Browse documentary series in Australia
Dive into the world of documentary series in Australia. From timeless classics to trending hits, explore an exciting collection of titles that define the documentary genre.
Explore critically acclaimed blockbusters, hidden gems, and trending new releases that showcase the diversity and creativity of documentary storytelling. Use our filters to find top-rated titles, recent hits, or beloved classics tailored to your taste.
With Popcorn Time, uncover your next favorite series and enjoy the best of documentary entertainment. Start browsing now and bring documentary into your watchlist today!
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The 8 part series reveals a raft of great Australian inventors who turned game-changing ideas into a reality and forever changed how we live.
Aussie Inventions That Changed The World (2019 )
- Free
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In this documentary series, much loved and celebrated actor Noni Hazlehurst meets Australians who are grappling with a family secret. Over three weeks, participants travel around the world uncovering powerful truths about themselves, their families and Australia.
Every Family Has a Secret (2019 )
- Free
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A blue chip, continent-wide series ranging from Australia's highest snow peaks to the depths of the frigid and wild southern seas; from its last populations of wild numbats to its largest diorama of giant cuttlefish. It's a land of diverse beauty, that delights and surprises. The series both entertains and deepens our understanding of how the natural world is made up of not just unique species, but distinct individuals, whose lives are far from predictable.
Magical Land of Oz (2019 )
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Covering thousands of miles, Sir Tony Robinson takes a whirlwind journey around the globe by train.
Around the World by Train With Tony Robinson (2019 )
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A chronicle of the creative process of the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, a passionate artisan, a steadfast trailblazer, and a father butting heads with his son…
10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki (2019 )
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Ainsley's Australian Market Menu sees Ainsley Harriott traversing Australia on a fun-filled food adventure through some of Australia's most diverse and colourful produce markets.
Ainsley's Australian Market Menu (2019 )
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In this four-part documentary series, comedic actor Chua Enlai embarks on a zany, international exploration of artificial intelligence. He examines A.I.’s potential to become like us and how it will transform humanity such as redefining love and relationships; expanding the boundaries of creativity and intelligence; recalibrating the international balance of power; and testing the limits of ethics, morality and spirituality. Will A.I. change us for the better or for the worse?
Becoming Human (2019 )
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Special series looking at the defining moments of the last century, caught on camera. Hear the stories behind world-changing photos from photographers, eyewitnesses, reporters, historians and more.
Photos That Changed The World (2019 )
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International trade has been ferried around the world via boat for centuries. If the business of shipping stopped tomorrow, half the world would starve, and the other half would freeze. A testament of humanity's will to tame the elements and expand our reach; shipping has pioneered new technologies, revolutionized the global economy and reshaped the world as we know it.
Shipping the World (2019 )
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Documentary series filmed over 12 months and featuring unparalleled access to the elite Parachute Regiment following the process by which new recruits are turned into elite soldiers trained to kill.
The Paras: Men of War (2019 )
- Free
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In Australia, there are over 40,000 men and women currently behind bars. Many of them have done very bad things. They have shattered countless lives, destroyed families and been responsible for unspeakable criminal acts. What did they do? How did they get here? And what are their lives like now?
Australia's Most Dangerous Prisoners (2024 )
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A dramatised-documentary series giving a unique insight into the compelling history of the Torres Strait Islands, told through key stories by the men and women of the region.
Blue Water Empire (2019 )
- Free
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RPA is an Australian reality television show that is filmed at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and shows the everyday workings of this major hospital in Sydney, Australia. Premiering in 1995, the program is based on the British series Jimmy's which was filmed at St James's University Hospital in Leeds.
RPA
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Taxicab Confessions is a television series of hidden camera documentaries that have aired on HBO since January 1995. In segments taped in New York City and Las Vegas, the taxi drivers are also producers who steer both the vehicle and the conversations with passengers. When passengers enter the cab, they are recorded with several small cameras hidden in the taxi. The producer prompts passengers into discussing their past and/or present circumstances. This has led some participants to reflect on their life, recalling extreme tragedies or triumphs. Much is verbally or visually graphic, including explicit sex talk and sex acts performed in the back seat. At the end of the taxi ride, passengers are asked to sign waivers allowing the hidden camera footage to be used on the program, and footage of this revelation is sometimes seen during the closing credits.
Taxicab Confessions (1995 )
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The eccentric but highly acclaimed British Chef Keith Floyd goes in search of the true flavour of Spain. Floyd celebrates the food and drink of regional Spain in restaurants and bars, mountain tops and the length and breadth of this rich and diverse country.
Floyd on Spain (1992 )
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Classicist Dr Michael Scott journeys to Athens to explore how drama first began. He discovers that from the very start it was about more than just entertainment - it was a reaction to real events, it was a driving force in history and it was deeply connected to Athenian democracy. In fact, the story of theatre is the story of Athens.
