New ABC documentary explores Rolf Harris' double life as entertainer and predator

A career built on a lie

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has commissioned a two-part documentary about the late entertainer Rolf Harris, titled Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator. According to Billboard, the film debuts Tuesday, June 9, and will feature interviews with survivors who have never before spoken publicly about his crimes.

The series traces Harris' rise from suburban Perth, Australia to widespread fame across the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, while documenting the pattern of abuse that continued behind the scenes for decades.

The career, the crimes, the fall

Before his downfall, Harris was a recognizable presence on television, radio, and the charts. "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. In the UK, his hits included "Two Little Boys" on Columbia, which holds the distinction of being the last No. 1 of the 1960s in that market. "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" had also reached No. 9 in the UK in 1960, and "Sun Arise" peaked at No. 3 in 1962. In 1993, his cover of "Stairway to Heaven" reached No. 7 in the UK.

In the mid-2000s, Harris was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II, an event that was itself turned into a documentary.

His fall began in 2013, when he was questioned and arrested under Operation Yewtree, the investigation into sexual abuse within the English media establishment. Following a trial in 2014, he was found guilty of indecent assaults on women and young girls between 1968 and 1986, and sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. He was released in 2017, denied any wrongdoing, and never apologized to his victims. He died in 2023 at the age of 93.

Survivors, finally heard

Harris had accumulated significant honors during his career, including OBE, MBE, and CBE designations in the UK, and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in his home country. He was also inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, though ARIA has since removed his name from the record.

In a statement announcing the series, the ABC noted that Harris' death "has finally lifted a veil of fear" that had silenced survivors for years. The documentary gives them space to tell their stories on their own terms.

Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator airs at 8:30pm AEST on ABC TV, with both episodes available to stream on ABC iView.