Community TV network Aurora has taken fan engagement to the next level, allowing fans of the station’s ‘cult’ show Pete Boone Private Eye to write the scripts for the fifth season of the show.

Aurora programming and production manager Corrie McDougall says, “The new season of Pete Boone is a series with a difference. It arose from the passion of its fans – not just as an audience but also as the creators of the show itself. The production crew took a huge gamble in letting the fans call the shots, but thanks to the range of young talent it has really paid off.

“This season is a great example of how fan generated content can happen organically and genuinely. It was only made possible because of the unique bond between the show and the Aurora audience, a chemistry, which is highly sought after in today’s socially minded market. It’s simply about knowing what your viewers want and listening to your audiences and communities.”

The kooky show is about a man named Pete Boone who is ‘Australia’s worst detective’. After the show went into hiatus in late 2012, fans became increasingly more persistent to see the shows return and many began writing into the station with ideas of what could happen next.

The first episode of the new season is called ‘Made by the fans, for the fans’ and it will premiere on Aurora on Sunday 14 April at 8.30pm, with the season finishing on May 9 2013.

Producer of the show, David Murdoch, says he was unsure about the quality of content that would be submitted by fans, but was pleasantly surprised by what has been submitted.

“I was thinking dinosaurs or space travel but the fans came up with East Pennant Falls set in 1980s! They sent me the scripts and actor Mark Pereira who plays Inspector Gravel said he’d join in – and suddenly season five came into being.

“Everyone had a ball doing it and the fans at the end, with many university students, said it had been the best experience of their lives – everyone just had such a great time,” he said.

Above: a group of fans responsible for the latest season of Pete Boone.

Aurora is a not-for-profit community television station and can be found on channel 185 on Foxtel.