TV in 2022 had its fair share of memorable moments but a few stood out
From Will Smith’s slap, ScoMo’s ukulele, Neighbours’ axing and resurrection, to the death of the Queen and Warnie, we look at the year’s biggest TV moments.
Fiona Byrne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Fiona Byrne. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TV had us talking from the get go in 2022 with the drama on and off court at the Australian Open. But it did not stop there. From the Queen’s passing, a Prime Minister with a ukulele, favourite hosts quitting shows, the slap that was heard around the world at the Oscars, the axing, then resurrection, of a beloved Australian soap opera, Robbie Williams putting on a show for the AFL TV audience at the Grand Final, Block drama, a “stunt farm” scandal, and Harry and Meghan going nuclear against the Royal Family, TV was constantly making headlines this year.
JANUARY
Rebecca Maddern and Mike Amor go viral after a not-for-broadcast clip of them discussing tennis player Novak Djokovic goes viral. The pair become cult heroes, Channel 7 blows a gasket and launches a hunt to find out who leaked the footage. The culprit is discovered to be an employee of captioning service Ai Media. The individual is sacked.
Millions tuned in to watch Ash Barty win the Australian Open Women’s Single Title. Barty’s victory over Danielle Collins had 2.58m metro viewers glued to Channel 9. The number rose to 2.84m for the presentation. Later in the year it was revealed someone had dobbed the moment Barty took a celebratory sip of beer during an interview with Nine following her historic victory into the alcohol marketing watchdog. The complaint was dismissed.
Nathan Buckley makes headlines as the big ticket star on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here. He is described as a “game changer” with his participation tipped to see other big names finally say “yes” to doing the show.
FEBRUARY
The future of Neighbours is under a cloud after it is axed in the UK by Channel 5. Cast is told the show will stop filming on June 10.
60 Minutes airs an exclusive interview with Cleo Smith’s mother Ellie Smith and her stepdad Jake Gliddon after Nine pays a whopping $2 million for the rights to Cleo’s story.
Channel 7 Sunrise reporter Matt Doran checks into a mental health clinic after the fallout from his disastrous interview with Adele in November 2021.
Leigh Sales announces she will finish up as host of the ABC’s 7.30 on July 1.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is ridiculed for his ukulele playing on 60 Minutes.
MARCH
Neighbours is officially axed after Fremantle fails to find an international production partner to team with Channel 10. The final episode will air on July 28.
Spin king Shane Warne dies suddenly in Thailand aged just 52. His state memorial at the MCG on March 30, hosted by Eddie McGuire and produced by McGuire’s JAM TV company, is broadcast on 7,9,10 and the ABC and is incredibly moving.
Luke Beveridge loses his marbles at Fox Footy reporter Tom Morris during a live press conference after the first AFL game of the year. Beveridge made a public apology. The story then took an unexpected twist. Just days later Morris is sacked after a recording of him making indiscreet comments about his Fox Footy colleague Megan Barnard is leaked.
The three commercial networks team up to host a national fundraiser for the NSW/QLD flood victims. A rare but welcome moment of goodwill between three high competitive businesses.
Will Smith takes leave of his senses and slaps Chris Rock across the face at the Academy Awards and then yells like a madman at Rock from the audience after he makes a lame joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. The incident happens live on air and is seen around the world. Smith then wins the best actor Oscar. Days later he resigns from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts.
APRIL
A team quits The Block just days after filming starts with Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull doing a runner from the show’s Gisborne South set. A replacement couple is on the ground and filming a day later.
Jacqui Felgate quits the Channel 7 Melbourne news team and her profile skyrockets.
MAY
The Sunday Herald Sun exclusively reveals Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan are returning to Neighbours for the show’s final episode playing their iconic characters Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson.
The Logie Awards confirm TV legend Bert Newton will be honoured with an award – The Bert Newton Award for most popular presenter – to carry his name which his wife, Patti, will present.
A nude Skype moment sends the ABC into a spin. The broadcaster offers counselling to staff after Chris Walker, the partner of Carrie Bickmore and the executive producer of The Weekly, strips naked in front of colleagues after wrongly believing he had logged off on a Skype call. Up to nine people were exposed to the confronting images during an online rehearsal meeting for the comedy program on May 17. Thinkative Television told the Herald Sun the incident was unintentional and that Walker was undressing to get into the shower, but wasn’t performing a lewd act.
Dannii Minogue quits The Masked Singer as a celebrity panellist, as does Urzila Carlson and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.
Channel 10 announces a shake up to The Bachelor in an attempt to resurrect the franchise. There are now three bachelors, not one, and filming relocates to Queensland.
JUNE
Eddie McGuire signs a new deal with Channel 9 and inks a two year deal to host Channel 10’s Melbourne Cup Week coverage.
