Docker Media
Production Company

From the creative team behind You Can’t Ask That, a new show: I Was Actually There.
Were you there when Australian history happened? We’d love to hear from you.

TV Documentary Series

I Was Actually There

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall, up close and in the room, as iconic moments of history unfold? What if history could be retold, not by the paid polemicists or university historians, but by the people who were there on the day?

I Was Actually There is a bold, new ABC documentary series that explores defining moments of Australia's recent history through the eyes, ears and voices of those who witnessed them firsthand.

Were you there when Australian history happened?
1
Were at any of these events? Thank you!
Were you at any of these events?:
Tell us more about your experience::
2
Would like to suggest an event or question? Thank you!
What event would you like to see an episode on?:
What would you like to ask someone that was there?:

Release Date:

July 9 2024

Director:

  • Kirk Docker

Series Producers:

  • Josh Schmidt
  • Loni Cooper

Producers:

  • Jess Skinner
  • Pauline Ernesto
  • Liz Kaydos

Cinematographer:

  • Aaron Smith

Line Producer:

  • Megan Nass

Created by:

  • Kirk Docker, Aaron Smith & Jon Casimir
TV Documentary Series

You Can’t Ask That

What would happen if you gave people the chance to ask society’s misunderstood the questions they were too embarrassed, too awkward and too scared to ask? What would happen if those stereotyped minorities were given the right to answer those questions with dignity and depth?

Release Date:

August 2016 to May 2022

Director:

  • Kirk Docker

Cinematographer:

  • Aaron Smith
  • Dave May

Executive Producer:

  • Frances O'Riordan
  • Lou Porter

Producers:

  • Josh Schmidt
  • Loni Cooper
  • Jess Cohen
  • Scott Mitchell
  • Pauline Ernesto

Editors:

  • Nick McDougall
  • Kenny Ang

Composer:

  • Andrew Sampford

Created by:

  • Kirk Docker, Aaron Smith & Jon Casimir

Docker Media (DM) is an award-winning independent production company specialising in documentary and entertainment content and format creation, bringing bold, imaginative ideas to screen. 

We pride ourselves on our integrity and respect for the people and subjects we make stories on.  We are interested in the dimensionality of life.  Taking ideas or experiences that seem black and white and show they are wonderfully complicated, thorny, weird — and human.  We excel in finding voices that aren’t typically heard to tell stories that are important to all of us.  

We are currently in production of season two of I Was Actually There for ABC television and podcasts.

Kirk Docker on set with interviewee Bob Katter for I Was Actually There series 1 Beatles episode

We're excited to announce series two of I Was Actually There has been commissioned and is currently in early production. If you have an episode idea or were at a moment in Australian history, we'd love to hear from you.

Series two of I Was Actually There in production 21.11.24

We're very excited to announce that series two of I Was Actually There has been commissioned and we are now in production. Whether it's floods or bushfires, riots or political movements, miraculous sporting moments or cultural phenomenons, we are interested in unpacking Australia's history via those who witnessed it live. If you have an idea for an episode or experienced history yourself, we'd love to here from you.

I Was Actually There NOMINATED in International Format Awards 25.09.24

We are honoured to be nominated in these awards. In an era often defined by the loudest voices and the shortest attention spans, we have made a series that heads in the opposite directions, that understands how important it is to be mindful of our history and the narratives woven into its telling.  We're proud to have created a format we hope will travel beyond our borders, one we believe can be moulded to the individual contours of cultures and countries around the world. Read more here. For format enquiries click here.

I WAS ACTUALLY THERE | Ep6 PREMIERES Beaconsfield Mine rescue 13.08.24

The final episode of I Was Actually There heads to the small Tasmanian mining town of Beaconsfield, which became the centre of a global media storm when a mine collapse a kilometre underground killed Larry Knight and trapped two others. Todd Russell and Brant Webb survived but it took six days before they were discovered alive and 14 days to get them out. Read about it here

I WAS ACTUALLY THERE | Ep5 PREMIERES Woomera Detention Centre breakout 2002 06.08.24

A demonstration against indefinite mandatory detention in the middle of the South Australian desert takes an unexpected turn as enraged activists tear down perimeter fencing in an impromptu action. Asylum seekers suddenly had an opportunity to jump to their freedom. This episode of I Was Actually There asks how far you're willing to go for your beliefs, and once the dust settles, what side of history you sit on? Listen to the podcast episode here

I WAS ACTUALLY THERE | Ep4 PREMIERES The Beatles record breaking trip to Adelaide 1964 30.07.24

