Allan Ashbolt

Who was Allan Ashbolt?

Allan Campbell Ashbolt was an Australian journalist and television broadcaster.

He was born in Melbourne and attended Caulfield Grammar School, and served with the Australian Imperial Force in World War II. Following the war, Ashbolt began acting and helped establish the Mercury Theatre with Peter Finch before he was hired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a producer.

In 1959 he was appointed as the ABC's first North America correspondent, and during 1963 he served as a correspondent and executive producer of Four Corners, which has become Australia's longest-running investigative journalism/current affairs television program. He was known for his belief that the ABC should promote free speech and controversial political content.

Ashbolt held senior positions at the ABC until retiring after a 25 year career with the network, and also wrote for the New Statesman, a British political magazine. He died in Sydney in 2005.