Hey Hey It’s Saturday star John Blackman reveals his new cancer battle after he was diagnosed with bone cancer on the top of his head. Blackman endured a bone cancer battle four years ago that saw surgeons remove and rebuild his jaw in order to save his life.
Neighbours ceases production on June 10 with the filming of the show’s final episode.
The Logie Awards on June 19 are savaged by cast, fans and media after they give minuscule recognition to the legacy of Neighbours following its axing.
Meanwhile, Bruce McAvaney is inducted into the TV Week Hall of Fame at TV’s biggest night and Hamish Blake wins the Gold Logie. Lisa Wilkinson gives a speech when accepting the award for Most Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs Report which results in the ACT Supreme Court deciding to delay the trial of Bruce Lehrmann.
UK star David Walliams joins Australia’s Got Talent as a judge alongside Alesha Dixon, Kate Ritchie and Shane Jacobson. Later in the year his position on Britain’s Got Talent, which he has been a judge on for 10 years, is under a cloud and he is forced to apologise after a recording surfaced of him in 2020 describing an elderly contestant on the show as a c--- and making crude remarks about another female contestant.
Spice Girl Mel B, Chrissie Swan and Abbie Chatfield join The Masked Singer filling the void on the show’s celebrity panel.
JULY
Channel 9’s breakfast show Today turns 40.
Channel 7 takes Federal Court action against Cricket Australia, in a bid to terminate its $450 million TV rights deal, claiming repeated breaches of its six-year media rights contract. The issues are mainly centred on the Big Bash and the quality of the games.
Sarah Ferguson takes over as host of 7.30 on the ABC.
Channel 10 launches Hunted, a cat and mouse reality show that becomes an instant water cooler hit.
Stan Grant is appointed the permanent host of Q+A on the ABC.
Channel 7 relaunches This Is Your Life with Melissa Doyle as host. Ian Thorpe is her first guest.
Much-loved Gogglebox veteran, Di Kershaw OAM, passes away.
Bizarre scenes unfold on Bay Street, Port Melbourne as A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello is involved in a confrontation with former AFL player manager Ricky Nixon. Costello tried to doorstep Nixon for an interview and Nixon reacted angrily.
The final episode of Neighbours airs on July 28, marking the closing of a TV chapter …. for now. The total TV numbers (overnight, regional and BVOD numbers combined) show 1.382 people watched the show in Australia. In England the total TV numbers had 4.02 million viewers watching the finale.
AUGUST
Brihony Dawson, a singer and MC, is named host of Channel 10’s The Challenge Australia. The appointment makes Dawson the first non-binary host of a reality show on 10.
Sport continues to deliver for Channel 7 with the Commonwealth Games drawing big viewing numbers.
Radio star and Australia’s Got Talent judge Kate Ritchie is fined $600 and has her licence suspended for three months after being caught drink driving in Sydney.
SEPTEMBER
British superstar Robbie Williams nails the AFL Grand Final pre-game entertainment. He proves it is possible to make grand final entertainment good – or in his case great.
A fake farm scandal is exposed on Farmer Wants A Wife by the Sunday Herald Sun. In a case of what you see is not necessarily what you get, it turns out two of the farmers are using “stand-in” farms hundreds of kilometres and in different states from their actual properties. And in a third case, Farmer Paige, does not even have a farm in real life as she works as a station hand.
Tracy Grimshaw announces she will leave ACA at the end of November after 17 years as host.
The Block shells out a hefty $14.3m to buy five houses in Hampton East for the 2023 season of the show.
Queen Elizabeth II dies aged 96 and blanket coverage on all networks ensues. Hundreds of TV production staff, crew, reporters and presenters charge to London to cover the funeral.
Channel 7 snares the Logie Awards from Channel 9.
Shaun Micallef, sadly, calls time on his brilliant comedy series Mad As Hell.
Channel 7 gets the thumbs down from media commentators and social media twits after revealing the judges for the reboot of Australian Idol are Harry Connick Jr., Meghan Trainor, Amy Shark and Kyle Sandilands.
OCTOBER
The Project shake-up begins with Carrie Bickmore announcing she is leaving the show and Channel 10.
Footy identity Wayne Carey and Channel 7 part ways at the end of the AFL season. It was a drama filled year for Carey. Whoever told him it was a good idea to go on SAS: Australia gave him bad advice. The show put him in the headlines as details of his 2007 incident in Miami where he cut his then girlfriend, Kate Neilson’s, face with a wine glass and got into a fight with police resurfaced.
Channel 7 confirmed it has two Kath & Kim specials up its sleeve to mark the show’s 20 year anniversary.
Channel 10 announces it is “resting” not axing popular lifestyle show, The Living Room, after 11 years.
