In a three-part Australian Story special, journalist Paddy Manning sheds light on Lachlan Murdoch, described as “one of the media industry’s most enigmatic and least understood characters.”
This combines archival interviews with Manning speaking to others who have worked with, or reported on, the Murdochs.
There is no indication Lachlan Murdoch participates in the series.
Who is Lachlan Murdoch? And how has he been shaped by the family legacy, his rivalry with his siblings, the years at his father’s side and those spent estranged from the media empire?
From Australia to Britain and America, Manning talks to those who know, have worked with and reported on the Murdochs for decades. He examines how Rupert Murdoch built his media empire, explores his complicated relationship with Lachlan and how his desire for one of his children to take over the family business led to the bitter rivalry that is about to play out in a US courtroom.
The first episode, Blood, examines the origins of the Murdoch family mythology – the desire for power, the love of newspapers, the disdain for elites and the sense of being an underdog – that drove Rupert Murdoch in his voracious global expansion and has been absorbed by his eldest son.
It reveals the unhappiness of the family’s time in London, where Lachlan was born in 1971, and how Lachlan was prepared from a young age by his father for a life in the media. It also exposes the roots of the sibling rivalry between Lachlan, his older sister Elisabeth and younger brother James.
The three-part special combines a treasure trove of archival material with acute analysis from friends, associates and commentators, including James Packer, Malcolm Turnbull, New York Times journalist Jim Rutenberg, footballer Ian Roberts and former Murdoch employees Mark Day, Eric Beecher, Roy Greenslade and David Armstrong.
Manning’s fascination with the Murdochs, and Lachlan in particular, has led to him becoming one of the world’s leading authorities on the family. In this landmark series, he combines forensic investigative skills with a down-to-earth style to tell one of the great untold stories of our time.
Begins 8pm Monday on ABC.
links to content on ABC
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