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Four Corners

Four Corners

Australia's premiere current affairs programme, incisive investigative journalism.

1961Returning Series22 Seasons745 Episodes6.9TMDB
ABC TV

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.

Season 59 Episodes

Browse every episode and jump into details.

Episode 1: Escape from Saudi

Feb 4, 2019 · 45m

Four Corners reporter Sophie McNeill reveals the story of Saudi asylum seeker Rahaf Al Qunun from inside a Bangkok hotel room capturing the high tension, despair and eventual jubilation when Rahaf is offered asylum in Canada.

Episode 2: Meet the Scammers

Feb 11, 2019 · 45m

Their voices are persuasive, their emails insistent and they have proven to be remarkably successful at conning countless people into handing over their money. Internet scamming began in the early days of email with appeals from Nigerian 'princes' asking for help to regain their missing money. From those amateurish beginnings, the scammers watched, learned and refined their techniques. What started out as a simple scam from West Africa has now morphed into a global enterprise, conning people on an industrial scale.

Episode 3: Project Dragon

Feb 18, 2019 · 45m

As China transforms into an economic powerhouse, billions of dollars have been illegally spirited out of the country. Mark Willacy reports on the bounty hunters chasing China's missing millions in Australia.

Episode 4: Criminalising Women

Feb 25, 2019 · 45m

Why are so many women going to prison? Across Australia, there are now more women in prison than ever before - and once they're out they're very likely to reoffend and end up back inside.

Episode 5: Guilty: The Conviction Of Cardinal Pell

Mar 4, 2019 · 45m

Four Corners reveals how Australia's highest ranking Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, was brought to justice. With the suppression order lifted on his conviction for sexually abusing two boys, the full story can now be told.

Episode 6: The Mystery of the Missing Princess

Mar 11, 2019 · 45m

In heart-stopping interviews and video we follow the story of Princess Latifa, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - the ruler of Dubai whose horse won the 2018 Melbourne Cup, as she attempts to escape Dubai.

Episode 7: The Uber Story

Mar 18, 2019 · 45m

Uber is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. It's embedded in our language and revolutionised transport. How did the edgy digital disruptor upend an entire business model, outwit regulators and crush competitors?

Episode 8: Under the Radar

Mar 25, 2019 · 45m

The Christchurch terror attack brought to light the violent, disturbing right-wing extremist movement flourishing on the internet. Were authorities so focused on Islamic extremism that they failed to grasp this deadly threat?

Episode 9: Climate of Change

Apr 1, 2019 · 45m

The struggle to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. With a Federal election looming, we explore climate change policy: from electricity prices, the role of coal, the cars we drive, animals we breed and gas we export.

Episode 10: Interference

Apr 8, 2019 · 45m

New evidence of China's covert political influence campaign in Australia. We reveal secret Beijing-backed political activity and information gathering operations targeting politicians and Chinese dissenters in Australia.

Episode 11: Orphans of ISIS

Apr 15, 2019 · 45m

A grandmother's desperate journey to rescue her children and bring them home. Four Corners exclusively brings you the story of the Sharrouf children and their grandmother's fight to save them from a refugee camp in Syria.

Episode 12: The Interrogation

Apr 29, 2019 · 45m

Four Corners explores the controversial police technique putting innocent people behind bars, with a series of high-profile cases across America revealing a slew of wrongful convictions based on false confessions.

Episode 13: Cash Cows

May 6, 2019 · 45m

Universities that were cash strapped are now flush with billions of dollars brought in from fee paying international students. But there are growing concerns about the consequences of the overseas student boom.

Episode 14: Inside the Watch House

May 13, 2019 · 45m

It's almost three years since the shocking revelations of mistreatment in the NT's Don Dale youth detention centre. Four Corners investigates a new child detention crisis in another part of Australia. Mark Willacy reports.

Episode 16: Notre-Dame in Flames

May 27, 2019 · 45m

On April 15, the world watched in horror as the Notre-Dame Cathedral caught alight. Through interviews and video from fire authorities and eyewitnesses we follow the epic battle to save the 800-year-old architectural icon.

Episode 17: Tremble and Obey

Jun 3, 2019 · 45m

How the Chinese Communist Party crushed democracy. 30 years ago millions of students and citizens protested in Tiananmen Square calling for democracy. A trove of vision and audio reveals how the shocking events unfolded.

Episode 19: Trump's Trade War

Jun 17, 2019 · 45m

President Trump has ignited a massive trade war with China, slapping billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. Despite the rhetoric, questions are being asked about who has the most to lose from the conflict.

Episode 20: Extinction Nation

Jun 24, 2019 · 45m

Australia has one of the worst extinction rates on the planet, and growing. Four Corners goes into the field with leading scientists and conservation volunteers to document first hand the fight to save these wild creatures.

Episode 21: Shadow Commander: Iran's Military Mastermind

Jul 1, 2019 · 45m

In increasingly alarming scenes, the US and Iran are facing off in the Middle East. Tensions have escalated, driven by concerns over the Islamic Republic's nuclear capabilities which have led to fears of military conflict.

Episode 22: Cash Splash

Jul 8, 2019 · 45m

Two years on from the investigation into water theft in the Murray-Darling Basin that sparked a royal commission, we return to the river system to investigate new concerns about how the plan to rescue it is being carried out.

Episode 23: Tell the World

Jul 15, 2019 · 45m

We uncover disturbing evidence of how China is effectively operating the world's largest prison. In Xinjiang province the Uyghur population is rounded up, detained or monitored using AI technology and mass surveillance tools.

Episode 26: Britain's Brexit Crisis

Aug 5, 2019 · 45m

How the UK's plan to leave Europe turned into a nightmare. Three years after the UK voted to leave the EU, key negotiators and politicians reveal what happened and how new PM Boris Johnson intends to resolve the crisis.

Episode 27: Betting on Boris

Aug 12, 2019 · 45m

Can Boris Johnson deliver Brexit and keep the Kingdom together? Phil Williams explores his career from journalist to politician, through epic gaffes, scandals and a colourful turn of phrase to become Britain's 77th PM.

Episode 28: Cracking Up

Aug 19, 2019 · 45m

From shoddy workmanship to lax laws, Australia's apartment building crisis is leaving owners out of pocket and in some cases homeless. Industry insiders reveal a litany of failures that could leave defects for years to come.

Episode 29: Secrets, Spies and Trials

Aug 26, 2019 · 45m

National security versus the public's right to know. The extraordinary steps Australia's government took to prosecute a former spy and his lawyer for conspiring to reveal secret intelligence operations aimed at a foreign government.

Episode 31: Health Hazard

Sep 9, 2019 · 45m

How your postcode can determine the quality of care you get. Medical staff speak out about the standard of hospital care after a series of catastrophic incidents resulting in preventable death, injury or permanent disability.

Episode 32: Fake News: The Battle of the Social Networks

Sep 16, 2019 · 45m

Social media has transformed how we communicate and share thoughts. But it has morphed into the perfect platform for orchestrated disinformation campaigns, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish real from fake info.

Episode 33: After Death

Sep 23, 2019 · 45m

Dying is an expensive business with the billion-dollar funeral industry virtually unregulated. We reveal the dubious tactics of some in the industry, from price gouging, unethical conduct and questionable treatment of bodies.

Episode 35: Killer Nurse

Oct 7, 2019 · 45m

Sir Trevor McDonald investigates the extraordinary case of one of Britain's worst serial killers: Beverly Allitt, a young female nurse who murdered and attacked children in her care.

Episode 36: Red Flags

Oct 14, 2019 · 45m

Australia's universities are embroiled in a growing geopolitical storm amid rising concerns over expanding Chinese power abroad. Is Australian technology and know-how being used to help strengthen China's repressive regime?

Episode 37: Reprehensible Conduct

Oct 21, 2019 · 45m

The scandalous case of Lawyer X and the underbelly murder investigations. Prominent figures reveal the story of cops, criminals, murder and betrayal, and how the actions of Victoria Police have undermined the justice system.

Episode 38: Click to Change Your Life

Oct 28, 2019 · 45m

It's sold as a dream job - an 'influencer' lifestyle where you can work flexible hours from home and earn a commission. But social media marketing and selling schemes are accused of using illegal pyramid selling practices.

Episode 39: Person of Interest

Nov 4, 2019 · 45m

The man wrongly accused in the William Tyrrell child abduction investigation, Bill Spedding, speaks publicly for the first time. How did a single-minded approach by police lead to a raft of mistakes and missed opportunities.

Episode 40: Digi Kids

Nov 11, 2019 · 45m

Why too many young Australians are struggling with literacy in the digital age. Louise Milligan examines the way reading and writing is being taught in our schools to find out what is going wrong.

Season 59 FAQ

Quick answers about this season's release timeline and episode lineup.

When did Four Corners Season 59 premiere?

Four Corners Season 59 premiered on February 4, 2019.

How many episodes are in Four Corners Season 59?

Four Corners Season 59 has 40 episodes.

What is the first episode of Four Corners Season 59?

The season opens with Season 59 Episode 1, "Escape from Saudi". It aired on February 4, 2019.

Go to Season 59 Episode 1

Where to Watch

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