Rebecca Gibney, INXS, Amazing Race Australia in Seven’s 2014 Upfronts

Rebecca Gibney returns to Seven in a new drama, The Killing Field, announced tonight at Seven’s 2014 Upfronts at The Star in Sydney.

Gibney will play the head of an elite police team investigating a rural murder in the telemovie. Also new for 2014 are the INXS: Never Tear Us Apart miniseries featuring Luke Arnold (pictured) as Michael Hutchence, a new makeover series Bringing Sexy Back, documentary series Australia: The Story of Us and the return of fan favourite, The Amazing Race Australia.

Returning for 2014 are My Kitchen Rules, House Rules, The X Factor, Dancing with the Stars, A Place to Call Home, Winners and Losers, Home and Away, Million Dollar Minute, Deal or No Deal, Better Homes and Gardens, Border Security, Highway Patrol, The Force and new destinations for Anh Does….

New international highlights include fantasy drama Resurrection starring Omar Epps, cyber-thriller Intelligence starring Josh Holloway, nostalgic 80s comedy The Goldbergs, alongside returning dramas Downton Abbey, Revenge, Mr. Selfridge.

Seven Chief Executive Officer, Tim Worner, said: “The facts are, by the end of the year, we will have posted another record high share in total people, another record high share in 25-54s and also our highest ever share in people aged 16-39. All because of the ideas and all because we’ve kept challenging ourselves to keep them fresh.

“Our success reaffirms and underlines the power of broadcast television. And we plan to build on this success. We continue to invest in our people, in our businesses and in great ideas.”

“We firmly believe we are exactly where we are with House Rules as we were after the first year of My Kitchen Rules,” said Brad Lyons, Seven’s Director of Network Production. “We’ve added more homes and challenges for next year to produce great television moments – great real life moments – that will change one team’s life and future forever.”

Director of Network Programming Angus Ross said: “The only way you can be number one is to have shows that rate consistently across every hour of entertainment across the entire year. The only way to do that is with a combination of local and overseas content. Seven has a record and a power that is unmatched in launching overseas drama.”

On 7mate Outback Truckers returns and the irrepressible Paul Fenech gets his own series The Bogan Hunters.

Highlights for 2014 are as follows:

INXS. Never Tear Us Apart.
The must-see television event of 2014 is the ultimate tale of sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and tragedy. INXS. Never Tear Us Apart is the extraordinary, uncensored story of the most successful Australian rock band of the 80’s, INXS. It’s a no holds barred look at how six suburban Sydney boys conquered the world with their unique sound, on-and-off stage antics, and a work ethic that was legendary. Produced by Shine Australia and Seven, this is their story told with the full co-operation of the band and its manager, CM Murphy. It stars Luke Arnold (Winners & Losers) in a breakout role as Michael Hutchence, Damon Herriman (Love My Way), Hugh Sheridan (Packed to the Rafters) and Samantha Jade (The X Factor).

The Killing Field
Award-winning actor Rebecca Gibney (Packed to the Rafters, Mental) will produce and star in a new drama project The Killing Field. Gibney plays the head of a special police task force sent to a small country town to investigate a shocking crime. The team must delve into the closed lives of a seemingly quaint hamlet in order to find and outwit a killer. As inquiries progress, the pressure of the investigation turns neighbour on neighbour and long held secrets are revealed. But no one feels the pressure more than the head of this elite team of Homicide Detectives as she battles to bring a killer to justice.

Australia: The Story Of Us
More than 40,000 years in the making, Australia – The Story Of Us is an extraordinary narrative about the people, places and events which have shaped our nation from the first footprints on our continent to the present day. Using astounding visual sequences, the ground-breaking drama documentary series weaves together stories of our origins and offers an original thesis about how we came to create the homeland we inhabit today. Alongside amazing CGI and innovative filming techniques, the series features interviews with important thinkers, notable celebrities and iconic national figures who take us inside the stories that have influenced our history.

