TEN’s New Year’s Antics?

On New Year’s Eve TEN screened a boisterous night of viewing. It kicked off at 9.30 with a NYE edition of The Big Night in with John Foreman. Now John is one of TV’s Mr Nice Guys, and he’s had two seasons of his music appreciation show -something that’s widely lacking on screen. He invited Matthew Newton, Bert’s son, back after an earlier frisky appearance. The two are obviously good chums, and perhaps Newton was either doing his best to prove he isn’t his dad… maybe he’d already had an early champers. What ensued was probably a bit too familiar, groping, biting ears, lots of cheeky stuff. But hey it was after 9.30 and it was NYE.

It didn’t help that more of the NYE telecast showed Ryan “Fryzie” Fitzgerald in bad drag at a pashing contest. What is it about ex-footballers that compels them to frock up?

Lots of conservative callers phoned talkback radio in Melbourne and Sydney to protest. Somebody should have told them the classification rules post 9:30pm. Sure it might not have been the most elegant viewing, but it fell within rulings. Still Tim Clucas from TEN was happy to apologise. It’s the start of the year, and TEN wants to widen its demographic, put on the spot he sorta had to.

Still it was surprising to see Today Tonight refer to Newton’s antics as possibly one of “the smuttiest moments of TV.” What? What about The Footy Show, The Brownlow Medal, Big Brother, Sex and Doug Mulray’s Naughtiest Home Videos?

Newton, who’s been appearing on the unfortunately titled Stupid, Stupid Man probably could learn the difference between implied and expressed from his Dad.

But a lot of viewers could learn the difference between offensive and just silly too.