Father Bob: The Larrikin Priest

This is the life story of Father Bob Maguire - a rare behind-the-scenes look at the much-loved 'people's priest'. The enigmatic champion of the down-and-out was shaped by a lonely childhood in poor circumstances, an early priesthood that collided with the upheaval of Vatican 11 and working with the army during the Vietnam War. This is a lively portrait of the man behind the resilient social activist and popular media performer who refuses to be defeated by enforced retirement from the parish over which he presided for nearly forty years. Bob Maguire: 'Some people have called me a maverick or a larrikin or a renegade, or they say I'm plain mad. . .People will have to decide for themselves. But just one thing: Don't ever make me a saint. Because that is something I'm most definitely not.' Les Twentyman: 'People love him and hate him with a passion. But you don't become a leader unless you've got that.'Carrie Bickmore: 'He's one of the most genuine souls I know.' Chief Justice Terry Higgins: 'His knowledge of street kids and his understanding of them is phenomenal.' Neil Mitchell: 'He is a treasure, magnificent, unpredictable, passionate, entertaining and a little dangerous.' Derryn Hinch: 'He's an engaging old coot but I wonder how much is performance and how much is his real persona. People deify him but he has feet of clay.' Eddie McGuire: 'Bob is a real doer. He always looks on the bright side of a tough world and gets stuck into the action and makes things happen.'