Foxtel is putting the housing crisis under a comedic microscope with Sold! Who Broke the Australian Dream?, a one-off doc fronted by satirist Mark Humphries, landing July 21 on Binge and FOX8.
The special, which pulls no punches in dissecting Australia’s increasingly broken housing market, is backed by Screen Australia and Screen NSW, and produced by Wedge-Tail Pictures. Craig Reucassel—who brought political teeth to 2021’s Big Deal—returns as executive producer and writer, applying his sharp investigative lens to a new battleground: real estate.
Humphries anchors the hour as both guide and agitator, traveling the country to unpack how housing became unattainable for so many—and who’s profiting from the chaos. The doc balances punchy humour with urgent questions, targeting structural failures, policy misfires, and industry interests with a clear intent to inform, provoke, and entertain.
The project is helmed by director-producer Bill Code and producer Justine Moyle, with Jacqueline Saddington serving as Foxtel/Binge’s EP. Executive producer Howard Myers-Rifai, Head of Unscripted Originals at Foxtel/Binge, flagged the special as a “lightning rod” moment for the platform’s slate, aiming to drive impact while bringing some levity to a grim national issue.
Financing comes with an assist from Henley Homes, Landcom, the Housing Industry Association, and the City of Sydney—entities that also serve as subjects of scrutiny in the doc’s wider interrogation of who benefits from the status quo.
Humphries, best known for 7.30 and The Feed, brings his signature blend of wit and social critique to the role, pushing Sold! into the space between satire and serious journalism—a tonal playbook that Reucassel and his team know well.