Over half the city's population, 350,000 people, came out to meet the biggest band in the world in 1964 in Adelaide. It would never be topped. This episode of I Was Actually There moment reflects a very different Australia of 60 years ago -- one that was isolated and at the dawn of a revolution. This joyous but bizarre moment affected those that witnessed it as profoundly as a disaster or tragedy might. Read about it here

I WAS ACTUALLY THERE | Ep3 PREMIERES Nicky Winmar's stand against racism 1993 23.07.24

The official episode title is "Nicky Winmar's stand against racism and the photo that almost never was". This iconic photo is one we all feel we know the story of, but in fact, Winmar's stand against racism would have been forgotten had it not been captured by two photographers who argued it must appear in the newspaper. This episode of I Was Actually There unpacks the entire story and epitomises what this series is about. Read about it here

I WAS ACTUALLY THERE | Ep2 PREMIERES Boxing Day tsunami 2004 16.07.24

It's a story rarely told: what was it like to come face to face with the tsunami that killed over 200,000 people? In episode two of I Was Actually There, we focus on Australian survivors' heart-wrenching accounts of losing loved ones, miraculous tales of survival and how ordinary people react to the most extraordinary circumstances. Read about it here

I WAS ACTUALLY THERE | Ep1 PREMIERES Port Arthur massacre 1996 09.07.24

What was it like to lie quietly on the floor of a tourist cafe while a mass murderer shot everyone around you? In this opening episode of I Was Actually There, we go deep inside the experience and hear from the tourists who ran for their lives, the local doctor first on the scene, the journalist that spoke to the gunman on the phone and the sniper that had him in his sights, to understand what it was like to live it. Read about it

I Was Actually There PODCAST 08.07.24

While the series focuses on a mosaic of perspectives of the nation's iconic events, the podcast focuses on one person's story, in gripping intimate detail. Hear what it was like to be a police sniper at the Port Arthur massacre; caught directly in the wave at the Boxing Day tsunami; a teenager seeing The Beatles during their record-breaking Adelaide visit; a direct action protestor breaking out refugees in Woomera; or a miner trapped 1km underground for 14 days in a Tasmanian gold mine.

Lighting up the press 05.07.24

The show's unique concept and powerful storytelling have been lauded by critics. The Sydney Morning Herald:
"Elegant in its simplicity and brilliantly effective, I Was Actually There is original and inventive, cleverly constructed and quietly powerful. The concept is so smart and the production so well executed that it makes you wonder why no one has thought of it before, which is always a telling measure of a great idea." Read here

OFFICIAL TRAILER | I Was Actually There 16.06.24

What would it like to be a fly on the wall at some of Australia's most defining historical moments? From the team behind You Can't Ask That, a new show: I Was Actually There. Out July 9 2024. Watch the trailer here

SNEAK PEAK at AIDC 2024 05.03.24

We premiered an early excerpt of I Was Actually There at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in Melbourne. You could feel the air suck out of the room as our interviewees described the very personal experience of being at the Port Arthur massacre. See the excerpt here

58 interviews down 22.12.23

Over the last six weeks, Docker Media has interviewed incredible people from all walks of life who were actually there during major events in Australia's recent history. Some of the well-known names include Nicky Winmar, Todd Russell and Brant Webb, 97 yo Bob Rogers, and Bob Katter. But, as I Was Actually There will reveal, every person's perspective is equally fascinating if they witnessed it live. In this series, it doesn’t matter who you are — a main player or one on the periphery — we want your take.

Shooting for I Was Actually There begins 23.10.23

I Was Actually There is a six-episode documentary series, each episode focusing on a significant Australian historical moment. Cut from the same cloth as You Can’t Ask That, each episode will feature a variety of voices with first-hand experience, intercut, to show the multiple truths that exist for any moment. Over the shoot period, Docker Media will travel the country, interviewing upwards of 60 people and uncovering new takes on iconic Australian events.

We'd love to hear from you! 04.10.23

Were you there when Australian history happened? Cathy Freeman winning gold or Corey Worthington’s infamous party? The Boxing Day tsunami or the Cronulla Riots? Click here to let us know what you witnessed live or an event we should cover in Season 1 of our ABC series, I Was Actually There.

New series commissioned | I Was Actually There 01.09.23

Docker Media is delighted to announce ABC's commissioning of our new six-episode documentary series, I Was Actually There. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall when Australia’s most iconic or defining moments happened? This series will interview those who witnessed them live — whether it’s the Port Arthur massacre or the Beatles visiting Adelaide in 1964. It will ask them what they saw, how they reacted and how it changed them. For more updates, watch this space!

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