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SBS Upfronts: Denton in new Who Do You Think You Are?

Andrew Denton, Rebecca Gibney & Lisa McCune join Who Do You Think You Are? for SBS in 2014.

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2013-10-30_1025Andrew Denton, Rebecca Gibney and Lisa McCune will feature on Who Do You Think You Are? on SBS in 2014.

They will be joined by Richard Roxburgh and Jacki Weaver in a star-studded new season of announced today at the SBS 2014 Upfronts in Sydney.

SBS also confirmed 14 more episodes of beloved RocKwiz, dual seasons of Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl and Once Upon a Time in Carlton -the latter will include Mick Gatto.

Drama sees the return of Vikings, Masters of Sex, and a new drama Rectify, starring Aden Young and Adelaide Clemens.

There’s also a slew of more Food, more Sport -including the FIFA World Cup– and new Factuals including Living with the Enemy, Australia’s Secret Heroes, What’s The Catch? and , The Great Australian Race Riot presented by Peter Fitzsimons.

SBS 2 will also see a yet-to-be titled Comedy series with Chas Licciardello, Dan Illic, Joel Creasey and Matt Okine, more of The Feed and the “slow-tracked” premiere of The Walking Dead.

Tony Iffland, Director of TV, SBS said: “SBS’s depth and quality of programming is bigger and better than ever before as we head into the coming year, with commissioned Australian content up 33% in 2013-2014.

“The year ahead sees SBS building reputable brands such as Once Upon a Time and Who Do You Think You Are? and introducing new commissioned documentaries that will continue to provoke debate and push boundaries across a range of topics.

“We’re expanding our already incredibly popular food offering with five new commissions for the coming year and layering our schedule with the best in international drama and factual acquisitions.

“A year on from joining the SBS stable, NITV is gaining strength and popularity and the

“If all that wasn’t compelling enough, the biggest sporting event in history The FIFA World Cup airs live and exclusive on SBS across June and July in 2014.

“SBS has a strong reputation of delivering ground breaking, thought-provoking, original content and 2014 solidifies our aim to provide a schedule with consistency, easier navigation and extraordinary depth of programming.”

But there was no mention of a new season for acclaimed documentary series Go Back To Where You Came From?

Factual Highlights 

SBS will once again be the home for landmark documentary series in 2014, with a host of ground-breaking factual commissions that will push boundaries and provoke debate.

New for 2014:

–        Living with the Enemy (Shine Australia) is a bold, new provocative six-part series which explores the faultlines of social cohesion, as two people who have diametrically opposed views on a cultural divide are immersed in each other’s lives.

–        Australia’s Secret Heroes (Joined Up) a three-part series charting the journey of a secretive WWII Special Forces unit, and follows the grandchildren of veterans as they attempt to follow in their footsteps through their gruelling jungle training regime.

–        Acclaimed author and journalist Peter Fitzsimons will host a new three-part documentary series, The Great Australian Race Riot (Essential Media and Entertainment) that will reveal our turbulent history of racism, riots and reconciliation.

–        Well-known SBS name, Matthew Evans of Gourmet Farmer will be taken out of his comfort zone as he embarks on a voyage of discovery to reveal the complex truth behind Australia’s seafood in the three-part series What’s The Catch? (Essential Media and Entertainment).

SBS continues to tell powerful and engaging Australian multicultural stories, welcoming back some strong and recognisable factual brands.

Returning for 2014:

–        The second series of Once Upon A Time, Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl (Northern Pictures), premieres on SBS on 7 January 2014. It is the inside story of the challenges the Lebanese community has faced in Australia and how they have fought to overcome them. (4 x 1hr)

–        The Once Upon a Time series will continue with the announcement of Once Upon a Time in Carlton (Northern Pictures), which will delve into the Italian community in Carlton, Melbourne with Mick Gatto a key character in the series. (3x 1hr)

–        Celebrated genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? (Artemis International and Serendipity Productions) returns for its sixth Australian series, exploring the family history of high profile Australians including Andrew Denton, Jacki Weaver, Rebecca Gibney, Richard Roxburgh and Lisa McCune. (8x 1hr)

All of these new factual commissions receive funding from Screen Australia.

Drama & Entertainment Highlights

SBS’s renewed commitment to quality drama continues in 2014 with some of the best new international drama acquisitions.

–        One of the most anticipated drama series this year, Rectify, stars Australia’s own Aden Young and Adelaide Clemens. This heartbreaking and breath-taking drama tells the story of a death row inmate who is thrust into a world he no longer knows when his conviction is vacated.

SBS’s strong documentary Sunday nights will expand in 2014, creating event TV with the introduction of key factual and drama series throughout the year, the first of which is World War II season featuring three new dramas;

–        Generation War, a German World War II miniseries, about 5 friends set in Berlin, 1941.

–        Spies of Warsaw, an adaptation of Alan Furst’s celebrated spy novel starring David Tenant (Doctor Who) and Janet Montgomery (Entourage).

–        Restless, about a young woman who names her mother as having worked as a spy for the British Secret Service.

–        SBS’s compelling Danish drama slate continues with the return of The Bridge, and Borgen. Borgen Season 2 premieres on November 13, 9.30pm SBS ONE.

–        Popular drama Vikings also returns to SBS with season two in March, followed by the recently renewed second season of Masters of Sex later next year.

