Sam Armytage’s agonising Nine choice and the ’90s star who could step in
Insiders are speculating Nicky Buckley's 'nostalgia value' could save one Channel Nine show.
With speculation looming as to whether Sam Armytage’s temporary return to breakfast TV on the Today show could become more permanent, the name of an Aussie icon is being tossed around to also join the Nine Network – and that’s Nicky Buckley!
Best known for co-hosting Sale of the Century in the ’90s, an industry insider has divulged that Nine executives could be eyeing the model as the perfect replacement for hosting The Golden Bachelor, if Sam was to step aside to focus back in on the morning TV beat.
“Nicky would be perfect. She’s a great blast from the past, brilliant in front of the camera and her own real-life love story means she’d bring genuine heart and credibility to the role,” an insider told Woman’s Day.
Nine is said to be taking the thought of Nicky stepping into the hosting shoes for the reality show “very seriously”.
“She has that rare combination of warmth, glamour and television experience. She’s also got enormous nostalgia value. People who remember Nicky from Sale of the Century are now right in the demographic that Golden Bachelor is speaking to. It would be a very smart bit of casting,” the insider added.
“She wouldn’t simply be replacing Sam – she’d bring something completely different. There’s a lovely maturity to Nicky now, and she has lived enough life to understand that finding love later in life can be complicated, funny and incredibly moving.”
While nothing is set in stone yet with Sam’s Today opportunity, and the fact that she’s still due to appear on our screens for the second season of The Golden Bachelor, the insider said that Sam will have some big calls to make.
“Sam has a big decision to make. If the Today opportunity becomes a serious proposition, it would be very difficult to knock back,” they explained.
“The thinking is that Sam could potentially step aside from Golden Bachelor if the right Today arrangement came together. Nothing is locked in, but that possibility is certainly part of the conversation.
“As for Nicky, it would be a wonderful full-circle moment. Nicky was one of the familiar faces of Australian television for years, and now she could be fronting a show about people looking for love later in life. There’s something really appealing about that.”
