House of Hancock

Last updated

House of Hancock
Genre Drama
Written by
Directed by Mark Joffe
Starring
Composer Michael Yezerski
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producers
  • Nick Murray
  • Jo Rooney
  • Andy Ryan
Producers
Production locations
CinematographyGarry Phillips
EditorMark Perry
Production companyCordell Jigsaw Productions
Original release
Network Nine Network
Release8 February (2015-02-08) 
15 February 2015 (2015-02-15)

House of Hancock is an Australian mini-series, part 1 aired on the Nine Network on 8 February 2015 and the 2nd part on 15 February. [1]

Contents

Plot

House of Hancock tells the fictionalised story of the Hancock dynasty and the bizarre love triangle that emerged between Lang, his daughter Gina, and his beautiful Filipina housekeeper Rose.

Lang and Gina are inseparable, the perfect team, and Gina is confident she will soon inherit the family business. But their relationship is rocked by a series of tumultuous events. First, Lang is furious when Gina marries a man old enough to be her father. Then Lang's beloved wife Hope dies. In an attempt to help her ailing father, Gina employs a new housekeeper to get him back on track, Rose Lacson from the Philippines, not realising this will be a decision that tears their family apart.

Lang is instantly smitten with the vivacious Rose, 37 years younger than the ageing iron ore magnate. Is it real love? Or has the housekeeper snagged the richest man in Australia? Lang and Rose quickly marry and what follows is an increasingly bitter public feud lasting two decades: filled with forbidden love, murder accusations, drug charges, illegitimate children, court cases and epic betrayal, all played out in the media, and all for Gina to retain control over the staggering Hancock family fortune. [1]

Production

Prix d'Amour, a studio version features in the TV series Prix d'Amour.jpg
Prix d'Amour, a studio version features in the TV series

On 13 February 2013, it was confirmed that a series, titled Gina, consisting of four, one-hour telemovies based on the life of mining magnate, Gina Rinehart was commissioned in a joint venture between the Nine Network, Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder and Claudia Karvan's production company. [2]

In November 2013, the Nine Network confirmed that the drama had been cut to half its original size and had a new name, presenting it as a two, one-hour telemovies, titled Gina v Rose: The House of Hancock. [3]

On 13 August 2014, it was announced that Mandy McElhinney had won the titular role of Gina Rinehart, with news breaking four days later that Sam Neill and Peta Sergeant had signed on to play Lang Hancock and Rose Hancock Porteous, respectively. [3]

The telemovie is produced by Michael Cordell, Claudia Karvan and Paul Bennett. [3]

Filming for House of Hancock took place in Perth and Sydney, which began in August 2014 and wrapped six weeks later in early October 2014. [4]

Cast

Reception

The first episode aired on 8 February 2015 at 8:45 on the Nine Network, [5] against Ten's NCIS: New Orleans. [6] The Telemovie is split into two parts shown over two Sundays.

No.TitleAir dateOvernight ratingsConsolidated ratingsTotal
viewers
Ref(s)
ViewersRankViewersRank
1Part 18 February 20151,383,0002180,00021,563,000 [7] [8]
2Part 215 February 20151,380,0002304,00011,684,000 [9] [10]

Awards and nominations

2016 Logie Awards [11] Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie House of HancockNominated
Most Outstanding Actress Mandy McElhinney Nominated

Controversy

Controversy over House of Hancock being defamatory has been a worry of Gina Rinehart since it premiered on the Nine Network. Rinehart has accused the show of being incorrect. Since then, Gina Rinehart has taken legal action. [12] On 24 February 2017 the Nine Network forced to release a carefully worded apology to Gina Rinehart for its inaccuracies and agreed not to release the TV series again on DVD, stream or sell it overseas. [13]

Related Research Articles

Rose Porteous, a Filipino-born Australian socialite, is best known for her marriage to Western Australia iron ore mining magnate Lang Hancock, and the protracted legal battle with his daughter, Gina Rinehart, over the circumstances that led to his death, and the distribution of his estate. The action, commenced by Rinehart in 1992, was eventually settled in 2003 following a coronial inquiry that determined Hancock died of natural causes. Porteous, who lives in Perth and Melbourne, is often referred to by the media as a socialite.

Langley Frederick George "Lang" Hancock was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the spheres of business and politics. Famous initially for discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952 and becoming one of the richest men in Australia, he is now perhaps best remembered for his marriage to the much-younger Rose Porteous, a Filipino woman and his former maid. Hancock's daughter, Gina Rinehart, was bitterly opposed to Hancock's relationship with Porteous. The conflicts between Rinehart and Porteous overshadowed his final years and continued until more than a decade after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudia Karvan</span> Australian actress (born 1972)

Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress and producer. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film Molly (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in High Tide (1987). She portrayed a teacher in The Heartbreak Kid (1993) – the film was spun off into a TV series, Heartbreak High (1994–1999), with her character taken over by Sarah Lambert. Karvan's roles in television series include The Secret Life of Us (2001–2005), Love My Way (2004–2007), Newton's Law (2017) and Halifax: Retribution (2020). She won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama at the AFI Awards for her appearance in G.P. (1996). She won two similar AFI Awards for her role in Love My Way and in 2014 for her work in The Time of Our Lives (2013–2014). As a co-producer and co-writer on Love My Way, she won three further AFI Awards for Best Drama Series in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Karvan was inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame in 2007 in acknowledgment of her contributions to the Australian film and television industry. From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the drama series Spirited, which she co-created and was executive producer. She appeared as Judy Vickers in Puberty Blues. Karvan has co-produced House of Hancock and Doctor Doctor (2016–2021). In 2021 she co-created, co-produced and starred in the TV drama series, Bump.

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Mandy McElhinney is an Australian actress best known for playing Rhonda in AAMI insurance advertisements. She appeared on the sketch comedy television series, Comedy Inc., from 2003 to 2006. She appeared as Gina Rinehart in the telemovie The House of Hancock, alongside Sam Neill in 2015. McElhinney played Jackie Walters, federal agent and team leader of the Australian Federal Police Counter-Terrorism Unit in the television drama thriller series Hyde & Seek that premiered on the Nine Network in October 2016.

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References

  1. 1 2 Knox, David (31 January 2015). "Airdate: House of Hancock". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 31 January 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  2. Knox, David (13 February 2013). "Another Drama on Gina Rhinehart". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Channel 9's Gina v Rose: The House of Hancock will focus on Gina Rinehart and Rose Porteous". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  4. "Rhinehart family secrets brought to life in telemovie, Gina vs Rose". smh.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  5. "The House of Hancock: Mandy McElhinney faces pressure of playing Gina Rinehart". 4 February 2015. Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Sunday, 8-Feb-2015". Southern Cross Media. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  7. "Sunday 8 February 2015". TV Tonight. 9 February 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  8. "Timeshifted: Sunday 8 February 2015 – TV Tonight". Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  9. "Sunday 15 February 2015". TV Tonight. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  10. "Timeshifted: Sunday 15 February 2015 – TV Tonight". Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  11. Knox, David (3 April 2016). "Logie Awards 2016: nominations". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  12. "Gina Rinehart given access to preview House of Hancock before it airs on Channel Nine - ABC News". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 13 February 2015.
  13. // "Channel Nine apologises to Gina Rinehart for House of Hancock | news.com.au". Archived 8 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine