The show first came to New Zealand screens in 2023, on Three and ThreeNow, before getting an Australian version on the ABC.
Kiwi actor Sir Sam Neill on his Bannockburn vineyard during wine harvest. Photo / George Heard
In 2022, Neill was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.
He underwent chemotherapy treatment, however that began to fail and he chose to start taking a new chemotherapy drug which he will receive monthly for the rest of his life, he told the Guardian in 2023.
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“I’m not afraid to die but it would annoy me,” he said.
“Because I’d really like another decade or two, you know? We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big.
“But as for the dying? I couldn’t care less.”
He told Australian Story in 2023 that he is “prepared” for the reality that the experimental drug will cease to be effective at some point.
“I know I’ve got it,” he said of his cancer, “but I’m not really interested in it. It’s out of my control. If you can’t control it, don’t get into it.”
Sir Sam Neill won the Best Lead Actor in a Drama award for his performance in legal drama The Twelve. Photo / Ross Coffey
Speaking on ABC’s The Assembly last year, the-77-year-old, who is in remission, said his ongoing treatment is “brutal” but he’s grateful for receiving it.
He first revealed news of his cancer battle before the release of his book Did I Ever Tell You This, which he started work on following his diagnosis.