14 May 2004
THE HISTORY CHANNEL CROSSES OVER TO THE WRONG SIDE OF THE LAW ...
Get a glimpse of these fascinating stories on The History Channel premiering Saturday, May 15 at 6:20pm, then weekly every Saturday at 6:20pm.
Discover the stories behind the world's rebels, revolutionaries and bushrangers in a History Channel exclusive and Australian premiere, OUTLAWED!
Hosted by Scott McGregor , one of Australia's most well-known faces from such TV programs as Room For Improvement and Better Home and Gardens, OUTLAWED! presents the stories of seven of the world's most notorious outlaws. Scott's colourful storytelling brings to life their fascinating stories, drawing on the myths that make their names still resonate today.
The History Channel joins the National Museum of Australia in producing this series of seven short-form programs which are drawn from the museum's travelling exhibition, the first major exhibition of its kind in the world to investigate the lives of individual bushrangers and outlaws who, in their own countries, became figures of national significance.
The first in the series kicks off tomorrow on Saturday, May 15 at 6:20pm with a legend that still fascinates us, yet to this day without evidence that such a person existed. ROBIN HOOD , from 13th Century England, is perhaps where the foundation myth of all outlaws began. Whether fact or fiction, Robin Hood is today seen as the archetypal re-distributor of wealth, hiding in Sherwood Forest and fighting injustice.
The series also features Australia's best-known historical character, NED KELLY . He continues to be the inspiration for poets, artists and filmmakers. But was he really villain or hero?
The History Channel OUTLAWED! series features intriguing outlaw heroes from Australia, England, India, North America and New Zealand — as diverse as Jesse James, India's Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi and Maori Warrior Chief, Hone Heke. Examining the curious tension between fact and legend, OUTLAWED! challenges the legend-making - asking why these social outsiders have so fascinated us?
OUTLAWED! - the exhibition, opens at the Melbourne Museum on June 10.
Other national outlaw legends explored in the exhibition include the stories of Japan's Ishikawa Goemon, the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, the Sicilian separatist Salvatore Guilliano, America's Belle Starr and a host of other outlaws from Australia and the Wild West.
For information on the OUTLAWED! exhibition contact: Martin Portus, National Museum of Australia, Canberra Phone: 02-6208 5351 or 0409 916 481 or m.portus@nma.gov.au