Cycling and sci-fi, travel and treasure hunts: May on SBS VICELAND

Plus, true crime, world-building engineering, a new season of ‘Alone’ and Dracula. Find all this and more on SBS VICELAND this May.

Joe Lycett with Sarah Millican in season 11 of ‘Travel Man’. Source: North One Television/All3Media International

The Tara Brown Story

‘The Tara Brown Story’. Source: Ignition Films

The 2015 murder of Tara Brown shocked Australia. Her former partner Lionel chased her down in her car, then left her for dead after bashing her repeatedly with a metal object. Seven years on, this documentary examines this harrowing case of domestic violence, and with first-hand accounts, also examines the psychological impact on women involved in relationships with members of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. Warning: contains images which may cause distress.

The Tara Brown Story premieres at 9.25pm, Tuesday 2 May on SBS VICELAND.

Sci-fi movie month

Richard Linklater’s ‘A Scanner Darkly’. Source: Distributor

Catch this top-notch selection of sci-fi movies on Wednesday nights (with some exceptions due to cycling events) on SBS VICELAND.

Blade Runner – 9.35pm, Wednesday 3 May

Go back to 2019 Los Angeles and beyond, with Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic starring Harrison Ford, Sean Jones and Rutger Hauer, from a story by legendary sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick.

A Scanner Darkly – 11.40pm, Wednesday 3 May

Richard Linklater’s animated creation, also based on a Philip K. Dick novel and adapted for the screen by Linklater, stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. Mind-bending.

The Fifth Element marathon – from midday, Friday 5 May

Join in SBS VICELAND’S annual tradition of a marathon of Fifth,on the 5th. Screening back to back from midday to the final screening at 9.20pm, catch this classic sci-fi flick starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich once or multiple times. (It’s also available at SBS On Demand.) 

Looper – 11.10pm, Wednesday 31 May

From the sharp and intricate mind of writer/director Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Glass Onion), Looper stars Bruce Willis, who plays the older version of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Joe, and Emily Blunt, in which a time-travelling hit man gets more than the job he bargained for.

If you still need more sci-fi, jump over to SBS World Movies for classic Time Cop screening at 7.40pm, Wednesday 24 May. (It’ll be available for 30 days at SBS On Demand after it airs.) And Transcendence airs at 7.30pm, Wednesday 31 May. (You only have 7 days to catch up at SBS On Demand.)

Cycling: Giro d’Italia 2023

The Giro d’Italia is back for another year. Source: Getty Images

Catch all the action from Italy with coverage of Stage 1 starting at 9.40pm, Saturday 6 May, and screening daily till 28 May. Rest days are 15 and 22 May. Check your local guide, as daily start times vary. All the information on how to watch the Giro d’Italia is here. And head here to answer all your event questions.

Giro d’Italia 2023 starts at 9.40pm, Saturday 6 May on SBS VICELAND, running till 28 May.

The Engineering That Built The World

‘The Engineering That Built The World’. Source: Rekha Garton

Shedding light on iconic structures and engineering feats around the world, this celebratory series brings a curious mind to the formation of the Golden Gate Bridge, Panama Canal, Transcontinental Railroad, Statue of Liberty and beyond. Telling the stories of the brilliant visionaries behind these epic builds, and using imaginatively rendered re-enactments, we appreciate the seemingly insurmountable challenges they were up against. We also hear tales of the rivalries, egos and politics going on behind the scenes as these engineering innovations came to life.

The Engineering That Built The World airs on Sunday nights at 6.40pm from 7 May on SBS VICELAND.

It’s Fine, I’m Fine

If you haven’t watched this endearing four-part Australian drama series, in which a variety of people take a seat on their suburban psychologist’s couch and work through their troubles, make sure you catch it. It’s wonderful, and so easy to relate to, whether or not you have engaged in therapy.

It’s Fine, I’m Fine airs over two nights with double episodes on each night, airing at 10.20pm on Monday 15 and 22 May. Catch up at SBS On Demand where it’s also now streaming.

Travel Man – season 11

Join British comedian Joe Lycett (who’s also touring Australia with his new stand-up show in May) as he brings us the eleventh season of this fun travel show packed with funny interactions and quirky activities over a 48-hour mini break. With four episodes, plus a bonus special, the season’s short but sweet, with a cherry on top. Joe travels to Dublin with Mawaan Rizwan, Marseille with Asim Chaudhry, Vilnius with Sarah Millican and Salzburg with Roisin Conaty. In the bonus episode, we join Lycett as he heads to Brazil with Stephen Mangan.

Four-part season 11 of Travel Man premieres over two nights with double episodes each night, at 8.30pm, Tuesday 16 and 23 May on SBS VICELAND. The bonus episode follows at 9.40pm, Tuesday 30 May. Catch up at SBS On Demand.

Dracula Unearthed

If you feel like some vampiric viewing during a Friday lunch break, watch this wide-ranging exploration of all things Dracula, which is airing on World Dracula Day. This 90-minute special dives into the origins of the Dracula myth and the emergence of gothic storytelling, which eventually led to Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1879, some of the classic Hollywood movies that have brought Dracula to the screen, and how Dracula, and the wider idea of vampires, continue to fascinate creators, writers, readers and viewers across the world. 

Dracula Unearthed screens at 12.05pm (midday), Friday 25 May on SBS VICELAND, and is also streaming at SBS On Demand. 

Beyond Oak Island

Gary Drayton and Bill Betenson, Butch Cassidy’s great-grandnephew, search for treasure at the Wild Bunch’s former hideout, Robber’s Roost. Source: Prometheus Entertainment

Brothers Rick and Marty Lagina have been hunting treasure on Oak Island for years now, with their adventures chronicled in the long-running seriesThe Curse of Oak Island. This new series sees them help other treasure hunters on their own expeditions. A young man seeks the loot of pirate Jean Lafitte, a descendant of Butch Cassidy wants to roam around the famous outlaw’s hiding spot, and others hunt down US Civil War gold, a missing Spanish ship and Montezuma’s marvels, and attempt to solve one of the biggest treasure mysteries of all time. With so much unclaimed treasure and so many unsolved mysteries out there, how could the Laginas resist?

Beyond Oak Island premieres at 8.30pm, Thursday 25 May on SBS VICELAND.

Alone (USA) – season 9

The participants of ‘Alone’ season 9. Source: Brendan George Ko

We go back to where the phenomenon began. The original American hit survivalist show is now in its ninth season. This time, the ten new participants will attempt to outlast each other in the wilderness of a remote valley in Labrador, Canada. While documenting their experiences, each participant must survive in total isolation, with hopes of claiming the $500,000 prize. In addition to enduring hunger, loneliness and the elements, this season, they’ll also become the hunted as they discover they are deep in polar bear territory. With no camera crews or gimmicks, Alone is the ultimate test of human will.

Season 9 of Alone premieres at 8.30pm, Tuesday 30 May on SBS VICELAND. Episodes continue weekly. Stream it anytime at SBS On Demand from 24 May.

 

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