WA Today writes about the process of creating 7pm Project and how far it has come.

THE 7pm slot has long been Channel Ten’s Achilles heel. In recent years Big Brother and The Biggest Loser pulled in viewers for some of the year but without them, ratings fell off a cliff. So, when Ten announced in November that the vital slot would soon be filled by a local version of the British reality show MasterChef, followed by a mystery project, eyebrows were raised.

What a difference eight months makes. MasterChef Australia has been the hit of the year so far, almost single-handedly turning Ten’s fortunes around. It has broadened the network’s audience and turned the ratings game, usually a fight between Seven and Nine, into a genuine three-way contest.

That kind of success can’t be ignored and has earned Ten the benefit of the doubt when it comes to MasterChef’s successor, The 7pm Project, which will air five nights a week, 52 weeks of the year, from Monday.

7pm Project is a live, panel-based discussion about the day’s news, presented by comedians and produced by Roving Enterprises.

There will be in-studio guests (episode one will have the winner of MasterChef Australia) and segments from correspondents.

“It’s a really nice and casual approach,” says executive producer Craig Campbell, who also produces Rove.

“We have this opportunity to have some fun, some genuine humour, but also deliver the news of the day in a new way.”