From a devastating documentary to the return of a dating favourite and a World Cup special, there\u2019s something for everyone on TV this week.<\/p>\n
DEEP END: THE SCOTT MILLER STORY<\/p>\n
MONDAY, 8PM, ABC<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the documentary Forging Champions celebrated 45 years of the Australian Institute of Sport, with a roster of champions lining up to pay tribute to how the training facility for elite athletes had shaped their careers and forged their successes. This fascinating documentary on former Olympic swimmer and convicted drug dealer Scott Miller presents a counter view, suggesting that while the singular sporting focus of the AIS in its early days might have been great at developing champions, it may not have been so good at developing humans. Miller, who won silver in the 100m butterfly at the Atlanta Olympics was booted out of the AIS in 1997 but truly lost his way after his retirement in 2004, when his lack of purpose and his party boy ways spiralled into drug use, mental health issues and eventually the criminal activities that saw him jailed for more than three years in 2021. Ironically, looking back on his many bad decisions and striving for redemption back in the pool and by sharing his experiences in drug and alcohol programs, Miller also says it was what he saw as in AIS-like routine of life behind bars that saved his life at a time he didn\u2019t fear the release of death. <\/p>\n
JAMES WIGNEY<\/p>\n
Twelve years after standing on the Olympic podium with a silver medal, Scott Miller was in handcuffs \u2013 the target of an elaborate police sting. This gripping two-part documentary charts the devastating fall of an Australian sporting hero from the dais to a jail cell. Interestingly, the film\u2019s greatest strength is also its limitation: it was made with Miller\u2019s full co-operation. While it is compelling to hear him candidly recount throwing his \u201cfailed\u201d Atlanta medal in the bin, other chapters feel glossed over. His high-profile, acrimonious romance with Charlotte Dawson and his relationship with his son\u2019s mother are left largely superficial. What does hit home, however, is the brutal emotional toll of post-fame athletic life. Stripped of the rigorous structure of daily training and the high of chasing a win, Miller spiralled. Today, he speaks to schoolkids about drug abuse, concluding that prison was the only thing that kept him from drowning in addiction. It is a shocking story, but as history shows, a heartbreakingly familiar one.<\/p>\n
SIOBHAN DUCK<\/p>\n
DR WHO<\/p>\n
BRITBOX<\/p>\n
There was good news and bad news for Whovians last week. On one hand there was the cancellation of this year\u2019s Christmas special and an indefinite hiatus for the much-loved sci-fi classic after the departure of its latest custodian Russell T. Davies. But on the other hand was the announcement that pretty much the entire old-school catalogue of 26 seasons, one movie and eight Doctors was arriving to streaming via Britbox. From the original 1963 Doctor, William Hartnell, to the best Doctor (yes, it\u2019s still the wild-eyed, scarf-wearing Tom Baker) right up to the 1996 one-off movie starring Paul McGann that kept the flame burning ahead of the 2005 reboot, there\u2019s Daleks, Cybermen and time travel a plenty. <\/p>\n
THE REST IS FOOTBALL <\/p>\n
NETFLIX<\/p>\n
Former English footballer (who won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup) turned podcast kingpin Gary Lineker has set up shop in New York City for the duration of this year\u2019s World Cup staged by the US, Mexico and Canada, with a daily recap of the big matches and all the latest news. With his podcast co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards \u2013 as well as a roster of guests including ex-champions and compatriots Frank Lampard and Joe Cole and celebs such as Niall Horan \u2013 the action is mostly viewed through an English lens, but fans of the Premier League and the world game more broadly will appreciate the top-notch analysis, even if the banter gets a bit blokey at times. <\/p>\n
MARY CELESTE: SOLVING THE MYSTERY<\/p>\n
SUNDAY, 7.30PM, SBS<\/p>\n
One of the most famous mysteries in maritime history, the fate of the Mary Celeste has defied explanation ever since the American ship was found deserted in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 1872 with no sign of its crew or passengers and its cargo of industrial alcohol largely intact. Since then, all manner of theories have emerged, from the bonkers claims of aliens and sea monsters to more mundane explanations such as faulty equipment and insurance fraud. Experts and academics discuss the plausibility of the different options, before a couple of boffins dream up an experiment that seems to have put the mystery to rest after more than 150 years. <\/p>\n
HOPPERS<\/p>\n
DISNEY+<\/p>\n
After a few misfires, this delightful science-fiction comedy showed that Pixar still has the goods that made it the gold standard for animated movies. Disney star Piper Curda voices Mabel, an animal loving university student with a passion for the environment, who uses trailblazing technology to \u201chop\u201d her consciousness into a robot beaver that will allow her to communicate directly with animals. A stacked cast including Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco and Meryl Streep voice the animals she connects with while trying to save their habitat from being destroyed by greedy developers. It\u2019s basically Avatar for kids but done with such charm and fun that you can forgive the obvious parallels. <\/p>\n
OVER YOUR DEAD BODY<\/p>\n
PRIME VIDEO<\/p>\n
Aussie Samara Weaving and Shrinking star Jason Segel play husband and wife in this darkly funny, super violent, extremely gory and occasionally offensive thriller that plays a bit like a mash-up of War of the Roses, Evil Dead and Funny Games. Stuck in a stale marriage scarred by mutual disdain, they go away for the weekend to a remote lakeside cabin, with separate secret plans to kill each other for the insurance money. But when their murderous intentions are derailed by a three fugitives from the local prison, complete chaos and bloody mayhem ensue as they all go to extreme lengths to come out on top. <\/p>\n
FIRST DATES<\/p>\n
TUESDAY, 7.30PM., CHANNEL 7<\/p>\n
After four years off air, the reality dating show has returned to its original home, with Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac once again narrating the amorous adventures of a bunch of singletons thrown together for a blind date in a restaurant that\u2019s rigged up to catch every awkward interaction as well as any potential sparks of new love. And for the most part they are a likeable bunch from the stand-up comedian whose infectiously snorty laugh might prove to be red flag to the hairdresser who won\u2019t let her date\u2019s shocking man-bun get in the way of their connection. Less appealing is the male model and all-round tool whose positively prehistoric world view on female independence and women in the workplace proves once again that looks aren\u2019t everything. <\/p>\n
#TRENDING<\/p>\n
TAYLOR SWIFT<\/p>\n