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Australian Story: July 29

Next week Australian Story has a new interview with the real Mrs. Biggs.

2013-07-23_1935On the eve of the 50th Anniversary of Britain’s notorious ‘The Great Train Robbery’, Charmian Brent (pictured, right), former wife of the infamous Ronald Biggs, gives a new interview to Australian Story.

It was an Australian Story episode in 2001 that inspired the UK drama Mrs Biggs starring Sheridan Smith (pictured, left).

This episode is introduced by ABC London correspondent Philip Williams.

“It was clear that this was an incredible story about love, loyalty, betrayal, strength and survival” says Kwadjo Dajan, British Producer of the ‘Mrs Biggs’ television drama series.

Ronald Biggs was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the robbery, but he escaped a year later and fled to Australia. Months later his wife Charmian followed him with their two small sons. It was the start of many years on the run for Biggs who twelve years ago finally surrendered and returned to Britain.

Charmian Brent first featured on Australian Story in 2001. A British TV producer saw the program and eventually developed a BAFTA winning drama called ‘Mrs Biggs’, screened in the UK and, earlier this year, in Australia.

Ms Brent, who was involved in the scriptwriting, visited the UK during production and says she found the experience emotional and cathartic.

She reveals she has been back in touch with her former husband who is now aged 84 and in poor health in Britain but has never stopped sending her messages. He was released from prison on compassionate grounds in 2009 after suffering a series of strokes.

“I’ll be very sad when he dies, but I won’t be heartbroken,” she says. “I felt when I walked away from the nursing home on the last occasion last year, that I’d done all that I could do.”

The British Scriptwriter and Executive Producer of the ‘Mrs Biggs’ series, Jeff Pope describes the relationship between Biggs and Charmian as “an incredible, epic love story.”

Charmian Brent was 18 when she met Ronald Biggs, ironically on a train.

When police closed in on him after five years in Australia with Charmian and his children, he fled to South America where he was again discovered but escaped extradition because of the child he fathered with his Brazilian girlfriend.

Charmian remained in Australia, took a new name, put herself through university and forged a successful career in publishing.

July 29, 8pm, ABC1

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