Deal for Eddie McGuire’s The Footy Show return three years in the making
DESPITE claims this week that Eddie McGuire’s resurrection to The Footy Show was hastily arranged, his return was in reality three years — rather than three hours — in the making.
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EDDIE McGuire’s stunning return to the helm of The Footy Show was three years rather than three hours in the making.
Despite claims this week McGuire’s resurrection was hastily arranged, it had been in various forms of discussion between networks and executives for years.
However, the logistics of swinging a deal to bring one of TV’s most influential figures back to the show he originally found success with were complex, especially when McGuire’s master contract was held by Foxtel and Fox Footy.
In early 2016 — after it became clear that Garry Lyon would be departing The Footy Show for health reasons after the breakdown of his friendship with Billy Brownless over Lyons’ romance with Brownless’s now ex-wife Nicky — Channel Nine tried to lure McGuire back to the show.
His Foxtel deal, however, prevented such a move going ahead.
But McGuire’s interest in the show never died and, according to sources, he never lost his desire to return to prime time on a commercial station.
SAM AND EDDIE’S LASTING FOOTY SHOW BROMANCE
Move forward 12 months and 2017 edition of The Footy Show was flagging under the leadership of new host Craig Hutchison who was quickly deemed not to have the charisma to host the show, nor the deft hand with which to control controversy magnet, Sam Newman.
Ratings were plunging and Channel 7 sniffed blood in the water, moving its cheap and cheerful Footy Show-lite offering The Front Bar to directly compete with the ageing Nine rival — and immediately emerged a winner.
Then advertisers started to get shaky.
And a run of Wednesday night scheduling because of Thursday night football fixtures added to the show’s ratings nightmare.
Insiders say Hutchison became increasingly frustrated that his attempts to freshen up the show were rebuffed.
It’s no secret Hutchison had been put into boot camp to get him TV fit but had struggled, losing only a fraction of his 20kg target.
In contrast, McGuire decided to embarked on a weight loss campaign last month which saw him shed an extraordinary 15kg in three weeks.
By now, Nine executives in Sydney were getting fed up with The Footy Show headache and overrode their Melbourne counterparts, who had been staunch defenders of Hutchison after having anointed him in the host’s role, saying it was time to take the McGuire option.
According to McGuire, discussions about his return to the show moved up a notch around a month ago.
Two weeks ago, Nine insiders were aware that a major change was to be made to the show and that the McGuire deal was in play.
On Thursday, McGuire flew to Sydney to discuss his situation with Foxtel chief Peter Tonagh.
“Peter Tonagh, Patrick Delany and Brian Walsh thought it was of mutual benefit for Fox Footy for promotion and Channel Nine had spoken to them, and we thought this (the hosting opportunity) might happen,” McGuire said.
Enter Newman.
McGuire and the “Fossil” are firm friends.
Newman, the long-time star of The Footy Show, had become increasingly distrustful of management at Nine and was irritated his brash stunts and penchant to offend had been curtailed by the PC police.
On Thursday, in a production meeting prior to the show, Newman proposed wearing lipstick, stockings and a dress to make fun of the recent AFL affair controversy.
Producers said no.
So a petulant Newman staged an astonishing protest on air, refusing to take part in jokes that had been written around him and flat batting attempts to draw him into conversations.
Co-host Maddern was heard by an insider hissing at Newman during an ad break: “Stop it Sam, I am not carrying you.”
Suddenly, with such unprecedented on-air disarray McGuire’s return became a matter of urgency.
McGuire was still in transit back to Melbourne after his meeting with Foxtel on Thursday when Newman’s meltdown went to air.
He arrived at his Toorak home and watched it on Catch Up TV.
Come Friday and his phone was ringing hot.
He took a call from head of Channel Nine Hugh Marks around 12.30pm officially telling him the job was his, with the announcement to be made at 4pm.
McGuire’s production company McGuire Media was also brought in to co-produce the show with Channel Nine.
Hutchison meanwhile was in Shepparton for a business lunch and had the news broken to him that he was being relieved of his hosting duties somewhere “between entree and lunch”.
Newman found out Friday after he stepped off a golf course that McGuire was back in the hot seat.
“Clearly I watch the show and clearly for the last three years the idea of coming back to do a show somewhere was in the back of my brain,” McGuire said today.
“I love the show — clearly, it was the show I started with Sam Newman and Trev (Marmalade) all those years ago.”
McGuire said he wanted to bring the current Footy Show team back together.
“I have a feeling and philosophy for the type of show I would like to be involved in with the people who are there,” he said.
“Sam is clearly still relevant, they can’t get enough of him one way or the other.
“Sam seems to have been a little bit sideways in recent times as well.
“I am hoping now Sam will again feel he has got somebody there who understands him.
“There are going to be things that he will do that aren’t politically correct, but that does not mean that they are not what people are saying, thinking and believing out there.
“The way to address these things, I believe, is to have the conversation.”
He said he saw his new role as “a new gig with a bit of heritage.”
“We are not going to go back to what the show was in the days when I hosted it because the world has turned considerably,” he said.
“It gives us a real opportunity to recalibrate the show and set it up with the flavour of what we used to do, but with the eye to 2017 and forward rather than 1994.
“One of the things I want to do is get the show, and even GTV, feeling the way it used to be when it was television city.
“We have to get back to it being a place where people are proud of it again and people want to be a part of it.
“Let’s get people loving the show again, because they feel a part of it.
“From my position, The Footy Show is all about being massive.”
MARMALADE: I’LL PROP UP THE BAR AGAIN
TREVOR Marmalade is open to a return to The Footy Show if management wants him back.
The comedian who was a feature of the show for 15 years told the Sunday Herald Sun in an exclusive interview that he was still working and available.
“I’d consider it,” he said when asked if he would return.
The possible comeback emerged as Eddie McGuire was revealed as returning to host the show. McGuire will also have creative control of the show, which will now be jointly made by Nine and McGuire’s production company.
McGuire took over the show on Friday after Sam Newman staged a silent protest on air during the week.
Marmalade and McGuire swapped text messages on Friday.
But McGuire and Nine are tight-lipped about who has been chosen to join Newman, McGuire and Rebecca Maddern on the panel come August 10, when it returns to air.
Marmalade said current Footy Show comedian Dave Hughes could prove a stumbling block to his return.
“It would be a management call. Hughes, he’s there and he’s under contract, he’s in and I’m not and that’s the reality.”
When asked what he thought of the show now, he said: “I haven’t seen it since I left. But people give me a fair bit of feedback on the streets.”
Hughes said he had loved Marmalade’s work was certainly open to working with him.
Hughes said he hadn’t had official clarification on what his role on the reboot would be beyond a text message from McGuire saying he was looking forward to working with him.
Hughes is only contracted to do 10 episodes per season, which means there’s a chance the pair can job-share.
“I’m very relaxed about whatever the powers that be come up with,” he said.
“I think Trevor is fantastic. I actually rang him for advice before I started on the show myself. He’s great.”
Marmalade was a fixture on the show, holding up the bar, but was sensationally dumped in 2008.
“It surprised a few of us,” he said. He has been doing stand-up since.
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