Australia in Colour Recommissioned for SBS

Australian broadcaster SBS has ordered a second season of Australia in Colour, a part of the In Colour brand created by Arrow Media.

The four-parter Australia in Colour 2 will use its unique colorization process to explore how family dynamics changed midway through the 20th century—from the unique conditions that helped turn Australia into a sports-mad country and how crime has always been a part of the country’s DNA to how developments in work and industry helped to transform Australia, its workforce and its identity.

A collaboration between Stranger Than Fiction Films and Arrow Media, the recommission follows the success of the series’ first season, which landed in the top three of SBS’s most-watched factual programs with a combined audience of over 1.8 million viewers. Australia in Colour 2 is distributed internationally by Off the Fence.

Jo-anne McGowan, producer for Stranger Than Fiction, said: “We are delighted by the popularity of season one and can’t wait to uncover more hidden gems from Australia’s amazing audiovisual archives and bring them alive through colorization once more.”

Tom Brisley, creative director at Arrow Media, said: “In Colour is now one of the most successful colorization series across the world. Our ability to uncover rare archive footage from little-known and private collections has resulted in a series that consistently delivers both for broadcasters and the audience.”

Joseph Maxwell, head of documentaries at SBS, added: “SBS was thrilled by the ratings and reception of Australia In Colour. Season two promises to once again surprise and delight audiences by revealing Australia’s rich and diverse history and we look forward to this next iteration.”