A controversey swirling around the tabloids after a woman made allegations about her TV 'father' groping her in a sitcom 20 year ago when she was a girl.

The tabloid TV show salivating about it all keeps showing bits of the show where the 'dad' and 'daughter' sort of cuddle in the show..yet she says he 'cuddled' her in the dresing room.

Now others are steppig forward with fairly innocuous claims (to me)

I note those making the claims-including a male who says he walked in on the 'dad' who had his face 'close' to the girl's (assault ?) have had acting careers that went no-where.

Others who appeared on the show -all young and the same age as the girl, like Delta Goodren and Naomi Watts all say nothing untoward happened and they only have happy memories of the show.

Is there a correlation between success and failure ?

Into this steps the casting director who is a very odd character who dopped out to start a clinic for 'recovered memory' syndrome (now shown to be bogus) who is fronting TV making the claims she knew all about it but 'never had proof' but she must 'speak up'. Not that she has any proof now of course. She gets a fortune in govt funding for her 'clinic' ( a lovely country property)

The tabloid TV show making all the noise keeps talking about 'victims', then 'alleged victims' but I've never seen such a carefully crafted script(that's what it looks like to me) to totally condemn a still innocent man (the 'father') who now lives in Singapore with his family.

The host of that show was the one sledged by Gordon Ramsey last year before he apologised. He was right-her perormance would earn an Oscar the way she veered between 'he is innocent' at this stage but 'let's set the scene where he will never ever get a fair tial if charged'

Simone Buchanan is a fantastic actress and has now come forward with witness statements and the tale that Robert Hughes (now named as the man in question) touched her in a bad way (though she was 18). Hughes has never joined cast reunions (not helping him now if he is innocent) and moved to Singapore with his wife who is a top Hollywood agent for many famous acting people. Simone recently had a leading role in 'Neighbours' and seems to have no reason for speaking out now unjustly. However Hughes is now a voice over artist in singapore so not sure why its taken so long to break this story? It does seem plausible but I worked in early years and wonder (if i became more famous) if parents might come forward to say they had seen me "whispering to their child"...

Yes..Simone is actually successful.

I have no idea of what is true..what isn't.. but I think the whole matter is verging on witch-hunt proportions.

Not too sure about Liz Muliner..once a top casting agent. Very nice woman but has become quite dogmatic about matters since shown to be dodgy like the 'repressed memory syndrome'

Another factor colouring it all : the tabloid TV show promoting the furore has had it in for the channel than ran the sitcom and it's billionaire owner who is also running a series of TV adverts about 'free to TV' sport's broadcasts which affects their income.

I still predict huge lawsuits.

Singalongsongs wrote:
Simone Buchanan is a fantastic actress and has now come forward with witness statements and the tale that Robert Hughes (now named as the man in question) touched her in a bad way (though she was 18). Hughes has never joined cast reunions (not helping him now if he is innocent) and moved to Singapore with his wife who is a top Hollywood agent for many famous acting people. Simone recently had a leading role in 'Neighbours' and seems to have no reason for speaking out now unjustly. However Hughes is now a voice over artist in singapore so not sure why its taken so long to break this story? It does seem plausible but I worked in early years and wonder (if i became more famous) if parents might come forward to say they had seen me "whispering to their child"...

Simone's tale sounds pretty dodgy.

She says 'he made a pass at her' in a car while giving her a lift home. So she wasn't that threatened..and a 'pass' when she was 18 ?? give me a break.

The rest of her tale is just repeating what the other said to her which is the same as village gossip which when it involves sex is always 'true'.

I didn't realise the guy in question is married to Robyn Garndiner -Cate Blanchets, and many others agent. What a god awful mess.

As for the alleged victim-she says she didn't expect this reaction. Yes sure-she's a TV producer herself in the USA.

The funniest angle is the cast snap in today's Murdoch tablod-with the blanked out face of an actress I know . She must have put her foot down and demanded she be removed from the pic.

I've never actually seen this show-it finished before I got to Oz but I know the blancked out actress and everytime we caught a cab the driver treatd her like a star. Apparently she wants nought to do with the drama. Lawsuits all round !!

pic:

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/...frexlr-1225846195433

This is proving a depressing tale of how money has clouded the whole 'abuse' industry everywhere.

The wife of the accused man is sticking by him as are a host of major stars, who she is an agent for-Cate Blanchett, Anthony la Paglia and so on.

For all the moralising-especially in News Corp tabloids a new factor emerges...well not yet.. but it will in the next few days. I now discover the woman making the claims has an agent..a friend of mine I haven't seen for about 3 years and he negotiated a $100,000 deal for her to make her claims in a glossy magazine.

So while she is saying she is 'shocked' at the furore...despite being a TV producer in Texas and would know exactly what would follow..despite having an agent to sell her story and claiming "the truth must come out"...it seems the truth must only come out now there is a large sum of money to be made.

As for the bloke in question...bugger his reputation...destroyed now forever...and his kids and his grandchildren.