Sunday Night - Season 2012

conic journalist Mike Willesee marks his return to television on Sunday Night with an exclusive one-on-one interview with Prime Minister Julia Gillard. In a revealing and personal insight into an embattled PM and a woman under pressure, Gillard opens up to Willesee about a potential leadership challenge from Kevin Rudd as well as the role of her office in igniting the tent embassy riots. She also reflects on her family and why she is prone to hide her emotions. A doyen of public affairs broadcasting and an inductee into the Logies Hall of Fame, Willesee joins Seven’s flagship Sunday Night ahead of the 2012 series return this week. Also featuring this Sunday, award-winning reporter Ross Coulthart goes behind the scenes to discover the secrets of the hit series, Downton Abbey. With $1.5 million spent on each episode, it is also one of the most expensive. Coulthart meets star actress Joanne Froggart and is given a private tour of the famous Highclere Castle estate by the real lady of the manor, Lady Carnarvon. Viewers will also enjoy a sneak peek from the new season ahead. And in a rare treat, Sunday Night brings audiences the only Australian interview with Sir Paul McCartney ahead of the release of his new album. The greatest living songwriter of the modern age, McCartney talks about his love for Australia and his family connection to this country – as well as his string of wives, Beatlemania, the Beatles’ break-up, and the inspiration behind his latest songs.

WILD AND DEADLY Imagine if teenagers ruled the world and threw the wildest, craziest party ever staged. Well that party has already started, and it’s on the must do list for every young Australian heading overseas. Until recently Vang Vieng in Laos was a sleepy Muslim fishing village. Today it’s a thrill seekers paradise where anything goes and there are no limits. But with the buckets of booze, pulsing dance music and river tubing - death is stalking. In the past two months three young Australian fun seekers have died, making Laos and Thailand the most dangerous place in the rest of the world for Australians. Eighty five Aussies died there last year alone. This seemingly harmless stunt – floating down a river for several days in a tyre inner tube while stopping frequently to drink and dance, has taken a sinister turn. Unscrupulous operators are selling alcohol and illicit drugs to legion of backpackers, and the result is leaving families burying their children. This special Sunday Night investigation follows the harrowing stories of a number of Aussies who nearly died during what they thought was going to be the adventure of a lifetime. DECEIVED AND IGNORED It is the shocking scandal affecting up to 9,000 Australian women and their families. In a Sunday Night investigation, we investigate the PIP breast implant disaster, and the ticking time bomb terrifying women around the world. A month after the French manufacturer was charged for using industrial grade silicone to make cheap implants, we speak to women suffering the side effects of chemical leakages flowing through their bodies. And the explosive interview with one victim whose child is dying, a child she breastfed with leaking PIP implants. As Rahni Sadler discovers, Australian women are blaming the PIP manufacturers of being terrorists, while the TGA has failed to recommend their immediate removal. SWEET POISON It’s addictive, affects our brains and is so toxic it’s responsible for increased levels of obesity, heart disease and even cancer. Yet most of us spoon it onto our breakfast cereals every morning, and it’s added to just about every manufactured food we eat. Sugar – one of Australia’s most lucrative primary industries, is sweet poison. Guest reporter Peter FitzSimons investigates the truth about this white gold. A few weeks ago, flabby and the wrong side of fifty, he read a book about sugar and it changed his life. He stopped eating sugar and the weight has dropped off. New claims suggest sugar is so addictive it should be regulated like tobacco and alcohol. The world’s most popular chef Jamie Oliver tells Peter we are abusing our children by feeding them food laced with sugar. The average Australian now eats about 33kgs of it a year. Peter goes in search of answers and asks - is sugar really bad for you, or is it just the victim of bad PR? DANNY De VITO At nearly 70 years of age, Danny DeVito has lost none of the spark that led him to becoming one of the best character actors of his day. This week, he talks openly to Ross Coulthart about love, life and living with good mate Michael Douglas. Boasting one of the longest marriages in Hollywood, Danny talks success, and what he thinks of his former Twins co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger: “ a meat head – he’s a thick headed meat head”.

