‘When did people get so frightened of ideas': Inside the final days of The Project
'The conventional wisdom was that the show wouldn't last six months because on paper, it's bonkers,' he says. 'But what it had was a spirit and an irreverent attitude that felt of this country and of this place. It chimes with the Australian character in so many ways.'
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In recent weeks, commentators have suggested the program's declining ratings – due largely to shifting viewer habits driven by technological change – were a result of it being 'too woke'. Such claims were rubbished by Steve Price, who told the Herald Sun that he was both a 'conservative old white guy' and The Project's longest-serving panel member.
'You're not usually talking about people who've spent their time watching the show before forming a view,' Aly says of its more vocal critics, 'so then it becomes something independent of what the show actually is – an avatar, basically. Then people react to that avatar, or to headlines about the show, rather than the show itself. But the response [from viewers] has been overwhelmingly lovely.'
Privately, some producers believe the increasingly hostile tenor of public debate – underpinned by an assumption that anyone with an opinion contrary to one's own is not just misguided but morally deficient – contributed to the cancellation of The Project and ABC's Q+A. It's a theme that Langbroek picks up on during Tuesday's episode.
'It's very unusual to [broadcast] work live now, and increasingly so as more and more people have gotten scared about expressing themselves,' she says. 'When this show is gone, I can't think of where that will happen … when did people get so frightened of ideas?'
Soon, the conversation shifts to a lighter topic.
'There's a definite 'school muck-up day' vibe,' says a techie as he munches on one of the homemade sausage rolls Langbroek brought in for the team. Behind the desk, Langbroek is throwing M&Ms at Taunton's face during a break. After she lands one in his mouth, Harris crosses off 'Kate throws a lolly in Sam's mouth' from that evening's Project bingo card, which a producer created to brighten the mood ahead of Friday's farewell.
'We've got a different card for every night,' Harris says, pointing to other items on Tuesday's list including 'Sam's hair needs fixing' and 'Kate references a conspiracy theory'.
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