Seven brass thank Basil

Basil Zempilas finishes his regular hosting on Weekend Sunrise tomorrow with bosses thanking him for his time.

“Co-hosting Weekend Sunrise has been one of my career highlights. I’ve loved every minute of the last two years alongside Mon, Simon and Sal and I’ll miss them and our audience very much,” he said.

“But while I’ve been in Sydney, my family have been back home in Perth and now is the right time for us to spend our weekends together again.

“I won’t be lost to the Sunrise family. I plan to be back as a regular visitor. But for my now family, my commitments in Perth and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with Seven are my focus.”

Michael Pell Executive Producer of Sunrise said, “I’d like to thank Basil for two terrific years on Weekend Sunrise. His commitment and his energy will be missed by the entire team. We look forward to welcoming him back in an ongoing capacity. So thankfully for us and the audience this isn’t goodbye, it’s see you later.”

Seven’s Network Director of News & Public Affairs Craig McPherson added, “Basil is one of the hardest workers in the business but with a young family on the other side of the country it became too taxing. In the two years with Weekend Sunrise, he certainly excelled in the role. Basil’s broad presenting skills made him such a likeable watch on the weekends with Monique, Simon and Sally. He will be missed.”

Matt Doran replaces Zempilas.