| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | Australia |
| Num Episodes: | 2 |
Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo is a 2011 Australian two part television miniseries about the beginning of Cleo magazine and its creator, Ita Buttrose. The series stars Asher Keddie as Buttrose and Rob Carlton as Kerry Packer.
A miniseries sequel, titled was screened on ABC1 on 2 June, and 9 June 2013. It features Rachel Griffiths, Mandy McElhinney, Lucy Holmes, and Alexander England as a young James Packer.[1] [2]
The series follows Buttrose as she creates the fashion magazine Cleo, as well the fashion and politics of the period.[3]
Reviews for the show were generally positive. The Sydney Morning Herald said:
Australian TV blog, TV Tonight rated the series with four stars out of five, and commented:
The program was the subject of defamation proceedings brought against the ABC by the former husband of Buttrose, Alasdair Macdonald, who objected to how he was portrayed in the series. The action was settled out of court in April 2012 when the ABC apologised for what it agreed was an "untrue" portrayal of Macdonald.[4]
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Award | Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series | ||
| Best Direction in Television | Daina Reid | ||
| Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Rob Carlton | ||
| Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Asher Keddie | ||
| Switched on Audience Choice Award – Best Performance in a Television Drama | Asher Keddie | ||
| Switched on Audience Choice Award – Best Television Program | |||
| Logie Award | Most Outstanding Drama Series | ||
| Most Outstanding Actor in a Series | Rob Carlton | ||
| Most Outstanding Actress in a Series | Asher Keddie | ||
| Most Popular Actress | Asher Keddie |
Christopher Lee also won a Queensland Premier's Literary Award in 2011 for his screenplay.[5]
Part one of the miniseries rated over 1.2 million viewers nationally, ranking as the fifth most watched program of the night,[6] and the eighth-most watched program of the week.[7] Part two was watched by 1.346 million viewers in the main five Australian TV markets, ranking as the second-most watched program of the week[7] and the most watched program of the night.[6]
The miniseries was produced by John Edwards (Love My Way, Rush) and Karen Radzyner by Southern Star Entertainment in association with Screen NSW, Screen Australia and ABC TV. The executive producer was Carole Sklan, ABC TV head of fiction; and the script was written by Christopher Lee.