Marcia Hines returning to Australian Idol as Seven reveals 2023 programming slate

Music legend Marcia Hines will make her return to Australian Idol next year, as Seven reveals its programming slate for 2023.

Music legend Marcia Hines will make her return to Australian Idol next year when the rebooted franchise debuts on Seven – but this time, she’ll be a guest judge.

Hines was confirmed as having signed on for the show by Seven this week, ahead of their Upfronts on Tuesday night where the network unveiled its programming slate for 2023.

Hines will join the show’s already announced judging panel: Harry Connick Jr, Meghan Trainor, Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark.

Speaking to news.com.au earlier this year, Hines was diplomatic when asked if she’d consider a return to Idol.

Marcia Hines will return to Australian Idol.

“Never say never. I’m OK either way: If they don’t ask me, it’s all right, but if they do ask me, I’ll do my best to be there,” she said.

“It was one of the most integral parts of my career, the seven years I spent with Idol. I know how difficult it was for those kids, plucked out of obscurity, thrown onto national television and everybody had something to say about them.”

Elsewhere at Seven’s Upfronts, the network revealed several new shows to join their established favourites on next year’s line-up:

Blow Up

Hosted by actor Stephen Curry and comedian Becky Lucas alongside resident balloon expert Chris Adamo, Blow Up will see the nation’s greatest balloon artists and decorators go head-to-head across a variety of challenges to turn ordinary balloons into extraordinary works of art.

Million Dollar Island

Hosted by Ant Middleton, this “revolutionary social experiment” sees 100 ordinary

people try to stay on a remote island, vying for a chance to win $1 million.

The Claremont Murders

The disappearance of three young women in Perth in the late 1990s launched a 25-year

investigation by the police and one tenacious journalist, all determined to seek justice. This true crime miniseries is from the team behind Seven’s compelling drama Catching Milat.

The 1% Club

Already a hit in the UK, the Australian version of this game show will see people of all ages and backgrounds compete because, unlike most quizzes, they don’t need to brush up on general knowledge to do well. All they need is logic and common sense.

We Interrupt This Broadcast

A rare foray into sketch comedy, this show promises to “take the piss out of everything,” and will feature comedians including Christie Whelan Browne, Bridie Connell, Michelle Brasier, Adele Vuko, Duncan Fellows, Greg Larsen, Ben Russell and Bjorn Stewart.

Con Girl

Who isn’t gripped by a bizarre scammer story? In 2011, Russian gymnast Emily Sciberras tells her new best friend that her entire family has been killed in a murder-suicide, including her 15-year-old twin sister. In 2013, a distressed teenage girl with no name is found on the streets of Dublin after escaping a human trafficking ring. In 2014, Aurora Hepburn, 14, appears at a clinic in Canada after escaping a terrifying kidnapper. What do these women have in common? They are all fake identities, convincingly created by one Australian woman who has amassed more than 75 aliases and repeatedly deceived her victims and authorities around the globe. Her strange story will be examined in this limited documentary series.

Animals Aboard With Dr Harry

Hosted by Dr Harry Cooper, this warm-hearted, feel-good factual entertainment series

explores fascinating stories of animals in transit around the globe. Just like humans, they

travel for work, play, medical reasons, or family reunions, and each has an incredible tale to

tell.

And returning next year, many of Seven’s heavy hitters, including The Voice, Farmer Wants A Wife, SAS Australia, Kitchen Nightmares, and a special new season of Big Brother dubbed “House of Love,” which will fill the BB house full of singles looking for love.