Melbourne couple Heath Curry and Toni Hilland win the Channel 10 reality show The Amazing Race Australia. It is an extraordinary achievement given Hilland has terminal breast cancer. Sadly the Sunday Herald Sun reveals in November that Hilland has been dealt a crushing blow, with the discovery of tumours in her brain. She is now making every moment count with her shortened life expectancy.
Former Channel 9 Adelaide sports presenter Warren Tredrea launches legal action against Nine for breach of contract after he was let go by the station in January 2022 for refusing to get vaccinated.
Underbelly actor Vince Colosimo, seen most recently in Celebrity Apprentice and Wog Boys Forever, appears in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and is fined $2500 following a drug driving incident. Colosimo was charged with unlicensed and drug driving in April 2021.
Magistrate Olivia Trumble convicted and fined Colosimo $2500 and cancelled his driver’s licence for a further 16 months.
Veteran Sunrise host David Koch signs a new two year deal with the Channel 7 show that will keep him as the face of Seven breakfast until the end of 2024.
NOVEMBER
Just when you thought reality TV had done it all, a ‘sex button’ is introduced on Love Island Australia. The world first ‘button of love’ or ‘horny heart’ alerts producers when contestants are going from friendly to frisky under the sheets. It is to ensure each individual is consenting to whatever is going on under the doona in the show’s shared dorm.
Neighbours rises from the dead, in a twist that is good enough for a soap opera. The show will be revived in 2023 after a new deal is struck between Fremantle, Amazon Freevee and Channel 10.
Controversy and drama surround the grand final of The Block. The show auctions its five homes in Gisborne South. A bidding war between regular Block buyer Danny Wallis and flashy new bidder Adrian Portelli sees the price of Omar and Oz’s home skyrocket to $5.6 million, giving them winnings of $1.68 million. Wallis is the winning bidder. He also buys two other houses in the low $4 million range. Portelli later buys Sharon and Ankur’s house.
Tracy Grimshaw farewells A Current Affair. Ally Langdon moves from Today into the ACA hosting role while Sarah Abo leaves 60 Minutes to join Karl Stefanovic as co-host of Today.
The Project loses more regulars. Lisa Wilkinson quits the show, followed the next night by Peter Helliar. Carrie Bickmore officially departs the show on November 30. Sarah Harris is announced as the “new Carrie”, leaving Studio 10 to move to The Project.
Former Footy Show favourite Shane Crawford makes an unexpected career move, being cast in the stage musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Pharaoh.
Ex-MasterChef judge George Calombaris makes an ‘off Broadway’ return to TV, hosting the brand funded show Hungry. The show airs on Channel 10 on Saturday nights and is co-hosted by Sarah Todd.
Nine signs a new deal worth $425m to stay as the broadcast partner of the Australian Open for the 2025 to 2029 seasons.
The Channel 9 telemovie Warnie films in Melbourne with Alex Williams (Underground: The Julian Assange Story, Never Tear Us Apart: The INXS Story) playing Shane Warne. Warne’s children are initially furious that their father’s life is being turned into a TV drama but offer their support for the production when filming starts.
The ABC’s health expert Dr Norman Swan apologises on air after linking the death of Senator Kimberley Kitching and Shane Warne to Covid-19. Senator Kitching died in March from a suspected heart attack. Warne also passed suddenly in March.
After 11 years of playing second best, Channel 7 finally beats Channel 9 and wins the 2022 ratings year in the Melbourne nightly news wars.
Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright appears in Darwin Local Court facing seven charges in relation to an alleged conspiracy surrounding the fatal chopper crash which claimed the life of his friend, Chris “Willow” Wilson in February. Wright was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, destroying evidence, fabricating evidence relating to the fatal chopper crash, unlawfully entering a building, unlawfully entering a dwelling, making a false declaration, and making threats or reprisals to interfere with witnesses involved in a criminal investigation.
DECEMBER
MasterChef judge Melissa Leong is claimed to have fallen out with certain members of Ten production.
MasterChef star Andy Allen and his actor buddy, Travis Fimmel’s new booze brand, Travla, is busted by the alcohol marketing watchdog for including a dangerous cliff diving scene in its first online ad. The ad was modified after it was found to have breached part 3 of the alcohol advertising code.
Sky News gives Chris Smith the book after grubby behaviour at the station’s Christmas party.
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, unleash their six-part Netflix documentary detailing how awful it was being working members of the British royal family.
Aussie TV king Ray Martin reveals shock Gold Logie theft at Nine
Ray Martin has won a staggering five Gold Logies throughout his career. Unfortunately, he only has four of the awards to show for it — and he has his theories as to who nabbed it.
Secret Italian elopement for daughter of ex-Saints boss
The daughter of ex-St Kilda footy club boss Rod Butterss has tied the knot in a glamorous secret Italian elopement at a historic Venetian neo-Gothic style 19th century villa.