The executive producer of Seven’s flagship current affairs program Sunday Night has been suspended by the network after an altercation with a member of his staff.
The punch-up between Mark Llewellyn and a producer, Paul Waterhouse, followed an argument in the program’s offices, sources said.
The fight took place at the same time the network was launching its 2015 schedule at a lavish event at Fox Studios in which the Sunday Night host Chris Bath was promoting the show.
Llewellyn has built Sunday Night to be a serious competitor to Nine’s 60 Minutes. But the show has been dogged by staff turmoil, losing co-producer Adam Boland shortly after it launched and then co-host Mike Munro.
It is not the first time Llewellyn has made news. He famously composed an affidavit which revealed the male-dominated culture at his previous employer, Nine.
It included a notorious anecdote about the then managing director of Nine, Eddie McGuire, asking when management could “bone” (meaning “sack”) a female presenter he didn’t like.
The affidavit was written in response to legal action taken by Nine when Llewellyn defected to the rival network after being demoted. Llewellyn had been appointed as head of Nine news on a salary of $750,000 shortly before the death of Kerry Packer.
It is understood the Seven network is investigating the altercation but a spokesman declined to comment.
Llewellyn has told staff he won’t be back at work this year.
