Waleed Aly appointment to The Project on Channel Ten a ratings winner

AFTER more than 18 months of turmoil, Channel Ten’s offbeat current affairs show The Project has found its groove, thanks to a lawyer and academic.

THE Project has finally found its groove. After more than 18 months of turmoil, Ten’s offbeat current affairs show is in a settled place.

Dave Hughes pulled the pin as co-host of The Project at the end of 2013. Charlie Pickering followed a mere four months later. All of a sudden, Carrie Bickmore was the sole original host still left on the show.

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Peter Helliar replaced Hughes in January 2014 with Rove McManus a six month stopgap for Pickering while executive producer Craig Campbell looked for a permanent replacement.

For most of last year, The Project felt out of sorts. The mishmash of rotating guest hosts never quite jelled.

All of that changed in January when Waleed Aly was picked to join Bickmore and Helliar. The 37-year-old lawyer and academic is just what the show needed.

“I think Waleed has brought an intelligence to the show that is refreshing for us,” Campbell said. “This show is very much a byproduct of the people you have presenting it. We’ve got the luxury now of having a permanent line-up and a constancy to the voices there.”

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Capturing an audience with his speeches ... Waleed Aly has bo9lstered the viewers switching on The Project. Picture: Andrew Tauber

Aly had been a regular Friday night presenter on The Project. He quit his job as drive presenter on Radio National to take up the TV role.

“I love the range of The Project,” Aly said. “One minute you’re grilling a Minister and the next you’re riffing about pop culture and then something about sport.

“Carrie and Pete are very easy to get along with. There is chemistry. Everyone has a real range of interests and strengths. I feel there is an instinctive understanding between us.

“The things you don’t see as a viewer are Pete’s comic judgment or his notion of what is or isn’t worth talking about.

“Carrie’s TV judgment is really exceptional. Some of her greatest contributions (are behind the scenes) such as how to flip the rundown to make sure it flows better.”

Aly’s on-air editorials about topics including the Border Force Act, the deaths of drug traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, and the lack of Federal funding for the prevention of domestic violence have ignited comment.

Refreshing voice on major events ... Waleed Aly with his wife Susan Carland.

The controversy hasn’t hurt the show. Ratings are up around 10 per cent compared to last year.

“It wasn’t like I had to stare people down to give me a platform,” Aly said. “The producers had been thinking about it before I joined (as permanent co-host).

“It (editorials) gives The Project a little bit of extra bite. It is meant to be good TV that people will find hard to switch off. It has been quite flattering the way it has been received (by viewers).”

Bickmore, fresh from winning a Gold Logie, is relishing the stability of The Project now that Aly is on board.

“I think the three of us work so well together and we really enjoy each other’s company,” Bickmore said. “It is the dream team.”

Paris atrocities ... Waleed Aly speaks out against the Islamic State who admitted responsibility for the attacks. Picture: The Project

THE PROJECT, CHANNEL 10, MONDAY TO FRIDAY, 6.30pm

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