I’ve already blogged before about Nine’s legal troubles with screening Underbelly in Victoria, and the ridiculousness of a suppression order on one state in the Internet age.
We all knew that copies would be on BitTorrent as soon as they were aired in other states (in numbers I’ve never seen before for an Aussie show, no less), but now advance episodes are appearing there as well … this can only be the work of insiders.
Screener copies for the next five episodes have been released to BitTorrent channels (a check of any popular site confirms this) — and these either came from inside the network, or maybe from reviewers or other media types (or maybe even some of the still-living gangsters themselves).
While Nine could not be blamed for the stuff getting online after airing, this time they won’t have such luck. There’s already talk of more contempt of court proceedings relating to this, especially if they can find out who uploaded this new stuff. I’m usually pretty relaxed about Torrents, but this pre-release stuff is what gets people into trouble (witness what happened with 24 last year).
Meanwhile, since the cat’s out of the bag now, I’ll be reconsidering where I get my episodes of Underbelly from, since being stuck in the dark ages and still having to videotape the show (while watching Spicks and Specks), I know where I can watch the show in far better quality now 🙂
[…] Kevin Harrington Lewis Moran is played by the versatile Kevin Harrington, not the first actor anyone would associate with playing a crime figure, but maybe that’s fitting for a figure such as the senior Moran. Harrington is best known for his comedic role in the successful 2000 feature The Dish as layback Dish technician Mitch. Not a massive likeness for Moran, but he should have the acting chops and create the right mood to pull it off. Graham “Munster” Kinniburgh Graham Kinniburgh was the elder statesman of Melbourne crime, with decades of involvement with both the infamous Painters and Dockers union, and later the Carlton crew. He lived through several gang wars and saw a lot of friends or associates die by the bullet before he met his end the same way in 2003. Gerard Kennedy Kinniburgh is played by TV legend Gerard Kennedy, another actor best known for his work in police dramas. He’s been on Australian TV almost since the beginning, and this is his highest profile TV role in several years. Conveying the same elder statesman image, Kennedy isn’t enormously similar-looking to Kinniburgh, but there’s no questioning his skill as an actor. Andrew “Benji” Veniamin Andrew “Benji” Veniamin was one of the nastiest and most dangerous characters involved in the whole Melbourne crime war. Put simply, he was a hitman for Carl Williams, and is personally believed to have committed a number of the murders during the war. He met his end equally violently, and even more controversially. Damien Walshe-Howling The heavily-tatooed, ultra-violent Benji Veniamin is played by Damien Walshe-Howling, best known for his multiyear stint on Blue Heelers as local copper Adam Cooper. So this will be a big change for him — and he seems to bear a pretty good resemblance to Veniamin. Judy Moran As the matriarch of the Moran clan, Judy Moran was one tough lady, always involved but never directly implicated in the activities of her husband and children. She was close enough to the war to have been targeted by associates of Carl Williams, but to date she remains unscathed. Caroline Gillmer Caroline Gillmer is a veteran of Australian TV, first coming to prominence in the classic women’s jail drama Prisoner. More recently, she’s been seen in Brides of Christ, Neighbours and MDA. She’s a fairly good likeness for Moran, and has been one of the few cast members to deal with criticism from the real person she’s playing. Roberta Williams Carl Williams attracted a constant parade of attractive young women to his side, drawn by his power, money and ruthlessness more than his looks. Roberta Williams reached the top of the heap and became his wife, but in the last few years, even she has been thrown aside as Carl faced trial with a new, younger, buxom blonde by his side. She’s also had her fair share of high-profile, if relatively minor, legal problems. Kat Stewart Kat Stewart has been keeping close to crime recently with her major role in last year’s City Homicide. Also seen in SBS’s drama Kick and comedy Newstopia, this should be a major break for her. She’s again, quite a good likeness for the now bitter Roberta Williams, and has had to deal with a lot from her real life doppleganger. (Note: Pictures come from Nine’s Underbelly Web site, and various news media sources, which I believe should count as fair use in this context. If you don’t like that, just ask me to remove it.)Related posts:Underbelly: Now Channel Nine could be in a bit of trouble […]