The Footy Show’s Beau Ryan unsure of future in wake of Fatty axing
THE Footy Show jester Beau Ryan is the million-dollar man without a show — and even he has no idea exactly what the future holds in the wake of Fatty Vautin’s axing.
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- Paul Vautin on The Footy Show sacking: Nothing lasts forever
- Vautin axed as Nine revamps The Footy Show format
BEAU Ryan’s the million-dollar man without a show — and even he has no idea exactly what the future holds.
The funnyman has been effectively sidelined by Channel Nine’s decision to sack long-time host Paul Vautin and revamp The Footy Show next year.
“I haven’t heard a thing,” 32-year-old Ryan told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. “I’m seeing Channel Nine with my manager Wayne Beavis next week. I have no idea if I’ll still be part of the show or not but Nine have asked me not to say anymore until we catch up for the meeting.”
Apparently it is going to be far less humour and much more football — so it seems the class clown is on the outer.
Ryan is the most expensive part of the picture after network sources revealed the $6 million annual cost of the show.
With a slot slated for 10pm on Thursday nights, that was too much to justify and was the major reason Nine chief Hugh Marks made the call to revamp with a cheaper format.
The post-Thursday night football programming position simply meant costs had to be slashed.
No advertiser will spend enough money at that time of night to recoup the production costs, which in a straitened industry is too much to justify.
Vautin yesterday broke his silence on his axing.
“In the end nothing lasts forever,” Vautin wrote to WSFM’s Brendan Jones. “I had a great run, especially for a short, chubby redhead who played for both Manly and Queensland. That’s not a career, that’s a miracle.”
Former Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks winger Ryan is on a $600,000 contract for the next two years, bringing his total earnings up to an impressive $1.2 million. The popular Ryan was the highest-paid star on The Footy Show, earning around $200,000 more than Vautin.
His salary was always a contentious issue among other panellists. Yet he remains contracted to Nine but has no idea what he will be doing.
“We’ve just been told there will be a new format. Hopefully we’ll get some more info in the next couple of weeks,” Ryan said.
The new-look show could even be produced live from the Thursday night game venues, using the commentary team, with a show hosted by Erin Molan.
The “Big Marn” Darryl Brohman is another casualty.
His Small Talk segment has been hugely popular with younger audiences but is not suited to be on TV in the later timeslot. Yesterday Ryan retweeted a post from Brohman. “To all those people who have sent their best wishes. Thank You.
“I have no complaints. I have had a good run.
“Big Thanks to everyone at TFS,” he wrote.