Anthony Mu speaks out about the serious allegations levelled against him and how the media reacted.
In this edition of Media McKnight:
- My Kitchen Rules abuse allegations and the McKnight Tonight exclusive interview
- Pauline Hanson’s SBS and ABC funding stance
- Beetlejuice the Musical’s Australian shows cancelled
- UK’s free-to-air TV switch-off proposal
- Hot Podium Guy’s viral resignation streak
- Classic Australian TV: The Don Lane Show
You can watch the video edition of Media McKnight in the YouTube player below:
MKR STAR SPEAKS OUT: “WE LOST EVERYTHING”
During season 13 of My Kitchen Rules on Channel 7, Anthony and Claudean – the Aussie battlers – featured very heavily, even making it to the Grand Finale.
But their screen time was cut short due to serious accusations being made behind the scenes.
The pair were facing serious charges, including rape, torture, and sexual assault against two of their daughters (stepdaughters in Anthony’s case). Despite hundreds of charges being levelled against them, Anthony was found not guilty, and Claudine’s case is still proceeding through the courts.
Anthony appeared on the internet show McKnight Tonight to talk about his experience going through the courts and facing additional media scrutiny because he was ‘starring’ in a hit reality TV show.
“(We) had to sell my house to be able to pay for the barristers and the lawyers because we had to have a lawyer and a barrister reach and it’s just killing us by financially” Anthony explains.
You can watch the full interview in the player below:
Sitting beside Anthony and offering unwavering support was his other stepdaughter, Paige, who also ended up facing serious allegations from the girls.
“I’m a person who believes in the truth, and I live my life with utmost integrity. So it was really important for me to stand up for the truth, and that meant to support my parents,” Paige revealed in the interview.
The issues between the family started when two of the daughters started making serious claims on a podcast. When Anthony and Claudine were chosen to take part in My Kitchen Rules, Channel 7’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter.
That seems to have triggered a nightmare situation. Paige claims a DVO was placed on Anthony, Claudean and Paige in retaliation.
She was accused of assaulting her sister and causing a miscarriage three weeks later. Paige says no evidence was presented in court, “not even a doctor’s note to, to say that she was pregnant at the, at the time of this alleged incident.”
Just as My Kitchen Rules started airing, Anthony and Claudean were charged with multiple historical offences.
Anthony says he was at work at the time, saying:
“I was at work and I was told to come home because the police were there and I said, “What for?” And then they wouldn’t tell us and they took us to the watch house, still didn’t tell us and then once they fingerprinted me and let me go, that’s when I found out what charges I was on and I was like, “You gotta be kidding me. Where did this come from?””
At first, there was a suppression order, which protected the identity of everyone. The media knew the details of the case, and because it involved contestants on a high-rating television show, lawyers pushed for the suppression order to be lifted.
And when that suppression was lifted, the media played up the celebrity angle.
“It’s the war between the channels,” says Anthony.
“So, you know, what you see on TV, what do you actually believe? I don’t believe in much these days after what I’ve just been through”
When Anthony was found not guilty, some websites did a write-up, but Channel 9 – which had gone big on the lifting of the suppression order and listing the charges – does not appear to have reported Anthony’s Not Guilty verdict.
“I’ve also been asked not to come back on work sites because someone’s recognised me from the cameras on the news,” says Anthony.
Paige says believing victims is still important despite their case, but due diligence is still important, explaining:
“There’s no assumed innocence, it seems, in this country anymore and it’s a real shame,”
“On the flip side, another polarising truth is that so many true victims of these crimes are not coming out on top when they do go through the justice system, which is so sad,”
“We’re dealing with false allegations that are just, there is no truth to it, but then there’s true victims who bear the scars of these, these traumas that my sisters are parading in”.
DOES PAULINE HANSON HAVE A POINT ABOUT SBS?
Pauline Hanson certainly made headlines last week when she addressed the national Press Club.
Regarding the media sector, she made it clear she would defund the ABC and axe SBS, saying:
“Rest assured, there will be big changes if one nation has given the chance. The SBS will be gone. There’s no need for it anymore. The internet has overtaken the need for it. The ABC will still exist but in a very different form. Taxpayers will still fund some of the ABC’s operations in regional, rural, and remote areas where there is a lack of commercial media, but in the cities which are already saturated with media outlets across the political spectrum, the ABC will only be subscription service only”.
I’ve been stewing on this announcement for almost a week now, seriously considering the option.
Regarding the ABC, it’s not so easy to just split it apart into Metro and Regional, so there will be problems with that idea.
I agree with Hanson that it is important the ABC maintains a role in regional areas, but I think there is still a place for the ABC in metropolitan markets – if major changes are made.
Ideology is certainly a major issue, as is the bunker mentality the organisation has when dealing with outside media.
I’m still thinking about the fallout of a subscription model for the ABC, so I haven’t formed a final view on this.
But when it comes to SBS, does Hansen have a point?
I think she does.
According to Wikipedia:
“SBS Television was established to reflect and support Australia’s changing multicultural society by providing content for non-English speaking communities. Building on the success of experimental ethnic radio, the government created the television service in 1980 to inform, educate, and entertain all Australians while promoting cultural diversity and social harmony”.
So, in the age of the internet, is SBS needed to fulfill that remit?
