‘Show’s cancellation was no surprise’ – Salvu Mallia

Helena Grech When it was announced that the popular PBS show Madwarna, hosted by Salvu Mallia, would not return for a seventh season, many people took to social media to voice their displeasure and suspicions about the reasons for this decision.

In view of the failure of PBS to provide a reason for the decision, as revealed to this newsroom by Mr Mallia himself, there has been much speculation that his vociferous criticism of the government could have been a significant factor.

In an interview with The Malta Independent, Mr Mallia explains why he believes his show was axed, gives his views on the way this government is being run and talks of his relationship with PBS over the years.

In addition to this, he revealed that a previous attempt had been made to axe the popular show at around the same time last year.

“Stopping the show did not come as a surprise: it would have been a surprise had they continued with it. The situation is a complete joke.

“Madwarna was on air for six seasons and had grown due to popular demand. From the start, I found a certain level of opposition at PBS. I do not know why. I think there were different elements at play – political elements and professional jealousy,” he said.

He also explained his reason for backing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat prior to the 2013 general election, and what caused him to start eventually speaking out against the administration.

“For me, it was the Zonqor scandal that got me questioning this government”, he said.

Asked whether there had been a discernible change in the way PBS is run following the change in governments, he quickly said that the only change was that it took people longer to get paid than before.

Read the full interview in tomorrow’s edition of The Malta Independent.