UNDERBELLY COMMENCES PRODUCTION
Underbelly, the most anticipated drama series of recent times, commenced production in Melbourne today for the Nine Network.
The 13-part blockbuster, based on the book Leadbelly by John Silvester and Andrew Rule, is the compelling dramatisation of Melbourne’s infamous gangland killings that started in 1998 with the murder of Alphonse Gangitano. Underbelly will also follow the rise and fall ofnotorious career criminal Carl Williams, who sought to be king of Melbourne’s underworld and now languishes in prison.
Underbelly is the latest drama from production company Screentime whose recent slate includes The Society Murders and Mary Bryant. “This has to be one of the most exciting and challenging drama projects ever shot in this country,” Des Monaghan, executive producer for Screentime, said.
In keeping with the scope of this fascinating chapter of crime history, Underbelly boasts one of the most exciting ensemble casts ever assembled for Australian television. Rodger Corser (Last Man Standing) and Caroline Craig (Blue Heelers) star as Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Owen and Detective Constable Jacqui James, who embody the police officers who strove to stem the bloodshed of Melbourne’s internal crime wars.
Portraying real-life characters who have become part of Melbourne folklore are Vince Colosimo (Alphonse Gangitano), Gyton Grantley (Carl Williams), Kat Stewart (Roberta Williams), Simon Westaway (Mick Gatto), Martin Sacks (Mario Condello), Gerard Kennedy (Graham Kinninburgh), Kevin Harrington (Lewis Moran), Callan Mulvey (Mark Moran), Les Hill (Jason Moran), Robert Mammone (Tony Mokbel), George Kapiniaris(George Defteros) and Caroline Gillmer as matriarch Judy Moran.
“From the outset Nine has been 100 per cent committed to bringing Underbelly to the small screen,” said Nine Network Head of Drama, Jo Horsburgh. “And along with Sea Patrol and Canal Road, this landmark production represents the latest chapter in Nine’s proud tradition of creating world-class television.”
“The challenge for the writing team is to capture the essential truth of these extraordinary events in a compelling and coherent manner,” said Screentime’s Head of Drama, Greg Haddrick, who along with Peter Gawler and Felicity Packard will take writing credits.
Haddrick will also co-produce the series in conjunction with industry stalwart Brenda Pam, with Des Monaghan and Jo Horsburgh as executive producers. Underbelly will screen on the Nine Network in 2008.













Anonymous
Innocent people get randomly shot, and then known associates of said random people get shot- because they are actually good people- reality check sunshine- if your family is involved they are crooked too- if you look back at the family histories of all these dead beats- its generation after generation of drug dealing rough heads... them knocking each other off is Darwin at work I say!Anonymous
Got to get the book 'Filthy Rat by simon illingworth' if you want it without the spin of the media and producers. It cuts to the chase with these low life scum bags and tells it how it is. It is available now via fontaine press.
Anonymous
Great show and like many have said "very interesting". I secretly enjoy the vics not being able to see it lol. The only thing that gets a bit rich is everyone calling it a war, people high on drugs knocking off blokes in a cowardly way is no war.
Anonymous
nicely said. nice to hear someone speak up for dino and his family would appreciate it too. i spent the last 11 months of dinos life with him. underbelly is 70 % crap, dino would be disappointed at the way they potray him. He had big heart
Anonymous
Go to my blog and have a read, it is full of interesting facts about the banning of the show in victoria and my thoughts on the series.....i loved it, best australia tv series i have ever seen
http://ikojo.wordpress.com/
Anonymous
Go to my blog and have a read, it is full of interesting facts about the banning of the show in victoria and my thoughts on the series.....i loved it, best australia tv series i have ever seen
http://ikojo.wordpress.com/
Anonymous
i love underbelly..i have also researched every character that i no of in the gangland murders... i am obssessed i love the crime and allthe action...i no being apart of it all would be a compltetely different story. if you dont mind me asking, who r u related to? The whole gangland underwold member association excites me... i have never been more intreged...i have only seen 7 episodes, im trying to get theotehrs butit does not screen on victorian tv...
kathleen carter
WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW YOU WERE INVOLVED
WERE U ACTUALLY INVOLVED OR WERE U JUST DRAGGED INTO IT????
CAUSE OF ASSOCIATION.....WOULD LOVE TO KNOW
KATH
Anonymous
Your facts are wrong. Reshad "Richard" Mladenic was Bosnian. That's 100% fact.
Suzie
Blessssed I am to live in SYD giving me the pleasure of watching this fantastic show every week on TV
Anonymous
This is the prt I am having trouble with..)))
