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Launch: Underbelly

Channel Nine was out in force last night for the launch of Underbelly.

Stars, crew and media gathered at the Waterside Hotel in Flinders Street, a former drinking hole of underworld characters, to hear ‘Leadbelly’ co-author John “Sly” Silvester tell stories of the incidents and events that dominated Melbourne’s crime scene for so long.

King Street and Melbourne nightclubs, he explained, were the backdrop to scenes of extortion, violence, negotiation and a battle of wills.

Nine’s Eddie McGuire said that when he embarked on the idea of a television series with journalists Silvester and Andrew Rule many years ago that they had no idea they were still only part-way through living with the story.

CEO David Gyngell congratulated Screentime on producing the series showering it with praise for its storytelling skill.

Stars from the show were in attendance including Vince Colosimo, Alex Dimitriadis, Les Hill, Rodger Corser, Caroline Gilmer, George Kapiniaris, Caroline Craig (pictured), Damian Walshe-Howling, Marcus Graham, Frankie J. Holden and Adam Zwar. They rubbed shoulders with media and other Nine celebs including Catriona Rowntree, Julia Zemiro, cast from Monster House and National Nine News.

Victoria Police were also represented with two uniformed police, members of the Purana Task Force and a flashing police car beside the red carpet.

Despite Nine keeping the venue secret until Wednesday afternoon, Nine managed to make a cross from the Waterside Hotel to Nine’s news. But the evening went off without a hitch.

The show launches with a 2hr premiere at 8:30pm Wednesday Feb 13 and the full underbellytv.com website launches on Feb 1.

LATEST NEWS: Show Watch: Underbelly

4 Responses

  1. Mandy Vince and Alex were so busy doing tv chats to Today and other media that I decided I wasn’t happy with the pics I surreptitiously got. Plus we’ve seen lots of Vince already. It’s an ensemble and Caroline is actually the “narrator” of the series. She was lovely enough to oblige!

  2. Im just a middle class worker, a part of the unwashed masses… but where the “elite” glorifying organized crime or is it just my feeble unwashed mass of a mind?

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