60 Minutes

Sunday, August 7 at 7.30pm on Nine

The Big Squeeze

Well we dodged a bullet this week. The Reserve Bank decided to keep interest rates on hold yet again, and with good reason. Record numbers of Australians are struggling to keep up with their mortgage repayments. Home ownership has never been tougher or more thankless. A generation ago, buying a house was the done thing – the one investment that was considered as good as money in the bank. If you didn’t own the roof over your head, you’d failed in some way. Not anymore. Nowadays, renting might just put you ahead of the game.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producers: Jo Townsend, Steve Burling

Making Strides

“You’ll never walk again.” How would you feel hearing those words? And how would you go living with them for the rest of your life? Well, Peter Overton just met two determined young Australians who refuse to accept the doctor’s verdict. Josh Clift and Amanda Boxtel believed there had to be a way to get their legs working again, so they travelled halfway around the world in search of a miracle, to a place that’s right at the cutting edge of spinal research. And with doctors recently announcing they’ve just helped a paraplegic to stand up and move, it seems that miracle isn’t so very far away.

Reporter: Peter Overton

Producer: Nick Greenaway

Channel Fever

It was the swim of three lifetimes. Last week, Melbourne girl Chloe McCardel waded into the chill waters of Southern England, determined to become just the fourth person to make a triple crossing of the English Channel. How she found the courage to dive into that rough and unpredictable ocean just amazes us. But every year, hundreds try it, all determined to conquer swimming’s Mt Everest. Maybe if they saw what happened to Chloe, they’d think twice before taking the plunge.

Reporter: Charles Wooley

Producer: Jo Townsend

MasterChef Finale, Ten, 6.30pm and 8.30pm
See who will win the title of MasterChef 2011 as Michael Weldon of South Australia takes on mum of three, Kate Brooks from New South Wales. What will the final challenges be and will they stick to the same format as previous years, with points accumulating throughout the show.

Sunday Night, Seven, 6.30pm
Sunday Night presents an exclusive interview and surprise performance with Australia’s Got Talent winner Jack Vidgen.

60 Minutes, Nine, 8pm
Meet two young Australians who refuse to accept the doctor’s verdict that they ‘will never walk again’. Plus, every year, hundreds try it, all determined to conquer swimming’s Mt Everest and cross the English Channel. However, if they saw what happened to Melbourne girl Chloe McCardel, they may think twice before taking the plunge.

Ghost, Eleven, 8.30pm
After being killed during a botched mugging, a man’s love for his partner enables him to remain on Earth as a ghost.

The Big Bang Theory, GO!, 9pm
Penny becomes addicted to an online game based on the world of Conan the Barbarian and persistently pesters Sheldon for advice.

The Late Bloomer
Imagine the shock, 50-years-old and staring down at two blue lines on a pregnancy test. When Anthea Byrnes first started feeling a tad off colour she put it down to menopause. After all, at her age, conceiving a child the old fashioned way is a two-million-to-one shot. It’s also high risk. Anthea’s was a horror pregnancy with so many problems and complications that her doctor doubted she’d go the distance. It was a nail-biting countdown to the big day and Michael Usher was there with Anthea and husband Peter for all the ups and downs.
Reporter: Michael Usher

Doing it Tough
There is none tougher or more resilient than the men and women who work the land in Australia’s Top End. No matter what Mother Nature throws at them, these cattle folk take it on the chin. So when they talk to you with tears in their eyes, you know something is terribly wrong. The recent ban on live exports to Indonesia has ripped their lives apart. Many are facing ruin. And with hundreds of thousands of their cattle stranded, countless jobs are being lost across the industry. Now, the government would have us believe the crisis ended when it allowed trade to resume. Unfortunately it’s not that easy. The damage has been done and there’s little hope of recovery.
Reporter: Tara Brown

Never a Dull Moment
He describes himself as a simple man who got lucky, but luck alone doesn’t sell two hundred million albums or keep you at the top of the music game for four decades. No, Rod Stewart has lashings of talent and an appetite for hard work, as well. At 66, he’s still belting out his greatest hits all over the world. He’s bringing his show to Australia. And if all that’s not impressive enough, he’s just become a Dad for the eighth time with wife Penny. Recently, Charles Wooley was lucky enough to catch up with him at his home in London.
Reporter: Charles Wooley

60 Minutes airs 7.30pm on Nine.

The Bride Business

Some people will go to any lengths to find love. But the blokes you will meet on Sunday night have literally travelled to the very ends of the earth. They’ve had enough of the bolshie Sheila’s who hang out at their local pub. They want old fashioned women with old fashioned values. And they’re prepared to trek to the most remote reaches of Russia and the Ukraine to find them. It’s a well-worn path. Every year thousands of single Aussie men venture to Eastern Europe on special wife-hunting tours. Michael Usher jumped on board for the ride.

