The Footy Show (AFL)

Updated on Dec 22, 2023

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The footy show 2009 grand final show intro

The Footy Show is a Logie Award-winning Australian sports and variety entertainment television program. It is shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates. The show, which is dedicated to the Australian Football League (AFL) and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994. It is currently hosted by Craig Hutchison with Rebecca Maddern and Sam Newman.

Etymology

The name The Footy Show derives from the diminutive form of the word football commonly used in Australian English.

Presenters

Craig Hutchison (2017–present)

Rebecca Maddern (2016–present)

Sam Newman (1994–present)

Supporting

Billy Brownless (2009–present) (rotating panellist)

Shane Crawford (2009–present) (rotating panellist)

Dave Hughes (2015–present) (rotating panellist)

Alex Rance (2017–present) (rotating panellist)

Damian Barrett (2010–present) (news reporter)

Former

James Brayshaw (2006–2016)

Eddie McGuire (1994–2005) main host

Trevor Marmalade (1994–2008)

Garry Lyon (2006–2015)

Matthew Lloyd (2012) (rotating panellist)

Craig Hutchison (2007-2009) (news reporter)

Scheduling

Thursday night program, shown at 8.30 pm AEST

From 1994 to 2012, The Footy Show usually aired at 9.30 pm AEST, However, on 28 November 2012, Nine announced that the show would air at 8.30 pm AEST.

Thursdays

In Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, the show is aired on Thursday nights at 8:30 pm during the AFL season.

In 2008, the AFL version of The Footy Show could be seen live into most New South Wales and Queensland TV markets via the Nine HD channel. However, this was discontinued before the launch of GO! when Nine HD ceased breakaway programming. Since then, the show airs starting at 11.30pm.

Sundays

A related program, The Sunday Footy Show, airs at 11 am on Sunday mornings. It has previously been scheduled for 11.30 am.

Origins and format

The Footy Show had its origins in 1993 when a special Grand Final edition of The Sunday Footy Show aired on the Thursday night before the AFL Grand Final. The program was then extended and started as a regular program in 1994 hosted by former Network Ten reporter Eddie McGuire, former Geelong player Sam Newman and comedian Trevor Marmalade. They were usually joined by three current and former football players in a panel format.

The show is broadcast live from Melbourne with a large studio audience "warmed-up" each week by popular actor and comedian Jeremy Kewley. From 1994 to 2010 (Seasons 1 to 17) the show was broadcast from Studio 9 at GTV 9 in Richmond. Following GTV 9's relocation to Docklands at the start of 2011, from Season 18 the show was produced from Sound Stage 4 at Docklands Film Studios.

Over the years the show has also broadcast special live episode from locations including Geelong, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, London (2001 and 2004) and Munich (2006).

In 2006, after Eddie McGuire's appointment as CEO of the Nine Network, he stepped down as host of the program and was replaced by former Melbourne player Garry Lyon and North Melbourne Football Club director, later chairman, James Brayshaw, as co-hosts. In a bid to resurge the show in 2009, Trevor Marmalade was cut from the program to make way for former footballers Shane Crawford and Billy Brownless. In 2012 former Essendon player Matthew Lloyd was brought in with himself, Crawford and Brownless respectively rotating each week.

The panelists discuss any news stories which arise during the week, review the last round of matches and preview each match for the coming week, including showing the lineups. Before 2001 no footage of any AFL games could be aired by the show as the rival Seven Network held the broadcast rights and refused to allow the show to air footage in an attempt to stall the program's success. From 2002 until 2006, Nine had the rights to AFL broadcasts and footage was used liberally during the show. From 2007 they reverted to not using footage due to Nine having lost the rights to AFL broadcasting to the Seven Network and Network Ten until the end of the 2011 football season. Footage is now used regularly since 2012 as Fox Footy now broadcast all of the AFL games every weekend.

Regular segments

Almost Football Legends (by Shane Crawford/Billy Brownless, formerly by Trevor Marmalade)—Showcases local footy highlights (such as big marks, great goals, and unusual occurrences). Originally started so that some football footage will be shown. It has become a talent quest with the winner receiving a prize, and some players featured in the segment (most notably Russell Robertson) have even been signed up by AFL clubs based on their performances.

Sam's Mailbag (by Sam Newman)—Sam reads and answers letters from the show's fans, though the vast majority of letters have little to nothing to do actually do with football.

