The ABC will this year bring audiences more true crime stories, cold cases, missing persons mysteries and potential past injustices.
All this, through a new suite of podcasts, documentaries and digital animation, with a multi-platform team investigating historic true crime cases across the country.
True crime podcasts continue to attract big audiences, and the true crime collection was conceived within the ABC’s Content Ideas Lab, launched in 2017 as part of the ABC’s Investing in Audiences strategy to produce innovative content.
In 2017, the ABC’s award-winning podcast Trace prompted an influx of new information and significant leads in the 1980 cold-case murder of Melbourne mother Maria James.
ABC’s new podcast Unravel True Crime and an accompanying two-part Australian Story TV – Blood on the Tracks – will launch on Monday, 28 May, and features digital content across Youtube and digital platforms.
The podcast and TV special follows journalist Allan Clarke’s five-year investigation into the death of Mark Haines, a 17-year-old Gomeroi teenager whose body was found on Tamworth train tracks in 1988.
A rail worker discovered the body, and despite the strange evidence found at the crime scene, the family felt like they were being ignored by police. The mystery was left to fester, causing division and suspicion in the town.
Twenty-five years later, journalist Clarke picked up the case, and tells a story of a town divided, a bungled investigation, lost evidence, and critical leads never followed up.
‘Creating distinctive and innovative content in ways that reach new audiences is exactly what the Content Ideas Lab is all about,’ said Angela Stengel, Head of the Content Ideas Lab.
‘The runaway success of Trace illustrated that there is an audience appetite for high-quality, true crime content. This is a great opportunity for the ABC to marry this fresh, multi-platform approach with trusted quality journalism.’
Unravel True Crime – Episodes available weekly from Monday 28 May. Episode 0 is now available. Subscribe to Unravel True Crime on ABC listen or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
For more information visit abc.net.au/truecrime