Proud Country: A portrait of a community surviving the drought.

"You may be on a bed of roses today, but the thorns always prick. So you just got to pull yourself together. Everyone pull together." Country Women's Association Branch Secretary

On Monday night, Four Corners brings you a story from the heart of the drought, a portrait of the land and its people, where the lack of rain is biting hard.

"I'd be joking to say that it's not tiring and I'm bit too old for this sort of stuff, but anyway, that's how it is." Farmer

It's pushing some to breaking point, but many in this proud country community are doing all they can to give others the strength to carry on.

"Yesterday was very emotional. A little old lady rings me up and she said to me ‘I'm 92 I'm going to give you $2000' and I thought ‘oh my godfather!'" Country Women's Association Branch Secretary

The people of Quirindi live and work on rich black soil country that they like to boast is the best in the land. Except when it hasn't rained properly for more than a year.

"I can remember looking at the cows and thinking, ‘Bloody hell, what are we going to do?'" Farmer

They opened their homes and their lives to reporter Michael Brissenden. Along the way, he encountered characters so large, they could have walked from the pages of Banjo Paterson story.

"Drought has no respect for a person, whether you're rich or poor." Country Women's Association Branch Secretary

From the thriving hub of the Country Women's Association, to an unexpected local victory on the dusty rugby field, he found people trying to find a sense of purpose and some joy under the relentless sun.

"It's a tough time at the moment so it's just good for the town to have something to rally around." Captain of the Quirindi Lions

Some are finding practical ways to make life that little more bearable with the donation of a haircut or a new pair of jeans.

"If we can make a few people feel a little bit better about themselves and know that there are people out there that care, I think that's just some small little gesture that we can do." Hairdresser

Despite their best efforts, you can sense the quiet desperation sitting just below the surface.

"Every week it's getting worse. You wouldn't think it could get worse, but it is. It's just got that real bad feel about it." Grain supplier

The parched landscape, exquisitely captured by Four Corners' cameras, reveals the profound impact this drought has had. And with winter slipping away, there are fears for what summer may bring.

"We're going into the hottest time of the year… the days are hotter, people haven't got water and there's no feed. So, time will tell." Contractor

Proud Country, reported by Michael Brissenden and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

Hidden cameras behind bars.

"We have live footage, no bullshit, live as it's unfolding." Prison riot mobile phone footage

A prison on fire, 600 inmates on the loose from their cells, and a band of prison officers desperately trying to contain a full-blown riot, all while footage of the violence is streamed live on social media.

"Who's got the keys man, who's got the keys blood?"

"Outta control mate, outta control." Rioting prisoners

This was not the scene from an action film blockbuster, it was frighteningly real.

"You could see staff were genuinely scared. You could see the fear in the face from everybody. Because the potential now for you to lose the jail was as real as it was going to get." Prison officer

The astonishing footage revealed a prison system at breaking point.

"They were filming to put it on social media so that they make the public aware - the way they were being treated in the prison, because nobody else is hearing them." Former prisoner

The riot, at a major prison in Britain, highlighted problems facing governments around the world, including in Australia: how to manage soaring prison populations driven by law and order debates and public demands for tougher sentencing.

"Prisons are in crisis. Violence continues to increase, but with so much violence, particularly assaults on staff, prisons are not under proper control and the risk of further riots must be substantial." Former head of the UK Prison Service

Using footage filmed by prisoners themselves in correctional facilities across the UK, the program reveals a system rife with drug use, violence and squalid living conditions.

"Cells were filthy. They were damp, they were dark, lavatories were blocked. There were rats, there were cockroaches." Chief prison inspector

The UK crisis has focused debate on the growing role of private companies in running prisons, among them global companies like G4S, which also operates in Australia.

"People just get lawless you know? Especially when there's not much staff around." Former prisoner

This revealing documentary opens a rare window into life behind bars and the pressures on those keeping watch.

"The government doesn't have a grip on the system and there's a cost in blood being paid." Former chief prison inspector

Prisons Uncovered, from Clover Films for ITV and presented by Sarah Ferguson.