Australian Story: Series 2021
Season 26 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Australian Story Season 25.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 26 Progress Shield
Surviving Turbulence
Feb 8, 2021 · 30 min
16-year-old teen Bob Bramley takes to the skies to break a solo flying record and shine a light on youth mental health, galvanised by the desperate struggles of his two friends.
Sisters in Arms
Feb 15, 2021 · 30 min
There's a hidden danger lurking in every home and these are the two mothers who've achieved a world first to protect our children.
The Tipping Point
Feb 22, 2021 · 30 min
Scientist Veena Sahajwalla is a recycling revolutionary whose bold new ideas are helping reduce landfill. Now she's unveiling her latest brainchild, an invention which turns the di
I Dream of Jeanne
Mar 1, 2021 · 30 min
Unique and outrageous, Jeanne Little was the comedy dah-ling of daytime television in the 70s and 80s. Four months after her death from Alzheimers, daughter Katie reveals some inti
Fish Out of Water
Mar 8, 2021 · 30 min
Promising young swimmer Shayna Jack was destined for the Olympics until she failed a routine drug test. But is the evidence against her justified or has she been caught up in an ov
An Unlikely Match
Mar 15, 2021 · 30 min
Drawing on her own experience of trauma, comedian Magda Szubanski forms an unlikely alliance with teenager Will Connelly, aka Eggboy, to help combat mental health issues in bushfir
Raising the Bar
Mar 22, 2021 · 30 min
She's the glamorous lawyer representing high-profile clients like Julian Assange and Amber Heard. Jennifer Robinson charts her meteoric rise from small town public schoolgirl to th
Chamber of Silence
Mar 29, 2021 · 30 min
Sexual slurs, baseless rumours, harassment and abuse - former Federal Labor minister Kate Ellis looks into Canberra's toxic culture, speaking to female politicians from all parties
Sophie's Choice
Apr 12, 2021 · 30 min
Mao's Last Dancer Li Cunxin and his wife and daughter's dramatic story of sacrifice, questioning and the painful journey towards reconciliation.
Birds of a Feather
Apr 19, 2021 · 30 min
Identical twins Brigette and Paula Powers are so close they live and work together and even speak in unison. After a chance meeting with Steve Irwin, they now use their unique conn
Forever Young
Apr 26, 2021 · 30 min
A recent coronial inquest reveals the catastrophic errors made by NSW Police which left teenager Ursula Barwick's fate a mystery for almost 30 years.
Children of the Brush (Part 1)
May 3, 2021 · 30 min
He's one of Australia's most successful and famous painters. But what has been the cost of fame for the children of acclaimed artist John Olsen?
Children of the Brush (Part 2)
May 10, 2021 · 30 min
Part two of an inside look at one of Australia's greatest artistic dynasties. In this concluding episode, a court case threatens to derail the family of acclaimed painter John Olse
A World of their Own
May 17, 2021 · 30 min
The Seekers blazed a trail for Australian music in the 1960s with a number of chart topping international hits. But fame led to fallout and they split at the height of their succes
A Balancing Act
May 24, 2021 · 30 min
Dr Michelle Telfer is a world leader in providing treatment for children and teens with gender dysphoria, guiding them through their first steps towards transitioning. But her work
A Good Match
May 31, 2021 · 30 min
When women's soccer star Rhali Dobson received an on-field marriage proposal, the pictures went viral around the world. It was a story of love, sport and sacrifice – and a heart-wr
Final Call
Jun 7, 2021 · 30 min
After his wife was murdered while working on call as a nurse in South Australia's remote APY Lands, Keith Woodford has campaigned for a coronial inquest which has delivered some br
Bouncing Back
Jun 14, 2021 · 30 min
An unlikely friendship forged on the tennis court between a homeless man and famous tennis pro leads to lifechanging events and a new beginning.
Luc Longley: One Giant Leap (Part 1)
Aug 2, 2021 · 30 min
In the first of a two part special, we find out how a gentle kid from Fremantle ended up playing alongside Michael Jordan in the world's greatest team, the Chicago Bulls. Luc Longl
Luc Longley: One Giant Leap (Part 2)
Aug 9, 2021 · 30 min
From running with the Chicago Bulls to his omission from The Last Dance documentary, Luc Longley sets the record straight.
The Road to Justice
Aug 16, 2021 · 30 min
A mother's battle to bring her daughter's killer to account pays off when a coroner's inquest leads to a breakthrough.
Saving MG99
Aug 23, 2021 · 30 min
A daring sea rescue led by the Australian Navy saved 99 people from certain death. Forty years later, the survivors meet their saviours in an emotional reunion.
Home Straight
Aug 30, 2021 · 30 min
In a case of life imitating art, iconic Aussie actor Michael Caton channels his beloved character from The Castle to fight for the underdog. Caton knows he's in the home straight o
Beyond the Grave
Sep 6, 2021 · 30 min
One of the nation's biggest cold case mysteries takes a new turn when 'Somerton Man' is unearthed from an Adelaide cemetery in the hope that his DNA might finally reveal the secret
The Good Doctor
Sep 13, 2021 · 30 min
Dr Jamal Rifi has given up his retirement dreams to fight COVID from his front yard in the middle of the nation's Delta outbreak.
No Place Like Home
Sep 20, 2021 · 36 min
The story behind the story of the family at the centre of a tug of war between a small country town and the big end of government.
The Accomplice
Sep 27, 2021 · 32 min
Behind the scenes of the AFP investigation into Australia's biggest insider trading case, where two young men united by deception are brought down by greed.
The Godfather of Coral
Oct 4, 2021 · 32 min
Charlie Veron has spent his career underwater charting the world's coral wonderlands. Now, as the Great Barrier Reef faces its biggest threat, he reveals an audacious rescue plan.
California Dreaming
Oct 11, 2021 · 29 min
Like the characters in his blockbuster novels, author Matthew Reilly is no stranger to persevering through loss and setback. Now he's realising the childhood dream that inspired hi
Unmasking Max
Oct 18, 2021 · 32 min
Funnyman Max Gillies has been making people laugh all his life. Now at almost 80, he reveals the hidden family grief he has carried with him, and how comic acting became a welcome
Happy Days
Oct 25, 2021 · 30 min
The heartwarming next chapter of Australian Story's most popular program ever proves love really does conquer all. Checking in with Gayle and Mac Shann.
The Final Hurdle
Nov 1, 2021 · 32 min
Athlete, mother of four and reality TV star Jana Pittman talks about her new life as a doctor and her regrets about the period when she was labelled 'Drama Jana'.
Justice for Justine
Nov 8, 2021 · 30 min
A Sydney family takes on the Minneapolis police department in a long-running court battle to hold officer Mohamed Noor accountable for the death of Justine Ruszczyk.
In the Name of the Child
Nov 15, 2021 · 30 min
Lauren Burns fought to find her anonymous sperm donor father. As she becomes a parent, she's back campaigning to make it easier for donor-conceived children to find their biologica
Grace Under Fire
Nov 22, 2021 · 34 min
Outspoken Australian of the Year Grace Tame looks back over a tumultuous and life-changing 12 months.