‘NEXT BIG THING’ ENSMALLENED BY THE CRIMSON CLOWN
“It is truly bizarre,” writes a Peter FitzSimons fan, “that people can get such a sense of achievement out of destroying an enormous, slow-moving beast.”
“It is truly bizarre,” writes a Peter FitzSimons fan, “that people can get such a sense of achievement out of destroying an enormous, slow-moving beast.”
Hey, everyone needs a hobby. Lately something else has vanished from Peter’s life, besides hair, a recent column, sugar and basic punctuation skills. And that something is enthusiasm for an Australian republic:
One might unkindly suggest the republican movement is not what it used to be pic.twitter.com/r8fOcj78QQ
— Michael Koziol (@michaelkoziol) August 14, 2018
Enthusiasm has been falling for years, a process accelerated by FitzSimons’s appointment as the Australian Republican Movement chairman. By at least one measure, Australians are now more interested in taxidermy than in republicanism.
They’d rather stuff animals than stuff the country.
Still, at least Pete’s inverse-predictive talents remain intact. Recently he hailed new Ten gameshow host Mark Humphries as the “next big thing”:
Told yers. This guy is the Next Big Thing. Has a new gig at Channel Ten, which I hope won't preclude him continuing to do this kind of brilliant satire. https://t.co/Rxx2oAt5Xu
— Peter FitzSimons (@Peter_Fitz) July 2, 2018
Great call, Fitzy. Result:
When Family Feud dipped below 300,000 city viewers, its days were numbered. Channel Ten simply can’t sustain audiences that small in the crucial 6pm weeknight slot.
The problem now is that Pointless – the quiz show that replaced it – has sunk even lower.
Last week, Pointless averaged 249,000 viewers across the five major capitals: a drop of more than 100,000 since its debut last month, and well below the 303,000 Family Feud averaged in its final week.
If this slide continues, it’ll soon be way down there with Peter’s bandana republic.