Returning: The True Story

The True Story returns to ABC2 with a new season that looks behind the gloss and glamour of cinema blockbusters to discover the truth behind some of the world’s most famous films.

The first episode looks at the truth behind Saving Private Ryan, with other episodes to tackle Braveheart, True Grit and Apollo 13.

From crime thrillers to war epics, films captivate and entertain. But where does the inspiration come from? Are these stories purely fiction, or are they based on fact? Taking each film in turn The True Story unravels fact from fiction to expose the real heroes and villains.

Episode one explores the film Saving Private Ryan which tells the story of Captain John H. Miller as he searches for paratrooper Private Ryan following D-Day. The scriptwriters were inspired by the real story of American soldier Sergeant Niland, whose two older brothers died during the Normandy beach landings, and a third brother was declared missing, presumed dead, in the South Pacific. Full of twists and turns this true story is, in many ways, more dramatic than the movie.

7:30pm Saturday, 5 January on ABC2