Join John Safran, Cal Wilson and Adam Liaw as they embark on a journey into Australia’s multicultural past to uncover stories that the history books left out.
Australians love a good yarn, but so much of our rich history has not been told or celebrated. How can we truly know ourselves if we are telling the whole story?
SBS Original three-part documentary Who the Bloody Hell Are We? is a playful, surprising, and revelatory series that breathes new life into the Australian story by exploring our history through the lens of some of our most intriguing multicultural communities.
Join professional provocateur John Safran, stand-up comedian Cal Wilson and kitchen maestro Adam Liaw as they explore how people of Jewish, Kiwi, and Chinese descent, like themselves, fit into our national narrative. Their irreverent romp through the margins and back alleys of Australian history brings cracking stories that have been overlooked, ignored, or forgotten back into the spotlight.
Was the Jewish homeland of Israel really almost established in the Kimberley? Did a pragmatic Kiwi engineer inadvertently give birth to multicultural Australia? And should we thank a humble Chinese tradie for founding one of our big four banks?
Determined to fill in the blank pages in the Australian story by unearthing tales of unsung heroes and forgotten acts of derring-do, John, Cal, and Adam track down first-hand witnesses, expert raconteurs and the descendants of historical figures who shaped our national story in profound or surprising ways – from the Jewish single mother who was transported to Australia as a convict and effectively became the colony’s First Lady, to the touring Māori athletes who saved Australian rugby league from bankruptcy and the celebrated Chinese Australian Gallipoli sniper who learnt his trade as an Outback roo-shooter in Queensland.
Read the article on SBS.