Raging Bull
Go to Mininova.org and search underbelly episodes 1-10 are avalible just download the torrent.
Anonymous
Could someone please tell me in very very basic terms (you gather now that I am technologically deficient how I can download this fanatstic series, called Underbelly...
Specifically I would like to see the shower scene of Roger Corser..so if someone can send me a link to that, it would be great...
There is another link doing the rounds with Roger in a jogging scene in some other tv show. He does have an awesome appendage. I hope someone can help out. Have a great day.
Anonymous
Are the books "Leadbelly" and "Underbelly: the gangland war" both by silvester and rule the same?
i'm assuming they are and that the latter has been re-released with new title to reflect the show.
Dave
That was responding to anonymous of course about the shower sex scene in Ep3
Dave
Dave
HELL YES!!!!!
That wasn't a donga. It was a babys arm holding an apple!!!
Won't hurt his image one little bit. HEHE
I told my wife and others who missed it and didn't believe me. We all watched the catch-up late last night and confirmed that there was indead a very large "member" hanbing between his legs during the shower sex scene. You'd think the editors would have picked it up!!!! not literally of course
Dave
Anonymous
Is there even 13 eps??????
Anonymous
Underbelly is awesome its the best tv program that has been showed this year! I also think that Damien Welsh - Howling is hot. I like ya tatts i think there sexy!
bear
I have been hanging for Wed nights to watch this series.
I often think about the kids of the real characters and hope they are doing OK. True or false they are living with it.
Living in wollongong- we want 'undervella' to start production soon!
Kosmic
Its all a load of shit........but hey it is Television Drama after all, and dont we love it!!!! Im after episodes 11, 12 & 13 can any one help??? Vic born and proud, but extremely disappointed that I have to work so hard to see this series!!!!
Anonymous
I love the series but I know for a fact that Richard Mladenich came from an Istrian/Italian family that was displaced at the end of the second world war. It is reasonably common for people from this region to speak and identify as italian but have croatian names. I was also surprised that Richie calls Dibra and Rocco crazy Italians as he was italian and I was pretty sure that Dibra would not be.
The hard thing about this series is that you get quite interested in certain characters and then they get killed off. Gangitano was a scary guy but Colosimo was so great to watch that it seems a shame to not see any more of him. Likewise the guy playing Mark Moran was sexy and intriguing but he's finished too. I guess that there won't be too many left by the end.To some extent Richie Mladenich provided comic relief even though he was a bit of a tragic figure really. It was great to see his mother portrayed so sympathetically. Families of crooks often have a hard time.
Anonymous
I would like to know how the Moran children and the wives are going with getting on with their lives? Also is Mokbels current partner the same as depicted in the show?
Anonymous
I would like to know how the Moran children and the wives are going with getting on with their lives? Also is Mokbels current partner the same as depicted in the show?
BDB101
Came across this low profile book on the subject, FILTHY RAT by Simon Illingworth, being re-released next month. Apparently tells the 'real' grubby Underbelly story without the gloss. http://www.fontainepress.com/the-underbelly-TV_filthy_rat.html
Anonymous
Somebody told me that Dannielle McGuire is Eddie Mcguire's sister, does anybody know if this is true or just a stupid rumour.
Blue murderous
Here we go again,
In 1995 there was an excellent mini-series called "Blue Murder", about the NSW underworld dealings of Neddy Smith and infamous corrupt cop Roger Rodgerson.
This was shown in all states except for NSW, due to an on-going investigation against Neddy Smith.
I was devasted when it was banned in NSW, and back then there was no such thing as torrents, or internet downloads. 10 years later it finally made its debut in NSW, which by that stage, had lost some of its releavnce and impact. Still, it was an excellent piece of Australian true crime drama.
Lets hope the VICs learn our lessons and allow this important story to be told. (otherwise, just download it)
Anonymous
Did anyone else notice last night that when Officer Owen and his girlfriend were having sex in the shower you could actually see his donga hanging down??? Bahahaha I thought it was hilarious
Anonymous
hey c.williams have seen the first 2 and im hooked. how would i go about getting upto episode 9? can you help me?
Anonymous
Melbourne is a town not a state.. the state it was banned in was Victoria... not Melbourne...
jimbob
great show!!!reminds me of another aussie true crime mini series called blue murder. the facts arn't always 100 percent correct but they both tell the story of what went on.
