Quentin McDermott
Director
Four Corners (1961)
Series 2023
Four Corners is Australia's longest-running investigative journalism/current affairs television program. Broadcast on ABC1 in Australia, it premiered on 19 August 1961 and celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021. Founding producer Robert Raymond and his successor Allan Ashbolt did much to set the ongoing tone of the program. Based on the Panorama concept, the program addresses a single issue in depth each week, showing either a locally produced program or a relevant documentary from overseas. The program has won many awards for investigative journalism, and broken many high-profile stories. A notable early example of this was the show's epoch-making 1962 exposé on the appalling living conditions endured by many Aboriginal Australians living in rural New South Wales.
Released Aug. 19, 1961
Episode 45 min
10+
Genres: Documentary, News
Keywords: tmdb.investigative-journalism, imdb.non-fiction, imdb.television, imdb.vigilantes, imdb.number-4-in-title, imdb.two-word-title, imdb.number-in-title
Network: ABC (AU)
S63E1 - Purity
An Education in Opus Dei - the disturbing teachings of the conservative Catholic organisation and its influence in the NSW Liberal Party. Former students reflect on the practices they say have scarred them for life.
Jan. 30, 2023, midnight
S63E2 - Do No Harm
The doctors who break their sacred oath but are still allowed to practise. We investigate the medical complaints handling process as patients tell harrowing stories of betrayal, and the system that struggled to respond.
Feb. 6, 2023, midnight
S63E3 - Carbon Colonialism
Can carbon credits really save the planet? We journey deep into the Papua New Guinean jungle to uncover the confronting truth about the carbon trade, finding a vast chasm between what is marketed and what is really happening.
Feb. 13, 2023, midnight
S63E4 - The People's Fight: The Battle for Kherson
The People's Fight, the inside story of the battle of the strategic city of Kherson. This Ukrainian victory halted Russian advances in the South and showed how an army of volunteers could defeat the might of the Russian army.
Feb. 20, 2023, midnight
S63E5 - Fading Away
Australia's secret battle with eating disorders. We follow families as they struggle to get the right treatment, exploring the complexities and revealing a health system appallingly underprepared to deal with this crisis.
Feb. 27, 2023, midnight
S63E6 - Tainted Gold
Inside Perth Mint's billion dollar scandal. Criminals have targeted Australia's largest government-owned gold refiner, trying to exploit weaknesses in its reporting systems to launder money.
March 6, 2023, midnight
S63E7 - High Stakes
Exposing the political games of one of Australia's most powerful lobby groups. A senior Liberal Party minister speaks for the first time about the orchestrated campaign to remove him by the powerful Australian gambling lobby.
March 13, 2023, midnight
S63E8 - The Secret World of Incels
Filmmaker Ben Zand takes us into the dark world of Incels - a radical online subculture of young men who rage against women for supposedly denying them sex and then turn that rage into fantasies about horrific violence.
March 20, 2023, midnight
S63E9 - Agents of Influence
Real Estate insiders expose the industry's secret tactics. Agents and property professionals reveal the ways in which their profession manipulates and misleads buyers as well as sellers in the pursuit of making a deal.
March 27, 2023, midnight
S63E10 - Gaming the Games
The scandal threatening the Paralympics. Insiders reveal a culture where classification rules are regularly bent and broken, as a system meant to ensure a level playing field for Paralympians is flawed and easily manipulated.
April 3, 2023, midnight
S63E11 - Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop
Japan's secret sex scandal. A music executive with a long history of allegations of sexual abuse made by boys in his talent agency. We examine the suffocating reality of being a J-pop idol and the media cover up over decades.
April 10, 2023, midnight
S63E12 - Hackers Inc
Australia is under cyber-attack and the problem is only getting worse. John Lyons tracks the criminal syndicate behind one of our largest-ever data breaches, finding highly-organised criminal gangs, often based in Russia.
April 17, 2023, midnight
S63E13 - Fox and the Big Lie
Four Corners revisits its investigation into the inner workings of the powerful Murdoch-owned conservative news outlet Fox News, in the wake of the company's billion-dollar settlement with an election technology company.
April 24, 2023, midnight
S63E14 - Going Nuclear
Australia's high risk submarine gamble. As we embark on the $368-billion AUKUS plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered subs, reporter Angus Grigg exposes major delays and safety issues in our current Collins Class vessels.
May 1, 2023, midnight
S63E15 - AI Rising
The new reality of artificial life. As tech companies race to dominate the artificial intelligence market, experts warn we're not prepared for what happens next. Grace Tobin investigates the misuse and abuse of generative AI.
May 8, 2023, midnight
S63E16 - Inside Russia
We go deep inside Russia to document the opposition to the Ukrainian war. Brave Russians who are willing to speak out against their government, despite the incredible risk.
May 15, 2023, midnight
S63E17 - Cocaine Nation
We lift the lid on the shadowy underworld of Australia's cocaine supply chain, with unprecedented access to traffickers, importers, street dealers and high-ranking cartel operatives.
May 22, 2023, midnight
S63E18 - Hiding Behind Tombstones
The new legal tactics blocking justice for survivors. Louise Milligan goes inside the legal fight as lawyers representing victims face institutions pushing to have cases thrown out of court altogether.
May 29, 2023, midnight
S63E19 - Frontline Taiwan
The small island state of Taiwan is in dire straits - stuck in the middle of a struggle between nuclear superpowers China and the United States. There are real fears it may become the centre of our next major global conflict.
