The Newsreader, the critically acclaimed Australian drama series, is leaving BBC iPlayer in the coming days.
The series, written and created by Michael Lucas, explores the personal and professional lives of the crew at a newsroom in 1980s Australia, with the cast including Mindhunter's Anna Torv, Interview with the Vampire's Sam Reid and NCIS: Sydney's William McInnes.
Whilst UK viewers are eagerly awaiting the premiere date for its third and final season, they will have to hurry if they want to rewatch older episodes, with the first season set to be removed from BBC iPlayer on April 14 (via Radio Times).
Whilst the first six episodes are set to be removed, the six-part second season will remain, so it at least gives viewers some leeway when it comes to catching up on the story ahead of the final season.
For first-time viewers who may require some more convincing, look no further than the critical acclaim that has been afforded to The Newsreader, with the first two seasons securing perfect 100% approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes from a combined 24 reviews.
Related: John Simm's "ridiculous" but perfectly-rated BBC show is leaving Netflix really soon
What to Read Next
“An engrossing recreation of the 1980s television beat, The Newsreader mines authentic drama and laughs thanks to its verisimilitude and a commanding Anna Torv,” reads the site’s critical consensus of the first season.
BBC.com remarked that viewers “end up getting sucked into how it looks at news reporting in the pre-internet era”, whilst The Times were similarly enthused as they lauded the show for its “quickfire writing” and balance of “drama, comedy and romance”.
Related: Best streaming services UK 2025 — including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+
The Chicago Tribune called The Newsreader a “terrific show” about “ambition, egos, office gossip and the thrill of covering breaking news”, whilst The Guardian described the series as a “classy” and “well-acted nifty pop-history lesson”.
The Newsreader has similarly struck a chord with general audiences, earning mightily impressive approval ratings of 91% and 89% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes across its first two seasons.
The Newsreader streams on BBC iPlayer.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