TITANIC ROMANCE It is one of the greatest real love stories never told. Until now. Sunday Night reveals the remarkable romance of Evelyn and William, who found love following the sinking of the Titanic. Evelyn was the only Australian on the great ship who survived. A nurse on the Titanic, she grew up in South Australia and learnt to row against the tides of the mighty Murray River. When the call came to get into the lifeboats after Titanic struck an iceberg, Evelyn took control of the oars and rowed survivors to safety. This little known Aussie heroine later married William, a doctor who also worked for the same shipping line, and should have been on the Titanic’s maiden voyage but for a last minute change of roster. THE BIRDMAN The most incredible vision of a man flying like a bird that has ever been captured on film. Wearing just a wing suit cape, and with absolutely no engine or jet pack involved, Jeb Corliss hurtles through the air at 200km/h. This crazy American, who leaps from mountains, skyscrapers and helicopters, met Sunday Night in 2009 when he outlined his dream to plummet thousands of metres and land without a parachute. But driven to pushing the limit, Jeb recently made a big mistake and pushed his luck too far. Jumping from South Africa’s Table Mountain Jeb was hoping to fly so fast and so close to the mountain he wanted to virtually touch it. But on the third day he miscalculated and slammed into the rock shelf at 200km/h. It’s amazing he lived. Instead he broke both ankles, and shattering his left leg. After seven weeks in a Cape Town Hospital, Sunday Night has returned with Jeb to the United States and followed his attempts to walk again. AN OUTBREAK Off the eastern coast of the United States, there lies a small and mysterious island which may unlock the key as to why hundreds of thousands of people are falling ill. There is growing evidence an outbreak with massive consequences has escaped from here, and in this special Sunday Night investigation, we look at the illness that’s infecting more than 225,000 Americans every year, with thousands more in Australia. Yet the Australian government refuses to admit the outbreak has reached our shores. And as we uncover, there is a secret US government research facility on this island – a facility where highly contagious and deadly virus’ were used in experiments and stored away from the mainland. Many believe the outbreak of the world’s fastest growing infectious disease has its origins on the island, and it’s now spreading across the globe.

Exclusive: When Molly Met Katy In Molly Meldrum’s much anticipated comeback interview since his December fall, he sits down with pop superstar Katy Perry in Los Angeles. The result is a remarkably frank and open interview in which the singer opens up about her marriage break up with comedian Russell Brand, and subsequent break down on tour. She promises to be gentle with Molly telling him, “I’m so glad you’re back, and you’re well, and you’re here and you’re alive.” There’s lots of laughter, tears, kisses and presents – Molly’s first assignment is a must-watch television event. End Of The World They’re called ‘Doomsday preppers,’ and across the world they are hard at work planning for the end of the world. Sunday Night meets the US investor putting his money into building super-bunkers outside Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. According to the Mayan calendar the trigger for Armageddon will take place at the end of 2012. Alex Cullen joins one group in Alaska planning their last stand deep in the wilderness. Who will they be fighting against? Well they believe it could be Muslim terrorists, extra-terrestrial ‘zombies’, or simply a cataclysmic natural disaster. An explosive story that will leave you shaking your head. Bill Gates He was the richest man in the world until he started giving it all away. Bill Gates, the nerdy university dropout who founded Microsoft and built it into a $100 billion personal fortune, takes Sunday Night reporter Peter FitzSimons into the inner sanctum of his incredible charity city. He’s a man after every baby boomer’s heart – spending big and spending the kids’ inheritance on good causes, including ridding the world of deadly diseases. In this very rare television interview Gates pleads for wealthy Australians to follow his lead and become more generous philanthropists. The Day Doctor John Nearly Died Doctor John has had problems with his knees for years – like many Australians he was overweight and didn’t do enough exercise. Every extra kilo you carry in your body increases the force on your knees by about 6 kilos. But it’s not only people battling the bulge that are in danger. Around the country young, fit and healthy people are causing great damage to their knees every time they step onto a netball court or a footy field. But now, there is an exciting new surgery to replace the damaged bone with a metal and plastic crown. No recovery and rehab, patients are walking within hours. This is what Dr John should have done. Instead, he kept putting it off, turning to painkillers. Then, the doctor made a mistake that nearly killed him – he mucked up his medicine and it landed him the emergency ward. A very personal story from Dr John, and a warning for every Australian.

