The Footy Show’s biggest stars gather for milestone TV special without James Brayshaw

The Footy Show’s biggest stars gathered last week to record segments for a milestone TV celebration of the iconic show – but James Brayshaw was a notable absence.

A Footy Show reunion of sorts has taken place with some of the biggest names – bar one major star – of the iconic show convening to record interviews and recollections marking two major milestones.

Billy Brownless, Damian Barrett, Rebecca Maddern, Garry Lyon, Sam Newman, Eddie McGuire and Craig Hutchison were some of the former Footy Show stars who filmed pieces to camera recalling great moments of the prime time Footy Show and The Footy Show Grand Final Spectacular in Port Melbourne last week.

Eddie McGuire and Sam Newman on the 2018 Grand Final Footy Show. Picture: Channel 9

The footage is expected to be part of possibly two specials, a 30th anniversary of The Footy Show Grand Final Spectacular slated for this year and a 30th anniversary of the prime time Footy Show aimed at next year.

But missing the recording dates last week was Channel 7’s James Brayshaw.

Although asked, Brayshaw said on Triple M he declined, thinking the focus was just on the Sunday Footy Show.

It is unclear if Seven was supportive of him being involved in a product that will end up on rival Channel 9 and if he may contribute to the project at a later date.

Brayshaw revealed his elevation to the host of the Sunday Footy Show had caught then host Tony Jones unawares and resulted in the pair not speaking for “about five years”.

Brayshaw hosted the Sunday Footy Show from 2009, taking over from Jones, until the end of 2011. He co-hosted the prime time Footy Show from 2006 to the end of 2016.

Sam Newman, Garry Lyon and James Brayshaw on the 2008 Footy Show Grand Final. Picture: Channel 9.

He explained on Triple M on Saturday how the uncomfortable situation arose between himself and Jones in late 2008.

“I went to do a negotiation and Jeff Browne, who is now head of Collingwood, was the boss of (Channel) 9 and there was no negotiating with Jeff, he just told you what you were getting and he told you what you were doing,” Brayshaw said.

“So I am thinking the first couple of years of (hosting) The Footy Show we had done pretty well, the ratings had been good, they had gone through the roof, I’m like ‘righto I’ll get a nice uplift here’.

“Brownie just handed me the bit of paper (contract) and he goes ‘you are not getting any more money and by the way you are also doing the Sunday Footy Show’.

“Thirty eps of that on the same (money).

Sam Newman, James Brayshaw and Garry Lyon at the 2010 Footy Show Grand Final.

“The problem was that Chompers (Jones) was the host and no one had told him, so suddenly Chompers thought I had backdoored him and Chompers did not speak to me for a good five years.”

Tony Jones on Monday confirmed he had been blindsided when he was replaced by Brayshaw as the host of the Sunday Footy Show in 2009.

“I got a phone call from Tim Cleary, I don’t even know what his position was at the time, and he said ‘we are going to make a change,’ and I thought they were going to get rid of Brian Taylor and he said ‘no, it is you, we are going to replace you with James Brayshaw because we think he will resonate with the audience far better’,” Jones told the Herald Sun.

Craig Hutchison, Eddie McGuire, Sam Newman, Rebecca Maddern, Billy Brownless and Tony Jones on the Footy Show in 2017.

“I said ‘Oh, Okay.’ So that was it. It was a bit of a bruise to the ego.

“I was more annoyed about the Herald Sun headline the next day which was Nine Bones Jones.”

He said while he and Brayshaw did not talk for years, he didn’t think he’d been “backdoored”.

“I was just p---ed off with the fact that he had replaced me.”

But they did patch things up with beers on a flight back from Canada.

“It was on a flight coming back from the Vancouver Winter Olympics and we found ourselves sitting next to each other which was a little awkward at first,” Jones said.

“We were having quite a few beers and we had a great time and we have been really chummy ever since.

“I remember looking out the window and saying ‘look we are bonding over Seattle’.

“Anyway, it was all sorted a long time ago and we have absolutely no issues whatsoever.”

While no details have been officially announced about the specials they are expected to be a best of format packed with highlights and fresh recollections from key cast.

No doubt there will be plenty of footage from the legendary ‘players revue’ that saw of-the-moment footy favourites perform dance routines and mime songs in the Footy Show Grand Final spectaculars.

Rebecca Maddern performs in the 2016 Footy Show Grand Final Player Revue. Picture: Channel 9

The first Footy Show Grand Final Spectacular aired on 9 in 1993 as an extension of the Sunday Footy Show.

When the prime-time, midweek Footy Show launched in 1994 the end of season spectacular became a fixed and celebrated part of that show.

Milestone or nostalgia driven ‘best of’ specials have rated well for commercial networks in recent years with the Young Talent Time reunion drawing a good audience for Channel 10 and the Hey Hey It’s Saturday and Kath & Kim specials pulling big numbers.