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The Newsreader: episode guide

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Three, Two, One...

Episode 1.01
Sunday, August 15, 2021 (ABC, 8:30)
552,000 viewers (10th)
Written by Michael Lucas
Directed by Emma Freeman

Dale Jennings (Sam Reid) is a diligent young reporter, desperate to become a newsreader. Helen Norville (Anna Torv) is a notoriously ‘difficult’ star newsreader determined to build credibility. Paired together over three months, Dale and Helen will cover an extraordinary chain of news events — from the shock of the Challenger explosion, to the hype of Halley’s Comet, to the complexities of the AIDS crisis. From messy beginnings, a deep bond is formed that will upend their lives and transform the very fabric of the nightly news bulletin. This is a story of a grand, unconventional relationship in a world on the cusp of change.

In 1986, ambitious reporter Dale Jennings dreams of landing the most prized role on commercial TV — newsreader, while Helen Norville, the network’s first female newsreader, struggles against her reputation as ‘difficult’. When their personal and professional lives collide, Dale and Helen embark on a fragile new alliance. Their first job together seems simple enough: cover the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Cast (in order of appearance):

  • Sam Reid as Dale Jennings
  • John Leary as Murray
  • Michelle Lim Davidson as Noelene
  • Chum Ehelepola as Dennis
  • Anna Torv as Helen Norville
  • Robert Taylor as Geoff Walters
  • Bert Labonte as Gordon
  • Chai Hansen as Tim Ahern
  • Jackson Tozer as Ross
  • William McInnes as Lindsay
  • Caroline Lee as Jean
  • Dom Phelan as Brett
  • Maude Davey as Val Jennings
  • Tim Draxl as Adam
  • Marg Downey as Evelyn Walters
  • Stephen Peacocke as Rob Rickards
  • David Woods as Craig
  • Patrick Pierce as Roy
  • Maria Angelico as Cheryl
  • Robyn Arthur as Gwen
  • Hany Lee as Jen
  • Meewon Yang as Noelene's Mum
  • Peter Houghton as Radio News Announcer