Sky News Australia will pre-record its controversial Sunday night programme Freya Fires Up rather than broadcast live following an explosive on-air incident where a guest wearing raw bacon on his shoulders delivered an anti-Islamic tirade that forced the network into crisis mode.
The extraordinary decision comes after 22-year-old host Freya Leach was forced to issue an embarrassing live apology when UK-based influencer Ryan Williams, 33, launched into what officials called “wholly inappropriate and unacceptable” Islamophobic remarks during Sunday’s broadcast. Williams appeared on screen draped in strips of raw bacon, which he claimed offered him “protection” from terrorists.
The segment lasted barely sixty seconds before senior producers pulled Williams off air, but the damage was done. Williams joked: “The reason I’ve got bacon on my shoulders is because the terrorists are a charming lot, and they threaten to behead me every single day, so a little bit of protection.” The controversial guest went on to falsely claim Birmingham had a Muslim majority population.
Network Scrambles After Editorial Failure
A Sky News Australia spokesperson said: “The program took immediate action during the live broadcast to cut off the guest. The content was not republished on any of our platforms. We recognise the harm such rhetoric can cause and take full responsibility for this failure in our editorial processes.”
The incident has exposed serious gaps in Sky’s editorial oversight. Sources inside the network revealed that Mark Calvert, Sky’s head of programmes, was on leave during the segment and had not approved Williams as a guest. No senior editors or managers from parent company News Corp were present on Sunday, leaving Leach and a single junior producer to vet guests independently.
Williams had been invited to discuss the recent assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on 10 September. He said the UK faced the threat of Islamic invasion every day, and incorrectly claimed that Britain’s second-biggest city, Birmingham, has a Muslim majority (fact check: 34% of Birmingham residents identify as Christian, while 29.9% identify as Muslim).
Birmingham’s True Demographics
Williams’s inflammatory claims about Birmingham were demonstrably false. According to the 2021 census, 29.9% of Birmingham residents described themselves as Muslim, up from 21.8% in 2011, whilst 34.0% of people in Birmingham described themselves as Christian (down from 46.1%). The city remains religiously diverse, with no single faith holding a majority.
Dr Jamal Rifi, a Sydney GP and community leader, condemned Williams’s comments as “terrible opinion and awful, disgusting and contradictory comments.” Responding to Williams’ references to London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan and British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Rifi added: “It shows modern-day British Muslims are contributing to public life by holding public offices and engaging in democratic political activities.
Red Flags Ignored
Multiple warning signs about Williams should have prevented his appearance. The controversial influencer has built a following of 243,000 on Instagram by posting anti-Islamic content whilst frequently appearing draped in bacon. He openly calls for “maximum damage to Islam” and promotes a “Christian Europe.”
The day before his Sky appearance, Williams posted a video asking his followers what messages were “crucial to get out there”, followed by what sources described as a hate-filled speech. Perhaps most remarkably, In one video, Williams showed what appeared to be a Sky employee helping him put bacon on his shirt ahead of the Freya Fires Up interview. “Strangely not the weirdest thing I’ve done in this job,” the employee said while placing the pieces of meat on the influencer’s shoulders.
Sky admitted its vetting processes had catastrophically failed. The network spokesperson confirmed the technician who prepared Williams for his appearance “was not aware of the guest’s background and not involved in booking the guest or any editorial processes.”
Host’s Controversial Response
During the brief segment before Williams was cut off, Leach attempted to moderate his comments but drew criticism for her own response. Leach attempted to steer the discussion, telling viewers: “It’s important to preface that the majority of Muslims don’t support that. We have seen here in Australia at least we’ve got some great moderate Muslims, but I think it’s up to them to condemn the elements of the culture or religion that are more extreme.
Critics argued this placed an unfair burden on Muslim communities to constantly denounce extremism. Moments later, Leach interrupted the broadcast with an apology: “I’ve just been told we have to apologise for what was just aired, those comments earlier.”
Programme Under Review
The fallout has been swift and comprehensive. Sky News has launched an immediate review of Freya Fires Up, including its guest booking and vetting procedures. The programme, which premiered in early August, will shift from live broadcasting to pre-recorded segments to prevent similar incidents.
Despite the controversy, both Leach and the junior producer who worked on Sunday’s programme are expected to retain their positions, according to network insiders. The incident marks a significant setback for the young host’s burgeoning television career.
About the Host
At just 22, Leach has already made her mark as a Liberal candidate in the 2023 NSW state election and as the Director of the Centre for Youth Policy at the Menzies Research Centre. She completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney earlier this year. She joined Sky News earlier this year as part of The Late Debate team before receiving her own weekly programme last month.
Leach’s rapid rise has not been without controversy. Some commentators argue her public persona is more the result of network strategy than grassroots popularity, noting her background at St Andrew’s Cathedral School and her family’s history of attracting attention in public debate.
Williams Claims Refuge in Miami
Following the incident, Williams has shared videos online claiming he could face arrest for hate speech. He says he is seeking refuge in Miami. Despite Sky’s removal of the segment from all its platforms, Williams reposted the clip to his Instagram account, where it quickly garnered more than 90,000 likes before spreading across social media.
The controversy highlights the ongoing challenges broadcasters face in balancing free speech with responsible platforming, particularly when dealing with provocative guests seeking to exploit live television for their own agenda.
Charlie Kirk Context
Williams had ostensibly been invited to discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the American conservative activist who was shot dead whilst speaking at Utah Valley University in Utah on 10 September. While engaging with an audience member about mass shootings in the United States, Kirk was fatally shot through the neck and pronounced dead later at a nearby hospital.
Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared in court today virtually for the first time after being arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10. Prosecutors have announced they will seek the death penalty, alleging the attack was politically motivated.
The Kirk assassination has sparked intense debate about political violence in America, making Williams’s inflammatory appearance on Sky particularly ill-timed and damaging to serious discourse about the tragedy.
Industry Impact
The incident represents one of the most serious editorial failures in recent Australian television history. Media analysts suggest it will likely lead to stricter vetting procedures across the industry, particularly for live programming dealing with sensitive political and religious topics.
The shift to pre-recorded broadcasts for Freya Fires Up signals a significant loss of editorial confidence in the programme’s ability to handle controversial content responsibly. Industry observers note this could set a precedent for other opinion-based programmes on the network.
Sky News Australia’s reputation for provocative right-wing commentary has often courted controversy, but Sunday’s incident appears to have crossed a line even for the Murdoch-owned network. The swift apology and comprehensive review suggest senior management recognises the severity of the breach.
As Australian broadcasters grapple with increasing polarisation and the rise of extremist voices seeking mainstream platforms, the Williams incident serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of inadequate editorial oversight in the digital age.
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