Catching Milat

Catching Milat is a two-part Australian television miniseries that screened on the Seven Network, in collaboration with Screen Australia on 17 and 24 May 2015. It is based on the 1998 book Sins of the Brother by Mark Whittaker and Les Kennedy and is loosely based upon the true story of how New South Wales Police and detectives under "Task Force Air" tracked down and caught serial killer Ivan Milat, who was responsible for the infamous backpacker murders.

Critical response

Clive Small, a former assistant police commissioner, retired detective and now author, served as the investigation team head of "Task Force Air". He has criticised the program as a marginally fictionalised account, especially for overstating the role of Detective Paul Gordon.

Main cast

Richard Cawthorne as Detective Paul Gordon
Geoff Morrell as Superintendent Clive Small
Malcolm Kennard as Ivan Milat
David Field as Detective Neil Birse
Craig Hall as Detective Rodney Lynch
Luke Ford as Detective Bob Godden
Salvatore Coco as Detective Mark Camenzuli
Leeanna Walsman as Shirley Soires
Sacha Horler as Karen Milat
Carole Skinner as Margaret Milat
Fletcher Humphrys as Richard Milat
Linda Ngo as Therese
Alex Williams as Paul Onions
Michael Denkha as Des Butler
Helen Thomson as Dr Miriam Bentley
Steve Le Marquand as Phil Polgasse
Lucy Bell as Jill Walters

Production

The series was produced by Shine Productions (as Shine Australia, a division of Shine Group), for Network Seven and directed by Peter Andrikidis and produced by Kerrie Mainwaring and Rory Callaghan in the pine forests of south-western Australia. It was written by Dalton Dartmouth.

Reception

The first episode aired on 17 May 2015 at 8:50 on the Seven Network.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:50%"
style="width:10%" \| No. ! style="width:30%" \| Air date ! style="width:25%" \| Viewers {{small\|(millions)}} ! style="width:25%" \| Nightly rank ! style="width:25%" \| Consolidated Viewers {{small\|(millions)}} ! style="width:25%" \| Adjusted rank ! style="width:10%" \| Ref
1 \| Sunday, 17 May 2015 \| 1,387 \| style="background:#F0F8FF"\| #2 \| 1,626 \| style="background:#F0F8FF"\| #1 \|{{Cite web\|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/05/timeshifted-sunday-17-may-2015.html\|title = Timeshifted: Sunday 17 May 2015 \| TV Tonight}}
2 \| Sunday, 24 May 2015 \| 1,459 \| style="background:#F0F8FF"\| #1 \| 1,686 \| style="background:#F0F8FF"\| #1 \|{{Cite web\|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/06/timeshifted-sunday-24-may-2015.html\|title = Timeshifted: Sunday 24 May 2015 \| TV Tonight}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:50%"

style="width:10%" | No.

! style="width:30%" | Air date

! style="width:25%" | Viewers
{{small|(millions)}}

! style="width:25%" | Nightly
rank

! style="width:25%" | Consolidated Viewers
{{small|(millions)}}

! style="width:25%" | Adjusted
rank

! style="width:10%" | Ref

| Sunday, 17 May 2015

| 1,387

| style="background:#F0F8FF"| #2

| 1,626

| style="background:#F0F8FF"| #1

|{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/05/timeshifted-sunday-17-may-2015.html|title = Timeshifted: Sunday 17 May 2015 | TV Tonight}}

| Sunday, 24 May 2015

| 1,459

| style="background:#F0F8FF"| #1

| 1,686

| style="background:#F0F8FF"| #1

|{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/06/timeshifted-sunday-24-may-2015.html|title = Timeshifted: Sunday 24 May 2015 | TV Tonight}}

Home Media

Catching Milat was Released on DVD and Blu-ray on 25 May 2015 with no bonus content, but the two part series episodes on the DVD run longer than the original aired episodes.{{Citation needed|date = January 2016}}

class="wikitable"
Title ! Format ! Ep # ! Discs ! Region 4/B (Australia) ! Special Features ! Distributors
Catching Milat (Complete Series) \| DVD/Blu-Ray \| style="text-align:center;" \| 2 \| 2 \| 25 May 2015 \| None \| Beyond Home Entertainment

class="wikitable"

Title

! Format

! Ep #

! Discs

! Region 4/B (Australia)

! Special Features

! Distributors

Catching Milat (Complete Series)

| DVD/Blu-Ray

| style="text-align:center;" | 2

| 2

| 25 May 2015

| None

| Beyond Home Entertainment

References

{{reflist|30em|refs=

[http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/former-top-cop-clive-small-slams-channel-7s-catching-milat-as-an-insult-to-the-police-who-caught-killer/story-fnpn118l-1227358253007 Former top cop Clive Small slams Channel 7's Catching Milat as an insult to the police who caught killer], The Daily Telegraph, 18 May 2015 {{subscription required}}

Small. Clive (25 May 2015) [http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/catching-milat-truth-vs-fiction-by-clive-small-head-of-the-taskforce/story-fni0cx12-1227367966599 Catching Milat: Truth vs Fiction by Clive Small, head of the Taskforce], The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 September 2015

{{cite web|url=http://www.shineaustralia.com.au/catching-milat/|title=Catching Milat – Shine Australia|publisher=shineaustralia.com.au|accessdate=4 May 2015}}

{{Cite web|url = http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/catching-milat-to-detail-police-investigation-of-infamous-backpacker-murders/story-e6frfmyi-1226670071018|title = Catching Milat to detail police investigation of infamous backpacker murders|date = 26 June 2013|accessdate = 10 May 2015|website = News.com.au|publisher = |last = |first = }}

{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/05/sunday-17-may-2015.html|title=Sunday 17 May 2015|work=TV Tonight}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/05/sunday-24-may-2015.html|title=Sunday 24 May 2015|work=TV Tonight}}

}}

External links

{{IMDb title|4645614|Catching Milat}}

Category:2010s Australian television miniseries

Category:2015 Australian television series debuts

Category:2015 Australian television series endings

Category:Seven Network original programming