Mushroom murder trial spawns multiple TV specials
The Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial has come to an end, and the TV networks are racing to fill their broadcast schedules with all that suppressed material they’ve been obtaining over the course of the nine-week case.
Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder, and one count of attempted murder. She is yet to be sentenced, but the guilty verdict, delivered at 2.15pm on Monday afternoon, instigated a rush of TV news specials, a documentary series, and an ABC dramatisation that promises to look at the case “from multiple perspectives.”
Last night, Nine had the very-welcome problem of having to relegate footage of a Queensland man, covered in dirt with a bullet in his brain after digging himself out of an executioner’s grave, to second on the run-sheet. In addition, Nine’s digital-only The Brief aired a half-hour special last night dedicated to the trial on 9Now.
Tonight, Nine will present a one-hour special, ‘Murder by Mushroom’, which promises “an FBI-style profile analysis” of Patterson from a former criminal profiler. The special will also include investigative journalist Sam Cucchiara mulling over his prior interview with Patterson, an interview with “a local mushroom enthusiast, and some insider knowledge from Simon Claringbold, “a death cap mushroom survivor from Canberra.”
Also “coming soon” from Nine is ‘Death Cap’: a Stan Original documentary series that takes a look at the fairness of a trial “amidst a global media frenzy.”
Not to be outdone, last night Seven dragged Michael Usher off the dancefloor to present a 7News mushroom trial special, which aired at 8.40pm, “featuring in-depth analysis, commentary and all the fallout from the case that has captured international attention.”
Seven is also prepping a Spotlight special for Sunday night, ‘Inside the mind of triple murderer Erin Patterson’, which promises to “answer the key question: what drove this seemingly ordinary mother of two to commit these meticulously planned murders?”
In order to arrive at this answer, Spotlight will speak to a criminal barrister, a former detective, and a forensic psychologist – plus “the people who knew Erin Patterson best.”
Over on Ten, the network’s new current affairs show 10 News + dedicated the entire first half of its hour-long Monday show to the case, with on-the-ground reporting from Latrobe Valley court, expert takes from a mycologist (a scientist who specialises in the study of fungi), and a desk interview with a forensic psychologist.
Ten has no dedicated specials planned, but a spokesperson told Mumbrella that network “will continue to cover Erin Patterson’s case on 10 News Lunchtime, 10 News Afternoon, 10 News, 10 News+ and 10 News Late, as well as all our social and digital channels.”
After offering wall-to-wall coverage during the afternoon on its news channel, ABC fumbled the ball multiple times during a shambolic 7pm national bulletin, attempting to run the news package three separate times before succeeding.
On the first two attempts, the vision froze on an unflattering photo of Patterson seconds into the package – a file extension name taking up a third of the screen.
The poetically named “7PMm_ErinVerdict_07-PKG” from the ABC
After cutting back to a panicked presenter, and filling with some footage from the regional Victorian town of Morwell, where the case was heard, the network then displayed details for an Aboriginal crisis centre – intended to follow a later package on the fatal police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker.
Luckily, third time was a charm – and the package went to air. Not surprisingly, there is no trace of this shambles on the ABC’s various digital platforms.
The ABC has also commissioned ‘Toxic’, a dramatised series that airs Patterson’s side of the story.
“Erin has pleaded not guilty and has always maintained that this earth-shattering incident was a horrible, tragic accident,” a press release explained of the show.
“Told in multiple timelines and from multiple perspectives, Toxic is a layered and intricate series that explores the events and characters of this true-life story without judgement. It is a riveting thriller about marriage, faith and motherhood.”
The above release was issued before the results of the trial were delivered, so it’s possible she’ll be cast in a less sympathetic light in the final production.
Mumbrella has reached out to SBS and Foxtel to see what local mushroom-related programming we can expect from them. (A cursory TV guide search throws up a lot of Jamie Oliver.)
Given the verdict was delivered less than 24 hours ago, we can realistically expect more television specials and telemovies to be announced in due course.
The story also dominated every newspaper front page
The Daily Mail, News Corp, the ABC, and Nine all produced podcasts covering the trial — and a number of outlets were threatened with legal action over their reporting — so, there’s still a lot of earth to be unturned before the Australian media lets go of this unique crime case.
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