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And no Panel xmas wrap either…

Yesterday Channel TEN told TV Tonight that The Panel Xmas Wrap wouldn't air this year, but possibly in 2009. Does it still hold out hope?

It just won’t be the same Christmas this year.

The Working Dog team won’t be wrapping our Christmas night this year. The news follows an announcement yesterday that Thank God You’re Here is shifting to Channel Seven next year.

Until yesterday there was still some possibility that The Panel xmas wrap might be possible for 2009. A TEN spokesperson told TV Tonight yesterday that the Working Dog team were having a break from their workload (on the ABC’s Hollowmen) and were looking at reinventing it for 2009.

“The Working Dog guys came back and said they’d had a really busy second half of the year,” said the spokesperson. “They felt they didn’t have the time to do it really well and do it justice. So they’re giving it a rest for this year. Not to say that they won’t come back next year.”

That was before Seven came through with their announcement later in the day.

Whether everybody still feels like revisiting the idea remains to be seen.

What is clear is that there is definitely no xmas wrap by The Panel for 2008…

17 Responses

  1. @Jason
    I wonder how many people bitching and wining about the panel xmas wrap not on this year, but then turning up on channel 7(xmas 2009), will be watching it then?
    Hmmm, kinda smells of possible Hipocroscy.

  2. “They felt they didn’t have the time to do it really well and do it justice…”

    What? Every year it looks as though it had been planned out 10 minutes before going live to air, and that’s part of the fun… Since Glen Robbins is already stabled at seven, why not have the Panel Christmas wrap over at sevens house this year??

  3. Sources tell me that Working Dog actually announced to TEN that they would not be doing Panel Christmas Wrap about a week ago. TEN have always been at WD’s mercy…TEN didn’t axe the Panel, they dictated their own terms.

    Makes sense now knowing that WD were trying to get into bed with Seven whilst screwing charities out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

  4. What a rip off. I look forward to the Panel every Christmas. They obviously made their decision (the channel 7 switch) a long time ago, and didn’t bother with 10 anymore. The fact that there is not much planing is what make those shows what they are. It’s a shame their greed has got in the way.

  5. I know there’s no chance of this ever happening .. but I’d love to see Christmas Eve move away from the damned carols and more to ‘christmas specials’.

    Already Existing:
    * Very Speck’y Christmas
    * The Panel Christmas Wrap

    Why not have all sort of other specials too. Make it the biggest night of the year:
    * Idol Special/Reunion etc
    * Biggest Loser
    * Top Model

    Even go to some of the other programs like Sunrise

  6. Not happy Jan!

    Working Dog started The Panel Christmas Wrap to help out charities and to bring some laughter to what can be the loneliest time of the year for some people.

    I’m lucky enough to be with family but I can’t help but think that for the people who aren’t this might have been something nice on their Christmas.

    The fact that Working Dog have axed The Panel Christmas Wrap as well as jumped ship to Seven shows how selfish they are and that they only care for themselves.

    The move to Seven was a surprise, but to end this great tradition has been a shock. My opinion of Working Dog has definitely diminished.

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