Australian Story on ABC and ABC iview profiles Alby Mangels – Whatever happened to adventurer Alby Mangels?
In the late ‘70s and ‘80s, the swashbuckling filmmaker was a household name. His World Safari feature documentaries broke box office records and he became a pop cultural icon with his rugged good looks and succession of female travel companions.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. The third movie in the World Safari franchise failed, the media accused him of faking shots and not paying staff, and Alby Mangels disappeared.
“Got too big for my boots,”
– the reclusive 77-year-old tells Australian Story.
“I went broke, I lost everything. Went away from everything, from everybody.”
For a long time Mangels shunned the media but he agreed to talk to Australian Story, looking back at his difficult childhood, his extraordinary journey from barely literate bricklayer to world famous documentary adventurer, his sudden fall from grace and his career revival in the US in the 1990s. He addresses accusations that he faked footage and explains why he turned his back on fame.
The episode also includes interviews with his sister Maria and nephew Rick Snel, cinematographer Geoffrey Hall, American TV executive Mark Finkelpearl and TV historian Andrew Mercado.
Australian Story on ABC and ABC iview – Monday 9 February, 2026 at 8.00pm
Media Release – ABC
TV Central ABC content HERE
Australian Story on ABC and ABC iview profiles Alby Mangels