June 5, 2023, midnight
S63E20 - Game, Bet, Match
The secretive deals between Australia's big sporting codes and bookmakers. Pat McGrath reveals how sports governing bodies get a cut of every bet made in Australia on their games. Could it change the way the games are played?
June 12, 2023, midnight
S63E21 - Traitor
Australia's great untold spy story. A senior officer at our national spy agency stole and sold highly classified intelligence to Russia's KGB for at least six years, jeopardising our security relationship with the US and UK.
June 19, 2023, midnight
S63E22 - Dirty Deeds
Inside Australia's Biggest Tax Scam. Paul Farrell investigates the Plutus Payroll scheme: a vast conspiracy to defraud more than $100 million from Australian taxpayers, revealing how it was set up and how it was brought down.
June 26, 2023, midnight
S63E23 - Putin and the Presidents
A week after the Wagner rebellion exposed cracks in Russian President Vladimir Putin's power, we investigate his decades long clashes with US Presidents. The miscalculations and missteps that paved the way for war in Ukraine.
July 3, 2023, midnight
S63E24 - Blocked
The battle over youth gender care. Patricia Karvelas breaks open the debate, navigating polarised arguments and scientific research on issues including medical interventions, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
July 10, 2023, midnight
S63E25 - House of Cards
Inside the broken business of building. Australia has the highest rate of construction insolvencies in a decade. We examine the supply chain pressures, slim profit margins and failure in regulation as some flout the law.
July 17, 2023, midnight
S63E26 - Putin's Secret Army
From the Ukrainian frontlines to Syria and the mines of the Central African Republic, we lift the veil on Putin's private army - The Wagner Group. Former senior Wagner insiders speak about what they saw in the line of duty.
July 24, 2023, midnight
S63E27 - Inside the Shein Machine
Undercover cameras go inside Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein's factories for the first time.
July 31, 2023, midnight
S63E28 - Shadow State
How consultants infiltrated government. Firms push ethical boundaries and cost billions of dollars with little transparency and almost no accountability. We reveal accusations of wasted public money and conflicts of interest.
Aug. 7, 2023, midnight
S63E29 - Breaking the Cycle
The children of Australia's meth crisis. Thousands of Australian babies are born exposed to their mothers' drug use every year. We investigate what's being done to tackle one of the hidden side effects of the drug epidemic.
Aug. 14, 2023, midnight
S63E30 - The Silence: AFL's Last Taboo
The AFL is the only major sporting code in the world that hasn't had a single elite male player publicly identify as gay. Louise Milligan investigates the AFL's culture and asks what has created this silence?
Aug. 21, 2023, midnight
S63E31 - The Antidepressant Story
Antidepressants have helped many treat anxiety and depression but the physical and mental side effects can be wide-ranging - from headaches, brain fog, loss of sexual function and suicidal thoughts - and are often downplayed.
Aug. 28, 2023, midnight
S63E32 - No Country for Women
Despite the Taliban's public promises of change, we expose the reality of life for women in Afghanistan. We accompany an underground network of female activists on dangerous missions to rescue women hunted by the Taliban.
Sept. 4, 2023, midnight
S63E33 - Muddy Waters
Renegotiating Australia's democracy. Dan Bourchier travels the countrytalking to people about what the referendum means to them. The Voice debate has been unsettling and confusing, so what does self-determination look like?
Sept. 11, 2023, midnight
S63E34 - Flight Risk
The inside story of the decline of Qantas. Current and former staff talk about ruthless cost cutting and a divide and conquer culture. An airline in damage control, beset by customer complaints and a demoralised workforce.
Sept. 18, 2023, midnight
S63E35 - Careless
How the NDIS fails to protect our most vulnerable. Anne Connolly and the Four Corners team expose criminals, opportunists and registered providers who have been busted exploiting loopholes to overcharge and defraud the NDIS.
Sept. 25, 2023, midnight
S63E36 - Undercover
Undercover operatives and secret informants have been crucial in the fight against organised crime. But what happens to these people who risk their lives once the operations have finished and the criminals are behind bars?
Oct. 2, 2023, midnight
S63E37 - Escalation
Climate, protest and the fight for the future. Reporter Hagar Cohen takes you deep inside the battle between climate activists, the government and energy companies.
Oct. 9, 2023, midnight
S63E38 - Trapped
Inside the hidden system locking people up indefinitely. Four Corners reveals allegations of the torture and mistreatment of people living with disabilities and mental illness who are locked up indefinitely by the state.
Oct. 16, 2023, midnight
S63E39 - Tunnel Vision
The nation-building project that went horribly wrong. Snowy Hydro 2.0 was sold as a low-carbon future by the end of 2024. Instead, the pumped hydro project is now five years behind schedule and forecast to hit $12 billion.
Oct. 23, 2023, midnight
S63E40 - Guarded
Private security policing the public. In Darwin, private security firms hired by the NT Government patrol the streets doing work usually done by the police. We examine is there adequate training, accountability and oversight?
Oct. 30, 2023, midnight
S63E41 - Andrew Tate: The Man Who Groomed the World?
The perplexing rise of Andrew Tate, a once-obscure figure who leveraged bombastic online courses to become a global sensation. Investigative journalist Matt Shea reveals the dark misogynist underbelly of Tate's network.
Nov. 6, 2023, midnight
ABC (AU)
45 min/ep
60 min
Aug. 19, 1961
Nov. 3, 2025, midnight
Returning Series
TV-PG / 10+
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