NITV and Channel 10 have joined forces to premiere a new four-part documentary series, The First Inventors, on Thursday, 15 June, at 8.30pm, with new episodes airing weekly.
Presented and narrated by Logie award-winning actor and proud Tiwi Islander man Rob Collins, the co-commission will explore more than 65,000 years of invention from the world’s longest-surviving culture – that of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Mediaweek spoke to general manager of NITV, Peter Noble and Paramount ANZ SVP content and programming, Daniel Monaghan about bringing the series to life.
Rob Collins hosts The First Inventors
For Monaghan, The First Inventors was an example of the right show at the right time, and built off of Paramount’s commitment to centring First Nations voices and the Reconciliation Action Plan the company launched in 2020.
Monaghan: “When this show was brought to us, the first thing that struck us was how beautiful it was. The stories were something that we hadn’t been pitched before, it was an angle that we hadn’t been pitched before. For us, we’re really invested in telling the story, but more importantly, amplifying First Nation stories in the first place.
“When it came with NITV, it seemed like the perfect synergy for us to align with them and find that voice and that story, so that we can have an impactful show in line with our Reconciliation Action Plan to get a positive and sustainable cultural change. It was a marriage that really worked for us at a perfect time. We could hardly say no.”
From Noble’s perspective, working with Paramount on The First Inventors represented “an evolution” in the relationship between the two broadcasters.
Noble: “We’ve been working with Paramount and Channel 10 for a number of years – there’s a simulcast of the Sunset Ceremony that Channel 10 takes, and Narelda Jacobs, fronts our current affairs programme called The Point which 10 Play takes. I just felt like it was the next step in our relationship. We’ve got a wonderful long-standing relationship, and long may it continue.”
The series presents some incredibly significant discoveries, bringing today’s science to knowledge that is millennia old. When asked if they knew what they were in for when production began, the pair gave two very different answers.
Monaghan: “Not really, to be honest! What stands out for me is when they reveal the oldest ever underwater archaeological discovery – one of the oldest, if not the oldest international trade routes. There were things that we had never learned in school, and definitely should have. I knew nothing about it beforehand, that was really quite astonishing.”
Noble: “I’m going to say yes I did, but I didn’t know the specifics until I saw the series. Without giving too much away, Dan alluded to aquaculture and land management practices. At the core of it, what I absolutely love about this series is the collision of ancient knowledge with modern science, and an alignment there in terms of what modern science is discovering. I actually think it is a really rich vein that has been tapped. I think there’s so much more that can be revealed.”
Ultimately the pair say that while the show is educational, it’s also so much more than that.
Monaghan: “We’ve got something that’s visually engaging, and we want people to be surprised and excited by what has been discovered and what is being taught. It’s a show that talks about inventions by nature of its title, and it’s about celebrating the world’s oldest continuous living culture and how they thrived.”
Noble: “From my perspective, I think all great content is about being entertaining first and foremost. The series is absolutely cinematic, to see our landscapes represented with that cinematography is incredible. Rob Collins is amazing, you can’t look away from him. I think the subject matter is absolutely fascinating and really appealing to broader audiences – that collision of ancient cultures and modern science, it makes for really great TV.”
The First Inventors, Thursday 15 June at 8.30pm on Channel 10 and NITV
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Top Image: Peter Noble and Daniel Monaghan