Dr Mumbo

When news colleagues go to war

Television, as Dr Mumbo is sure everyone knows, is a happy place full of people with a sunny disposition.

And they come no sunnier than Nine’s weather and news reader Amber Sherlock.

But live television stress can make people behave in different ways.

And imagine the stress that comes with the impending disaster of three women all about to go on air – and all wearing so much white they look like they came straight from the Pure Blonde Brewtopia commercial.

This was the emergency that anchor Sherlock found herself facing yesterday, along with guest pundits, fellow Nine hack Julie Snook and psychologist Sandy Rae.

Nine's panelists

Nine’s panelists had remarkably similar wardrobe tastes

The cast of Brewtopia

The usually placid inhabitants of of Brewtopia suffered some rare discord

Bad enough at a wedding. Imagine doing it on telly.

And Rae had disobeyed Sherlock’s orders to put on a jacket. Which made Sherlock VERY unhappy as the trio prepared for a discussion during Nine’s 178-hour long daily afternoon news coverage.

It would be fascinating to know how the off-air conversation at Nine News Now went, wouldn’t it?

Happily, Dr Mumbo has acquired the tape….

Shortly before going on air, things got rather passive aggressive…

To begin, Sherlock was talking about Snook in the third person, which is never a good start…

“I need Julie to put a jacket on. I asked her before we came on… I told you two hours ago.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been flat out,” apologised Snook, suggesting somebody might find her a spare jacket.

Meanwhile, the amount of notice Sherlock was claiming to have given to her colleague had increased by 30 minutes. “I made this clear two-and-a-half-hours ago…”

Which was enough for Snook to suggest she might walk.

“Amber, if it’s an issue, I can get on out of here…”

“It is an issue. Go and grab a jacket…. I wasn’t saying it for no reason. The wardrobe girls will be furious downstairs.”

Things then took on a shade of 2015’s viral blue and gold dress, with Snook declaring: “I’m wearing blue for one, Amber. I don’t…”

blue-white-gold-black-dress

Sherlock interrupted: “It doesn’t look like it. Get a producer. There’s one hanging up. Just get it…”

Snook came back: “If there’s an issue I can just head on out and get back to work. I’m flat chat. I genuinely forgot.”

The chatter then continued without vision as Snook once again suggested she drop out of the segment. “I’ll just jump on out, honestly.”

“Fine, jump on out if that’s what you’d like to do,” snapped back Sherlock. “Come on, wearing a jacket. I asked you two-and-a-half hours ago. It’s not the hardest request.”

There was then yet another reminder on how long ago they’d talked about it. “I know it’s not your issue. But we did talk about it two-and-a-half hours ago.”

The audio then drops out for the next 20 seconds, before Snook reappears on screen, making herself comfortable in a, presumably borrowed, black jacket.

julie-snook-black-jacket

Ten seconds later, the trio were on air, with beaming (if slightly fixed) smiles.

snook-sherlock-rae-chat-room-smiles

Which set them up perfectly to talk about Donald Trump’s apparent predilection for golden showers.

It was that sort of day.

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