Bringing Sexy Back
The ultimate makeover series will transform ordinary Australians into something extraordinary. For anyone who has ever got stuck in a rut, is too busy to maintain a beauty regime or even an interest, this show will wind back the clock on life with inspiring transformations.

Resurrection
The people of Arcadia, Missouri, are forever changed when their deceased loved ones suddenly start to return. An eight-year-old American boy wakes up alone in a rice paddy in a rural Chinese province with no idea how he got there. Details start to emerge when the boy, who calls himself Jacob, recalls that his hometown is Arcadia and an immigration agent, Martin Bellamy (Omar Epps, House), takes him there. The home he claims as his own is occupied by an elderly couple, Henry (Kurtwood Smith, That 70s Show) and Lucille (Frances Fisher, Titanic), who lost their son Jacob more than 30 years ago. While they look different, young Jacob recognises them as his parents. Those closest to the family try to unravel this impossible mystery, but this boy who claims to be the deceased Jacob knows secrets about his own death that no one else knows…secrets that will soon prove to be true.

Intelligence
Josh Holloway (Lost) stars in this dramatic thriller that explores the unlimited possibilities of technology. Holloway is Gabriel Black, a high-tech cyber intelligence operative with a special microchip implanted in his brain. He has become the first super computer with a beating heart. Black can hack into any data centre and access key intel in the fight to protect the United States from its enemies. Leading the elite government agency created to support him is Director Lillian Strand (Marg Helgenberger, CSI), while Secret Service agent, Riley Neal (Meghan Ory, Once Upon A Time), is assigned to protect Gabriel from outside threats, as well as from his own appetite for reckless, unpredictable behaviour, and a blatant disregard for protocol.

The Goldbergs
Set in the decade of big hair and bad attitude, The Goldbergs is a raucous coming-of-age comedy about growing up in the 80s in a loud, loving and slightly dysfunctional family. Narrator Adam looks back at life as an 11-year-old with his overbearing mother (Wendi McLendon-Covey, Bridesmaids), hot-tempered father (Jeff Garlin, Curb Your Enthusiasm), rebellious older sister, high-strung older brother and suave grandfather (George Segal, Don’t Shoot Me).

The Amazing Race Australia
The International Emmy Award-winning The Amazing Race Australia will return in 2014 with a surprising twist. Teams of two from all walks of life go head to head in this thrilling race around the world.

RETURNING HIT SHOWS:
My Kitchen Rules
There are plenty of surprises in store when Australia’s favourite cooking show My Kitchen Rules returns to Seven in 2014. This year, it not only grew its audience for the fourth consecutive year but it took the mantle as the biggest show on Australian television screens this year with 3.27 million viewers nationally. Judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel are back to guide contestants through the competition as teams battle it out to be kings of the kitchen.

House Rules
Australia’s number one new reality program House Rules is back with all new teams vying for one of the biggest prizes on national television: a mortgage-free home. Hosted by Johanna Griggs, the remarkable competition captured the country’s imagination with six houses completely transformed and revealed each week. The successful Seven franchise averaged over 1.8 million viewers and grew a massive 24 per cent on launch.

The X Factor
Now in its fourth year, the blockbuster TV music franchise created by Simon Cowell continues to excite audiences around Australia with the amazing musical talent it unearths. Responsible for discovering acts like Samantha Jade, Reece Mastin, Johnny Ruffo and The Collective, The X Factor has forged ahead in 2013 with massive ratings and will return for a fifth series in 2014.

A Place To Call Home
Australians were swept away by the 1950s period drama which premiered to a combined audience of 2.6 million people to become the number one local drama in 2013. Embraced by critics and viewers alike, the epic saga of Sarah Adams and the Bligh family showcases drama on a scale never before seen on Australian television. Starring Marta Dusseldorp and Noni Hazlehurst, series two sees Sarah move in to Ash Park and work to prove that she is a fitting fiancé for George, whilst Elizabeth plays a devious waiting game to see what Regina can unearth about Sarah’s mysterious past.

