Documentary

7:30pm – Sunday, September 23 on ABC1

Our Great Southern Land – Australia – is home to an amazing array of scenery – from the top of the Snowy Mountains to the tropical wilds of the Gulf of Carpentaria, to the irrigated farms of the Murray Darling Basin, the red heart of Uluru and to the ancient forests of Tasmania. In this new ABC series, Professor Steve Simpson takes us on a journey across Australia. From the skies, Steve uncovers the otherwise hidden patterns, rhythms, networks and systems that keep Australia on the move – fed, alive and thriving.

Great Southern Land is the story of a complicated relationship with the natural world and of living with cycles of floods and, fires. It’s the story of satisfying a voracious appetite for life’s vital ingredients – food and electricity. It’s also the story of how we mainly live on the edge – coastal dwellers congregating in sprawling metropolises. And finally, it’s the epic tale of how we keep it all moving – humans, goods and data. But at the heart of the series are human stories, the people behind the scenes who make this country what it is.

In this opening episode Professor Steve Simpson explores how we satisfy our appetite for food and power. Seen from above. Steve looks at how irrigation and other ingenious schemes have turned our dusty continent into a grand food bowl feeding Australians and 60 million others around the world.

9:30pm – Friday, September 21 on ABC2

An entertaining romp through the history of a pioneering, brave and sometimes deeply flawed group of scientists in the pursuit of getting to know sex better.

This series features the most colourful characters from the world of sex research from the Victorian pioneers to today’s leading scientists who have discovered that there might just be scientific evidence for the ‘gaydar’.

Alternatively shocking, informative and fascinating, The Sex Researchers reveals the ingenious methods these extraordinary scientists have employed over the past 100 years.

The focus is female in this first episode. From the invention of the vibrator by Victorian doctors to cure ‘hysterical’ women to the antics of legendary sex researchers Masters and Johnson, this film takes us on a journey to understand female sexuality and the female orgasm.

The sex researchers have come a long way but the debate about women’s sexuality rages on.

Does the G-spot exist.

Why do so few women orgasm when they have sex with men.

The latest work of the sex researchers reveals that best way to improve a woman’s sex drive is vigorous exercise!

8:45pm – Monday, September 17 on ABC2

In the two-part series My Breasts Could Kill Me, presenter Dawn Porter undertakes a highly personal journey to discover whether she might have a genetic predisposition to breast cancer. Both her mother and great grandmother died from the disease, which means that Dawn’s chances of contracting breast cancer herself are significantly higher.

During the two episodes, Dawn undertakes a mammogram, an MRI scan, and a genetic test. She also interviews a wide range of breast cancer sufferers and survivors whose stories illustrate the complexity of how to decide what treatment to undertake; the challenge of undertaking it; and the terrible task of preparing oneself and one’s family for premature death.

Emotional, informative and hopefully life-saving, the series is an eye-opening, heart-wrenching and uplifting investigation into an all-too-common killer.

In the first episode Dawn reflects on her mother’s death from breast cancer. She is out to ascertain if she has the precursors to the illness which runs in her family. The thought of finding out if she is genetically predisposed to breast cancer is terrifying, and presents Dawn with the genuine prospect of having a preemptive, voluntary mastectomy. She meets a mother and daughter who have both had the surgery in order to avoid the future possibility of breast cancer.

The danger for Dawn is considerable. Even before she embarks on any tests, Dawn discovers that her family history gives her a 40% chance of developing breast cancer. She takes the mammogram to check if she has any cancerous cells in her breasts. This test can detect breast cancer at least 18 months before Dawn would be able to detect any lump.

9:30pm – Friday, September 14 on ABC2

Meet the girls of House 59 – a small, tightly run brothel in Amsterdam’s notorious red-light district.

By day, Dutch dominatrix Josje sets out her sextoys. Intelligent, frank and often hilarious, she’s keen to show the world there’s more to sexwork than just sex.

In the room next door, street-smart Lina slips on her stilettos: savvy and tough, she’s equally happy to reveal the spicy details of life behind the windows. Together they put the world to rights and prove there really is such a thing as a ‘happy hooker’.