Murder on the Dance Floor Zahra Abrahimzadeh was a caring and loving mother, who for years protected her three children from her violent husband. When she left him, he was vengeful. She was in hiding, protected by a restraining order – until the courts made a fatal mistake. They gave her husband Zialloh permission to attend a function she would also be at. The police said she would be safe in a public place, protected by the crowd. How wrong they were. He sat at a nearby table, then acted out his promise – stabbing Zahra to death in front of their daughter. Alex Cullen presents a special Sunday Night investigation into a family failed by the system. Kerri-Anne in Africa In her first major television report since her cancer diagnosis, Kerri-Anne Kennerley travels to the wilds of Africa on a deeply personal crusade. Deep in the heart of Kenya, a dangerous battle is being waged to try to save the world’s last few wild rhinos from extinction. There are only eight northern white rhinos left on the planet. Kerri-Anne and an Aussie banker track down the only four that can still breed, and bring them to safety. Elsewhere in the vastness of Africa, rhinos are transported like teabags, sedated and dangling from helicopters in an operation to de-horn them and thwart armed poachers. It’s a dangerous mission, and this is the ultimate Sunday Night adventure, an assignment close to Kerri-Anne’s heart. Medical Tourism Australia’s public health system is bursting at the seams, with long waiting lists for elective surgery and many people suffering prolonged pain. Last year alone, two million Australians put off getting expensive dental treatment. It’s led to a booming business in medical tourism – package deals that combine cut price treatment abroad with a resort holiday. Sunday Night reporter Rahni Sadler follows one Aussie tour group as they travel to Bangkok for everything from boob jobs to hip replacements, root canal work to face lifts – for roughly half the price it would cost in Australia. Australian medical authorities warn patients are taking a risk, but are the results worth it? Glen Campbell One of the bravest and most heart-wrenching celebrity interviews you will ever see. Forty-eight hours after Alex Cullen interviewed country and western legend Glenn Campbell at his US home, the singer’s management team cancelled his Australian tour. It is doubtful he will ever return, and his appearance on Sunday Night could well be his final interview ever. For it has been revealed that Glen Campbell, who has sold 50 million records in a 50 year career, is battling Alzheimer’s disease. That he’s been able to continue performing for the past year, despite his short-term memory loss, is down to the love and support of his wife Kim and their children. A tender look into the home and family life of this musical legend.

Kerri-Anne’s Most Emotional Interview Just when Kerri-Anne Kennerley had battled through the toughest year of her life, things got a whole lot worse. Already in the midst of her own battle with cancer, her world was turned upside down again; with the news her brother was to undergo radical brain surgery. Kerri-Anne’s brother Malcolm is a gentle giant, a tradie struck down with the incurable disease Essential Tremor. He struggles to hold a glass or use a knife and fork, trapped in a body he can’t control. Kerri-Anne is with her big brother every step of the way as he undergoes Deep Brain Stimulation therapy. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for the normally smiling TV queen. This week the pacemaker device connected to Malcolm’s brain was switched on. Sunday Night is there for the results in the most emotional interview that Kerri-Anne has ever done. Australia’s Adoption Shame 18-year-old George Dennehy was abandoned at birth. Born without arms, he was dumped at an orphanage in Romania. He was starving to death and not expected to live. That is until his name was added to a long list of children available for adoption. His desperate picture was on the very last page, but that didn’t stop an American couple with three children of their own from taking him home. Today, George is an all-American teenager who plays the guitar and can even drive a car – amazingly with his toes. His mum and dad have now adopted nine children from around the world. Their home is full of love, joy and laughter. However, this is where the story takes a dark turn. Here in Australia, though there are 32,000 children in state care, and tens of thousands of childless couples desperate for a family, less than 400 children from here and overseas were adopted last year. Alex Cullen meets one of a growing number of Australian couples forced to move overseas to achieve their dream of starting a family. Deborah Lee-Furness, who with husband Hugh Jackman was forced to adopt in America, tells how laws must be changed to give more disadvantaged kids a loving home. Sunday Night then travels to Canberra to ask Federal Minister Nicola Roxon why Australia, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, has such a poor rate of adoption. Susan Boyle Goes Gangnam She lives alone with her cat in a small council house in Scotland, but this middle-aged spinster in sensible shoes is credited with saving the world’s music industry. Susan Boyle may not look like your usual pop star, but since being discovered on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, SuBo has sold over 18 million albums and stormed to the top of the charts in over 30 countries. In this remarkable interview we discover the dark side to Susan Boyle and how she has fought to live with her sudden stardom. Ahead of the release of her fourth album, Standing Ovation, Rahni Sadler joins Susan as she hits the bright lights of Las Vegas. Growing up, the songstress never believed she’d meet her teenage idol Donny Osmond, let alone sing alongside him. And don’t miss Susan letting loose and getting down – Gangnam Style.