Home And Away
Reaching 2.3 million viewers every week, Home And Away continues its domination of the 7pm timeslot.

Winners And Losers
Averaging 1.1 million viewers and winning its timeslot across all shares this year, Winners And Losers will return in 2014. Australia’s favourite best friends will face some of their biggest challenges, in what promises to be the most compelling season yet.

Dancing With The Stars
Currently wowing audiences with its diverse and entertaining line-up of celebrities, Australia’s favourite dancing show Dancing With The Stars returns in 2014 for a staggering 14th series.

Better Homes And Gardens celebrates its 20th season in 2014 as Australia’s number one lifestyle program, continuing to offer viewers inspirational ideas for the home, garden and kitchen.

Anh Does…
Following on from the huge success of his first two specials – Anh does Vietnam and Anh does Britain – Australia’s favourite comedian returns with more specials delivering his unique brand of humour in different corners of the globe.

Downton Abbey
The number one overseas drama of 2013 returns next year. Season four sees the Crawley family reeling in the aftermath of terrible tragedy. But with new life, in the form of babies George and Sybbie, comes new hope, as the much-loved characters take tentative steps into the Roaring Twenties.

Revenge
The third season of the top-rating drama kicks off in summer in the Hamptons where Emily Thorne’s thirst for revenge is renewed and set against an unexpected timeline. Meanwhile, the return of Victoria Grayson’s son brings changes and complications to the all-powerful family. And a glimpse into the future reveals the wedding of the century may lead to Emily’s ultimate demise.

Mr Selfridge
The second season picks up the story of Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1914 as the store celebrates its fifth anniversary of trading. Harry is proud of the store’s success but there is no time to rest on his laurels. With World War One imminent and set to be the greatest and most devastating in history, it will inevitably affect the lives of everyone in the store.

Seven’s commitment to factual programming continues with the return of Border Security, The Force and Highway Patrol.

Million Dollar Minute
The new kid on the quiz show block has Australians gripped as three contestants face off in an unrivalled test of brainpower and bravery to win one million dollars.

Deal Or No Deal
Hosted by Andrew O’Keefe, Deal or No Deal continues to enthral as ordinary Australians are set against a Banker intent on thwarting their chances of walking away with $200,000.

News
This is the Network’s 10th consecutive year of leadership in breakfast television with Sunrise number one for breakfast. The Morning Show marked its seventh consecutive year as the leader in morning TV. 7 News led the way expanding its coverage across the day with additional bulletins. Today Tonight continued to deliver at 6.30pm with a national average of 1.4 million while Sunday Night proved a ratings powerhouse averaging 1.9 million a week.

Sport
Seven continues to deliver with a schedule reflecting strength and consistency. With AFL, the entire V8 Supercar season including Bathurst, the Australian Open, Wimbledon and Davis Cup tennis, every major horse race including the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Caulfield Cup Carnival, the Cox Plate and the Sydney Autumn carnival, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race, the Rugby League World Cup and the Australian Open and Masters Golf, Seven never misses a beat.

7mate
This year 7mate is again the dominant digital channel for males under 50 – as it was in 2012. It boasts more premium first run content than any other digital channel. This will continue in 2014 with a brand new series The Bogan Hunters from the twisted mind of Pauly Fenech, plus season two of the hugely successful Outback Truckers. 7mate will also be the home of Seven’s AFL broadcast in New South Wales, Queensland and for night games in Western Australia, while the V8 Supercars coverage will also air on 7mate as required when AFL is on Channel 7.

7TWO
7TWO enjoyed massive double digit growth in all key demos and Seven’s aggressive acquisition policy for 7TWO will deliver more first run programming in 2014 than ever before. Viewers will see more lifestyle, more adventure programming and more movies. In addition there will be more targeted sport including golf, all the major horse racing carnivals throughout the year, the entire Australian summer of tennis, Davis Cup and Wimbledon.

Please note Seven’s Upfronts is highlights only, not a full network slate.