It’s been a long wait for fans of popular television show Outback Truckers, but now season 10 has finally been confirmed, with filming to begin immediately.
The last season aired in 2021 and the team behind it, Prospero Productions, says it’s worked tirelessly to get a new season off the ground.
Distributed by Abacus Media Rights, Outback Truckers’ worldwide premiere was on 7mate in 2012. The show has now aired in over 120 countries, including the UK and Europe on the Discovery Channel.
But since Discovery pulled out of the deal, Prospero had been trying to secure a replacement – and now 7mate has thrown its support behind the show. “7Mate has been a fantastic, loyal broadcaster and such a great partner on this series. We’re very proud to be partnering once again with 7Mate,” said managing director at Prospero Productions, Julia Redwood.
“It’s a huge relief. We’re delighted that we’re able to press the go button on it and need to hit the ground running.”
Though filming usually begins in August ahead of the wet season, the production team will be working hard to film as much as they can up in the north of the country before Christmas. “We are a little behind the eight-ball in terms of when we usually like to start filming. Our challenge now is to get as many stories in the bag as we can for the northern part of the country. When truck drivers can’t go north, neither can we.”
Redwood confirmed that filming would continue well into the new year. “Normally we would film for about six months and then have five months to edit, so the new season won’t be hitting screens for about a year.”
As per previous seasons, season 10 will consist of 13 one-hour long episodes. “We’re very excited and this is something I’ve been longing to do. It’s been two years since the show aired, but three years since we’ve been filming – so it’s a long-time between drinks!” added Redwood.
Prospero is now actively casting for the series. Though they have confirmed the return of some of the old show favourites, they’ve remained tight-lipped over who we can expect to see back on our screens. They’ll also be looking for some new faces too.
“With 13 hours of television, you’re looking at 39 stories, so that’s a lot of shooting and a lot of editing. Outback Truckers is observational television, so it’s whatever happens. The magic happens when the editing process puts it all together,” explained Redwood.
“The drivers are so important to telling these stories – it’s those people who wear their hearts on their sleeves and can express what is happening and what could happen if they don’t deliver on time.”
She added that what’s also been quite interesting is seeing numerous younger truck drivers apply to be on the show after growing up watching it. “We have a researcher working on the show who was talking to a young driver who said she got into truck driving by watching Outback Truckers – and now she’s a truck driver like her dad. We would love to find more truck drivers who’ve been inspired by the show.”
Redwood also revealed the sort of drivers they’re on the hunt for. “When you have a great driver on a great route, that’s the sweet spot for us. The ideal combination is something that is interesting and challenging. Sometimes we have these giant, fantastic loads, which are always great to follow too. So we’re looking for epic loads, epic roads and great stories,” she said.
“We are always on the look-out for the weird and wonderful, along with the returning characters that the fans love to see. We’re looking for drivers right across the country, so that the show represents the whole continent.”
Think you’ve got what it takes to be on season 10 of Outback Truckers – or know someone else who’d be great to watch?
“We always encourage people to dob in a mate or a relative,” said Redwood. “We find some drivers are quite modest and need a bit of a shove – so nominate yourself or nominate a mate who you feel deserves to be on the show and represents all of the greatness of this industry.”
To apply for season 10 of Outback Truckers, email mail@prospero.com.au.