Big H
i think the show is bodgey. I am related to a character and the portrayals of the main characters is way off. Dino Dibra was a complete womble and criminal nobody. So too the whole Sunshine crew.
juzz
just watched 1 to 10 unreal love it must get the last three episode`s
Flying_g
http://www.mininova.org/search/?search=underbelly+tv
Download from Mininova...
Jason Damman
One thing I found very clever from the writers of the show was how they used the same actor for Richard Mladenich and Bluey from the movie Chopper. They even refer to Richard Mladenich as doing time with Chopper as well. Using the same actor in both movies to me was perfect.
Anonymous
if the production company gave you the 1st 9 then why cant you ask them for the rest?
or did you steal them lol
Anonymous
Not a bad series, a little rough on the edges in terms of acting and editing.
John Silvester & Co. should have got some of their facts straight though.
Big disappointment is DINO DIBRA. The guy is portrayed as an ethnic Italian and is called (along with ROCCO ARICO) "you Italian fruitcakes" by RICHARD MLADENICH in the episode last night.
Weird..... all the Underbelly books and Leadbelly books and so on, *never* specify DINO's ethnicity and imply that he is Italian.
In-fact, if anyone bothered to look, DIBRA is an Albanian surname. DIBRA's family even appeared on the news when he died to plead for information. They're an Albanian family, not Italian.
His sisters: Sebije Dibra & Violetta Mujushi along with his father Ramiz Dibra appeared at a police media conference after the murder. Check out this link:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/30/1072546532869.html
Poor researching I'd say. The fact that in over 8 years none of the books published by these guys (let alone the TV series) picked up on the fact that Dino was not an Italian like all the authors preferred to portray. Or perhaps, it is part of the whole "image" that they prefer to sell -- cram as many Italians or other certain ethnicities into the book because it sells more?? Poor research.
Amy
When you get this can you also give it to me thnx!
MGL
can anyone me how many se and eps there are in underbelly or how many eps in the 1st se ?thanks
C.Williams
I have the 1st 9 eposides from the production company anyone know where we can get the last 4 eposides.
Anonymous
sorry guys the link below doesnt work
try this one:
http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/34248788/underbelly?tab=summary
Anonymous
here is the torrent for the first two episodes:
http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/34248788/underbelly?tab=summarythir
this is the third episode:
http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/34947661/underbelly?tab=summary
enjoy
Dave
This show is great stuff, i used to live in melbourne and still call it home. I think its a bit av how its banned in VIC but to be honest it is very close to when it all happened. I thought they woul have waited a bit longer! Does anyone have a copy of the zoo magazine that had a story about this? It was a really great article and would love to have a copy or even a photo copy. cheers
Anonymous
Please keep me in the loop.
ergosumleon@gmail.com
thnx!
Anonymous
I enjoyed watching underbelly and will enjoy watching all the episodes. I have enough friends who knew most of the main criminal characters and had access to read some of the investigation reports at the time. To have produced this as it really was would have resulted in a great deal of boring hours of watching endless discussions and police foot work which would have been enough to send anyone to a deep sleep. It had enough reality and truth in it to give people who never knew what was happening at the time some glimmer of what the underworld was doing and enough theatrical writing and embellishments to make the shows lively and interesting.
Y’know, if you take out the killings, there is nothing there which is not happening in every capital city not just in Australia but anywhere in the world. Pity that the Justice System will not allow Melbournians watch it as it comes to air though.
Tartan
Hello did any one tape it to night20/02/08 i for got to Rec it so now wife it piss of with me if sum one can help me out i can pick up any where in Sunshine coast
Thanks
dandogitano pepperano
yeah its all true, i used to mow the morans lawn, they used to pay me in bullets and pills, im like alphonse.... only better,
im now in the wyoming underworld,,,, rumdog mother****er
nokidn
I seen the 1ST series what a farce, i met some of the major players in this war, although what happended in this war was sad. these guys played a huge price for pursuing thier dreams and channel 9 with its cheap suits and poor quality acting are just once again trying to cash in on dead people, ONCE AGAIN IT SHOWS CRIMANAL WORK AND WORKS STILL COMMAND BIG DOLLAR,
Anonymous
Get a life people! Its DRAMA! A certain amount of content for this show is CREATED. Yes its fascinating to watch, but just remember it is only TV and these "Characters", although BASED on real life scum are only artistic portrayals. Lets not champion criminals but give kudos to the great acting this drama showcases.
Anonymous
this is one fantastic series..camnt get enough..
Anonymous
The way they did the black prince episode shows that they mean no offence to anyone and that they just want the truth to be tlod once and for all it hasn't only affected Victoria its affected the whole if Australia famliy members from other states have died in these gang wars and the public has a right to know the truth