ABC's blog

ABC TV and Screen Australia today announced two winning hosts for Fanging It, the irreverent and contemporary multi-platform travel show for ABC2.

After a challenging filmmaking weekend in Melbourne where the five finalists were put through their paces, the judging panel made up of members from ABC TV, Net Effective/NMG and Screen Australia selected 24-year-old Dan Taylor from Tasmania, and 23-year-old Robin Burbidge from New South Wales.

David Jowsey, ABC TV's Commissioning Editor said, "It's fabulous to discover two great new young talents like Dan and Robin. Fanging It is another innovative ABC TV venture, which will provide content for both TV and on-line."

Claire Jager from Screen Australia said, "It’s been an extraordinary couple of months – and this weekend really put everyone through their paces. Dan and Robin cut right to the chase with their story-telling, skill and humour – we know they’ll last the distance!"

Sunday, 14 September 2008
6.00pm

ABC1 continues to keep you up-to-date with all of Australia's medal winning moments with two one-hour highlight programs each day.

Steve Robilliard presents highlights of the day's session of competition from 6-7pm on ABC1, and Karen Tighe will present the evening session's highlights at approx 11.30pm (start time varies due to regular programming requirements) on ABC1.

These programs will screen simultaneously in high definition on ABC HD (digital channel 20) and be available on ABC iView.

Sunday, 14 September 2008
7.30pm

On this week's episode of Doctor Who: Turn Left, Donna's (Catherine Tate) entire world collapses, but there's no sign of the Doctor (David Tennant).

Instead, she finds help from a mysterious blonde woman - a traveller from a parallel universe. But as Donna and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) combine forces, are they too late to save the whole of creation from the approaching darkness?

Sunday, 14 September 2008
8.35pm

The deaths of Ron Wilson (Albert Welling) and his wife Libby shock the village of Dunstan in Midsomer. The couple, who became reclusive after the death of their son Michael in a road accident, were apparently victims of a botched burglary.

Veteran campaigner and psychic Lynne Fox (Maggie Steed), who discovered the bodies, is leading protests against a village bypass. Brutish wheeler-dealer Jack Purdy (Matthew Flynn) has won the right to flatten Alyssa Bradley's (Marion Bailey) house to make way for the road, but Alyssa fears her long-lost son Patrick (Albert Welling) will have nowhere to return to.

Charlotte Knight (Indra Ove), a photographer and school friend of Jones (Jason Hughes), is helping police at the crime scene. Barnaby (John Nettles) senses something is not right there.

Sunday, 14 September 2008
10.10pm

Australia has more than 1000 independent schools, the majority of them Christian. Recent debate has focused on their teaching, their funding and their impact on our social fabric, but have we listened to those who offer a Christian education? Compass visits four schools in three states, Tasmania, Victoria and two in New South Wales, to find out: How do Christian schools teach values and religion?
How do Christian values inform teaching across the curricula? What are the differences between various 'brands' of Christian education? And most importantly, how do Christian schools prepare young Australians for life?

Tuesday, 16 September 2008
7.00am

Ruby Gloom follows the adventures of Ruby and her off-beat circle of friends. Ruby lives in a Victorian mansion on the outskirts of Gloomsville with her pals Doom Kitty, Skull Boy, Misery, Boo Boo and Mr Buns.

Ruby is the happiest girl in the world, always trying to be cheerful in the face of gloom! Ruby's perfect day is a gloomy one, full of creativity and adventure with her friends.

Ep 21: Gloomates - Tuesday, September 16 at 7am
After Iris and Squig mistakenly crash into Skull Boy's Tower, Skull Boy moves in with Poe until the Tower can be fixed. Skull Boy realises after much study he belongs to the 'Lay-abouts' and after moving in with Poe's many eccentricities, Skull Boy finds it a challenge among other things to get a good night's sleep. Anxious to sleep in his own room, he returns to the Tower only to find that Iris and Misery have each had a turn at redesigning his room more to their specifications than his.

Tuesday, 16 September 2008
8.00pm

John Doyle and Tim Flannery made their first journey together down the Murray Darling rivers in Tim's tinnie, the Bismarck. There were wild adventures along the way and the two mates discovered first hand the dire state of Australia's greatest river system.

Now, Tim and John set off on a new adventure - driving across the top of the continent in the six-part series Two in the Top End.

John and Tim explore the last frontier on a 4,000 kilometre journey across the Top End of Australia from Cooktown to Broome. As climate change shifts the national focus northward Australia's best-known scientist and his satirical mate examine the colourful past, present and future of the deep north in their inimitable style.

Tuesday, 16 September 2008
8.30pm

When you are settled down in your 70s, building a brand new house might not be at the top of your agenda. But Bill and Jean Letley are not only building a new bungalow in their back garden, but are embracing cutting edge technologies to create a super efficient, highly contemporary, easy to live in single storey home. This is especially important for Bill, who is disabled and wants to maintain as much independence as possible.

Bill and Jean aren't hiring a builder, instead they're entrusting the whole project to their daughter Jo, and son-in-law Paul, who with little building experience, have to get to grips with numerous technologies that would faze the most experienced of builders.

Wednesday, 17 September 2008
9.00pm

Pressure mounts on the Government to fund an expensive new pill, despite evidence that it may not be worth funding at all.

The Hollowmen stars Lachy Hulme, David James, Neil Melville, Rob Sitch and Merrick Watts with Jacquie Brennan, Santo Cilauro, Stephen Hall, Nicola Parry and Graeme Blundell. Special guest Kerry Walker.

The Hollowmen will be repeated on ABC2 - Thursday, September 18 at 8:30pm

Wednesday, 17 September 2008
9.30pm

In tonight's episode of Very Small Business, Don's creditors are hunting him down and things get worse when his doctor diagnoses him with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Ray's attempt to get close to Leslie fails dismally when Don rips shreds through her design proposal for the mobile dog wash franchise. Ray watches Leslie leave and run into the arms of an older man, who happens to be the pastor from the Pentecostal church.

Don's bowel problems deepen when he hears from his solicitor that a date has been set for his divorce settlement.

Very Small Business will be repeated on ABC2 – Thursday, September 18 at 9:00pm

Wednesday, 17 September 2008
9.55pm

Celebrate Australia's success at the Paralympic Games Beijing 2008 when your host, Adam Hills, along with Paralympic Gold Medallist Louise Sauvage and ABC Sport presenter Karen Tighe bring you all the colour and excitement of the spectacular Closing Ceremony, LIVE, on Wednesday September 17 at 9.55pm.

As the 13th Paralympic Games comes to a close, over 170 athletes from every Australian state and territory, who have competed in 13 sports over 11 action-packed days, take to the stadium one last time to bask in their achievements in Beijing.

The ceremony will be broadcast simultaneously on ABC1 and ABC2, and in high definition on ABC HD (digital channel 20). The ceremony will also be available on ABC iView.

Thursday, 18 September 2008
5.30pm

Thursday, 18 September 2008
6.05pm

One of nature's most memorable characters, Echo the elephant, 58, is one of the grand old matriarchs of Amboseli National Park in Kenya. She is approaching her final years and may well die soon.

As portrayed in Echo of the Elephants and The Next Generation, she has led her family through good times and bad, through deaths, drought, floods, poaching, the intrusion of mass tourism and the threat of big game hunting.

Daughter, Ella, 37, is the most likely successor to lead the elephant family after she dies, but Echo is a tough act to follow. Can Ella live up to the challenges ahead? Extraordinary archival footage features in this moving wildlife tribute.

Thursday, 18 September 2008
8.30pm

Kevin Taing grew up in Sydney helping out at his father's bakery, eating meat pies, sausage rolls, going to the beach and watching football. His Cambodian heritage was something he took little interest in. Haunted by stories of his parents' flight from the atrocities of Pol Pot and the superstitions of traditional Cambodian life, Kevin turned his back on Khmer culture and became an Australian.

Now 28, Kevin has his life planned out. A comfortable job in a leading bank, a young wife, and a big house in Sydney's outer suburbs with plenty of space for his music room where he spends his free time playing guitar - when he is not involved in church activities.

But Kevin's world is thrown upside down when he takes up the challenge to visit Cambodia, the land of his fears. His mother tries to dissuade him with dire warnings about what might be in store for him. Filled with trepidation Kevin arrives in Phnom Penh.

Friday, 19 September 2008
8.30pm

In From The Defeated, the third episode in series six of this compelling crime drama, forensic clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill (Robson Green) is brought in by Inspector Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) to investigate a series of kidnappings and murders where it appears that the victims were also killers.

The body of the first victim, a young male, poses a riddle. He was beaten, strangled and shot in the head. Why were all three methods of murder necessary? When a second victim is found who's mysteriously linked to the first only by the presence of skin under his fingernails, the answer seems to be that the two young men had no connection other than in death. One victim killed the other. But who killed the survivor?