LOCAL DRAMA (SUNDAY THEATRE DRAMAS)
A Horse Called Kiwi
The 1983 Melbourne Cup had a thrilling finish when Kiwi, a New Zealand horse ridden by Jim Cassidy, came from last on the turn to win the race. This drama – which stars Nick Blake, as trainer Snowy Lupton, and Alison Bruce – looks at the horse’s unorthodox training and how it became a champion.
In A Flash
Nine years ago a school outing went horribly wrong when six children and a teacher from Auckland’s Elim Christian College drowned in a flash flood in the Mangatepopo Gorge in the Tongariro National Park. In A Flash tells the story of an outdoors-adventure trip which ended in tragedy.
Mistress Mercy
Renee Chignell was just 18 when she and her partner Neville Walker were charged with murdering cricket umpire Peter Plumley Walker in 1989. It transpired that Chignell was a dominatrix who Plumley Walker visited at her Remuera home for a paid bondage session. The cricket umpire’s body was later found in the Huka Falls. Renee Chignell and Neville Walker were eventually acquitted after three high court trials. This drama includes archival footage.
War Stories
Southland-born American-based journalist Peter Arnett interviewed Osama bin Laden in 1997 in Afghanistan. During the interview bin Laden, who would become one of America’s most-wanted terrorists, outlined his vision for the Arab world. This drama looks at events surrounding Arnett’s meeting with bin Laden.
In Dark Places
Teina Pora was aged 17 when he confessed to the murder of Susan Burdett, a crime he didn’t commit. He spent 21 years behind bars. This drama looks at how Pora was eventually released from prison.