Documentary

9:30pm – Thursday, July 19 on ABC1

In the countdown to London’s 2012 Paralympic Games, Inside Incredible Athletes takes a unique look at five Paralympic sports and places them in an extraordinary context.

The documentary will profile and literally look inside the bodies of six extraordinary British Paralympians. They are: Dave Clarke in blind football, Steve Brown in wheelchair rugby, Liz Johnson in swimming, Lee Pearson in dressage and Jonnie Peacock and Stefanie Reid in athletics.

The film uses state of the art scanning technology to create ‘biomechanical portraits’ of the charismatic athletes.

Programming note: The broadcast of the LONDON 2012 PARALYMPICS GAMES is exclusive to ABC TV. August 30 to September 10 (AUSTRALIAN TIME)

7:30pm – Sunday, July 15 on ABC1

In November 2006 Ian Thorpe, Australia’s most successful Olympian, announced his retirement from competitive swimming. Aged 24 and the winner of nine Olympic medals, including five gold, he was adamant that a return to the sport was out of the question. He stepped from the limelight much as he first came to it: articulate but strangely remote with the media and public, without the tribal markings of any familiar kind of Australian male. His short life only came into focus in water, where his efficiency and consistency, and his line through the pool elevated swimming to a kind of art.

Now that was gone.

Then, in October 2010, he began a comeback – his goal, victory at the London Olympics. Immediately friends and filmmakers Gregor Jordan and Simone Kessell started interviewing and filming Ian as he trained, secretly at first, then as he competed in lead-up events to the Olympic Trials in Adelaide in March 2012.

We all know how the competitive swimming part of this story ends: defeat. What the film reveals are the inner struggles of Ian Thorpe not just to swim fast but to rewrite his sporting legend, re-engage with the public and discover a different relationship with water itself. It’s a rollercoaster ride in which Thorpe and the filmmakers plumb his depths but find, despite failure at the trials, a surprising redemptive ending. Ian Thorpe learns to love swimming again. And he learns to value truly the extraordinary champion he was – just as he comes to terms with being a more ordinary man now.

Sunday July 1 at 8.30pm on BIO

The Kennedys were America’s very own royal family, but, despite their grace and beauty, the Kennedy women were not mere princesses. Renowned for their strength and poise, throughout history they have always been at the heart of every success, accomplishment and scandal.

Friday, June 29 at 10.00pm on BIO

The son of a Heisman trophy winner and the godson of an NFL Haller of Famer, Thomas Mark Harmon followed in his father’s football footsteps by becoming UCLA’s starting quarterback. Following graduation and after considering careers in advertising or law, Mark opted to pursue his mother’s line of work: acting. During his early years, he worked as a carpenter to make ends meet but soon found steady work in his chosen field. In St. Elsewhere, Harmon was cast as a doctor and became one of the first actors on television to portray a man who contracted HIV. Over the years, he has continually shined in network television and films, including playing the lead role, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, in the long-running hit, NCIS.

Wednesday June 27 at 9.30pm on CRIME & INVESTIGATION NETWORK

It is a parent’s worst nightmare. You lose a daughter through a horrible act of violence only to discover that your son has been charged with her murder. Do you accept your son back into the family? This is the ordeal the Jenkins family are confronted with and how it changed the dynamics of a close-knit household. With astonishing footage shot over a ten year period, from minutes after the crime was committed to the present, this program follows the family’s evolving relationships.

Tuesday, June 26 at 9.30pm on BIO

Brenda Blethyn, convinced she’d be laughed out of town if she followed her dreams, remained a secretary for 10 years before plucking up the courage to enrol in acting school.

8:30pm – Saturday, June 30 on ABC2

This is the final part in this amazing documentary about Woody Allen.

Iconic writer, director, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen allows his life and creative process to be documented on-camera for the first time. With this unprecedented access, Emmy-winning, Oscar- nominated filmmaker Robert Weide follows the notoriously private film legend over a year and a half to create the ultimate film biography.

Woody Allen: A Documentary chronicles the trajectory and longevity of Allen’s career, from his work as a TV scribe, standup comedian and frequent TV talk show guest, to a writer-director averaging one film-peryear for more than 40 years.

8:30pm – Saturday, June 23 on ABC2

Iconic writer, director, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen allows his life and creative process to be documented on-camera for the first time. With this unprecedented access, Emmy-winning, Oscar- nominated filmmaker Robert Weide follows the notoriously private film legend over a year and a half to create the ultimate film biography.

Beginning with Allen’s childhood, Woody Allen: A Documentary chronicles the trajectory and longevity of Allen’s career, from his work as a TV scribe, standup comedian and frequent TV talk show guest, to a writerdirector averaging one film-per-year for more than 40 years.

This is the 1st part of the documentary, stay tuned next Saturday 30th June for the 2nd and final piece of this amazing production.

Sunday, June 17 at 8.30pm on BIO

Featuring interviews with Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb and Bee Gee insiders as well as an extensive archive of home movies, family photos and recordings made from their earliest years to the present, this is the definitive look at the Brothers Gibb. Offering all of the band’s greatest hits including “Jive Talkin,” “Stayin Alive,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” “Night Fever” and so much more unforgettable music. From their first break on a local Australian radio show to their early years in the UK as heirs apparent to the Beatles to the lean years and, finally, to their phenomenal comeback with the runaway success of the sound track to Saturday Night Fever, this is the whole story from those who lived it.

Saturday June 16 at 9.30pm on BIO

This eye-opening series reveals one of life’s greatest mysteries by profiling the extraordinary stories of people who have literally passed on to the other side. The series combines the compelling and emotionally gripping stories of “I Survived…” with the unexplainable experiences some people have when they are pronounced legally dead. Explore the survivor’s encounter with death and also the ways in which it has changed their outlook on life forever.