Logies nominees Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon on potential Hamish win
Gold Logie nominees Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon say there’s no bad blood between them, as they discuss what they’ll wear on the big night — and why Hamish Blake should be worried.
Stellar
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stellar. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Gold Logie nominees Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon sit down to discuss the big night, who they really think will take the prize and why the “competition” between them is anything but.
Stellar: So three Gold Logie nominees walk into a studio. How well, if at all, did the three of you know each other prior to today?
Lynne McGranger: Ally and myself haven’t met. But Sonia and I go back a bit. We’ve talked on the red carpet, and obviously seen each other around the traps at Seven.
Sonia Kruger: For a long time now. Ally and I know each other from when I was at Nine. So I know both ladies really well.
Ally Langdon: We’ve been around a while, the three of us, haven’t we? That’s why I had to keep thinking: OK, it’s Lynne, not Irene…
Lynne: I’m used to it, darling. I get it all the time. It’s like I said to the girls earlier: how long do you have to be on the bloody television before people know your real name? But I get it.
Ally: You’ve been in our lounge rooms for 33 years. It’s a great compliment that people feel they know you.
Having said that, Lynne, you have filmed your final scenes on Home And Away so Australia will be saying farewell to Irene in a couple of months. We don’t know how you leave, though. Can you tell us?
Lynne: I could, but I’d have to kill you. It’s a soap; you don’t want to give away the ending. But I’m very excited, and I proudly say that, for once, the writers didn’t slam the door in my face.
Ally: So she doesn’t die...
Lynne: I didn’t say that. Did I?
Ally: Well, I don’t know. Did you?
Lynne: No, I don’t think I did. I went up with the storyline, and they liked it. They went with it.
So you came up with the idea?
Lynne: Yes. I just felt it was a story that needed to be told, and one that’s very relevant. And they agreed. They didn’t say, “Stay in your own lane.”
There we go, Ally. Clarification. Not a deadly goodbye, with Irene never to be seen again.
Ally: I was jumping to conclusions [laughs].
Listen to a new episode of Something To Talk About featuring Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon below:
One reason this year’s Logies have already made history is because six of the seven Gold Logie nominees are women – the three of you as well as Lisa Millar, Julia Morris and Poh Ling Yeow. Hamish Blake is the lone male in the group. Since the category became genderless in 1978, 10 different women have won the Gold. Do these figures still surprise you in 2025?
Sonia: It did surprise me. This particular group just highlights the fact that some amazing women work in this business. [The three of us] have daughters. And one of the best parts was knowing that all those little girls out there who might be watching TV or looking for a career as an actor, a journalist, a presenter could then aspire a little bit more. Because they see women who are doing that and being recognised for that.
Ally: The morning we had the [nominations] breakfast, Hamish was hilarious. He was genuinely saying, “Don’t vote for me. It would be the worst thing in the world if the one guy was the person to win it.” But also, look at the different pathways each of us took to reach this point. It’s nice to celebrate.
A couple of your fellow nominees who couldn’t be here today kindly submitted a question for me to ask the three of you, starting with Lisa. Her question: “Before I roll out my own red-carpet moment, what colours are you all wearing to the Logies? I’d hate to clash when we could be a perfectly colour-coordinated ensemble cast!”
Ally: I haven’t even had that conversation.
Sonia: I can tell you what I’m gonna stay away from…
Lynne: I have picked my colour, and I don’t mind saying it’s a shiny, yellowy mustard colour called citrine. I gravitate toward colour.
We also have a question from Poh, who wants to know: “What do you think are three characteristics that have given you longevity in the industry? ‘Luck’ is not acceptable as an answer.”
Lynne: I would say still breathing is a good one.
Ally: I feel like that’s in the same category as luck!
Lynne: Well, to be serious, it’s the writing and the production on Home And Away.
Ally: You’ve got to have a good sense of humour. It’s about working hard, and being authentic. Be yourself, because people can see through it.
Sonia: Ally totally nailed it.
Ally: That’s why I went before you.
Sonia: I’ll add a couple. Resilience is important. Collaborating with and loving the people you work well with. And not taking any of it too seriously.
Listen to a new episode of Something To Talk About featuring Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon below:
All of the women nominated for Gold – and also Hamish – are over 40. Is career longevity and visibility for women who are 40, 50, 60 and beyond improving?
Lynne: It seems to me the older I’ve got, the more visible I’ve become. But you know what? Twenty years ago, I was starting to feel invisible.
Ally: So then you’ve got the next generation coming up, and seeing you as a role model. From a news perspective, when Tracy Grimshaw celebrated 40 years on television, she talked about how, by 30, she thought, “Someone’s probably going to tap me… Then I got to 50 and thought, maybe I’m not going to get the tap.” Whereas we have always watched these esteemed, fabulous male colleagues go forever. Everybody in this category being over 40, you know, as we always say: you can only be what you can see. It’s not that weird. The audience wants to see it.
Sonia: Experience counts for something now. That’s what they are looking for.
Lynne: It’s a pat on the back for all of us who are over the age of 40.
Ally: There’s a lovely kindness and camaraderie in this group. It’s a lovely ride with some really extraordinary women. And Hamish [laughs].
It’s lovely, too, that it doesn’t buy into this notion that being good at what you do and at the top of your field has to come at the expense of another woman.
Sonia: When you look at clickbait and the “catfights” and the stories that pop up, the reality – and my experience in television, I don’t know about you guys – has always been collegiate, and much more friendly. I think people have this perception that everybody is at each other’s throats in TV. In actual fact, I’ve found the opposite.
Lynne: I’m willing to bet that [perception] is a man-made thing.
