Passion, ambition, laughs and tech: this is November on SBS VICELAND

We fly off into space, walk in the shoes of Mad Max fans and meet people who mostly live in front of a camera. Let’s explore, this month on SBS VICELAND.

Behind the Berlin Wall in ‘Forbidden History’. Photo by Sam Brolan. Source: Like a Shot Entertainment Ltd.

Forbidden History

Jamie Theakston discovers the real James Bond in season 5 of ‘Forbidden History’. Source: Like a Shot Entertainment Ltd.

Jamie Theakston narrates this fascinating investigative series about our lost histories, myths and legends. Season 5 begins in formidable style, as we travel to Jerusalem to uncover what we know for sure about the life of Jesus Christ. With a team of historians, scholars and authors, the other topics Jamie delves into this season are the Stasi and the Berlin Wall, the hunt for Nazi treasure, the real James Bond, the Dead Sea Scrolls conspiracy and the murky world of secret societies. Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know…  

Six-part series Forbidden History premieres at 9.40pm, Tuesday 8 November on SBS VICELAND. Episodes air weekly.

Land Of The Giants: Titans Of Tech

With most of our lives ensconced in tech, this five-part series focuses on the men behind Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg); Apple ­(the late Steve Jobs); Amazon (Jeff Bezos); Netflix (Reed Hastings) and Google ­(Larry Page and Sergey Brin). “Steve had a sense that the rules didn’t really apply to him.” While this was said about Jobs, it could apply to any of the others, entrepreneurs cut from the same cloth of ‘move fast, break things’. From humble beginnings, each became global powerhouse. With their staggeringly rapid movement forward, where are they, their companies, and we, all heading? 

Land Of The Giants: Titans Of Tech premieres at 8.30pm, Wednesday 9 November on SBS VICELAND. Episodes air weekly. 

My Life Online

While the internet changed all our lives, some people’s are now inextricably linked with social media. There, they’ve found their tribe, their haters, their trolls and in some cases, their immense financial wealth. But are the payoffs worth the sacrifices?

In this eight-part VICE series, we meet such ‘online famous’ people as

• Andrew, who takes us along while filming his series All Gas No Brakes, which interviews Americans living on the fringes
• 21-year-old David, who’s part Steve Irwin protégé and part fundamentalist Christian preacher
• 69-year-old Michelle, whose life changed when one of her videos went viral on OnlyFans and she made more money than she’s ever seen in her life, and wants to use it to buy her disabled son a house 
• Sister Cindy, a TikTok sensation who preaches on college campuses, during which much of her audience is filming and laughing at her, among others.

This is quite the eye-opening ride.

Eight-part series MyLife Online premieres at 10.20pm, Friday 11 November on SBS VICELAND. Episodes air weekly.

James Webb: $10 Billion Space Telescope

‘James Webb: $10 Billion Space Telescope’. Source: Bigger Bang Productions/BBC

The James Webb Space Telescope had quite the design brief: orbit one million miles from Earth, and take images of the beginning of the universe. OK, sure! With its first images arriving in May this year, Webb’s telescope was first conceived of 25 years ago. Beset by setbacks, delays and spiralling costs to get it off the ground, it’s finally happened, all in the hope of finding new planets and signs of extra-terrestrial life. This is an incredible story of the most ambitious, complex and expensive science experiment of our time, told by the pioneers at the heart of the mission.

James Webb: $10 Billion Space Telescope premieres at 9.20pm, Sunday 13 November on SBS VICELAND. Catch-up is available at SBS On Demand, but only for 30 days.

Mad Max Fans: Beyond The Wasteland

The passion of Mad Max fans is something to behold: the elaborate costumes, the world travel, the embodying of characters. This doco explores this enormous fanbase, not only in Australia and the US, but also in Italy, France, Germany and Japan. We also follow original cast member Bertrand Cadart as he travels from his Sunshine Coast home to Mad Max 2’s Silverton desert location one last time (Cadart is battling stage 4 leukaemia). This is not only a celebration of life but the ability to change oneself through passion, as we meet such dedicated fans as the French chef who migrated to Australia because of the films, and the Japanese contingent of fans who visit annually for the conventions. It;s another look at a series that continues to find new incarnations: the prequel and fifth film in the franchise, Furiosa, starring Chris Hemsworth and Anja Taylor-Joy, is currently filming in Australia. The film has spent the most ever of any film shot in Australia, a whopping AU$343.2 million. 

Mad Max Fans: Beyond The Wasteland premieres at 8.30pm, Saturday 19 November on SBS VICELAND. It will stream at SBS On Demand after it goes to air.

Got, Got, Need

Jamie Redknapp with his father Harry in 'Got, Got, Need'. Source: Jackpot Productions

In this three-part comedy/travel/football show from the UK, comedian Jack Whitehall puts a spin on collecting football player cards – the challenge is to collect meetings in real life with 16 World Cup stars. He and former Liverpool footballer Jamie Redknapp have two weeks to meet the most players. Jamie, who brings his dad and former club manager and player Harry Redknapp along, hits the road, visiting Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Paris St Germain, among other clubs, all in the hopes of meeting some of the most revered soccer players of our time. They also head to Qatar for the World Cup Draw and to track down Lionel Messi and get a look at the stadium that will host this year’s World Cup Final.

Got, Got, Need premieres at 7.35pm, Sunday 20 November on SBS VICELAND. Episodes air weekly. Episodes will also be available at SBS On Demand after they air. 

Stuck

Morgana Robinson and Dylan Moran are ‘Stuck’. Source: Hat Trick for BBC

Dylan Moran and Morgana Robinson star as couple, Dan and Carla, in this short-form UK sitcom (five episodes of 15 minutes each). Their relationship is at a cross-roads: Dan has been made redundant, Carla’s wondering whether there will ever be more to her life, and, after 15 years of marriage, their age gap is highlighting itself as well. Hence, they are both feeling stuck. Then, Maya, Carla’s ex-girlfriend, re-enters the scene, throwing up more challenges. This darkly comic and sometimes surreal sitcom is a breath of fresh air. And we’re always excited to see Moran’s creations, and the man himself, on screen.

Season 1 of Stuck premieres at 9.25pm, Monday 28 November on SBS VICELAND. All five episodes will screen back-to-back. Catch the full series at SBS On Demand: 

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