ABC2's blog

9:30pm – Wednesday, February 17 on ABC2

40 years after Britain’s foremost ‘underground’ band released their debut album, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd remains one of the biggest brand names and best loved bands in the world.

They pioneered everything from underground rock to the stadium extravaganza; a band that has survived tragedy, shunned celebrity and wrestled publicly with both its success and its audience.

This film features extended archive, some of it rarely or never seen, alongside original interviews with four members of Pink Floyd – David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason – and traces the journey of a band and the different stages of its evolution.

There have been five men in Pink Floyd, and three of them have led the band in different decades. That’s why the question still remains: which one’s Pink?

9:30pm – Tuesday, February 16 on ABC2

Disguised as an old man in a wheelchair just out of hospital, Omar makes a dramatic reappearance in The Wire tonight. With partner in crime Kimmy, the two con their way into a Barksdale stash house, and in a heist that’s almost too easy, make off with the drugs and the cash.

Stringer Bell visits Avon Barksdale in jail to detail his plan to deploy the troops across a variety of drug corners, with instructions to make their high-quality heroin available to other dealers at advantageous prices. When his drug crews fan out to new territory pitching their scheme they encounter a fair amount of scepticism from mid-level dealers.

Meanwhile, not convinced that D’Angelo Barksdale’s death in prison was in fact a suicide, McNulty probes the case further, with his focus still on bringing Stringer Bell to justice.

Addressing his troops, Western Districts’ Police Major Howard ‘Bunny’ Colvin, foreshadows a new scheme he’s cooking up to contain the city’s drug trafficking. He explains that after the City Council years ago passed a law forbidding the consumption of alcohol in public places, cops spent an inordinate amount of time arresting men on street corners.

“The corner is, was and always will be the poor man’s lounge… But somewhere back in the ’50s, there was a small moment of goddamn genius by some nameless smoke hound who comes out of a cut-rate one day and on his way to the corner, slips that just-bought pint of elderberry into a paper bag – a great moment of civic compromise. That small wrinkled-ass paper bag allowed the corner boys to drink in peace while giving us permission to go do police work. Dozerman got shot last night trying to buy three”, Major Colvin continues. “There’s never been a paper bag for drugs. Until now.” Herc and Carver hear him but don’t yet understand the point he’s making, and are irritated at his ambiguity. http://abc.net.au/iview/

8:40pm – Tuesday, February 16 on ABC2

They say there’s only six degrees of separation between you and the rest of the world. Sometimes it’s not even that many. Sometimes the most brutal evil you can imagine is already part of your world.

Durham County is an emotionally powerful six-part series that centres on Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon – Flashpoint) and his family as they move from the city to a seemingly idyllic suburb in the hope of making a new start. But the appearance of a local serial killer sees Mike assigned to the case and become increasingly suspicious that his new neighbour Ray Prager (Justin Louis – Missing; Dawn Of The Dead) may be the killer.

Mike and Ray share a history stretching back as far as high school… a history that could have deadly consequences. This award-winning Canadian drama also stars Australian actress Hélène Joy as Audrey Sweeney (Water Rats, Stingers).

In episode three, Police Detective Mike Sweeney secretly grieves his lover’s murder while trying to find her killer. Ray Prager crosses paths with a serial killer and another woman is murdered.

http://abc.net.au/iview/

9:05pm – Monday, February 15 on ABC2

This ten-episode series follows six young writers over the course of a summer as they work towards earning a highly coveted full-time position at Rolling Stone magazine. For each of the aspiring writers, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, but only one of them will be offered the contributing editor contract.

The six writers – including Sydney college student of UC Berkley, Peter Maiden – chosen from a pool of thousands of applicants, are thrown into the mixer with a wide array of writing assignments including artist and entertainment profiles and coverage of national affairs, politics and pop culture.

Some of the musical acts featured in the series include Band of Horses, Ghostface Killah, We Are Scientists, The Roots, Lupe Fiasco and more. The writers also cover some of the biggest music events of the year including the Roskilde Music Festival and Lollapalooza.

