More details on the airing dates that we first posted about yesterday. Scroll down this post to find a run-down of what is on each of the four shows…
The Oprah Winfrey Show’s $12 million-plus, four-episode Australian specials will go to air next week in the U.S. and here, premiering Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure on Tuesday, Jan. 18 in the U.S., airing until Friday, Jan. 21.
It will also premiere in prime time on Australian affiliate Network Ten on Wednesday, Jan. 19 with the finale at the Sydney Opera House airing here Sunday Jan. 23 — three days before the nation’s official day, Australia Day.
Winfrey and her 302 fellow travelers made the trip down under in mid-Dec., after Harpo Productions struck a deal with Tourism Australia, Qantas and other state tourism bodies, for two shows to be filmed following the TV host and her guests around the country, to celebrate the final season of her talk show. That was expanded to four programs during the tour.
After a whirlwind six days traveling the length and breadth of the country, which provides the backdrop for two episodes, Winfrey and her adventurers headed to Sydney to make two programs in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House, with guests including Russell Crowe, U2′s Bono, Jay-Z, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Hugh Jackman, who suffered a back eye during a dramatic entrance to the Opera House set, Olivia Newton-John and Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s family, as well as a number of Australian families and school kids appearing.
Winfrey herself said during the tour “it is immeasurable what a four-hour love festival for your country broadcast in 145 countries can do. I think this has been a win-win for every partner involved.”
Tourism Australia and Qantas are capitalizing on the TV specials, releasing special travel packages to Australia from the U.S. West Coast, which includes tours to Winfrey’s destinations.
The airing of the Winfrey shows come as the annual G’Day Australia trade promotion takes place in the U.S.
EDIT: And a run-down on what is on each show, from USA Today:
Harpo has just announced that Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure will air as a four-part series on The Oprah Winfrey Show Jan. 18-21. (New shows kick off on Thursday with Oprah experts Dr. Oz, Bob Greene and Peter Walsh.)
Highlights of the Australian series include:
Jan. 18: Oprah has a close encounter with frisky koalas, enjoys the Great Barrier Reef and hosts a beach bash with celebrity chef Curtis Stone. Then, Oprah travels to Uluru for a dinner with local Aboriginal people. Next up, she meets Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a crowd of 10,000 in Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Jan. 19: Oprah surprises locals, popping in at one viewer’s weekly taco night dinner. Then, Oprah and her audience attempt a new world record attempt by climbing to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb. And we get to see Oprah sail with Russell Crowe.
Jan. 20: Oprah hosts the first of two shows from the world famous Sydney Opera House in Australia.
Jan. 21: It’s the Australian grand finale from the Sydney Opera House with U2′s Bono and Hugh Jackman’s headline-making entrance. Also on hand: Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Olivia Newton-John.