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Gallery: The Project turns 10

Stars, execs & media celebrated a decade on air for 10 news panel.

Network 10 stars were out in force last night for The Project‘s 10th Anniversary edition.

It was a party atmosphere as execs, past and present talent, production & media mingled (noisily!) in one half of the South Melbourne studio, as the Project team reminisced before a Live audience.

Network CEO Paul Anderson, Chief Content Officer Beverley McGarvey, Executive Producer Craig Campbell and Roving Enterprises’ Rove McManus were joined by stars from Neighbours, Studio 10, The Living Room, 10 News First, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and more.

Beverley McGarvey recalled the original pitch for the show by Craig Campbell.

“Britney Spears had shaved her head. All the other news outlets were saying ‘Ha ha she’s mad,’ and being really mean,” she said.

“But what Craig said was ‘If The Project was on air now, what we would say is ‘Britney Spears is 24 years old, she’s got 2 young kids, there’s clearly something wrong. There’s another story to be told there.’

“That, for us, is what made us go ‘You are the guys to make this show.’ You had a point of view and a vision, different to everything else that was on air.”

She continued, “The reason The Project is so successful is when we watch we see the best of society reflected back at us. We see something confronting, provocative, thoughtful and considered. It’s a place where conversations can begin.”

McGarvey added, “A lot of other shows bring out the worst in us, but I think it’s amazing to have  show everyday that shows the best of what people can be.”

 

 

 

23 Responses

  1. I religiously watched the project for the first five years, until Dave then Charlie left. I then watched it a few times a week until Lisa Wilkinson Arrived. Lisa is a turn off factor for me and I won’t watch it the nights she is present. I also noticed the show seemed more and more biased and that was a further turn off. As a result I still tune in occasionally to watch, just not every night like the early years. I think they are mostly a talented and entertaining bunch and I hope it goes for another ten years. The balance of comedy, friendship, news and seriousness is a good one to have on Australian TV in this time slot and it shows we still don’t take ourselves too seriously

  2. I really enjoy the Project but I’m never home in time to watch when it goes live, but as long as Channel 10 don’t schedule the repeat too late, I’ll watch it later in the night. I really wish 10 would give it a consistent repeat time around 1030 or 11pm though. I think more people would make an ‘appointment” with it if they did. I find it great bed time viewing but the lights do have to go out at midnight haha.

  3. Any mention of Charlie Pickering.? Haven’t watched since he left, if Waleed believes he is a serious hard hitting journalist can he go on a show that at the least is not very light hearted.

    And Peter Helliar..well..really

    1. “on a show that at the least is not very light hearted”….perhaps you meant to write ” is light hearted”. Either way the premise of The Project is that it is a mix of serious and light hearted, which imo it does very well.

  4. Successful……..the program rates 4th in its time slot. The only reason it’s on air….they don’t have anything to replace with. Management needs to go!!!!

    1. Success isn’t always measured by ratings. It amazes me how people criticise shows they don’t even watch. Obviously many people do love The Project, and this is reflected in its longevity and impressive haul of awards.

    2. If it was on Seven or Nine it would’ve been axed years ago. I was excited when it was announced thinking it could fill the void left by “The Panel”. Such a format would’ve had potential had they not decided to be so earnest about pushing the agendas of people on the show instead of discussing issues in an entertaining way and letting the viewer decide. It will never have broad appeal until the navel gazing and bias is dispensed with. I’m aware of so many who won’t watch it because they feel the show talks down to them.

      1. Yes it would have been axed by them in the first few weeks, heck Nine couldn’t even imitate it with the dreadful Verdict. I accept that it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean it lacks broad appeal. 10 has a reputation for sticking with shows that build an audience (HYBPA?) and The Project solved a big 7pm problem for them, raised some serious topics and found itself some network stars.

        1. well said David. imho the amount of ad breaks is its biggest downfall, they have increased alot over the last few yrs. That & too many news updates are a turn off for me so probably a fair few others turn off because of it. I think it was much more suited as a 1/2 hr show where they packed more in to the time.

      2. Its not doing that bad really. Take out the news and reality shows, not much gets over 500k these days. The News has 6 or 7 editions in different states so very expensive along with big shiny floor shows and reality. The Project would be more economical, having just 4 hosts and replaying a lots of news that they already had in the can, occasionally doing their own stories. It gives the network a point of difference and cred.

  5. Congratulations to The Project, such a wonderful and entertaining Current Affairs shows in a rather hard environment… I’ve always loved the show, tuning in whenever I can and it never fails to excite me and has always been a fave. It will live on as an excellent idea, being the home of ‘news’ and a place of solace for many during the last 10 years. Here’s to many more decades to come!

  6. I used to watch The Project religiously every day, and if I missed the early show, I would watch the late show or have it Tivo’d. But then I started noticing a glaring piece of production. Whenever they would interview someone when the panel asked a question the camera stayed on them, but when the person answered they would always switch to vision of the story playing over them as if they weren’t interesting enough to have the screen time.

    1. It might be editing. A few stories are pre recorded and made seem live. So sometimes the live version opens with an original question then it goes into edit mode.

  7. I really enjoyed the show. Lots of laughs and great entertainment. Loved seeing James Mathison again on my TV screen too. I had forgotten about the days of Pricey and Charlie having their bust ups.

  8. 10 years is a long time in television & the longevity is commendable. I like how The Project is an entertaining & humourous panel show, & I’ve watched a lot of The Project over the years. They have done good things over the years, such as charity fundraising & giving a platform for people that were needy, among other things.

    For me, I can no longer stand watching it as some editorials & opinion pieces are more about pushing bias, loyalties & agendas, instead of quality, accuracy & balance. It’s an issue that I think affects other broadcasts as well, such as The Drum & Sky News. Sometimes, it’s just blind bias, but it’s irritating when you know enough of the story to see through intentional misleads, deception & favouritism.

  9. One would have thought The Project would gain momentum over 10 years and rate better than they do. It’s more entertaining than boring new services yet they (news) rate much higher constantly.

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