Cameras document the young journalists’ entire experience working in a high-pressured journalistic environment for the first time. They compete with one another for story assignments, stress about hitting deadlines and face no-holds-barred critiques from Rolling Stone editors, all while dealing with their own personal challenges.

http://abc.net.au/iview/

9:30pm – Sunday, February 14 on ABC2

In episode three of the second series of this popular UK comedy, Pete comforts Amy after her rejection from Adam. When he is sent on an Outward Bound course by work for the weekend to ‘identify and encourage management potential’ he is pleased that Amy will be there to keep him company. They have forged a close relationship and during the weekend they get lost in the woods in the rain and decide to cheat by booking into a hotel – one room only.

Later, Pete confides in Adam the banality of his marriage and asks Adam to come round to lay the past to rest. Although the atmosphere is strained, all three try to appear as casual as possible as Adam recounts the Rachel tale. He is even more put out as Rachel II has turned her attentions to the bodybuilding barman and is kept up all night to the sound of their sexual activities. Jenny persuades Adam to place an advert in the Meeting Place section of the paper.

Karen plans a surprise trip to Paris for their wedding anniversary, as she is aware that her husband David never remembers it. Unbeknown to Karen, David has also planned a surprise trip to London – the best hotel, restaurant, and show. This prompts much confusion, with David ending up in Paris while Karen goes to London.

Rachel starts a new job at an advertising agency. She meets Danny, a junior member of the team. Danny is bet twenty pounds by his colleague that he can’t score with Rachel. After her initial rejection she decides to go for a drink with Danny. After struggling with the age gap, Rachel starts seeing Danny on a regular basis until her boss reveals the bet that Danny made. Rachel smacks Danny across the face but forgives him when he admits he gave in to the bet as he started to fall for her.

Meanwhile, Adam has chosen a candidate for his date, but the date turns into a disaster when Rachel turns up at the same restaurant with her new boyfriend Danny.

http://abc.net.au/iview/

7:30pm – Sunday, February 14 on ABC2

In the comedy stage play Caesar And Cleopatra, Bernard Shaw uses his legendary wit to turn ancient history on its head – and to challenge Shakespeare’s view of his two famous protagonists.

Direct from the stage in Stratford-Upon-Avon – Shakespeare’s birthplace and home to the famous Royal Shakespeare Company – political drama meets sparkling comedy as veteran strategist Julius Caesar becomes mentor to the enchanting teenage queen of Roman-occupied Egypt.

From her first timid encounter with Caesar under a desert moon, Cleopatra grows in strength to become a determined player in the game of power politics – but has she really learned what Caesar wanted to teach her.

In his inimitable style, Shaw turns this centuries-old story into a hilarious yet affecting critique of human nature that remains as pertinent today as when he wrote it – reminding readers once again why he is regarded as one of the English language’s greatest playwrights.

8:30pm – Saturday, February 13 on ABC2

Refusing to join the company boxing team gets Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a soldier in Sgt. Milton Warden’s outfit, ostracised by his fellow soldiers save one, Pvt. Angelo Maggio.

While Prewitt falls in love with prostitute Alma ‘Lorene’ Burke, and Warden carries on an affair with Karen Holmes, the wife of their company commander, Maggio goes AWOL and is brutally beaten before dying in Prewitt’s arms.

In retaliation, Prewitt angrily kills the man responsible for Maggio’s death and then finds sanctuary in Lorene’s arms – until Pearl Harbour is bombed and he’s killed while trying to rejoin Warden and their company to defend the islands.

Directed by Fred Zinnemann, From Here To Eternity stars Montgomery Clift as Prewitt, Burt Lancaster as Sgt. Milton Warden, Frank Sinatra as Pvt. Angelo Maggio, Donna Reed as Alma ‘Lorene’ Burke, and Deborah Kerr as Karen Holmes.

