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Matt Le Nevez to play Peter Brock

Ex-Offspring star to play title role in upcoming bio drama on TEN.

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Former Offspring star Matthew Le Nevez is headed back to TEN to star as Peter Brock in the drama event Brock.

Ella Scott Lynch will play his long term partner, Bev Brock.

“It’s a privilege to be involved in the Brock project. Growing up as a kid, I watched Peter conquer the mountain many times and now to be playing him, I am extremely excited. I hope to honour the man, his family, and his legacy. He is an Aussie icon like no other,” said Le Nevez.

Also cast are Brendan Cowell as Allan Moffat, Natalie Bassingthwaighte as girlfriend Julie Bamford and Steve Bisley as Holden recruiter, Harry Firth.

TEN Head of Drama, Rick Maier, said: “This is the true story of one of our favourite sons. Peter Brock. Legend. A man who was a hero to a generation of Australians. He was loved and admired by many, but few knew the real Peter Brock.

“He made his name on the track, winning Bathurst 500/1000 nine times, but it was his life off the track that earned him the nickname ‘Not so Perfect Peter’. He was complex, troubled and full of self-doubt. An enigma. He was also a champion. “Attention to detail on Brock has been second to none and now, with this brilliant cast attached, this production is ready to hit the track,” he said.

Endemol Shine Australia CEO, Mark Fennessy, said: “We’re extremely proud to confirm such an extraordinary and talented cast for this profound and unique Australian story. This really is big event television at its very best.”

Bev Brock has previously criticised the project, sight unseen, after selling the rights to his biography to another production company.

Brock was due later this year but will now screen in 2016.

He was a hero to generations of Australians, winning the Bathurst 1000 nine times and dominating motorsport for more than two decades. But the King of the Mountain was also a complex person, plagued by self-doubt. The Peter Brock Story, which will be produced by Shine Australia, tells the story of a unique Australian in a high-octane drama event.

8 Responses

  1. Surely I am wrong here…but does this news make Wonderland the only local drama we have seen from TEN in 2015 so far? I believe they have a Princess Mary telemovie coming up, has that been delayed too?

    1. You are quite right. Seven and Ten both meet their quota obligations by producing the serials – Neighbours and Home and Away. Ten has been under extreme financial pressure over the past two years and has been reluctant to commit to any new drama. The issue for drama producers (and viewers) is that commercial FTAs believe “live drama is dead” (hence the premium on live sport) and do not want to pay the high licence fees required to unlock Screen Australia’s funds, when they can secure US drama for 10% of that amount. The risk has become too great for them – as demonstrated by Seven’s cat video show. How can expensive local drama compete with low cost and low risk options? I’m very much looking forward to the Peter Brock telemovie!

      1. Not quite true.

        Not one American drama has delivered ratings wise in any meaningful way in 2015. When you take into account the annual cost of the Output Deals required to secure those dramas yet none are consistently rating over 600K, then local is comparatively not that expensive.

        The other advantage with local is that piracy and other platforms are out of the equation which allows them to schedule as they see fit.

        1. Also not quite true. Game of Thrones and Walking Dead have been big hits for Foxtel. Whilst I concur that US network dramas are not attracting the same buzz as in the past, we do also need to look beyond overnight ratings.

          1. Thrones rates very well on paytv, but could never be shown on free before 9.30pm. There have been successful subscription dramas in the past and there will be in the future. Also worth noting the HBO Foxtel deal is not a cheap acquisition comparatively to local, yet still vital for the paytv platform.

            What’s changed is that there are currently no imports (none) that are ratings satisfactorily on the FTA networks. On the most part local drama does the business for reasons in my previous post.

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