House of Hancock’s off-screen legal drama

Calling 'drama not documentary' saved CJZ, producers of The House of Hancock but the legal battle may not be over yet for Nine.
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Image: Lang Hancock and Rose Porteous as portrayed by  Sam Neill and Peta Sergeant.

Two episodes of The House of Hancock have been broadcast and the sense of enchanted revelation of a good true story is dying away. Lawyers secured the right to screen episode two, after they played the ‘drama, not documentary’ card and clipped four minutes, mostly from the end.

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David Tiley was the Editor of Screenhub from 2005 until he became Content Lead for Film in 2021 with a special interest in policy. He is a writer in screen media with a long career in educational programs, documentary, and government funding, with a side order in script editing. He values curiosity, humour and objectivity in support of Australian visions and the art of storytelling.