Sharp trio to host new flagship TV One show

Ali Mau, Greg Boyed and Jesse Mulligan will host TV One's new 7pm show, Seven Sharp – the replacement for Close Up.

The trio have a strong journalistic pedigree and the ability to reflect the day's events with smart thinking and different viewpoints, head of news and current affairs Ross Dagan says. 

There will also be "plenty of laughs along the way" on the flagship show, which is still several weeks away from going on air.

Mau is a long-serving and respected journalist whose most recent role with TVNZ has been as the co-host of long-running consumer affairs show Fair Go. Before that she worked on Breakfast.

"I'm thrilled to be part of this, particularly as the Seven Sharp team is such a strong one both journalistically and creatively," she says.

"I'm really looking forward to working alongside Greg and Jesse in the studio, both of whom bring a wicked sense of humour and depth of knowledge to the show.

"The only difficult part of the decision was leaving Fair Go, as I've loved it so much, and I'll miss working alongside my Fair Go colleagues day to day."

Boyed has been on the TVNZ news and current affairs team for more than a decade, with recent roles on One News at 6, Tonight and Q+A.

Mulligan, who originally trained as a lawyer, is a well-known writer and comedian who has for the last three years been head writer and panellist on TV3's 7 Days.

He has also worked as a journalist, in public relations and as a food critic, and has a particular interest in social media.

While Seven Sharp is not due on air for some weeks, executive producer Raewyn Rasch says the show is already coming together well.

"We are well advanced in the production planning stages and have a great catalogue of stories already under way that we are raring to go with.

"We are really excited at the shape the show is taking," she says.

Announcements on who will replace Mau on Fair Go and Boyed on Tonight will be made in the coming weeks.

The Mark Sainsbury-fronted Close Up was axed at the end of last year.