson in a way that only rage can – no interruptions, only full length clips, archive rarities, interview footage and much more spanning over 40 years of Michael Jackson’s prolific career.

The special includes rare footage of Jackson performing his earliest hits, see interview footage with the Jackson family from the 1970s, plus we will play all your favourite clips from the fabulous five that will make you want to boogie in your lounge room.

Step back in time as we play you rare footage from ABC-TV’s Countdown including exclusive interviews with Jackson, and keep an eye out for Molly Meldrum dressed in ghoulish zombie makeup to celebrate the release of Thriller.

When it comes to music, Michael Jackson owned the 80s. High budget, epic clips were MJ’s signature and rage will show you his clips in all their cinematic glory including Bad and Thriller. And make sure you have your pen and paper ready to name over 30 celebrities who cameo in his clip for Liberian Girl.

We’ll also be playing his many collaborations with celebrities throughout his career including duets with his sister Janet and Michael Jordan plus the iconic We are the World and so many more.

Tune in for an hour-long preview of the special starting at 10am on Saturday, August 1. Repeat screening at 5pm on ABC2. Then count down the hours until the full tribute starts at 11:45pm on Saturday night, ABC1. Expect to be tired on Sunday, because this special will keep you up all night.

To find out more about the special visit the rage website – www.abc.net.au/rage the full playlist for the special will be posted on the site Friday 31st July.

rage: Special: Michael Jackson will be repeated on ABC2 – Saturday, August 01 at 5:00pm

9:40pm – Friday, July 31 on ABC1

In this two-part thriller Martin Kemp shines as a self-made millionaire betrayed by those he trusts.

Life should be sweet for Mark Terry (Martin Kemp) but the reappearance of an old school friend with a score to settle leaves him fighting for his marriage, his freedom and ultimately, his life.

Mark’s marriage to ex-model Zara (Claire Goose) has been in trouble since the cot death of their baby son.

Zara is still extremely fragile, resentful of how Mark seems to be just getting on with things, while he feels he can do nothing right and even begins to suspect she is having an affair.

It’s not the way their life was supposed to be.

He built a successful property development business on the back of an unexpected windfall and, until the death of their son, he and Zara seemed to have everything.

But their different reactions to the tragedy exposed huge flaws in their relationship.

Enter Mark’s old school friend Stuart Milburn (Hugo Speer) who just happens to have an old score to settle.

Now a senior police detective, Stuart and Mark haven’t met since they were teenagers and his reappearance brings 30-year-old secrets back to the surface…

8:30pm – Friday, July 31 on ABC1

This two-part drama returns to ABC1 for a repeat screening.

Part one follows Dougie Molloy whose 15-year-old daughter, Pippa, went missing three years ago. Refusing to give up hope of finding her, Dougie threw in his school teaching job and became a mini-cab driver, searching for her as he drives the streets.

Dougie blames himself for her disappearance and has been accused of killing her. Much to his surprise he has found love and happiness again with divorcee Maggie Shields.

Six months into the relationship, Dougie’s plan to move in with Maggie is not exactly welcomed by her 16-year-old daughter Scarlett. She rejects his over-protectiveness and turns to her barrister father, Christopher, for support. Christopher, who can’t help resenting Dougie, voices concerns about his past and showers undue attention on Scarlett.

Trouble flares when Maggie and Dougie announce they are getting married.

8:30pm – Thursday, July 30 on ABC1

Millions of years ago, a little girl was born. It’s time to meet our 47-million-year-old ancestor…

The Link: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor? tells the story of the 47-million-year-old fossil known as Ida, which scientists believe could be an indication of one of the roots of anthropoid evolution – the point at which our primate ancestors began first developing the features that would evolve into our own.

Lying inside a high-security vault, deep within the heart of one of the world’s leading natural history museums, this scientific find of a lifetime connects to everyone.

Kept secret for two years, Ida is the most complete early primate fossil ever found.

With exclusive access to Ida and the team of scientists who have examined her, this documentary follows the University of Oslo’s two-year journey to secretly analyse and verify Ida, piecing together her forensic secrets.

The film shows how various techniques were used to examine and re-create the creature, revealing that this early primate was a previously unknown species and one of our earliest ancestors.

Discovered in Messel Pit, Germany, Ida is 20-times older than most fossils that explain human evolution, and is 96 percent complete.

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, The Link: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor? brings Ida to life, using 3-D animations and imaging technologies to re-create Ida and the world that she would have inhabited.

8:00pm – Thursday, July 30 on ABC1

Binge drinking is a teen issue that has shaken a cocktail of concern. But is this just media hype? Through a range of experiments, this second episode of Whatever! The Science Of Teens exposes the true dangers behind what used to be seen as just a harmless rite of passage.

The Teens: Liam (19) has been binge drinking since he was 15. He reckons the drunker you get, the better the night. Although now sober, Christian (23) spent his adolescence addicted to alcohol and was once charged for a violent crime he can’t remember committing. Henry (16) is learning to drink responsibly but still occasionally binge drinks when he’s with his mates.

The science: The latest science is showing that if you drink alcohol before the age of 14 you double the likelihood of developing alcohol problems, such as dependence, in the future. But there are many other more immediate problems associated with teen binge drinking.

Adolescent brains are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of alcohol, much more so than adult brains. While the brain is developing towards its adult form, it’s designed to be extremely sensitive to positive external influences, this helps it learn and grow. However it is also a time in which the brain is extremely vulnerable to damage from negative influences, such as drugs and alcohol.

The Experiments: Under lab conditions Liam and host Steve Cannane must both drink one alcoholic drink every 15 minutes for 3 hours. Professor John Toumbourou will regularly test their cognitive and motor skills to determine how alcohol affects them both differently. The memory functioning of Henry, Liam and Steve is tested by Professor Jon Currie. All three participants have binged in the past but the results are not what you may expect.