Binge Unveils Doc On Notorious Australian Bank Robber, Comedy ‘Tough Love’ & Channel 4 Reality Co-Production ‘Apocalypse’

EXCLUSIVE: Binge is betting big on its latest commissions, as the Foxtel-owned streamer unveils its latest slate today in Sydney.

The Australian service has ordered a doc series on Australia’s notorious ‘Postcard Bandit’ and scripted comedy Tough Love, and boarded the ambitious upcoming Channel 4 reality series Apocalypse.

The Postcard Bandit will life the balaclava on a two-part, one-hour true-crime doc series about the infamous Brenden Abbott, who committed multiple armed robberies before being sentenced to 28 years in jail. It will sit alongside Run, a previously announced six-part drama based on his life that charts the five years between Abbott’s two prison escapes.

Abbott is among the most charismatic and well-known Australian criminals, and is currently waiting to discover if he will be given an early release. He is also already the longest-serving prisoner in the country who has not been convicted of murder. As such, the show’s producers are standing by to re-edit should a verdict be given before it transmits. “We have cameras ready,” executive producer and Foxtel Head of Unscripted Howard Myers-Rifai told Deadline.

The program, billed as “cinematic, fast-paced and compelling,” will look at how the criminal mastermind went from a teenage petty thief to a charismatic armed robber who evaded capture from the police for many years, charming the Australian public as he went.

“From heists to escapes and the personal lives of those caught in the crossfire, this documentary series is the most unbelievable true crime story brought to life,” said Myers-Rifai.​ “Producing a premium true crime series alongside the scripted series, we will give viewers an in-depth account of Abbott’s life and outrageous escapades; insight into the mind of a criminal; as well as the price he paid personally and for the people and loved ones left behind.”

Warner Bros International Television Production Australia is producing, with Johnny Lowry and Tom Rohr exec producing alongside Myers-Rifai. Stephen McCallum is producer and director.

Run, the drama series, stars George Mason (The Power of the Dog, The Survivors), Robyn Malcolm (After The Party, The Survivors), Ashleigh Cummings (Citadel, Long Bright River) and Keiynan Lonsdale (Swift Street, The Flash).

“This is the first time we’ve followed up a scripted commission with our own unscripted version, basically as a co-commission,” said Myers-Rifai.

Lana Greenhalgh, Foxtel’s Head of Scripted, said Run would be a “propulsive cops and robbers story” about a “charismatic and incredibly smart criminal who avoided detection by hiding in plain sight,” adding: “We’re very excited to bring that to screen.”

Apocalyptic vision

We can also reveal Binge has boarded Apocalypse, the British unscripted series Channel 4 announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival in which a group of ordinary people are dropped into a post-apocalyptic city armed with nothing but their wits and the clothes on their backs.

With Binge on board, the series will include a diverse cast of UK and Australian people, who unlike most similar reality shows have not been cast due to their survival skills. It’s being billed as “part survival series, part psychological experiment.”

Filming is set to begin soon take place at a unique military location that’s the size of a small town ahead of a 2026 launch. Foxtel is billing the eight-part series as the company’s “most ambitious original production ever,” exploring themes of “resilience, community, and what we all carry within us when the world we know is stripped away.”

Myers-Rifai told Deadline he could “not stop talking about it” and was often caught making “elevator pitches in the office.” We understand Binge will get a bespoke Australian version, edited differently from Channel 4’s UK show.

“Apocalypse is a bold new adventure for Binge, and we couldn’t be more excited to team up with Channel 4 on this ambitious one-of-a-kind series,” he added. “By throwing everyday people into a wild, post-disaster – and very real – urban playground, we’re set to discover what happens when ordinary people face the ultimate survival challenge, with plenty of twists and unexpected moments along the way. We can’t wait for audiences to experience the drama, the teamwork, and the sheer unpredictability of Apocalypse.”

Squid Game: The Challenge co-producer The Garden, which is part of ITV Studios, and ITV Studios Australia, which makes Alone for Channel 4 and Foxtel, are producing. Executive producers include Jo Harcourt-Smith and Tim Whitwell for The Garden); Keely Sonntag for ITV Studios Australia and Myers-Rifai. ITV Studios will handle international distribution.

Ian Dunkley, Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment, Channel 4, said: “Apocalypse is fresh and ambitious, filmed on an extraordinary scale this series pushes the survival genre into new territory with real people facing the ultimate test. We’ve all wondered how we would cope if disaster struck close to home, and this series promises to answer that question. We’re pleased that Binge has joined us on this epic journey.”

On the scripted front, Greenhalgh has commissioned Tough Love, a comedy series from WBITVP Australia about three adult siblings who navigate the prospect of losing their mother to breast cancer and the need to become self-sufficient to survive. She called the show a “distinctly Australia, laugh out loud family comedy where the three dysfunctional adult children get tough love.”

All three shows are being unveiled at an upfront event for advertisers in Sydney today, where the likes of Colin From Accounts Season 3, High Country Season 2, Billion Dollar Playground Season 2, Selling Houses Australia Season 18 and spin-off Inside Selling Houses Australia: New Beginnings and The Great Australia Bake Off Season 9 were all confirmed.

Greenhalgh revealed the third season of sitcom Colin From Accounts, which has been a hit on Peacock and the BBC in the UK, would begin with a three-year time-jump. The series follows a dysfunctional couple, played by show creators Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, who adopt an injured dog.

“Patrick and Harriett have been writing in the midst of their international fame,” said Greenhalgh. “I hope that I’m not alone in saying I’m very proud of the authenticity all our originals have, and what Colin does so beautifully is the two leads see the process through from start to finish as showrunners.”

New acquired series include CBS workplace comedy DMV, which stars Dyer; Sarah Snook suburban drama All Her Fault; Aimee Lou Wood rom-com series Film Club; period drama Amadeus; Peacock dramas The Five-Star Weekend and Ponies and comedy The ‘Burbs; Sky Atlantic drama The Death of Bunny Munro; Natalie Dormer starrer The Lady; the TV adaptation of James Graham play Dear England; The Other Bennet Sister; and The Copenhagen Test.

Both Myers-Rifai and Greenhalgh said it was “business as usual” at Foxtel following sport streamer DAZN’s multi-billion dollar takeover of the pay-TV giant.

Kayo Sports deals

In related news, Foxtel’s sports streamer, Kayo Sports, unveiled several sports deals, including new partnerships with golfing orgs The Open Championship, the DP World Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the WPGA. The deals ensure exclusive coverage of all four majors, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, USLPGA, and Ladies European Tour.

Kayo Sports has also struck a multi-year agreement with Supercars for its upcoming Championship Season, and has renewed its two-decades long agreement with ESPN that keeps coverage from the NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA and NHL, as well as Australia’s own NBL and WNBL, on Foxtel.