Street Talk (by Sam Newman)—A satirical take on the vox pop by interviewing and making fun of various characters on the streets of cities around Australia. Billy Brownless, Shane Crawford or Brendan Fevola fill in as host of this segment when Sam is unable to fulfill his position.

Hughesy's Spray (by Dave Hughes)—Involves Hughes attending a selected team's training and 'stirring them up' with humorous asides about their club and various players. This was similar to the BTG Super Spray (also done by Hughes on Before The Game)

The Footy Show Stakes (by cartoonist Andrew Fyfe)—A satirical animation sending up the weekly events in football in the form of a horse race. (Formerly known as Fyfe's Footy Flicks)

Occasional segments

Angry Al—Originally the Gary Coleman Medal, renamed the Gary Coleman Memorial Medal and then the Charlie Sheen Medal, and recently resurrected in homage to volatile Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson. A faux medal awarded to the AFL personality who lost their temper in the most major way in the previous week. Footage of other sport flare ups are also shown as 'nominations'.

Big Bill House—A one off segment in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Was introduced in 2013 when Sam, Shane and Garry got their certainty tips incorrect, all in the same round. Big Bill house features challenges set by Big Bill (Billy Brownless) and are often humorous and stupid. Returned on 28 August 2014 and aired parts over the next 3 weeks as a result of James getting his certainty incorrect forcing Sam, Garry and Shane to join him.

The Wheel (by Billy Brownless)—Billy goes around to local footy clubs to have a competition where they won what would come up on the wheel. This segment has been aired twice in 2014.

Former segments

Fyfe's Footy Flicks (by cartoonist Andrew Fyfe)—A satirical animation sending up the weekly events in football.

Mastermind (by Eddie McGuire)—Each week McGuire would quiz someone.

Hatchet Jobs—Featured during 2006 towards the end of the show. Footage from coach interviews is chopped up and edited resulting in facetious one-liners.

House of Bulger—5-minute parody of daytime soap operas featuring Shane Crawford as Hank Bulger, and other presenters and AFL stars as recurring characters.

Bulger, MD—The sequel to House of Bulger, ending with Hank being shot dead by Dr. Pink (Nathan Brown) on the Grand Final show.

Shane's Mailbag (by Shane Crawford)—A simple mock of Sam's Mailbag that occurred occasionally in 2009. Shane placed a sign in front of himself with the segment's name, whilst wearing a wide-brimmed hat & blowing a whistle.

Pillow Talk (by James Brayshaw/Garry Lyon)—Wives or girlfriends of AFL footballers are interviewed.

Under The Pump—A member of the panel would be asked poignant questions by other panelists and presenters, with a bike pump lowered above them for comedic effect.

That's What I'm Talkin' About (by Shane Crawford/Chris Sheedy)—Recurring segment in 2009. Shane Crawford attempted to beat various Guinness World Records. Records that have been broken include kissing 96 people in 60 seconds and having 153 spiders crawl on his body for 30 seconds.

Pardon My Puzzle (by James Brayshaw/Garry Lyon)—Recurring segment in 2011. Still an very occasional segment. A sequence of images is displayed from which Sam and the panel must "piece together" the answer. Usually (but not always) they are the names of AFL players and coaches, and the images are deliberately amusing.

Grand Final spectacular

Commencing in 1996, The Grand Final edition of the show is broadcast live from the Rod Laver Arena annually on the Thursday night before the AFL Grand Final in front of a crowd of around 12,000. The show includes the AFL Players Revue in which players dress up and dance to themes. It has included performances and cameos from players such as Shane Crawford, Brodie Holland, David Rodan, Brendan Fevola, Campbell Brown (footballer), Aaron Davey and The Footy Show presenters, except for Eddie McGuire.

Awards

The Footy Show has been nominated for the Logie Award for Most Popular Sports Program every year since 1996 (except 1999, when there was no Logie in this category).

Criticism and controversy

Sam Newman is the most controversial figure on The Footy Show and has been the subject of many complaints to the Nine Network. In May 2008, the Nine Network removed Newman from the show indefinitely following a controversy over allegedly sexist jokes. He was reinstated soon after.

Newman has also had a number of well-publicised off-screen incidents that are often brought up during the show.

In 2015, there were questions raised after Sam Newman made remarks about Mitch Clark's depression issues.

International broadcast

The programme is currently shown in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Premier Sports the following night on Friday evenings at 8pm and Sky Sport in New Zealand at 10:30 p.m. Thursday Live.

References

The Footy Show (AFL) Wikipedia

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