''Go Back to Where You Came From'' is a

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

-winning Australian TV documentary series, produced by Cordell Jigsaw Productions and broadcast in 2011 (Season 1), 2012 (Season 2), 2015 (Season 3) and 2018 (Season 4) on SBS. The series followed two parties, each of six Australians, all members having differing opinions on Australia's

asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...

debate, being taken on a journey in reverse to that which refugees have taken to reach Australia.

Season 1

The six Australian participants were Gleny Rae, Adam Hartup, Raquel Moore, Darren Hassan, Raye Colbey, and Roderick Schneider. Deprived of their wallets, phones and passports, they board a leaky refugee boat (from which they are rescued mid-ocean), experience immigration raids in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, live in Kakuma Refugee Camp in far north-west

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, visit slums in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

before ultimately making it to the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, protected by

UN Peacekeepers Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...

and the

US military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States N ...

. In the final episode, the participants are debriefed for their response to the experiences.

Season 2 – ''Celebrity Go Back''

The celebrity participants for the 2012 season were

Peter Reith Peter Keaston Reith (15 July 1950 – 8 November 2022) was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1982 to 1983 and from 1984 to 2001, representing the Liberal Party. He was the party's deputy leader from 199 ...

, Angry Anderson,

Allan Asher Allan James Asher is an Australian lawyer, consumer advocate and campaigner. Early life, education and personal life Asher was born in Sydney on 16 February 1951, one of eight children. He grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney at Eastern Cree ...

, Catherine Deveny, Mike Smith and Imogen Bailey. The participants were placed on a rickety boat bound for

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

. Over three episodes, the six Australians also experienced mortal danger on the streets of the world's deadliest cities – from the sweltering, war-torn capital of

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

, to the riotous streets of

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, freezing amidst the mountains of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. They also travelled to the Christmas Island Detention Centre.

Season 3

The six participants for the 2015 season were Davy (former refugee),

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

('Stop the Boats'

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

campaigner), Nicole Judge (detention centre whistle blower), Jodi and Renee (sisters with opposing views) and Andrew (a tough-talking school teacher).

Season 4 – ''Go Back to Where You Came From Live''

Three episodes were shown on 2–4 October 2018, including live crosses to the participants as events unfolded. The episodes were hosted from a studio with hosts Ray Martin and Janice Petersen. Participants included

Jacqui Lambie Jacquiline Louise Lambie (born 26 February 1971) is an Australian politician who is the leader and founder of the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN). She is a Senator for Tasmania since 2019, and was previously a Senator from 2014 to 2017. Lambie, an ...

, Marina (Sydney lawyer and former refugee from Sarajevo), Steve (former prison guard from Adelaide), Gretel Killeen, Peter Everitt and Meshel Laurie.

Reception

On its premiere night, the series became the number one

trending topic Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, a ...

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

worldwide. ''Go Back To Where You Came From''s viewing figures made it the highest-rating programme for SBS in 2011. An estimated 524,000 metropolitan viewers watched the first episode, followed by 569,000 for the second and 600,000 for the third. The broadcaster subsequently held a televised forum event to reflect on the series and the public debate about asylum seekers. In 2019, ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

'' listed ''Go Back to Where You Came From'' at No. 94 in its list of the 101 greatest Australian television shows of all time, which appeared in its monthly '' TV Week Close Up'' publication. The magazine recognised the show for introducing Australian audiences to powerful, immersive television during the heat of the asylum seeker debate, and for its achievement in being the top trend on Twitter internationally when it debuted.

Episodes

Season 1

Episode 1 *

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia – refugee resettlement *

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

, New South Wales, Australia – refugee resettlement * Villawood Immigration Detention Centre, New South Wales, Australia * Boat crossing,

Timor Sea The Timor Sea ( id, Laut Timor, pt, Mar de Timor, tet, Tasi Mane or ) is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by Australia. The sea contains a number of reefs ...

Episode 2 * Immigration housing,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, Malaysia * Construction site immigration raid, Malaysia Episode 3 * Kakuma Refugee Camp in far north-west

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

* Slums in

* Warzone in

Season 2

Episode 1 *

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Victoria – refugee resettlement *

Episode 2 *

* Dollo Addo refugee camp,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, ran by the

UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrat ...

Episode 3 * Bogor,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

– meeting Hazara refugees *

Rote Island Rote Island ( id, Pulau Rote, also spelled ''Roti'') is an island of Indonesia, part of the East Nusa Tenggara province of the Lesser Sunda Islands. According to legend, this island got its name accidentally when a lost Portuguese sailor arrive ...

(''Pulau Rote'' or ''Roti''), Indonesia – meeting people smugglers * Boat journey to

* Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre

Season 3

Episode 1 *

Bankstown Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, hav ...

– refugee resettlement * Lakemba, New South Wales – refugee resettlement * Wickham Point Immigration Detention Centre, Darwin,

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

* Jakarta,

— 'Boat turn back' Episode 2 * Makassar, Indonesia – living with refugees

Go Back To Where You Came From Live

Season 1

Episode 1 *

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

refugee camp Episode 2 *

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

* Syria

Ratings

*Episode 1 – 524,000 23rd for the night *Episode 2 – 569,000 24th for the night *Episode 3 – 600,000 19th for the night

International remakes

The series has had international versions after the concept was sold to the following countries: * Belgium (Vier) by the name of ''Terug naar eigen land'' * Denmark (TV2 Denmark) by the name of ''Send Dem Hjem'' * Germany (Studio Hamburg DocLights) by the name of ''Auf der Flucht: Das Experiment'' * The Netherlands (Tuvalu Media) by the name of ''Rot Op Naar Je Eigen Land'' * Sweden (Snowman Productions) * South Africa (Curious Pictures) * Israel (Keshet Broadcasting) * United States (BBC America)

References

External links

''Go Back To Where You Came From''
– SBS site
Cordell Jigsaw Productions

''An alternative reality? Bogans, boat people and broadcasting''
– '' eRenlai'', 1 August 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Go Back To Where You Came From Special Broadcasting Service original programming 2010s Australian documentary television series 2011 Australian television series debuts 2015 Australian television series endings 2018 Australian television series debuts 2018 Australian television series endings Racism in Australia Documentary films about refugees in Australia International Emmy Award for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment winners

Season 1

Season 2 – ''Celebrity Go Back''

Season 3

Season 4 – ''Go Back to Where You Came From Live''

Reception

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Go Back To Where You Came From Live

Season 1

Ratings

International remakes

See also

References

External links