John Howard

The ABC Of... an interview series, revisits the pasts of famous Australians delving deep to uncover hidden archival gems, exploring how they changed Australia and how Australia changed them.

On Nov 16, 2005, Australia didn't just qualify for the FIFA World Cup, it found its voice on the global stage. We hear from the players, coaches and fans who were part of that historic moment.

Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen reigned over Queensland for 19 tumultuous years (1968–1987). Hugely popular, he presided over enormous growth, but corruption raged under his tenure, as did electoral manipulation and often violent suppression of dissent. This film tells Joh’s story through rare archival footage and revelatory interviews, exploring a life shaped by a hard yakka, god-fearing upbringing on his family’s farm. Trump’s spectre is evoked in Joh’s famously mangled and meandering way of speaking – brilliantly dramatised by Richard Roxburgh – alongside his unyielding execution of power and the desperate denial of his final days in office.

Across 17 days of marvel that shaped Australia, Sydney 2000: The Best Ever travels the globe to find the superstars who helped make those two weeks in spring so memorable, while revealing the legacy and impact those moments had on this nation across two magical one hour films.

With the Olympics returning to Greece, the opening ceremony of Athens 2004 sought to show the entire development of the Olympics over the centuries, until arriving at the modern Olympics.

Australia says goodbye to The Crocodile Hunter

The ABC Of... an interview series, revisits the pasts of famous Australians delving deep to uncover hidden archival gems, exploring how they changed Australia and how Australia changed them.

Across 17 days of marvel that shaped Australia, Sydney 2000: The Best Ever travels the globe to find the superstars who helped make those two weeks in spring so memorable, while revealing the legacy and impact those moments had on this nation across two magical one hour films.

The Howard Years was a documentary series about the prime ministership of John Howard produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was divided into four one-hour episodes - one episode for each term Howard served as Prime Minister of Australia - and originally broadcast on ABC1 from 17 November to 8 December 2008.