Sky Moves Freya Fires Up to Pre-Recorded After Islamophobic Guest Incident

Sky News Australia will pre-record Freya Fires Up, its new prime-time program, after a controversial guest used the show to broadcast Islamophobic remarks. Ryan Williams, a 33-year-old commentator from Scotland, wore bacon on his shoulders during an interview with host Freya Leach and launched a tirade against Muslims that ended within about a minute. The rapid departure from a live format underscores concerns about guest vetting and editorial oversight on a program that had been marketed as a flagship late-evening show.

Leach apologized on Monday's episode of The Late Debate, saying Williams was asked to respond to developments around the Charlie Kirk assassination but instead used the platform to spread harmful views. Sky confirmed the segment had been scrubbed from the episode available on its website, and the network said it would review the show's booking processes as part of a broader audit. Williams wore bacon during the interview and was seen gesturing while delivering a stream of Islamophobic assertions that prompted a swift shutdown of the live recording.

An internal Sky source told the Sydney Morning Herald that Sky's head of programs, Mark Calvert, was on leave at the time and had not approved Williams as a guest. The source also said News Corp, which runs Sky News, had no senior editors or managers on hand on Sunday, leaving Leach and one junior producer to vet the guests on their own. The rejection of formal oversight in this instance has prompted Sky to initiate a review of guest-screening and editorial procedures in the wake of the incident.

Williams' online activity earlier this year included posts that amplified Islamophobic rhetoric, including wearing and eating bacon to mock Muslims. On the day before his Sky appearance he posted a video asking followers, "What would you like me to talk about and which message is crucial to get out there?", followed by a hate-filled speech. He also asserted that "the terrorists are a charming lot" and that the U.K. faced "the threat of Islamic invasion every day," claiming Britain's second-biggest city, Birmingham, has a Muslim majority. Leach responded to Williams' rant by telling viewers that it was up to Muslims to condemn such views and that the majority of Muslims do not support those messages; she added that moderate Muslims in Australia deserve recognition and that condemnation should come from within the community for extreme elements.

Williams has since shared videos online claiming he could be arrested for hate speech and said he is seeking refuge in Miami as he contends with the fallout from the interview and the broader online backlash. The broader context of the episode has fed into a larger discussion about editorial accountability at Sky News Australia, particularly after internal discussions indicated that the guest's background and potential risks were not adequately flagged during the booking process.

Sky admitted its editorial processes had failed to flag Williams as a problematic guest. A Sky spokesperson said the technician who prepped Williams for the interview "was not aware of the guest's background and not involved in booking the guest or any editorial processes." The company said the interview was removed from Sky's website as part of a review and that Freya Fires Up will be pre-recorded while booking procedures are reviewed and a formal audit of the program's vetting practices proceeds.