SBS On Demand is one of the best catch-up services provided by free-to-air television in Australia. The content is entertaining and it has some major shows as part of its content deals.
But do we need SBS for that content?
Shows like The Handmaid’s Tale could be on any streaming platform – it doesn’t exactly fit the original idea for the Special Broadcasting Service.
If a consumer wants to watch movies in another language, they just change the audio language track on Netflix and the like.
If they want to watch news from Greece, they can subscribe to a Greek streaming service or possibly find it on YouTube.
What is the unique content SBS is delivering that can’t be found anywhere else?
Many people would point to Insight – a fantastic program, but that could be housed on the ABC.
I am loath to present the case for adding to the job losses in the television industry, especially at a time of mass redundancies, but this is a policy being put forward by a possible alternative Government and can’t be ignored – especially when Pauline Hanson has a point.
THAT’S SHOWBIZ
There’s been a lot of distress in the musical theatre community with news Beetlejuice the Musical has cancelled all Australian shows after playing its final Brisbane performance on July 5.
The Michael Cassel Group said the decision to cancel was made due to the rising costs of touring a large-scale production across the country.
And it’s certainly hard trying to sell tickets to musicals during a cost-of-living crisis – which is why star power is so important.
You might remember there was a huge outcry from the theatre community over the casting of Nat Bass and Rob Mills in the local production of Waitress.
Some called it stunt casting, and there was a backlash against the commercialisation of the production.
But it’s still going and will soon head to Sydney after a successful completion of the Melbourne run.
Theoretically, a Beetlejuice musical should have a better chance of success because the brand is well known.
The Waitress musical is not, despite being a terrific show.
I asked Nat Bass about the casting backlash recently on McKnight Tonight, who told me:
“In a climate where people are struggling to come up with the money to go and see something, it definitely helps bring an audience to the theatre.
“But at the end of the day, they’re not gonna choose someone who can’t do the role and who they don’t think that will fit because when you do stuff like this,”
Look, it’s really simple.
Big names sell tickets, and if people want jobs, they should stop complaining about ‘stunt casting’.
Names like Nat Bass and Rob Mills get people to part with their money and support local theatre productions. Some in the theatre community might not like it, but at least these stars are helping keep people in work.
FREE-TO-AIR SWITCH-OFF
With the resignation of Kier Starmer in the UK dominating headlines, a proposal that will affect how everyone watches television is being snuck through.
The Daily Mail is reporting that free-to-air television signals are set to be turned off as early as 2034, forcing consumers to move over to an internet-only mode.
Critics say the move could hit millions of pensioners who still rely on digital terrestrial television and are calling for the move to be delayed until 2040.
If the UK makes this move, you can bet Australia won’t be far behind. That means people would no longer be able to watch television through an aerial. They would have to use the catch-up services.
The removal of the free-to-air signal would be a financial windfall for the Government. By selling the spectrum currently used by Nine, Seven, 10, ABC and SBS, the government would rake in millions, possibly billions, from the sale of that highly sought-after spectrum.
And if we were forced to watch television through apps, where would that leave the anti-siphoning list?
The federal government has not included the FTA digital services in the anti-siphoning list is a real cause for concern.
Australia’s anti-siphoning list dictates that Australian sports of significance and cultural significance must be played on free-to-air, or the free-to-air must be given first priority.
Without the digital apps no longer being on the anti-siphoning list, it means there would be no protection for Australian viewers. Instead, viewers might be forced to watch the AFL, NRL and other sports of cultural significance.
Yes, it’s a long way off, but things are moving quickly.
SOUNDO BECOMES A VIRAL STAR
And talking about Kier Starmer’s resignation, it’s always fascinating watching press conferences before they actually happen.
When I was working in newsrooms, I’d see it all the time. But now, thanks to the internet and livestreaming, you can often see all the tech checks going on, reporters talking and the like, live on YouTube.
In the UK a sound engineer by the name of Tobias Gough has become a bit of an internet sensation for his rugged good looks.
As per this Instagram post by ‘The Brit Spot’:
This guy keeps going viral every time a Prime Minister resigns in the UK.
Known as the ‘Hot Podium Guy, Tobias Gough first went viral when he set up the podium for Theresa May’s resignation in 2019.
He was then spotted before Boris Johnson’s resignation speech in 2022 and went viral again for sound-checking before Liz Truss’s resignation.
Hot podium guy has now outlasted five PMs in seven years after being spotted at Kier Starmer’s resignation today.
I love how random people just become viral because we’re now all have access to raw feeds of press conferences.
And if you love seeing behind the scenes of TV, have a look at this shot from APT of the Starmer press conference. He cuts a lonely figure in the middle, with a very full press pack huddled together at the side.
With television, there’s always more than meets the eye – thanks to the camera angle chosen.
Never believe everything you see.
CLASSIC FIND
There are some great finds on YouTube for TV tragics like myself.
Just yesterday, I came across one of the final episodes of The Don Lane show with special guest Graham Kennedy.
It’s a fabulous watch and shows how great Australian variety television used to be.
Yes, it’s a little cringey when Lane is singing the latest hit song to open the show, but there’s plenty of laughs – and Don often takes the piss out of himself.
Media McKnight is published on YouTube every Tuesday at 8pm AEST at YouTube.com/@McKnightTonight.
The article goes live on the TV Blackbox website every Wednesday morning.
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