When night falls, the red-light district grinds into action and raven-haired Laura returns to her life of secrecy; S&M sex-worker Pascale steps into the complicated world of fetishes, and both girls offer up a fascinating insight into ‘the oldest profession’.

And then there’s 50-year-old Maria… Having spent 20 years in an alley window, how will she cope when she’s forced to move to House 59?

8:30pm – Monday, September 10 on ABC2

Can a heterosexual woman simply choose to become a lesbian? British journalist Dawn Porter is out to test the question in Dawn Porter Goes Lesbian.

Dawn completely forgoes men and moves in with three lesbians for a month in a bid to determine what makes her sexuality tick and whether she has the potential for homosexuality.

Katherine, Steph and Lucy are outgoing, single lesbians who take Dawn under their collective wings and into their lesbian lives.

A couple of years ago, Dawn set up a meeting with a girl over the internet, in a deliberate attempt to take her sexual experiences with women to another level, by having a sexual relationship with a man and a woman at the same time.

Since then she has gone back to exclusively dating men, but has always wondered how many other women have had experiences like her.

Plunged into London’s gay scene, Dawn parties at the gay nightclubs to see if she can pull a girl, tries internet dating, and even takes a job working behind the bar of a female strip club where the female sexual energy is super charged. Follow Dawn’s journey of sexual discovery and find out if a woman who loves men really can be converted into a woman who loves women.

Wednesday September 5 at 8.30pm on BIO

This unique and powerful documentary tells the previously untold story of the 47 year-old twins who were caught in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. One twin dies, while the other survives. We learn of their terrifying ordeal and awesome courage that makes for a profound and compelling tale. This fascinating story strikes at the heart of what it means to be not only a twin, but a human being and reminds us why the world can never forget the events of 11 September 2001.

Wednesday September 5 at 7.30pm on BIO

In 2009, the BBC launched the My Story competition to find the most remarkable true life stories in Britain. Altogether over 7,500 people sent in their stories for consideration; the winners’ stories have been compiled in this remarkable series.

Episode 1: Actress Maureen Lipman meets three of the fifteen finalists. These opening three stories are based around the theme of family and include an amazing coincidence when a woman’s past catches up with her in the most incredible way. There is a gripping story of how a woman’s perfect middle class family life fell apart after her husband planned a shocking surprise and Maureen meets a mother who felt forced to take the law into her own hands when her 10 year old son was abducted.

Wednesday August 29 at 7.30pm on BIO

This special documentary examines how Princess Diana’s life and her relationship with the House of Windsor, the media and the public have shaped her eldest son, Prince William.

Wednesday from August 22 at 10.00pm on BIO

Dharavi, in Mumbai, was the setting for the critically acclaimed film Slumdog Millionaire and is considered the largest slum in Asia, with close to a million people living in one square mile. In this fascinating program, meet the real residents who live and work in Dharavi and are proud to call it home. This documentary exposes the true face of Dharavi by talking to the people who live and work everyday of their lives in the slum and the outsiders determined to improve their quality of life. You’ve seen the Hollywood version; now meet the real slumdogs.

9:30pm – Friday, August 24 on ABC2

Like most men looking to make a bit of extra cash, Jeff Leach has heard all about the modern-day male escort; getting paid vast amounts of money to be wined, dined and sleep with wealthy women sounds like the perfect job. But what is the reality behind this seemingly dream job.

Male Hookers Uncovered is a fearless investigation into the realities of the male escort business that pushes the authored documentary genre to a new level as Jeff joins the industry – for real.

On his journey he meets self-styled ‘happy male hookers’, and the punters keeping them in business. He also discovers that all might not be as it seems with bogus agencies set up to fleece joining fees from cash-strapped young men, the psychological repercussions of working in the industry, women ‘purchasing’ men as an act of empowerment, and the harsh realities of life being treated as nothing more than a sex object.

Jeff is on a mission to find out the reality behind the headlines but is he willing to go ‘all the way’ to find out the truth?