Another year at the fair for Peter Ford

EXCLUSIVE

“I still remember being taken by my mum and dad into a TV studio to Zig & Zag and The Tarax Show with Happy Hammond. I remember the excitement of being in a TV studio, and even as a kid of maybe six or seven, I knew that somehow I had to be involved in that world,” says Peter Ford.

“I didn’t know how I was going to make that happen, but I knew that somehow or other, that was the only place that I wanted to be turning up for work every day.”

It was a desire that came to be realised, tenfold. Next year Ford clocks up his 10th year on The Morning Show as daily entertainment commentator after an invitation by Director of Morning TV Sarah Stinson. He’s had much longer as part of Sunrise, for which he still files, along with a string of radio commitments around the country.

2025 will also mark his 39th year on air and around 45 in showbiz.

“The first time I ever actually appeared on TV doing one of those segments, which I think would equate to the 39th year is was actually on the Midday show. Bert was guest hosting – I guess for Ray Martin, I’m not 100% sure- and he asked me to come on as a guest.”

Ford had already been behind the scenes producing both television -originally for Good Morning Australia with Kerry-Anne Kennerley and Gordon Elliot- and radio, which is convinced put him in good stead for his current commentary role.

“I’m always thinking ‘Is that good for the show?”

“Even today, I think more like a producer, rather than on-air talent, I’m always thinking ‘Is that good for the show? Is that crap for the show?’ I guess that’s why probably too often I offer my opinions to the producers of the shows I’m working on,” he suggests.

“With The Morning Show I do the major crosses in the morning at about 9:25 which is a long one, but then I do another one at about 11:20, which obviously next year will become closer to 12 noon (due to the show extending). But the primary purpose of that cross is to time out the show, so that if a guest has dropped out, or if a segment has proved to be a dud, they can point to me and say, ‘Right, we need 50 seconds’, or ‘We need six minutes’, and I can give them whatever they want. So that’s handy for any producer trying to get a show to air and time it out successfully.”

Framing entertainment stories for a broad audience is one of Ford’s skills, as well as being able to ad lib on a given topic,  essential in Live television.

“On the occasions through the years where I’ve had to use autocue, I’m like something out of the Thunderbirds. I just can’t do it successfully or convincingly. People know I’m there reading something off a monitor. But when it comes to just talking naturally, being entertaining and delivering a story, that I can do pretty well. ….but that’s about the only gift that God has ever given me!” he laughs.

“I’ve lived through a lot of that stuff, been part of it, or worked first hand in it”

“I try to remember that I’m not doing reports for people in the industry. I’m doing it for the punters at home. I’m lucky that I have got a great recall of history and being of somewhat mature years now myself, I’ve lived through a lot of that stuff, been part of it, or worked first hand in it or near it.

“I’m also pretty realistic about the industry, and I’m not fawning over celebrities. I’m not trying to make celebrity friends. I’m not trying to get first night invitations, not trying to go on junkets to overseas to talk to celebrities. I’m just calling it as it is.”

While Ford has arguably one of the best contact books in the biz, breaking stories has shifted in recent years. Whilst he loves his showbiz history, he’s also had to move with the times, if somewhat begrudgingly.

“I’m the first to admit it’s much, much harder to break news these days, because everything is online instantly.  I think in the last 15 years or so, my role has become much more one of commentary and analysis, and thankfully, I’ve got that sense of history and lived experience to call upon,” he explains.

“I have to accept that times have changed, that celebrities have changed”

“To be honest I’ve got to always fight to stay current. You can’t live in the past. The things that I grew up with and found entertaining and was enchanted by, are a long time ago now. I have to accept that times have changed, that celebrities have changed. That’s not to say you can’t look at the past and still love it and respect it. I won’t lie, I find it very hard to get excited talking about TikTok stars or influencers, but they are part of the cycle now, and I have to give those people due recognition within the confines of what I do.”

