Exploring Rolf Harris’ Complex Life in the New Documentary ‘Primetime Predator’
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The late Australian entertainer Rolf Harris is the focus of a new two-part documentary commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The film, Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator, is set to debut on Tuesday, June 9, and will feature interviews with survivors who have never before publicly spoken about his crimes. The documentary aims to narrate Harris’ complex story, detailing his rise from suburban Perth to becoming a prominent figure in the United Kingdom, while uncovering a longstanding pattern of abuse that occurred behind the scenes for decades.
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Before his conviction, Harris was a beloved figure in television and music, enjoying popularity in the UK, the US, and his native Australia. Notably, his song “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. He was also commissioned to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in the mid-2000s, which was documented in film.
His UK chart successes include “Two Little Boys,” which marked the last No. 1 single of the 1960s in that market. Additionally, he achieved No. 9 in the UK with “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” in 1960, and reached No. 3 with “Sun Arise” in 1962. Harris’ cover of “Stairway to Heaven” also saw him return to the UK top 10 in 1993, reaching No. 7.
Harris’s downfall began in 2013 when he was questioned and arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, an investigation into sexual abuse among British media figures, including the late Jimmy Savile. Following a trial in 2014, he was convicted of multiple indecent assaults on women and young girls between 1968 and 1986 and sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. Although he was released in 2017, Harris maintained his innocence and never apologized to his victims.
Harris passed away in 2023 at the age of 93. A statement from the ABC, announcing the documentary, reflects on the shifting landscape since his death: “In the years since, the silence that once protected him has begun to lift… survivors who long feared retribution are at last able to speak.”
Before the Yewtree investigation, Harris was celebrated in Britain, where he held titles including Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
His accolades extended to his home country of Australia, where he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, although ARIA has since removed his name from its records.
Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator will air at 8:30 PM AEST on ABC TV, with both episodes available for streaming on ABC iView.
