The Matty Johns Show (2010)

The Matty Johns Show was an Australian variety television show largely focused on the National Rugby League competition, starring former rugby league player Matthew "Matty" Johns. It first aired in 2010 on Thursdays at 7.30 pm in New South Wales and Queensland, on the Seven Network. The show usually ran for 1 hour. It was produced by Matty Johns and John Singleton. The show's rugby league content was directly comparable to The Footy Show, produced by the Nine Network, which has been on air since 1994. The Matty Johns Show was described as a "smut-free", more family-friendly version of it. The Matty Johns Show also featured interviews, music and character-based skits. Portions of it was co-hosted by Shane Webcke, Jason Stevens and Chloe Maxwell. The house band, Aston, gained attention for their arrangements of popular music, using classical instruments. The show's first season in 2010 rated strongly, and was compared favorably to The Footy Show by critics. It had been criticised for lacking serious football analysis, but had also been praised for its typically Australian character-based sketches. The Controversy Corner segment of the show was briefly spun off as a standalone Sunday morning program during the 2010 NRL finals.