This article explores the role of Australian 1970s and 1980s ‘quality’ historical television series and miniseries in engaging national audiences in discussions about their national history. These programmes – which had a corollary in the United States in the same period – were ‘blockbusters’. But the historical miniseries of this period were not designed just to make money for the television networks, rather they had ‘designs’ on their viewers. What this set of programmes have in common is a sense of their important contribution to debates about what, who and why of nations and citizens. The producers of these programmes, in a period of significant social change and the emergence of identity politics, sought to engage citizens with the complexities of national histories. This article focuses on one series, Luke’s Kingdom, and explores why and how it was possible for this television genre to reinvigorate and rethink ideas of national belonging.
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