Bondi Rescue in doubt as star claims show has been ‘cancelled’
The future of long-running, Logie Award-winning 10 program Bondi Rescue is up in the air, with one star of the show announcing it has been cancelled.
Production company CJZ, however, told Mumbrella that “any reports about its demise are greatly exaggerated”.
Industry and consumer speculation about the future of the show kicked off when it was not announced as part of Ten’s programming slate at the Upfronts in September. There was, however, hope from fans that the show may just be on hiatus or simply awaiting a lower-profile announcement.
At the Real Insurance Harbour 10 fun run over the weekend, star of the show Andrew ‘Reidy’ Reid was interviewed by the MC after completing the race. During the interview, Reid was asked when Bondi Rescue would be back on people’s TV screens. In response, he admitted the show did not film a 2025 season, and said it had been “cancelled”.
The cast of Bondi Rescue. Source: CJZ
In a statement to Mumbrella, however, Michael Cordell, production company CJZ’s creative director and co-founder, said it is currently renegotiating a multi-year option with Waverley Council and hopes to have news about the next season in coming months. Ten buys Bondi Rescue as a finished product, rather than commissioning it.
Cordell said: “Season 18 was widely regarded as the best we’ve ever made and there’s still plenty of important stories to tell about Bondi’s professional lifeguards and the extraordinary work they do. The surf safety messages are vital. As a small illustration we just got word from a viewer who saved her own life in a rip by following Hoppo’s [Bruce Hopkins’] surf safety advice.
“Bondi Rescue had a welcome hiatus last season to give everyone a break, but we fully expect to back on the beach this summer.”
He noted the challenging financing environment for television, but said CJZ has ambitions for the program to run for “many years to come”.
“We’re all incredibly proud of Bondi Rescue, not only for its popularity, but what it says about Australia and the Australian character,” he added.
The observational documentary was filmed at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, tracking the daily activities and life-saving rescues of the Waverley Council lifeguards. It first screened in 2006, and won the Logie Award for Most Popular Factual Program in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012.
The program has long been narrated by TV personality Osher Günsberg. The program’s pause is the latest in a run of changes for the star, who has also seen The Bachelor Australia axed from 10, as well as news that The Masked Singer Australia will not be returning. He did, however, make a recent appearance on Seven’s Dancing With The Stars, and hosts long-running podcast Better Than Yesterday.
Günsberg was also approached for comment.
In a previous interview with Variety Australia ahead of its 17th season, head lifeguard Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins said it was the unexpected and unpredictable moments which enabled the show to continue for almost two decades.
“We just do whatever happens on the day,” he said. “Whatever happens, a person needs to be rescued, or there’s a board rider injury or a spinal injury, or this year was probably one of the first where we had an infant who needed resuscitation.
“So there’s a whole range of things, and we don’t actually know what’s going to happen until it does. And then we need to write the story behind it. Our show is funny that way. It’s sort of in the reverse. You shoot the footage and then work out what the story’s going to be after the fact, rather than writing the story and then shooting the footage.
Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins. Source: 10
He also reflected on why the show had resonated with audiences both locally and abroad, noting it’s a combination of banter and pranks, balanced out by more serious messages and lessons.
“It just seems to capture everybody… Maybe because you’ve got this serious side of it, but then also you’ve got the characters where we have a joke and a laugh,” he said.
The Australian Financial Review has also previously noted the show has taken on a new life online, particularly Youtube, where CJZ has been able to monetise the program’s ongoing popularity.
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