Talking Heads: June 14

Joining Peter Thompson (pictured) on Talking Heads this week is former lawyer Andrew Fraser, who came crashing to earth following cocaine addiction, being disbarred and imprisoned.

He later published an autobiography which has in turn become the basis for the forthcoming TV1 series Killing Time, produced by FremantleMedia Australia.

In the 10 part series he is portrayed by David Wenham.

This week on Talking Heads Peter Thompson is joined by Andrew Fraser, the high-flying Melbourne lawyer who tripped up and found himself on the wrong side of the gates in maximum security.

At the top of his game, Fraser was defending some of Australia’s most notorious criminals including Alan Bond and Lewis Moran. He had a two million dollar home overlooking the water at St Kilda, a penthouse in the snowfields at Falls Creek and a Mercedes Benz coupe.

With money to burn, he developed a bad cocaine habit. He estimates that by the late nineties he’d put 100-grands’ worth up his nose. His life started to spiral out of control.

In 1999 he became embroiled in a drug importation deal and ended up losing everything – his career, his house, his wife and, for five years, his freedom. His cellmates were psychopaths, serial murderers, paedophiles and rapists.

Now a reformed character, Fraser has a new career as a writer with two books published and another due out this year.

It airs 6:30pm Monday on ABC1.