Annette Sharp: Time to rethink Ant Middleton’s role in SAS Australia

Ant Middleton is paid big bucks to humiliate and shout in the faces of exhausted celebs on SAS Australia but the Seven Network should reconsider his worth, Annette Sharp writes.

In a week in which the Seven Network devoted space in its prime time news bulletin to celebrating being named Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the little known Workplace Gender Equality Agency this writer marvels that the network continues to employ SAS Australia host Ant Middleton.

Middleton, as SAS’s declining audience is aware, is paid a large whack to humiliate and shout in the faces of exhausted Australian celebrities.

The foul-mouthed former British army sniper, who, it’s alleged, repeatedly shouted the
C-bomb at 2021 contestant Alicia Molik (though it was edited out) has had questions asked of behaviour.

Dropped by UK broadcaster Channel 4 in 2021 from his role as host of a program called Mutiny for “personal conduct” – reportedly over tweets suggesting the general public flout safety measures concerning Covid and his attitude to Black Lives Matter protesters who he described as “scum” (which he later apologised for) — controversy appears to follow Middleton.

SAS Australia's Ant Middleton. Picture: Supplied

It also coincided with reports Middleton had allegedly made “lewd and suggestive comments” to women who worked on the set of Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins program. Middleton dismissed the matter, saying it was “smoke and mirrors” and “military banter”.

Then in May last year he was forced to deny he had been “sleazy” to women after UK tabloid The Sun reported he’d been overheard telling a contestant he wanted to have sex with her during filming.

With Middleton telling press he plans to relocate to Australia – presumably because Seven is offering future work – Seven may want to consider the implications of its new award for production crew and cast aligned with the program and viewers at home trying to teach and preach respect of women.

This writer gets that there is a place for a program like SAS, which has the capacity to show women like Candice Warner and Jana Pittman in such a strong positive light, I just fail to see the value of the screaming, abusive Middleton.

Last week’s instalment of SAS delivered the week’s most promotable moment – four-time Olympic diver Melissa Wu collapsing unconscious following a tear gas challenge.

Too disturbing to be considered light entertainment, could it be time to rethink the program’s objectives and casting of Middleton?

Past time, I’d say.