Bondi Rescue executive producer hits back at Daily Telegraph over ‘rip-off’ claims

Michael Cordell, executive producer of production company Cordell Jigsaw, has hit back at a Daily Telegraph article that accused the production company of not paying key cast of an observational documentary.

Cordell was accused of not paying the 33 individual lifeguards that appear on his show Bondi Rescue, now in its seventh season on Ten, despite the production being a documentary and doing so would create a conflict of interest within the production.

Cordell said in a statement: “We have huge respect for the boys down at Bondi and weʼve made every effort to ensure theyʼre part of Bondi Rescueʼs success.”

“It would be a conflict of interest to actually employ the lifeguards to appear in the series. Nor would Waverley Council ever permit it. However, there are very concrete agreements in place that benefit both the Council and the lifeguards.”