When it was revealed Channel 7 paid the big bucks for the Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion interview, viewers were expecting big revelations. Instead, they got what many claimed was an “awkward interview” that failed to ask the hard-hitting questions pertaining to the couple’s alleged misuse of taxpayer’s money, and questions aimed at the couple’s relationship now, do they even like each other these days?
The tell-all (if it could be called that) was considered a ratings flop with only 631,000 metro viewers tuning in to watch the couple flat-out refuse to answer “important” questions. Perhaps embarrassingly, the highly-anticipated interview was even out-rated by David Attenborough’s Tasmania.
Chanel 7 have released unseen footage from the Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion interview to prove they didn’t avoid the “important” questions.
But Channel 7 has hit back at the criticism, posting unseen clips from the Sunday Night interview.
Retweeting the Seven News video, Sunday Night presenter Alex Cullen, who coped plenty of the backlash after the interview, wrote “For those who asked.”
The video shows Barnaby denying any wrongdoing when asked about the about his alleged tax-payer funded travel rorts. The clip also shows Barnaby’s staffer-turned-partner Vikki revealing vile names she was called by people on social media, one of those being “a rent-a-root”.
WATCH The unseen clips from Barnaby and Vikki’s interview below.
Cullen also defended the channels decision to centre the interview around the couple’s relationship and baby Sebastian, tweeting that Barnaby’s denial of any wrongdoing meant the politician had “nothing new” to offer.
“I’d like to make it clear that q’s about Joyce’s alleged tax-payer funded travel rorts and claims of sexual misconduct were asked in our @sundaynighton7 I/V. The response to these q’s was the same as we’ve heard time and time again. Vehemently denied hence nothing new. #Auspol,” he wrote.
Australian viewers preferred David Attenborough’s Tasmania over Vikki and Barnaby’s ‘tell-all’.
Network executives at Channel 7 had initially hoped 1.5 million Australians would tune in to watch Barnaby and Vikki. But according to The Australian, by the time the interview was wrapping up, just 453,224 viewers were watching — a drop of of 41 percent from the show’s opening minute.
The ratings winner of the night was Seven’s reality show House Rules, which aired directly before the interview and snagged its biggest audience this year with a national average of more than 1.4 million. It’s just a shame those viewers didn’t want to stick around to watch the soap opera after.
