Robbie Williams divided ABC viewers on Sunday night, despite bringing down the house at the tail end of the network’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.
The British pop superstar spared no opportunity to promote his new documentary, Better Man, launching into a shameless plug mid-set.
It was before his performance of Better Man that Robbie gave a rave review to his own movie of same name.
‘Some critics are calling it the movie of the century! Not my words, except they are because I just made that up’ he said to the crowd.
Robbie then asked if anyone had seen the movie as yet, and explained it had been filmed in Australia.
He even changed some of the lyrics to Better Man, and sang, ‘so go watch my movie, it’s full of drugs and sex, I’ve got my own biopic, I’m not even dead’.
Robbie Williams (pictured) divided ABC viewers on Sunday night, despite bringing down the house at the tail end of the network’s New Year’s Eve broadcast
The move divided viewers, with many annoyed that the ABC – a government owned, tax payer funded television station – was spending a pretty penny on Williams performance.
‘Did my tax dollars pay for this lazy Robbie Williams set? What the f**k. PR for a movie during a set as well?!’ wrote one person on X.
‘Robbie Williams is busy posing & promoting himself, how about singing a song’ added another alongside a thumbs down emoji.
‘Your tax dollars hard at work with this Robbie Williams performance’ posted another.
‘Robbie Williams on @ABCTV is a new low for this country. Our tax dollars down the f**king drain watching this washed up clown’ said one more.
‘And seeing the new year in with Robbie Williams spruiking his new movie in white pants and now covering John Farnham’s You’re the voice, introducing it as the national anthem’ another agreed.
‘We’re gonna get just 25-30 minutes of Robbie Williams. How much and who’s paying??’ said someone else.
‘The taxpayers funding Robbie Williams is an odd way to end and start. Absolutely f**ked’ said one more.
Many were annoyed that the ABC – a government owned, tax payer funded television station – was spending a pretty penny on Williams performance
‘Damn how did ABC afford Robbie Williams’ questioned a viewer tuning in at home.
Others heaped praise on the stellar performance and didn’t mind the plug.
‘Imagine being so sooky on New Year’s Eve that you get offended about Robbie Williams plugging his movie that was shot and directed by Australians’ wrote one.
‘Robbie Williams don’t give a F@#$ Aussie sucker’s paying their tax dollars to this s**t TV station’ yet one more chimed in.
‘The ABC, a non commercial network running 15 minute promotion for Robbie Williams new movie just before he comes on to perform. But you can’t refer to the SFS as Allianz stadium or mention any specific brand of any sort during a broadcast because it is supposed to remain neutral’ argued one viewer.
‘Robbie Williams has saved the ABC’ said another, with someone else posting, ‘Robbie Williams saves our big event once again’.
‘No one entertains better than Robbie Williams – NO ONE’ declared yet another fan.
Robbie earlier began his set with the rousing rendition of his massive hit Let Me Entertain You before a cover of Land Of A Thousand dances.
The British pop superstar spared no opportunity to promote his new documentary, Better Man, launching into a shameless plug mid-set
He even changed some of the lyrics to Better Man, and sang, ‘so go watch my movie, it’s full of drugs and sex, I’ve got my own biopic, I’m not even dead’
There was a snag at the start of his next tune, Me And My Monkey, with Robbie missing his cue and blaming his band, but Feel went off flawlessly.
Robbie completed the set with Rock DJ, cover of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice and Angels.
Williams was said to have undergone weeks of secret negotiations before he was officially signed up to be the face of Australia’s New Year’s Eve festivities.
Robbie described the gig as the ‘perfect’ way to end the year after his new biopic, Better Man, was filmed in Melbourne with the help of Aussie director Michael Gracey.
In a statement from the ABC confirming his performance, Robbie gushed: ‘I love and adore Australia, and the Sydney fireworks are truly magical.
‘To be ringing in the New Year in the country where my biopic, Better Man, was shot will be the perfect end to 2024 and the ideal start to 2025.
‘I can’t wait to perform and celebrate with my incredible Australian fans.’
The former Take That star has reconnected with his love of Australia recently after filming his upcoming biopic Better Man in Melbourne.
Others heaped praise on the stellar performance and didn’t mind the plug
Robbie’s musical biopic has been earning rave reviews following its Christmas Day US release and Boxing Day premiere in Australia and the UK.
The semi-biographical movie follows the singer’s meteoric rise to fame as a member of Take That and subsequent dramatic fall, as he battled with his personal demons and the challenges that success can bring.
But in a twist on the genre, the pop star, 50, is portrayed as a chimpanzee in the film, while everyone else in human, with Jonno Davies acting the movements via motion capture technology and Robbie doing most of the voicework.
And while critics have branded the decision a ‘huge risk’ and potentially ‘stupid gambit’, they declared it ended up being genius choice and ‘one of the most inspired bits of casting of the year’.
In his four star review for Roger Egbert.com, Clint Worthington said the chimp gimmick was a ‘smart move’ that allowed Robbie to ‘vulnerably share his lows while underplaying the pomp and circumstance of his highs.’
He added: ‘You won’t see another music biopic quite like “Better Man,” regardless of your level of familiarity with its subject. There’s a surfeit of charm here that helps sell the nonsensical gimmick’.