Reporter: Michael Usher

Producer: Danny Keens

Saving Derryn

If there’s one thing we can all agree on about Derryn Hinch – the man leads an eventful life. Just last Thursday, he was sentenced to 5 months home detention for breaking the law and naming sex offenders. A fortnight before that, he was on an operating table, receiving a life-saving liver transplant. Given how close Derryn came to dying, the prospect of serving time doesn’t worry him too much. Time is a precious commodity, no matter how he spends it. We’ve been following the highs and lows of Derryn’s battle to survive for five years now. And we’ve watched him change; He’s still loud and opinionated but there’s a softer side, too. More than anything, he’s incredibly grateful for this second shot at life.

Reporter: Tara Brown

Producers: Stephen Taylor, David Alrich

Descent into Hell

Allison Langdon’s about to venture where no-one has gone before. Right into the raging heart of one of the most active, most dangerous volcanoes on earth. One slip and you’re history – vaporised by the boiling lava. Allison joined a team of Kiwi adventurers who have what seems like a crazy plan, to abseil 500 metres over the edge of Mount Marum in Vanuatu, into the cauldron below. As you’ll see, it’s a frightening place, no wonder it’s shrouded in mystery and black magic.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producer: Nick Greenaway

With 60 Minutes having some must watch nights and others have you struggling for new content – this Sunday night should not be missed.

60 Minutes this week will feature the exclusive interview by iconic US journalist Diane Sawyer, with Jaycee Dugard. Jaycee is the girl who was kidnapped at age 11 and held for 18 years as a prisoner by paedophiles and forced to give birth to her captors children in the confines of her backyard jail.

Even though the authorities were contacted 60 times – no-one ever found her. But Dugard never gave up. Her story is inspiring, harrowing and mystifying. Originally shown in the USA last week on 20/20, it was the highest rated show of the night.

Also on Sunday, Liz Hayes looks at babies in utero, who thanks to amazing technology can receive life-saving surgery before they are even born.

Finally, Ray Martin will delve into the phone hacking scandal at The News of The World and it’s subsequent closure. He looks into the Murdoch empire and what this means for the future of News Corp. Could the everyday man bring down such a feared tycoon such as Murdoch – like they ultimately closed down the world’s most successful newspaper?

Sunday, July 10, at 7.35pm on Nine

Death Defying

It’s been hyped as the comedy event of the year. And “The Hangover 2″ is certainly a very funny movie. But there haven’t been too many laughs behind the scenes. You see, the cast and crew have been keeping a dreadful secret. On Sunday night, for the first time, you’ll hear about the horrific accident that left Aussie stuntman Scott McLean fighting for his life. Scott’s recovery is painfully slow, but he’s a gutsy bloke, and with his leading lady by his side, he’s determined to get that Hollywood happy ending.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producer: Howard Sacre

Dammed

There are few places on Earth quite as isolated or as spectacular as the Amazon. Venture deep into its heart and you enter a world completely untouched by the 21st century – where people live as they have done for thousands of years, surviving on the bounty of South America’s mightiest river. But their simple life is under threat. The Brazilian government has just approved construction of a huge hydro-electric dam. And that’s not the worst of it – sixty such dams are being planned all along the Amazon, flooding vast areas of rainforest and wiping out local villages. But as Allison Langdon discovered, the native people have one very powerful weapon – some well-placed friends in Hollywood.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producers: Stephen Rice, Julia Timms

The Final Chapter

There really is magic in the story of Harry Potter. It’s been almost 15 years now since J.K. Rowling published that first Potter novel and the world’s been bewitched ever since. There have been six more books, seven hit films and a stupefying amount of merchandising. There’s even a theme park devoted to all things Hogwarts. But now Harry is packing up his wand for good. Charles Wooley was in London to witness the final chapter.

Reporter: Charles Wooley

Producers: Sandra Cleary, Ali Smith

Sunday, July 3, at 7.30pm on Nine

A Mother’s Heartache

It was the most sickening and cruellest of crimes. What happened to Rachelle D’Argent is beyond comprehension. In November last year, her estranged partner kidnapped their three-year-old daughter, Yazmina. For four hours, he tormented Rachelle with phone calls and texts. Then he did the unthinkable. Now as Ramazan Acar begins a new life behind bars, Rachelle tells her harrowing story for the first time.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producers: Stephen Taylor, Steve Burling

Fighting Back

Going to war is an act of enormous courage. There are no guarantees you’ll make it home alive, as we’ve been reminded too often recently. Of course, Australia’s toll goes well beyond the fatalities. There are also the many soldiers who suffer catastrophic injuries while serving on the frontline. They’re the ones we don’t hear so much about. Ray Martin has just met a group of returned diggers, far from average men, who aren’t going to let their broken bodies stop them from representing their country once again. The difference is, this time they’re hoping to do it on the sporting field, rather than the battlefield.