From Here To Eternity won eight Academy Awards in 1953 – Actor In A Supporting Role – Frank Sinatra (Angelo Maggio); Actress In A Supporting Role – Donna Reed (Lorene/Alma); Cinematography (Black and White) – Burnett Guffey; Directing – Fred Zinnemann; Film Editing – William Lyon; Best Motion Picture – Buddy Alder, Producer; Sound Recording – Columbia Studio Sound Department, John P Livadary, Sound Director; and Writing (Screenplay) – Daniel Taradash.

The film also received five Academy Award nominations: Actor – Montgomery Clift (Robert E. Lee Prewitt); Actor – Burt Lancaster (Sgt. Milton Warden); Actress – Deborah Kerr (Karen Holmes); Costume Design (Black and White) – Jean Louis; and Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) – Morris Stoloff, George Duning.

6:30pm – Saturday, February 13 on ABC2

At Leopard’s Den’s busy animal hospital, newly-widowed Danny Trevanion (Stephen Tompkinson) is battling to keep his family and business together, after the tragic death of his wife.

The custody courts are threatening to send his stepson Evan (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) back to his father in Britain, and daughter Rosie (Lucy-Jo Hudson), faces tough decisions over her future as a vet and her partnership with fiancé Max (Martinus Van Der Berg).

Feisty vet Alice Collins (Dawn Steele) joins the team at Leopard’s Den – she has been working as a locum in South Africa, with her young daughter Charlotte (Megan Martell) in tow. Danny needs a new vet to work alongside him in the hospital, but gradually realises that in Alice, he has taken on more than he bargained for.

While Caroline remains in the UK with her granddaughter, her sister Georgina (real life sister Juliet Mills) comes to take care of the irascible Du Plessis (Deon Stewardson). But Georgina is contemptuous of what she considers the ‘scruffy’ game reserve and antagonistic towards Du Plessis from the start.

9:30pm – Friday, February 12 on ABC2

Now that he’s told Skyler (Anna Gunn) his secret, and unaware that Hank’s (Dean Norris) search for his missing informant, Krazy-8, is leading the DEA closer to exposing his drug dealing, Walt (Bryan Cranston) reveals the news about his cancer at a family barbecue.

Although Skyler insists that they will get through it as a family, and Marie (Betsy Brandt) offers to set him up with an oncology ‘dream team,’ Walt still refuses to borrow money from Hank to pay for the first appointment. So, after telling Skyler that he will draw on his pension, he takes the cash from the money he and Jesse (Aaron Paul) ended up with following their aborted drug deal.

Meanwhile, Jesse seeks refuge at his parents’ house, but it’s clear that he’s living in the shadow of his overachieving younger brother, Jake. As Jesse does his best to obey his parents’ rules to keep from being thrown out, he’s surprised when Jake says that he is actually the one that their mom and dad are always talking about.

After Jesse gets a call from his friends looking to buy more meth, Walt adamantly refuses to resume their partnership. Meanwhile, Walt’s first visit to see Dr. Delcavoli makes it clear that he is facing a rocky road ahead.

Finally, after telling Skyler that he needs to give more thought to committing to an expensive series of cancer treatments, Walt vents his rage over his circumstances on an arrogant young businessman’s expensive sports car.

http://abc.net.au/iview/

10:00pm – Thursday, February 11 on ABC2

BBC Brussels correspondent and media darling Jeremy Morrison (Rhashan Stone) is parachuted into Karibu to report on the ceasefire, much to David’s (Martin Jarvis) disgust.

As the world changes around him David fears for his future, while producer Jane (Doon Mackichan) must try and keep both her ‘big beasts’ happy with just one cameraman between them.

Elsewhere, Margaret (Joanna Brookes) is recording the sound of a zebra’s breath, and Harry (Bruce MacKinnon) is teaching local reporter William how to be a famous TV journalist – until a humanitarian crisis brings them all together.

http://abc.net.au/iview/