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Who should replace Charlie Pickering?

He will be very hard to replace, but the exit of Charlie Pickering is a world of opportunity for TEN.

2014-03-13_0042The question of who should replace Charlie Pickering will now kick off casting debates amongst The Project fans and TEN executives.

Pickering announced his resignation last night, after nearly 5 years on the TEN show, following the recent exit of Dave Hughes.

Carrie Bickmore will become the longest-standing presenter on the Roving Enterprises show, which began with a team of 5 including Ruby Rose and James Mathison. It soon settled to the trio of Pickering, Hughes and Bickmore with a family of regular guest hosts and panelists.

Executive Producer Craig Campbell told TV Tonight, “The show will step up it’s regular contributors and the format will continue to deliver its daily take on the news in the unique Project way.”

Replacing the versatile Pickering will not be easy. He has learned to deftly balance news, comedy, snark and live presenting -despite no background in journalism.

Pickering only has two regular ‘deputys’ in Waleed Aly and Dr. Andrew Rochford (Hamish Macdonald has since departed TEN). The latter is Sydney based and becoming a permanent host will be difficult.

Executive Director of News and Current Affairs, Peter Meakin, will likely want to take the opportunity to bolster the show and apply his talents as knowing what works with audiences. Pickering’s exit is actually a window of opportunity to refresh the show as it battles extended News bulletins.

So what names should he put on the shortlist?

At the top of the list should be Shaun Micallef: a perfect mix of intellect, humour and presenting experience, who is popular with the TEN audience. Micallef even recently said he wanted a nightly Daily Show-style programme – but he also likes to drive his own content, understandably. Asking him to fit into someone else’s ‘baby’ could be too much like pushing a square peg in a round hole.

Wil Anderson would be ideal, but is Sydney based. The commitment required also severely restricts their own work.

One option would be to go an poach from elsewhere. The show may not be a ratings blockbuster, but there would be plenty of people working in news and journalism who would relish the opportunity to juggle the show’s topics: politics, the economy, entertainment, social causes, international news, etc.

Steve Cannane and Sabour Bradley would be worth considering too.

I would even give Eddie Perfect a guest stint in the chair. He is smart, funny, likeable, young and with a bit of edge. All the things Pickering has going for him.

Other names such as Matt Doran and Paul McDermott are also Sydney-based, making them a long shot to take the chair.

I guess Derryn is always free…

UPDATED: TEN advises Charlie will not be replaced.

37 Responses

  1. I for one will stop watching if Shaun Micallef comes any where near The Project. Not replacing Charlie and have rotating hosts is a bad idea. The only one suitable to replace Charlie would be Waleed Aly – he has the same wit, insight, critical mind – and does not seem to toe the ‘extreme’ right line that most others follow. But as others mentioned this is not going to happen. Anyone remotely critical of the current government will be silenced.

  2. Clearly ch10 now have a huge opportunity to scrap the project and upgrade The Bolt Report to prime time, 5 nights a week.

    They can adjust the set to assimilate the look of 1930s Germany or 1950s Soviet Union

    The Govt can introduce compulsory viewing or risk a fine and all ch10s troubles are solved…

  3. Apparently he’s not being replaced. Heard it on Studio 10 this morning. I’ll say though I’d watch the show religiously if they did replace him with Shaun Micallef.

  4. @a_twit That is quite an interesting assumption. He was reportedly going to leave around the same time as Dave Hughes and recently since leaving The Project Dave has expressed his left wing opinions on Twitter and Q&A.

    You could be spot on about what they plan to do next.

  5. I don’t think Micallef would be that interested – he’s much, much older than the other hosts and seems to be having too much fun doing ‘silly’ on the ABC to do something more serious like The Project. He would clash with the EPs every day as he would want to take the show in a different direction.

  6. Huge mistake by Ten to not replace him. Bickmore is a good host, but she’s certainly not strong enough to anchor the show herself, Hellier wouldn’t be able to do it and a rotating guest anchor every night would just be grating and give the show less credence. Finding someone to replace Pickering’s diversity and five day a week commitment is obviously no easy task, but leaving the seat vacant will cost them viewers.

  7. I have been wanting to see micallef with a tonight show again (and would help to feel the voids left by rove, the panel, hey hey, etc) so he could possibly make more appearances on the project in the lead up to him ever getting his own show.

  8. There goes the heart and soul of a great show. If he was pushed (his socio-political views don’t exactly correspond with those of the network owners, do they), then it just shows what idiots are running TEN. If he went of his own free will, then I hope TEN can find another vehicle for an exceptional talent.
    Replacement? – Micallef by a mile but Andrew Bolt or Steve Price would probably suit the owners much better.
    It just won’t be the same. Good luck Charlie!

  9. @ David Knox – the article by news.com.au on Charlies departure stated he wouldn’t be replaced. Maybe the show is looking at going to a three person desk, or a 2 regular and 2 guest host style. Either way, sucks to see another host go, especially in the poor ratings slump which puts doubt over the entire show (especially with a new News Exec).

  10. My feeling is that he was probably pushed out – and for good reason. A smug, overly ‘intellectual’ left-wing personality is never going to work for the broader public, and older demos. The timing of Charlie’s departure with Peter Meakin’s arrival supports this.

    That said, I really can’t imagine who would be the right choice to replace Charlie – I guess someone opinionated, but someone more relatable. I just hope the new panel includes more of a range of opinions, so there is real discussion and debate about the news, not just 4 young lefties all yelling at the one, (typically) older right winger.

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