Sonia: It’s a manspiracy.
Ally: I don’t blame men for that. If you go back a while, because it was so hard for women to get ahead, it did used to be a thing – like, “This was really hard for me to get here, so I’m not gonna make it easy for you.” I do think that existed. Even when I came into the newsroom, there were pockets of that. But there were also some fabulous women who were like, “Come on up, let me tell you everything I know.” When you see that, it sticks with you. That knowledge, you pass it on and you build up the people around you.
Anybody have tips for making a poker face if someone else wins? The cameras zoom in on all of the nominees for that moment.
Ally: There’s already enough pressure, and you’re not helping!
Lynne: I think whoever doesn’t win, we should all agree to burst into tears.
Sonia: No – laughter.
Ally: If Hamish wins, we should all just…
Lynne: Stand up and walk out. We should make a pact.
I think if Hamish wins, he’ll take you all up on stage with him.
Sonia: I would agree.
Lynne: And we’d just turn around and go, ““Sorry. You’re on your own, buddy. Bye.” And leave.
Sonia, as queen of the shiny-floor shows (Kruger co-hosts The Voice and Dancing With The Stars), you’re famous for many a mic-drop moment. At a time when people can be readily cancelled, some are reluctant to even go on live TV anymore…
Sonia: I love live television, because it is a little bit dangerous. We enjoy when things go slightly off the rails, because perfection is kind of boring. It’s becoming more and more difficult, I suppose, to have fun the way [host] Sam [Pang] is on the night of the Logies. I’m glad it’s him doing it and not me.
Ally: But that’s you at your best. When you go close to the line, it’s a wonderful dance few people can do. And you can actually cross the line where lots of people can’t, and get away with it. There’s a cheekiness to you that just works.
Sonia: Well, this has changed, too. When I first started on Dancing 20 years ago, I’d said something and it caused an uproar. And Peter Meakin [the then Seven Network news and current affairs director] said, “Kruger, you’re a woman. You’re not allowed to have a sense of humour.” Don’t get me wrong. I love Peter Meakin. He was a great mentor. But what he was saying to me is, you have to be careful because you’re going to be judged differently as a woman about your sense of humour. So I ignored that, and continued on with everything.
Listen to a new episode of Something To Talk About featuring Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon below:
Ally, you host A Current Affair, and you also co-hosted the Today show for three years. Just last week, The Project – which is in a similar time slot to ACA – went off air, which has prompted commentary that it’s becoming impossible for broadcast television to capture audiences for news and current affairs.
Ally: I disagree with that. We’re quick to put down free-to-air. It’s changing, for sure, but news, current affairs and sport are absolutely critical. There was a bit of a drop-off when people moved to streaming, but our numbers have not only steadied, they’re growing. They watch when it works for them. With ACA, we’re across the board – we’re not a right- or left-leaning show. We’re not for rich or poor. We cover everything. We’re about to do a big domestic violence forum where we have police, politicians and judges in the room along with victims and survivors. Then the next night will probably be some sort of “chase a dodgy bloke down the street who owes a granny a couple of thousand dollars, or took her money and ran”. It’s the tapestry of our show. And we have a really locked-on audience that we don’t take for granted, who are still watching.
Lynne, you’re now on stage performing in a show called The Grandparents Club. Has it been difficult inhabiting a different character after saying goodbye to one that you played for more than three decades?
Lynne: Honestly, I have to say no. Irene’s departure story was hard work. I’m not one of those actors who takes things with me. I would be in the palace for the peculiar if I was. Look, it was a long time coming; I knew it was coming. I was so exhausted by the end of filming in March. I sounded like a drag queen. I had no voice. In fact, the next day, I was diagnosed with influenza A. And they said, “Now you need to isolate because you’re highly contagious.” I went, “Well, I’ve just hugged 500 people, including the road workers outside [the studio]. So that ship has sailed.” But the time was absolutely right. At no point since have I gone, oh, have I made the right decision? It’s just onwards and upwards. To be able to go, “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll do that” or to be able to audition for something and fail like every other actor auditioning, it’s joyful and it’s lovely. In saying that, I was so blessed with my 33 years on Home And Away. It was like winning the lotto.
Let’s throw forward to the night of the 65th TV Week Logie Awards on Sunday, August 3. Who do each of you think should win, and who do you think will win?
Ally: Lynne and Lynne.
Lynne: Oh, stop it.
Sonia: Seconded.
Lynne: Way to put the mozz on me, girls. Look, that’s very kind. I’m leaning towards Lisa or Poh. I think those ABC audiences are sneaky. They’re little sneaky squirrel audiences. They pretend they’re not voting, but they are. But I really think it’s an even field. And if Hamish wins, we should all just stand up, walk out and give him the finger.
Ally: You know what? If he wins, I reckon he’ll do the same thing.
Read the interview with Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon in today’s Stellar via The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA). And listen to them on the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About, wherever you get your podcasts.
For more from Stellar and the podcast, Something To Talk About, click here.
More Coverage
Originally published as Logies nominees Sonia Kruger, Lynne McGranger and Ally Langdon on potential Hamish win
Christie Brinkley’s confession: ‘I’m going to call Elle’
Supermodel Christie Brinkley has recalled a jaw-dropping conversation with her now ex-Billy Joel, in which he pledged to end his relationship with Elle Macpherson right in front of her.
TV journalist teases ‘absolute blockbuster’ on new show
With Network 10’s news show about to hit screens, co-anchor Denham Hitchcock discusses the impact his father had on his career, sailing the Pacific Ocean with his family and the story he’s had up his sleeve for months.