Hughesy spills the beans on major shows set to be axed
Dave Hughes has shared his prediction that The Masked Singer is die to be axed from Network Ten's lineup this year as the network continues to battle dwindling ratings.
The host of the show made the admission on his radio show on Tuesday, saying he hadn't been given any updates on when filming was due to commence.
“We’ve been waiting on a production schedule. That production schedule has not come through, so as far as I know, The Masked Singer won’t be filmed this year for Channel 10,” Hughes said on his show Hughesy, Ed and Erin on 2DayFM.
“We’ve had such a great time over those years, it’s been such a fun show to be on, so many great singers have been on,” he continued. “We’ve had great panels. We started with Jackie O, Dannii Minogue, [Lindsay] Lohan, then Urzila Carlson came in, we’ve got Abbie Chatfield, Chrissy Swan, Mel B. All stars in their own right."
“It’s a tough one for the production team.”
Later during the radio show, Hughesy and the team called Osher Günsberg to question whether The Bachelor was facing the same grim fate as The Masked Singer.
“I tell you what, I haven’t cancelled our trip to Fiji, which is in the middle of the shooting window we normally have [for The Bachelor],” Günsberg, who has been host of the dating show since 2013, said.
Osher went on to criticise Australian TV for putting British and American shows on prime time, rather than favouring homegrown talent.
“I personally feel we really need to value our own stories, and our culture, and our own voices far more highly,” he said. “And we’ve got to do what we need to do to make that happen on our screens."
“If we’re not going to sing our own songs and tell our own stories – we’re just going to be this weird echo of the US and the UK, and that’s not going to work out well for us.”
Last year's season of The Bachelor premiered to the franchise’s lowest ratings in its decade-long history, while personalities involved with The Masked Singer have repeatedly said "it is a very expensive show to produce".
Image credits: Ten