William Crawley returns for Brave New World: Australia
Date Posted: September 26, 2017
In a new three-part series presenter William Crawley travels ‘down under’ to explore the stories of men and women from Ulster who left their imprint on the political, economic and cultural life of Australia and its remarkable landscape in Brave New World: Australia. The series, which begins on Sunday 1st October on BBC Two Northern Ireland at 10pm, received support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast fund.
William Crawley’s journey to discover the stories of the Ulster-Scots diaspora has taken him to New Zealand, America and Canada. Now, travelling from the cosmopolitan cities of Sydney and Melbourne to small country towns and bush country where sheep and kangaroos outnumber human inhabitants, he will discover how Ulster people have helped shape the history of Australia from the Surgeon General of the First Fleet to outlaws, innovators and entrepreneurs.
In Sydney William reveals the colourful background of one of Australia’s founding fathers. William Wentworth, the man described as “Australia’s greatest native son” was, in fact, the son of a suspected highwayman from Portadown.
In 1879 one of Australia’s most wanted outlaws ‘Captain Moonlite’ staged a desperate gun battle near the sleepy town of Gundagai. William discovers Captain Moonlite’s real name was Andrew Scott, a magistrate’s son from Rathfriland.
In Melbourne William hears about a woman from Belfast who scandalised the establishment and became a local celebrity when she opened an all-female motor mechanic and taxi service in 1919.
And while Australia is proud of its country music scene, few Australian’s know that a performer who sang at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics – dubbed the ‘King of Australian Country music’ – credited his musical style to his Ulster family.
Brave New World: Australia is a DoubleBand production for BBC NI in conjunction with Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.