Ancient Greece: The Greatest Show on Earth (2013 )
- Free
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Each week, Julia will invite one of Australia’s finest comics to take a trip down Memory Lane. And Memory Bus Route. And Memory Bike Path. Julia and her guest will make their way from the seat of childhood memories, the family home, through the surrounding neighbourhood and all the way to the school gate, reliving formative moments, talking about life, love and achievement, about the past, present and future. What Julia discovers about her guests will explain, well, almost everything. Time-travelling guests Carl Barron, Noeline Brown, John Safran, Alan Brough and Shane Jacobson will share with Julia where they stacked their first bike, stole their first kiss and learned the art of a withering comeback.
Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery (2013 )
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Presented with humour and verve, Australian Encounters celebrates ten historic encounters, each between a renowned Australian and an international mover and shaker.
Australian Encounters (2013 )
- Free
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A compelling yet cautionary insight into the experiences of young people affected by disturbing 21st century crime, focusing on shocking real crimes that resulted in the deaths of young people, and the unsettling role social media played in bringing together the culprit and the victim.
Social Media Murders (2021 )
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A series examining prison life that visits facilities in California, Ohio and Minnesota for reports on prison conditions, gang activity and supermax incarceration of dangerous criminals.
Lockdown (2006 )
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A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.
Classic Albums (1997 )
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In emblematic places around the world, Frédéric Lenoir, philosopher, sociologist and writer, goes to meet those who experience a spiritual quest, both religious and secular. A pilgrimage that mixes the voices of anonymous witnesses and personalities such as the Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, the apneist Guillaume Néry and the astrophysicist Hubert Reeves.
Sacred Paths (2021 )
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Since its birth in 1865, in the wake of the American Civil War, the history of the Ku Klux Klan has been inseparable from that of the United States. The debates over slavery, the populism in the roaring twenties, the struggle for civil rights in the sixties, the rise of the far-right in the early 21st century; the Klan seems to have always embodied the dark side of the nation, with its gray areas and blind spots.
Ku Klux Klan: An American Story (2020 )
- Free
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"Ancient Superstructures“ reveals the secrets behind the world’s most famous monuments. Some of the ancient marvels which are among the most studied and scrutinized monuments in the world still remain shrouded in mystery. What if the answers were right in front of us… but invisible to the human eye? This ground-breaking series takes a unique approach in delving into engineering mysteries behind the world’s most famous ancient structures, by observing them from different perspectives of scale. From satellite imagery and aerial views right down to macro and microscopic levels, each perspective reveals data that helps shed new light on historical and construction enigmas that have baffled historians for years.
Ancient Superstructures (2020 )
- Free
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How do investigators find missing persons? Watch dramatizations mixed with interviews of actual law officers to find out how some of the most complex cases have been pursued.
Missing Persons Unit (2006 )
21st Century War Machines (2006 )
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e² design is an ongoing PBS series about the pioneers and innovators in the field of sustainable architecture, and how their work is producing solutions to pressing environmental and social challenges. Now entering its third season, the series features compelling stories from around the globe: Beijing to Nova Scotia, Ladakh to New York. Each episode examines the built environment's effects — both ecological, and social — and the design innovations that can reduce buildings' contribution to climate change. e² design is narrated by Brad Pitt.
e² design (2006 )
- Free
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Intimate and conversational, award-winning domestic goddess Nigella Lawson shares her secrets for creating perfect meals for every occasion. From TV dinners to Temple Food and from ultimate All-Day breakfast to Party food, Nigella reveals how to make satisfying meals that suit your mood. Nigella offers practical tips and a set of hassle-free principles that make cooking an enjoyable part of life even when making indulgent recipes such as Turkish Delight Syllabub, Lemon Risotto or the divine Lamb-Shank Stew.
Nigella Bites (2000 )
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Who Financed Hitler? Where did he get the money and backing to achieve power in 1933 Germany? This eye-opening mini-series unearths Hitler's money trail and exposes the people who enabled him to become the most powerful man in Europe.
Hitler's Gold (2020 )
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A look at Canada's resilient, vibrant northern communities and the determined men and women who help provide their lifeline to the outside world. These groups are linked together by the summer sealift, when ships loaded with critical cargo travel each year to the farthest reaches of the north to deliver food, clothing, supplies and vital pieces of infrastructure.
High Arctic Haulers (2020 )
- Free
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The Cook and the Chef was an Australian television series featuring cook Maggie Beer and chef Simon Bryant. The Cook and the Chef was screened on ABC1 and was filmed in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. In July 2009, Maggie and Simon announced they had decided to end the series after four years. The Finale aired on 16 September 2009 with "Party" as the theme of the episode.
The Cook and the Chef (2006 )
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Detailing the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, I, Caesar takes a fascinating look at the public and private lives of six key men who ruled ancient Rome: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Hadrian, Constantine and Justinian. Their careers were made up of bloody battles and tactical bribery, stunning innovation and profound corruption, dazzling rhetoric and vicious back-stabbing – and together they form a picture of the most sophisticated highs and most brutal lows of the Roman Empire’s inception, heyday and decline. Stretching at its peak, from the north of England to southern Egypt and from the west coast of Spain to Syria in the east, the Roman Empire included within its boundaries myriad people, cultures and climates.
I, Caesar (1997 )