Rumour: Charlie Pickering for TEN variety project?
Rumours that TEN is considering a Rove-style show for former Project anchor, Charlie Pickering.
- Published by David Knox
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There are rumours today of Variety television making something of a comeback with media reports that TEN’s Hamish McLennan is considering a new vehicle for Charlie Pickering.
The Australian Financial Review speculates that its former Project anchor could host a Rove-style show.
Rear Window suggests:
Nine boss David Gyngell is bullish about a similar show, to be fronted (we hear) by Today’s Karl Stefanovic. Seven’s Tim Worner is in the same boat – most likely pinning his (and Kerry Stokes’) hopes on Weekend Sunrise host Andrew O’Keefe, although Morning Show host Larry Emdur has made his own pilot.
Both Rove and The Project are produced by Roving’s own Craig Campbell.
Yet while live shows are a good step in the push against Timeshifting and Piracy, they also don’t come cheap. Which is why none of our networks have been in any rush to invest in a full-blown Letterman-style late night show either.
If not a flagship Sunday night variety, there’s still an opportunity for a slimmer, trimmer chat show that might fit in our schedules -potentially even for multichannels.
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- Tagged with Rove, The Project
23 Responses
Let me guess, it will actually be a variety show that talks about the news ….. another brilliant stroke of genius TEN ……
Great! I think we need a show like Hey Hey again, but something with a fresh new format and a young, energetic host. Andrew O’Keefe would be perfect.
They expressed their mutual appreciation for each other on the last show. If they really hated each other I doubt they would have bothered.
I thought Charlie left The Project to spend more time with his lawyer wife and soon to come baby?
Those rumours about him being pushed off the show because Steve Price didn’t get along with him look more and more believable IMO.
Can’t see producers pushing an anchor out because of one guest host. Does not compute. Charlie never said he was quitting television either.
It would be great to have a Don Lane style show. There is a heap of overseas artists coming between now and Christmas. Charlie would be good. Brig back real variety not wishy washy Rove…something substantial.
Hope this goes ahead, I miss Rove & Hey Hey It’s Saturday. We need shows like that again.
I think Charlie would be a great host of just an interview program like enough rope. A great blend of laughter and the questions that have to be asked. Ten need to make sure this program is targeted towards the older age group they are wanting to target and not have guests that only 20 year olds know of that age don’t watch tv anymore.
This could be really good. When roves show went it left quite a hole. It was a a bit of a flagpole for 10 and since that and hey hey isn’t on either, TV is feeling it is missing an important part.
Ten/Eleven don’t even have the brains to screen the hilarious and witty Craig Ferguson at a decent time. Why not programme him at 9:30pm weeknights on Eleven? His show is topical and is available within hours of screening in the US. I reckon it would rate better than most shows currently shown at that time. I rather that than a new local Rove clone show.
Karl Stefanovic? Who the heck would watch that?
Nah. Ten has flopped last year’s TWL and please don’t put another late night talk show on Ten. It will rate lower than expected.
I too hope any future shows of this type are not live, watching graham norton and Ellen pre-recorded and edited to flow well is much better. It means the conversation can be more natural and spontaneous instead of cramming into a strictly rehearsed 2min frame. I don’t think being live ads anything of value.
Can’t wait to see how much of a pale imitation of Mad As Hell these turn out to be.
If Ten thinks that a Rove-like variety show is going to get them out of the mire, then all is lost.
I wonder if this is due to Letterman retiring! I only watch him when there is someone interesting to watch, which is not that often.
I would of thought that the cost of doing these type of shows would be cheap. Well cheaper than scripted shows and probably the same cost as a cheap reality show.
It would be great for a week nights although I do agree that it might be hard to have international guess on all the time. I guess they could have live music or a comedian perform as fillers when needed.
I think it’s great that networks are going to try low budget variety shows after Hey Hey flopped in 2010!!.
Tracey would be a better host than Karl, as she use to do Midday.
Andrew and Larry would be great together on a variety show together!
If this is true this is great. It’s exactly the type of tent pole show that ten needs. I hope they have the guts to go with week nights rather than once a week. Not convinced that Charlie is the best choice but just glad to see variety on the agenda.
I so hope this is true.
I miss Charlie on TV Already and understand that The Project would have been a strenuous job 5 nights a week.
I actually really miss Talking About Your Generation and wish that made somewhat of a comeback.
I like the idea of a letterman late-night show. If they can balance quality and budget it should be a winner for ten.
I agree with @johntv – this doesn’t need to be live.
David, in specific relation to this, could you humour me and provide an average viewership for Jimmy Fallon on ABC2, and on PayTV?
G. Norton seems to be struggling to get 300k on Sunday nights.
The dilema is, such a show would need to be built on international guests who a) aren’t here that often and b) are only here to sell their latest book / film / tour / etc
Rove’s Sunday night show wasn’t live, from what I remember?
I went to a taping, and that was at 5pm on a Sunday, which aired at 7:30 or 8:30pm.
Well, if the 3 CEO continue to live in the 80’s then yes the show will be expensive as it will be just a re-hash of a Don Lane Show type of show.
There is plenty of potential for shows like the ones that appear on cable TV in the US to make it to a late night slot or even multi-channel as well.
Also, it doesn’t need to be live. Except for the news channels, all the US late night shows are taped in the late afternoon.
Time to move into the 90’s guys and maybe even the 00’s…