Seven’s Spotlight undergoes major shake-up after scandal

Seven has been undergoing changes behind the scenes as it responds to the Bruce Lehrmann scandal.

Seven has been working hard behind the scenes to rebuild its beleaguered current affairs show Spotlight.

It was first reported last month that Mark Llewellyn, the former executive producer of Spotlight, was leaving Seven following weeks of claims about how the current affairs show allegedly reimbursed Bruce Lehrmann for money spent on cocaine and sex workers, allegations both Seven and Mr Llewllyn denied.

A former staffer at A Current Affair has reportedly bagged the coveted role at Seven, according to Daily Telegraph. Picture from Nine.

Just weeks after his exit from the network, it’s been revealed that Seven has reportedly poached one of rival network Nine’s rising star executives to help Spotlight.

Gemma Williams, 25, who is the daughter of former A Current Affair executive producer Grant Williams, will be taking over the role, reports the Daily Telegraph.

It marks one of the first major moves by Seven’s new director of news and current affairs and editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie.

Ms Williams had been at Nine for eight years, most recently as Sydney bureaucChief for A Current Affair.

Mr Llewellyn was among the Spotlight staff dragged into the spotlight during the defamation trial, with bizarre videos being played to the court during proceedings.

Mr Llewellyn exited the current affairs show last month. Picture: Instagram:

Following his exit from the network, Mr Llewellyn said in a statement that he was “proud” of his achievements.

“I am proud of Spotlight and proud of the dedicated team who make it,” he said. “I repeat that any suggestion that I was aware of, condoned or arranged payments for illegal or unsavoury activities is wrong.”

Former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach gave evidence last month at the trial against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson about some of the tactics allegedly used by the program to secure an exclusive interview with Lehrmann.

The network also denied the allegations made in the federal court, saying: “Seven did not reimburse Bruce Lehrmann for expenditure that has allegedly been used to pay for illegal drugs or prostitutes and has never done so.”

Outgoing commercial director, Bruce McWilliam, appeared to blame Mr Llewellyn for the network’s failure to produce documents on subpoena to the federal court in the defamation case.

“Given Mr Llewellyn’s status as a senior producer, I had no reason to doubt his indication that no written or electronic communications with Mr Lehrmann existed, and consistent with that indication extensive searches of Seven’s email system were not performed at that time,” Mr McWilliam said in an affidavit.

Seven and Mr Llewellyn denied all claims made against the network by Mr Auerbach.

Originally published as Seven’s Spotlight undergoes major shake-up after scandal