Taxidermy

On the Today show this morning Dermot Brereton, ex-footballer, ex-Dancing on Ice contestant and ex-Bachelor of the Year, was dragged out to discuss this year's Bachelor competition. Somewhere on a hilltop in Melbourne, he came out with the immortal line (I'm quoting from memory here): "If you don't win it one year, you just go back and enter it the next. If you have to enter it a third year, they're either trying to tell you something or you're a POOF."

It wasn't just the word, it was the venomous way he spat it out, as 'tough' blokes do when they want to emphasise their masculinity. At this point, we cut back to Karl and Jess in the studio. They looked suitably uncomfortable, but the best response they could muster was a slightly disapproving "Oh, Dermy" from each of them, before moving on to another question.

I was a little shocked and a lot disappointed. But if truth be told, I actually expected Australia to be a lot more like that (I guess we all have our prejudices) and have been pleasantly surprised to find that - on the whole - it's not.

Still, maybe it's time to defect to the Channel 7 breakfast show. They don't have Jess, but I do love their satellite link-ups with the Hollywood gossip guy...