his role as Midday host. Gradually-declining ratings over previous years saw the show axed at the end of 1994 (Derryn had offered to resign for the good of the show, but stated in interviews that Nine Network executives made it clear that it was the show that was being axed rather than the host). Tracy Grimshaw and David Reyne (1995) Following the announcement of the program's axing at the end of 1994, it had been stated that the show would be replaced by a new talk program. After a six-month absence, a lower-budget hour-long program using the Midday title began. In its new form, the show had a more generic feel to it, with no live band and none of the loose "variety show" feeling of the program in its previous incarnation. After the network had considered a number of personalities for the hosting job including Larry Emdur, Richard Wilkins and Monte Dwyer, it was announced that Tracy Grimshaw and David Reyne were to be the co-hosts of this version. However, only six months later the program was again reformatted, effectively making it more reminiscent of the Mike Walsh/Ray Martin eras. Kerri-Anne Kennerley (1996–1998) In 1996, Kerri-Anne Kennerley was appointed to the new incarnation of the show, with the title becoming Midday with Kerri-Anne. Geoff Harvey re-joined the show from a period of semi-retirement, albeit with a streamlined, six-piece band and not the full orchestra the show had had in previous days. Initially, Kerri-Anne caused a resurgence in ratings, with her enthusiasm and her tendency to physically interact with guests (i.e. doing dance steps with dancers, attempting to play the respective sports of sporting personalities) rather than confining herself to sit-down interviews. She gained three consecutive Gold Logie nominations for her work on the show, and was widely praised for "bringing the magic back to Midday". However, the show was eventually not able to compete with better rating, imported programs on other networks, and the general decline of locally produced daytime talk shows and budget concerns that prompted the 1994 axing caused the show to again be axed at the end of 1998. The final Midday program aired on 27 November 1998, running for a length of 150 minutes and featuring an array of guests including Maggie Tabberer, Brian Bury, Doug Mulray, Derryn Hinch, Don Lane, Ron Casey, Barry Crocker and Dame Edna. Guest hosts The program would occasionally use