24 April (2017-04-24) – 25 April 2017 (2017-04-25)
House of Bond is an Australian two-part drama mini-series about the life of business tycoon Alan Bond which was produced in 2016 and aired on the Nine Network on 24 and 25 April 2017.[1][2][3]
Synopsis
House of Bond is a dramatised account of the life of Alan Bond, from the 1960s to the 2000s.[4]
Part One details Bond's prominence as a property investor and entrepreneur finishing with his greatest triumph as head of the syndicate that won the 1983 America's Cup. Part Two sees him expand on a global scale before his hubris saw his empire spectacularly falling down, becoming embroiled in a number of WA Inc scandals including the bailout of the Rothwells Bank and the stripping of Bell Resources.
The series was criticised as "appalling" by Alan Bond's widow Eileen Bond.[6] His family released a statement, claiming it was "inaccurate and sensationalised".[7] Diana Bliss's brother Graeme, meanwhile appreciated Rachael Taylor's sympathetic portrayal of his sister believing she would be pleased with the series.[8]
The series was generally well received. The Age and TV Week named the series 'Pick of the Week'. TV Week gave it 5/5 saying 'Adrienne Pickering is wonderful as the lively Eileen'. The Age called it 'luxurious and ambitious'.[9]News.com.au called 'a 'riveting' yarn.'[10] Debi Enker in The Sydney Morning Herald said it 'has the quality of a Shakespearean tragedy...' and 'captures the flash-and-dazzle of the era and offers some insight into a singular and spectacular rise and fall.'[11]The Daily Telegraph called House of Bond a "flop",[12] and the series received a 2.5 star rating from TV Tonight[13]
Viewership
The mini-series averaged 657,000 across the five mainland capital cities on its final night winning its timeslot and increasing its ratings on the previous night.
