Serve for ‘messy’ debate

ONE of the Nine Network’s leading show hosts has slammed his own employer for a “messy” poor performance hosting the second leaders’ debate on Sunday night.

Ben Fordham criticised Nine over struggling to manage the war of words that erupted between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.

“It wasn’t great. It was a shambles. It was messy, disjointed, awkward. All over the shop,” Fordham said on Sydney radio station 2GB.

“Channel 9 was not the winner. I think the ratings will show that Australians would have largely turned off the contest.

“People have got better things to do than waste their Sunday night listening to two people talking over each other.

“It’s like watching two blokes at the pub arguing over the colour of the carpet.”

Fordham then went on to condemn the extinction of the virtual on-screen “worm”, a controversial software widget previously used to measure live audience reactions.

“The leaders became fearful of the worm years ago, so they stomped on it. They killed off the worm. The debates became bland,” he said.