Kerry O’Brien Signs Off From 4Corners, Sarah Ferguson To Host In 2016

One of this particular writer’s personal all-time favourite pieces of pub toilet graffiti adorns a tile near the urinal of the men’s at Melbourne’s John Curtin Hotel. It simply, and puzzlingly, reads: “When the going gets tough, the tough gets Kerry O’Brien in a headlock.”

What that means, I’ll probably never know. But the point here is that, such is the nature of Australian culture, you ain’t nobody in the public eye until you’ve had some drunken bozo scribble your name on the wall of a pub loo.
Last night’s broadcast of the ABC‘s flagship current affairs program Four Corners – the final for the year – represented the end of Kerry O’Brien‘s tenure as host; a post he’d held since 2011.
In signing off, O’Brien asserted his departure was not a retirement. Rather, a transition.
I’m just moving on to other things,” he quipped, before signing off with a final, poignant, “Go well, and good night.”

But the program is already looking ahead, today unveiling veteran ABC journalist Sarah Ferguson as the new host of the program for 2016 and beyond.

In a statement issued by Aunty this afternoon, Ferguson could barely contain her excitement for the new gig.

“There is no place I would rather be. Four Corners has the past nailed and a future full of promise and excitement. A big thank you and farewell to Kerry O’Brien.”


Meanwhile, Bruce Belsham, the network’s head of current affairs, reiterated Ferguson’s credentials, citing her past experience working with the program.

“It’s fantastic that Sarah has agreed to succeed Kerry O’Brien as host of Four Corners. It’s a great fit given Sarah’s history with the program and her stature in Australian journalism. It also allows her to combine presenting with her brilliant reporting from the field.”


Ferguson previously worked for Four Corners between 2008 and 2013, winning a Gold Walkley in 2011 for her expose on Australia’s live cattle trade.

In 2014, Ferguson completed a stint as a presenter on the ABC’s 7:30 program.
The new Four Corners will return in 2016.
Photo via Twitter.

via ABC.

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV