Failing Resort Sent On Holiday Permanently
Sun Herald
Sunday March 21, 2004
WHAT do you do with a show no one wants to watch?
In the case of The Resort, you tune out and hope viewers will be lured back for a one-off grand finale.
The Resort, where 15 contestants competed to run a Fijian island holiday destination, with the winner taking home the profits, was axed on Friday afternoon after it failed to find an audience at its Wednesday night and now final outing.
Across Australia, just 320,000 viewers tuned in to watch host Jon Stevens and the contestants at the Malolo Island resort, prompting Ten's director of programming David Mott to pull the plug.
``We're really disappointed," a release from Mott said, ``however we had no alternative."
The competition will run on without cameras and the winner will feature in that one-off finale in April.
The Resort will be replaced by the American reality program The Newlyweds , which follows singers Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachay as they adapt to married life.
Ten's The HotHouse and Seven's My Restaurant Rules are both performing slower than expected, with Nine's big hope for 2004, The Block II, held back to a later, as yet unspecified date.
New cops on beat at Mt Thomas
BLUE Heelers fans can expect a shake-up at Mount Thomas later this year with the arrival of four new cops. A Seven spokeswoman said only one of the core cast would be leaving Jane Allsop, who plays Constable Jo Parrish, is departing some time in August with two new male and two female officers joining to allow a range of new story lines .
``Auditions are already under way and we hope to have the new characters on screen some time after the live episode goes to air on April 21," the spokeswoman said.
No word on how Constable Parrish will leave. Press ahead for Games
THE Greek Olympic Committee might be facing problems getting venues ready in time for the Games, but one area they shouldn't have to worry about is press facilities. Veteran Olympic reporter Richard Sleeman executive producer for John Stanley's show on 2UE is flying out today to help organise the media centre in Athens.
Sleeman was instrumental in designing, arranging finance for, and then managing the $7 million Sydney Media Centre at Darling Harbour. Sleeman has been quick to point out the irony that while he's been called in to help, it's his rivals 2GB who are the Sydney radio rights holders for the Games.
Absolutely delayed, darling
ANYONE looking forward to the new season of British comedy Absolutely Fabulous will have to wait a bit longer for it to hit the ABC. The series was to have gone to air from next week but has been shelved by ABC programmers until later this year to become part of a new comedy night line-up featuring Australian sketch show Eagle And Evans. Meanwhile, with the traditions of alliterative names for home-grown comedy shows (The Comedy Company, Full Frontal and so on), Seven has renamed its latest offering to avoid a double-barrel moniker. What was to have been Hamish And Andy's Fast Food will now go to air on Wednesday, March 31 as Hamish And Andy.
TUNED IN
An average national audience of 1,379,000 switched on to catch Steve pull the wool over his ``betrothed" Randy's eyes in My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance on Wednesday night.
TUNED RIGHT OUT
Ten's The Resort is taking a holiday of its own after Wednesday night's national average audience of just 320,000.
OOPS . . .
• `Let's start again . . . Jesus Christ, that was the third time!'
Alan Jones while recording his spot for Nine's Today show. Unfortunately, it was the take that went to air. Apologies from all concerned were quickly issued.
Movement at the stations
• Mikey Robins has joined the National Geographic Channel to present documentaries for April and May.
• Tim Webster will replace Ray Hadley on Wednesday while the 2GB presenter makes a brief visit to hospital for unspecified tests.
• ABC Radio science and technology reporter Richard Aedy is leaving to study at Oxford for three months after winning the ABC/British Chevening Scholarship to the Reuter Foundation.
© 2004 Sun Herald