Channel Seven’s big TV ratings win with Bruce Lehrmann interview
Channel Seven’s big TV win with Bruce Lehrmann interview – great competition from Nine’s 60 Minutes exposé by Ben Roberts-Smith
More than half a million people tuned in to Channel Seven to watch Bruce Lehrmann give his first interview since he was accused of raping his former colleague Brittany Higgins.
The former Coalition staffer has always maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to one charge of unauthorized sexual intercourse in a trial that was finally dropped last year due to juror misconduct.
On Sunday night, Mr Lehrmann faced the cameras for his first sit-down interview on the Seven’s Spotlight programme, in which he laid out his version of what happened when he and Ms Higgins returned to Parliament House on 23 March 2019.
Around 600,000 people watched the interview, drawing viewers away from Channel Nine’s consistently successful current affairs program 60 Minutes.
60 Minutes drew just 426,000 viewers for the investigation into Ben Roberts-Smith, the decorated Australian soldier who was caught last week on a probable civil trial for committing war crimes in Afghanistan.
More than half a million people tuned into Channel Seven to watch Bruce Lehrmann give his first interview since he was accused of raping his former colleague Brittany Higgins
Mr Lehrmann flatly denied the allegation during his interview with Liam Bartlett
During the segment, Seven broadcast never-before-seen CCTV footage of Parliament House that evening.
It shows Mrs Higgins and Mr Lehrmann walking through a security checkpoint and walking the corridors of the House of Parliament.
“It just didn’t happen,” Mr Lehrmann said during the interview about the allegation.
The former political staffers had been drinking with other colleagues before agreeing to split a shared ride to their respective homes on the night of the alleged incident.
Instead, they went to the parliament building.
The Seven Network also broadcast never-before-seen security footage of Parliament House from the night of the alleged attack
CCTV footage showed the two entering Parliament House at 1:47 a.m. and being escorted to the lift
Mr. Lehrmann had previously provided four conflicting accounts of events when asked why he and Mrs. Higgins did not immediately go home that evening.
Spotlight host Liam Bartlett questioned Mr. Lehrmann about the various statements, adding: “It doesn’t look good, does it, Bruce?”
Mr. Lehrmann agreed, but clarified that the version he told federal police to collect the keys to his apartment was the truth.