SMH reports Sunday Night has paid up to $100,000 to secure an exclusive interview with Candice Hedge, who was injured in the London terrorist attack last weekend. Melissa Doyle flew immediately to London to shoot the interview with Candice from her hospital bed. The interview will air this Sunday.
Sunday 11 June at 8.30pm
THE SURVIVOR
A week ago three men armed with knives drove a van into a crowd of pedestrians on the London Bridge, then came a rampage of indiscriminate stabbings. Among the dead, two Australians – nurse Kirsty Bowden and nanny Sara Zelenak. Queenslander, Candice Hedge, very nearly became a third Australian victim. Stabbed in the throat by one of the terrorists, she’s still in hospital recovering. Candice speaks to Sunday Night for the first time about how she survived the horrific attack. Melissa Doyle has this special report from London.
FINDING GOBI
She’s a short, scruffy Chihuahua cross – just one of millions of stray dogs in China. Yet Gobi’s tale of courage and survival has warmed the hearts of animal lovers around the world. It begins when Aussie ultra-marathon runner Dion Leonard befriends the plucky little bitzer during a race across China’s Gobi Desert last year. The pair became inseparable, Gobi tenaciously running alongside Dion for the entire race. Dion’s mind was set – he would adopt his new mate and take her home. But, as Sunday Night’s Steve Pennells discovers, his plans would be put to the ultimate test.
TRAPPED
It was meant to be a pleasant country drive. A mum visiting her daughter in rural NSW. But it would become a harrowing fight for survival. A momentary lapse of concentration and Melissa Jones’ car was somersaulting down an embankment into a giant ditch, hidden from the road. Trapped inside the wreckage, Melissa clung to life for nearly 11 hours in a race against time – desperately hoping help would arrive. But as Matt Doran reports, neither Melissa or her rescuers knew where she was.
It would appear that Melissa Doyle is presenting tonight’s show from London where she conducted the report on the London terror attack that will air tonight
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Good. I don’t have any issue with that whatsoever. It can help her with her recovery and no doubt during the period she will be unemployed. Rather see money go to a victim of this regard than pay a criminal to tell their story.
Sunday 18 June at 8.30pm
AUSTRALIA’S GREAT CHARITY SHAM
You’ve probably encountered them – ‘Chuggers’. Short for charity muggers, who bail you up for a donation, to buy a badge or book of vouchers. Have you ever wondered where that money you so generously give to charity actually ends up? Well you’re in for a shock, because it turns out not much of it is going where it’s so desperately needed. In this major Sunday Night investigation, Matt Doran reveals how one multi-national company is making a fortune from your donations to some of Australia’s biggest charities. And we hear from the former workers who are blowing the whistle on a company that has made a staggering $100 million from Australian charities in the past two years alone.
FOREVER YOUNG
Making it to 100 once seemed an impossible goal. And if you got that birthday letter from the Queen you knew you’d earned it. But now reaching that magic century is tantalisingly close for all of us. Scientists have developed a miracle pill that will not only help us live longer, but makes those years healthier as well. But, as Denham Hitchcock discovers, it’s not just scientists who think they have the answers.
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His first report was really good! Hope to see more of him on Seven, not just on SN, but also in news in the near future.
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According to promo, Mel will also interview House Rules judge Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen for this week’s episode.
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Actually, it is worth noting that they were only advertising this LLB interview during Seven News on Saturday and Sunday so as it turned out the full thing didn’t happen this week; it will actually happen next week. Thus on Seven News they were only advertising for the sneak peek of the interview which is what we saw at the very end of this week’s edition of Sunday Night. There is now a proper sneak peek promo showing on Seven that is advertising this interview for this coming week’s edition of Sunday Night.
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Sunday 25 June at 8.30pm
THE REAL LLB
On Sunday Night, you finally get to meet the man behind the initials. The real LLB – the wickedly outrageous and always entertaining Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Sunday Night’s Melissa Doyle visits LLB on his home patch, the picturesque countryside of England’s Cotswolds. She finds him holding fort in the six-bedroom stately mansion that he calls home. And it’s a full house for lunch, with his wife, Jackie, daughters Cecile and Hermione, their partners Dan and Drew and grandson, Albion. On the menu, spaghetti vongole and a very generous side of dad jokes. In no time at all LLB has become a favourite on Australian television as the ferociously blunt judge on House Rules. But Melissa uncovers a far more complex and serious side to LLB as he speaks openly and emotionally about his childhood and family.
COURAGEOUS CALEB
Just over one year ago, Daniel Stirling’s future looked bleak. Close to hopeless. He’d just lost his pregnant wife, Sarah, killed by hoons in a stolen car. Miraculously, their baby boy was delivered after the crash. But Caleb was critically ill, it was touch and go for the little fighter. Through it all, father and son refused to give in. And as you’ll see, today they’re a formidable team. Living proof of what love and courage can do. And they have a special message for Australia.
BUILDING THE WALL
“Build the wall” was the rallying cry, a wall to secure the US border with Mexico. And it certainly worked – it helped elect the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Whatever you think of the idea, something must be done. And soon. As Seven’s US Bureau Chief Mike Amor discovers, this is the wild west. A land of drug smugglers, illegal immigrants, gang wars and gun-toting cowboy vigilantes. Totally out of control.
According to The Australian, Rahni Sadler has left the program.
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Disappointing to see both the female reporters go. Travel was also PJ Madam’s reason for leaving. Angela Cox would be a welcome permanent addition to break up the beefcake reporter club but she may not be keen on travel either after moving back to Australia.
In eight years Sunday Night has certainly gone through some hosts, reporters and executive producers.
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Emma Dallimore or Angela Cox would be perfect to replace Rahni.
… two key female members of its on-air reporting team have departed without any fanfare. Seven insiders have confirmed the resignations of longstanding Sunday Night reporters Rahni Sadler and PJ Madam. Sadler had a low-key farewell around two months ago, and Madam at the end of last year.
Sadler has since been overseas taking a well-earned break, while Madam is pursuing other media projects.
This leaves the program’s anchor Melissa Doyle as the show’s only permanent female on-air talent, with the show’s four-member reporting team now comprising Doran, Steve Pennells, Denham Hitchcock and Alex Cullen.
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Edwina Bartholomew would make a great SN reporter, I wonder if she would be interested in making that leap. Would do great things for her career.
What I have enjoyed most about Sunday Night is that the story’s are about the subjects and it is never about the reporters. I hope they continue to use many reports on an ad-hoc basis. I find the quality to be much better.
I don’t believe the show was intended as having a stable or reporters like 60 minutes does.
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In case anyone didn’t know, between the end of House Rules and Sunday Night last night, there was a one minute countdown clock to the start of Sunday Night for the LLB interview which was a little over-the-top and unnecessary in my opinion since it wasn’t really that worthy of a countdown but it was a nice touch to try and connect House Rules and Sunday Night together a bit at the end for this specific night that the LLB interview aired. Also, there was no preview package at the start of Sunday Night like there normally was, promoting all the stories showing that night; Mel just opened the show in the studio, said a few words and just got straight into the LLB story/interview which was quite nice. After all, at the end of House Rules, they did promise us we would be seeing the interview in a minute exactly!!
I think Ange might replace Rahni because as someone mentioned in the Sunrise thread earlier, Sally Bowrey is returning to news next weekend and Ange is going away, and who knows, she might return as a SN correspondent, or something even bigger.
In saying that though, I think there’s quite a few female talents at Seven who are capable replacing Rahni Sadler, so we shall wait and see I suppose…
Well this show just got a beating on Media Watch.
Bit embarrassing for the producers anyway. Journalism is officially down the toilet in this country.
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