Behind The Scenes
Ray Martin
There’s not much that can surprise veteran presenter Ray Martin but he believes his new series Look Me In The Eye, which explores what happens when two estranged people come face to face and sit in silence for five minutes looking at each other, will resonate with every viewer.
“It’s one of the best and most relatable shows I’ve ever been involved with because everybody knows someone who has lost contact with a friend, a loved one or partner.
“I hope the show encourages viewers to reconnect with those they lost contact with,” says Ray, who can relate because he was estranged from his father from a young age.
“My mum, sisters and I fled from him when I was 11. He was an alcoholic, and violent to Mum. But after we left, even though he didn’t know where we were, he had the chance through my grandmother to contribute as a father, to send money and so on.
“And he never sent a thing. So I just felt, without any bitterness, ‘You had your chance,’” he says of his dad, who has now passed away.
Despite Ray’s incredible career spanning over 50 years, appearing on 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Midday and First Contact, he says he still gets nervous doing interviews.
“If it’s a president or the prime minister, or even a doctor or scientist, I certainly feel nerves beforehand,” the 72-year-old admits.
“But I also get the jitters before interviewing local Aussies, and that was certainly the case with the people I spoke to for this series,” he adds. LOOK ME IN THE EYE Wednesday, 8.30pm, SBS