Dawn French Dawn French is one of the most beloved women in comedy. Adored in Australia for French and Saunders and the Vicar of Dibley, she’s also just appeared in a supermarket campaign poking fun at her large frame. Dawn is a poster girl for curvy girls – and she’s not afraid to speak her mind about it. Ross Coulthart sat down with Dawn over High Tea at London’s Savoy Hotel where nothing was off limits. Behind the laughs Dawn talks about the suicide of her father, the breakdown of a 25-year marriage, and the endless criticism of the British press. This is a woman’s story to make you laugh and cry. Never Ending Appetite It’s the most baffling and bizarre medical syndrome known to science. Around 20 Australian babies are born with it every year, half a million live with it around the world. There is no test for it, and scientists do not know why it strikes. There is no cure and currently no answers – sufferers simply have a constant, total uncontrollable urge to eat. Imagine always being hungry and never feeling full? It’s called Prader Willi Syndrome – a random brain abnormality which causes many victims to literally eat themselves to death. They will eat anything they can, from the floor, from bins, anywhere. In this remarkable Tim Noonan investigation, meet the mother of James from Melbourne, who at 21, pleaded with his mother to allow him to escape his misery by committing death by food. There was nothing in Australia to help James. But there is hope. A place where PWS sufferers help each other. One success story is Laetitia, who was a staggering 203kgs, and needed 19 firemen to help her out of her house. Now, on the road to recovery, her transformation is extraordinary. Checking Out Susan Potts is incredibly fit for 89 years of age. A former model, her photos show a beautiful woman leading a full and colourful life. Married three times, Susan was eccentric and until just recently, still driving her vintage Rolls Royce around the Gold Coast. Her sister was the famous author Sarah Henderson, who died a lingering and painful death Susan witnessed first-hand. It’s not a path she wanted for herself. So, five weeks ago, Susan decided to ‘check out’, on her terms, to her own timetable. And she wanted her decision to be a lightning rod for the euthanasia debate. Two weeks ago she made a video interview, put her affairs in order, and then four days later – at home alone – she took her life. She didn’t tell her friends or family. Susan’s remarkable interview will polarise views about the right to choose your demise, particularly for people who are fit and healthy. Doctor Death Philip Nitschke, who met Susan, denies the death of a perfectly fit and healthy person is a step too far. Indeed Nitschke believes the age at which someone can decide to legally take their own life should be set at 50. This controversial and confronting story will spark reaction and debate, and is not to be missed.

Bath Salt Tragedy One dose of this legal powder is turning ordinary people into zombies with possessed minds and bodies. It’s an intense synthetic drug that’s marketed as a safe alternative to illegal substances – but it’s sending users into states of psychotic delirium, consumed with rage and superhuman strength. One man ate the family dog while under the influence of the substance that goes by the misleading name ‘bath salts’. In this special Sunday Night investigation, Ross Coulthart reports on the heartbreaking story of an Australian mum of two who lost her partner just weeks ago when the pair took the drug, believing it was safe. Rachael tells of the horrifying ordeal the pair suffered before her partner Glenn died when doctors had to switch off his life support. Easily purchased over the counter at stores across Australia, how is this legal and how do police counter the threat? Willesee & Quentin – 30 Years On It won him his first logie and is the story Mike Willesee is always asked about by members of the public. He first interviewed Quentin Kenihan 30 years ago when Australia fell in love with the cheeky seven-year-old who was confined to a wheelchair, suffering from a rare genetic bone condition. The boy who became a household name is now a 37-year-old man, and his reunion with the veteran journo will warm your heart. While he still battles health problems, having suffered pneumonia for the past 12 months, Quentin’s thirst for life is intact. Back then, Mike Willesee openly bribed him with toys to get the answers he was after, but now Quentin turns the tables and gives the interviewing legend a run for his money. See what happens when he returns a gift Mike gave him when they first. Proof Of Heaven? It’s the age-old question – is there an afterlife, and what is it like? Sunday Night meets a world-renowned and Harvard-trained neurosurgeon – for years a non-believer in the afterlife, but now a convert. When Dr Eben Alexander collapsed with meningitis four years ago, he spent seven days in a coma. When he finally awoke he told an extraordinary tale of what he’d experienced while he was sleeping. Dr Alexander distinctly remembers butterflies and beautiful women. Thousands of people – among them Melbourne woman Carmel Bell – have reported similar near-death experiences: travelling towards a light, encounters with heavenly beings, a sense of being outside their bodies. But none have had the scientific credibility of Dr Alexander. Sunday Night’s Pete-Jane Madam takes you on a journey into the afterlife and examines the scientific basis of his claims. We meet the scientists studying whether consciousness can live on despite the apparent death of the brain. Those who have ‘been there’ swear it’s real, while those who haven’t are sceptical. You be the judge.

Season 2012

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