In recent years there have been evolving stories of celebrities falling from grace, workplace culture revelations -including at Seven, Nine, ABC- and legally sensitive cases. Entertainment reporting in 2024 is no longer just which star is dating whom, or who made the most at the Box Office on the weekend. Ford concedes to being in the crosshairs of social media at times.

“People have come after me, particularly on Twitter. I’ve had some pretty rough things written about me. I haven’t liked it but I haven’t sued anybody. I tend to work on the concept if you dish it out, you’ve got to take it, when it comes back your way.”

“People may think I’m a bit obsessed with them”

Unexpectedly, he also maintains Harry & Meghan are not favourite talking points.

“People may think I’m a bit obsessed with them. I’m not. I feel very sorry for him, actually. I think he may live to regret the path that he’s taken, but I’ve been, I guess, vocal about the way they’ve conducted themselves. But they’re celebrities of the day. If they cease to sell, if they cease to be of interest to the audience, I’m going to stop talking about them pretty quickly…. I think even now, the interest in them has waned enormously. I think they are far less relevant or interesting or newsworthy now, unless they do something. I mean, since the book Spare, what else is there to be said?”

Ford’s day begins at 5am, scouring overnight news for his first radio cross at 6:30am. Mornings are frenetic with radio crosses, liaising stories and footage with television producers, and getting to Seven’s Melbourne HQ for The Morning Show.

Most radio producers trust him to lead the topics, which can vary from station to station, while The Morning Show likes hard news, current stars and the odd touch of nostalgia. Ford’s rapport with hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies is evident, and he’s a big fan of their chemistry.

“It’s almost become that you can’t say Larry without Kylie”

“They are quite unique. TV duos are people who just simply play off each other. You can’t say Bert without Patti you can’t say Ernie without Denise and it’s almost become that you can’t say Larry without Kylie, because they just own that timeslot,” he observes.

“They are so good at it and I say that as somebody who worked with Ernie & Denise and with Bert & Patti. Bert was Larry’s biggest fan, so you don’t get a bigger compliment than that.

“I don’t understand why Nine seem to be almost complacent about the fact that they come in second constantly in breakfast and mornings. It seems odd to me that they are willing to accept that and don’t make any changes, but that’s for them to deal with. The Morning Show is constantly number one. It’s a combination of Larry and Kylie and the fact that it is so well produced by Chloe Flynn as EP.”

2025 will not be without some adjustments, with Ford planning more international travel. With a daily television commitment at Seven, he’s had to embrace further changes in order to file remotely.

“Accessing studios is not as simple and as economical as it once was. So if you want to be on the road, you’ve got to have that option now to set up your own system and go live. I haven’t done it yet, but I’ve got all the equipment, and I’ve taken one lesson on how to do it. I think I’m going to need a few more,” he admits.

“I hope I don’t stay too long at the fair. There’s nothing sadder than when that happens,  but you’ve got to roll and adjust with the times. During COVID, I swore that I was never going to do FaceTime or Zoom because everyone looks like they’re gravely ill, and the audio is usually terrible. But I’ve just spent a couple of thousand on getting a set up to do it with quality.

“When the day comes that I debut my very first FaceTime or Zoom cross, I will be looking at it very, very judiciously!”

“I’m probably heading towards my last lap”

And when the time comes to retreat even further the thrill of the chase of a news story may not fade quietly.

“I’m probably heading towards my last lap but I’m very content and happy. They treat me well. I’ve got no complaints whatsoever. I’m not looking for anything else. That’s not to say, if other opportunities didn’t come along, I wouldn’t look at them. But I’m very happy with my lot. After all these years of doing it,  I still enjoy doing it. At some point, I’m obviously going to have to adjust to the fact I’m not doing it. I never thought I would be the kind of person who could work part time, but in the last few years, I’ve been living more in the country, and that’s really helped me to relax,” says Ford.

“I’m probably at a point where, in a year or maybe two, I could maybe do two or three days a week, but not the daily grind. I can see the finishing post for that in the distance, but I’m not quite ready for it yet. That will be a big adjustment for me when the day comes.”

The Morning Show 9:10am weekdays on Seven.