29 years and it still ticks on

“Peter, we want you to go and interview a bunch of extremely modified people, it’ll be great… great pictures… you know, you’ll meet a man who looks like a cat, then there’s the bloke who looks like a lizard…,” said a 60 Minutes producer.

“Oh, and the fella who has two big horns in his forehead…”

So writes Peter Overton on his blog. This Sunday as the show returns for 2008, he says, “I thought we might have a bit of fun with Stalking Cat in the interview, but he’s one serious cat – I had to address him as Stalking Cat …no jokes with him.

“My producer and I were trying to figure out how we could liven him up a bit and we came up with the idea to take him to a cat hospital. We found one and the transformation in Stalking Cat was like flicking a big switch.”

60 Minutes will also feature Eddie McGuire supporting Sam Newman during his prostate cancer scare.

It returns for its 29th year 7:30pm Sunday on Nine.

Press Release:

Oarsome!

For the money, it’s one of the all-time great adventures. Oarsome, in fact. Two young Aussies against nature, against the elements. Two months in a tiny kayak, battling the wild and unpredictable Tasman. An epic journey that made history. Remember the jubilant scenes when Justin Jones and James Castrission finally made it, well, that’s just part of their story. Remarkably, the boys captured every heart-stopping moment on video. All the fear, the tears and the tantrums. Not to mention sharks, storms, hunger and sea-sickness. All that, and two hugely likeable young heroes, make this story totally unforgettable.

Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Jonathan Harley

Freaking Out

Peter Overton has seen some weird and wonderful things in his job. But nothing prepared him for these guys. And when you see the Lizard Man, Stalking Cat, the Horned Man and their mates in action, you’ll understand why. They call it body modification. But that’s the understatement of the year. It’s total transformation. They’re not satisfied with a few tattoos, spikey hair and an ear-ring. This is the real thing, real whiskers, real horns, a real forked tongue. No masks, no make-up, no tricks. It’s living art, they say. The ultimate in self-expression. Or maybe, the ultimate 21st century freak show.

Reporters: Peter Overton
Producers: Hugh Nailon, Garry McNab

Moment of Truth

You can say a lot of things about footy star Sam Newman. But you’d never call him a quitter. On the plus side, there are the 300 games for Geelong and his starring role on The Footy Show. On the minus, his failures in love, life and business. Now, he’s fighting for his life. Three weeks ago, he went in for a routine blood test and came out with the devastating news he had prostate cancer. It was so bad, the doctors decided to operate immediately. And through it all, his mate Eddie McGuire has been at his side, especially for the crucial verdict, whether Sam will win or lose the fight of his life.

Producer: Hugh Nailon