Reporter: Ray Martin

Producer: Steve Burling

Everyday Superheroes

It’s a comic book staple. A geeky, mild-mannered guy suddenly discovers he possesses super powers. Before you can say “to the bat cave”, he’s wearing his undies on the outside and saving the world from evil.  No one really believes that happens, of course, but as Allison Langdon discovered, super heroes really do exist. And while they get around in some pretty outlandish costumes, these caped crusaders take their work very seriously, indeed.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producers: Stephen Rice, Julia Timms

Sunday, June 26 at 7.30pm on Nine

One Click from Disaster

Just one click. That’s all it takes to wreck a young life forever. We are talking about sexting. It’s what happens when hormones and technology collide. Teenagers send explicit photos of themselves to people they think they can trust, but all too often, their faith is misplaced and the pictures end up in the wrong hands. It’s embarrassing, of course. Permanent too, because once a photo is launched into cyberspace, it’s out there forever. And that’s not the worst thing that can happen, far from it.

Reporter: Liz Hayes

Producers: Phil Goyen, Ali Smith

New Hope

Who could ever forget Stacy Keep? She was the young mum who lost so much in the Queensland floods. Her 18-month-old daughter, Jessie, was ripped from her arms by the wall of water that swept through town. Her mother and her mother-in-law also died. When Michael Usher met Stacy, he wished desperately that there was some way to ease her pain. Well, six weeks ago, the Keep family welcomed a little baby girl into their lives. She’s helping them heal but it’s hard to move forward when there are still so many questions about the events of the past. And when you hear about the bureaucratic bungling that allowed this tragedy to happen, you’ll understand why the people of Grantham are so very angry.

Reporter: Michael Usher

Producer: Jo Townsend

Frozen Fortunes

Liam Bartlett wondered what on earth he’d done wrong when we packed him off to the desolate wilds of Siberia. After all, it’s not the kind of place you generally visit willingly. People used to be dragged there in chains and then worked to death, but this gigantic frozen slab of Russia is getting an image makeover. It may never rival New York or Paris as a tourist destination but right now, there’s a minerals boom going on that dwarfs anything that’s happening in Australia. And, if you’re an investor right now, icy Siberia is hot, hot, hot.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producer: Howard Sacre

Sunday, June 19 at 7.30pm on Nine

A Special Breed

He had a good life, a beautiful wife, a cute-as-you-like two-year-old son and a new born baby daughter, he’d also just made detective. Then one day Damian Leeding went to work and never came home. Damian was shot trying to stop an armed hold up at a Gold Coast hotel. He died a few days later, surrounded by the family he loved so dearly. It’s a risk every police officer takes when they’re on the job, a risk they take willingly and with great courage and pride, but when you spend a little time with those left behind, it just breaks your heart.

Reporter: Karl Stefanovic

Producers: Nick Greenaway, Ali Smith

Fallout

When Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake and tsunami back in March, we told ourselves the worst was behind us. Tens of thousands dead, an economy shattered, whole communities razed; surely the Japanese had suffered enough. But all these weeks later, the crisis is far from over. The crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is still leaking and judging from the experience at Chernobyl, recovery won’t be measured in years, more like centuries.

Reporter: Liz Hayes

Producer: Phil Goyen

Running Strong

We’ve always called it the “Mighty Murray.” But in recent years, our most iconic river has struggled to live up to the legend. In fact, it had slowed to a feeble trickle, sucked dry by years of drought and the demands of those who rely on its bounty. Then it rained, and rained, and rained some more. The clouds that delivered such devastating floods to much of Queensland and Victoria had one spectacular silver lining; the entire Murray-Darling river system has come roaring back to life.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producer: Nick Greenaway

Sunday, June 12 at 7.30pm on Nine

The First Bloke

He’s our first bloke, a hairdresser from Shepparton who is consort to the most powerful woman in the land.

We see him every now and then, standing back or watching on, but we’ve never really had a chance to meet Tim Mathieson or hear him speak. Of course, it’s probably no coincidence that he’s chosen to talk to us now, with the Gillard government tanking in the polls. Federal Labor is desperate to re-engage with voters, and having spent some time with Tim, Charles Wooley says this smart and very likeable bloke might be just what the spin doctor ordered.

Reporter: Charles Wooley

Producer: Stephen Taylor

Getting the Point

They were the original superbugs – mumps, measles, polio and rubella. Thanks to modern immunisation, we don’t see these diseases much anymore, so most of us have no first-hand knowledge of how dangerous they can be. Maybe that’s why so many parents are questioning whether vaccination is the right choice for their children, and once they tap into the bottomless pit of misinformation swirling around the internet, fears are fuelled, minds are made up and they may just say no to the needle. On Sunday night, you’ll meet some of the self-appointed experts behind the anti-vaccine campaign and some grieving parents who couldn’t disagree with them more.

Reporter: Ellen Fanning

Producer: Sandra Cleary, Hannah Boocock

New Tricks

Imagine being thrown on the scrap heap in the prime of your life. Well, every year in Australia, thousands upon thousands of dogs are put down, for no other reason than their owners simply don’t want them anymore. But one man is offering them new hope, putting to use their superhuman senses, in jobs we could never do. Michael Usher’s been travelling the country with Steve Austin who must be Australia’s most dedicated dog-lover, rescuing talented canines from death row and giving them a new lease on life. If you believe the old adage that teaching old dogs new tricks is a waste of time, you’re in for a surprise.

Reporter: Michael Usher

Producer: Howard Sacre