Australia’s much loved music quiz show, RocKwiz, will be back in 2014 with a new expanded season of 14 episodes, as the delightful Julia Zemiro, Brian Nankervis, human scoreboard Dugald and the talented RocKwiz Orkestra bring the Gershwin Room at the legendary Esplanade hotel in St Kilda to life in Australia’s original music trivia show.

Food Highlights

SBS’s popular Thursday night food programming is set to get bigger and better with more series from some of Australia’s leading chefs.

–        Gourmet Farmer Afloat (Essential Media and Entertainment) features Matthew Evans, Ross O’Meara and Nick Haddows as they trace the path followed by the first Australians to chart Tasmanian shores, exploring the foods and culture of yesteryear. (6 x 1hr)

–        Luke Nguyen returns with his new series Luke Nguyen’s France (Red Creative Media) which leads him on a quest to discover the culinary wonderland that shaped his ancestral home. (10 x 30min)

–        Embarking on a breathtaking journey through the vibant and tempting world of Mexican cuisine is Peter Kuruvita in his new series, Mexican Fiesta with Peter Kuruvita (The Precinct Studios). (10 x 30min)

–        Shane Delia is back for the second stage of his odyssey through the Middle East in Shane Delia’s Spice Journey Turkey (Essential Media and Entertainment). (10 x 30min)

SBS 2 Highlights

SBS 2 will continue to delight younger audiences with smart, provocative and funny content with cult appeal, including brand new commissioned series.

–        One of the cornerstones of SBS 2, news and culture show The Feed returns with even more in 2014, extending its nightly episodes from 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

–        The laughs will be coming thick and fast with SBS 2’s first comedy commission. Yet to be named stand up show hosted by Chas Licciardello, features some of Australia’s funniest stand-up comedians, including Dan Illic, Joel Creasey and Matt Okine, doing what they do best in front of a studio audience. (10 x 30min)

–        International blockbuster drama also comes to SBS 2 with the free-to-air premiere of The Walking Dead (slow-tracked from season one) and TCA award winning supernatural drama Orphan Black.

–        SBS 2 remains the destination for leading domestic sport with the Hyundai A-League and the ANZ Championship netball live plus new live entertainment football show Thursday FC.

Sport Highlights

2014 will be one of the biggest years in sport for SBS with more live major events than ever before.

–        The world’s biggest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, is live and exclusive on SBS in 2014. All 64 games will be live from Brazil, with over 700 hours of coverage and exclusive broadcast rights across all platforms including TV, online, mobile, tablet and radio. Les Murray and Craig Foster will once again spearhead SBS’s coverage, which will include daily updates, news, match analysis and a nightly program following the Socceroos on the road to World Cup glory.

–        Live football action will continue on SBS next year with live coverage of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the FA Cup.

–        SBS remains the home of cycling in Australia with the live and exclusive broadcast of the world’s largest cycling race the Tour de France as well as coverage of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

NITV Highlights

A year on from joining the SBS stable, NITV in 2014 is building on their programming triumphs with both acquired and locally produced programming – news and current affairs, sport, children’s shows, comedy, feature films, lifestyle and food and beyond.

New for 2014:

–        Hosted by Rhoda Roberts, In The Frame (NITV) will take audiences on a journey exploring the lives of Indigenous personalities and heroes as they talk openly and candidly about their photos, their past and their futures. (12 x 26min)

–        Kriol Kitchen (Wawili Pitjas) sees sisters Mitch and Ali Torres draw in their combined acting experiences and local inside knowledge to go on a journey of food, culture and family history. (10x 26min)

–        NITV tells Indigenous stories from around the world with Hard Rock Medical. Starring Australia’s own Mark Coles Smith, this original indigenous Canadian drama has two episodes filmed in Australia and follows a diverse group of students as they navigate through a four-year adventure in the most unusual medical school in the world.

2014 on SBS will be bigger and better than ever with more commissioned content, more big name acquisitions and the very best in live sport.

9 Responses

  1. Victor, have you already done the research? How do you know it doesn’t fit the “ethnic remit”? (I presume you mean the charter eg: “increase awareness of the contribution of a diversity of cultures to the continuing development of Australian society;..”)
    Also, maybe actors just, coincidentally, have more interesting ancestors than other prominent Aussies? Did you think that might be the reason, Sydney2K, for the new series having 4 actors?

  2. Destination Flavour is definitely coming back in 2014 with Adam Liaw in Aus and NZ.

    SBS says it chooses a WDYTYA? cast with diverse backgrounds and stories that are not necessarily stereotypical. “In the last series for example we featured Adam Hills which featured immigration and racism suffered by his ancestors.”

  3. The line up for WDYTYA are almost all actors. In that way it’s almost like the US version. I would have liked Rugby Union’s Ella brothers to be profiled, and there are plenty of interesting people from other parts of the arts, as well as the sciences and public life.

  5. When you see SBS put Who Do You Think You Are at the top of its 2014 list with a bunch of local Anglo Saxon celebrities you really do wonder if SBS has lost its way. What does it stand for? It seems to have completely lost its way, a quasi government/commercial hybrid. I can’t get enough of Borgen and all those Danish dramas but think SBS is now far removed from its ethnic remit and seems lost.

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