Sonia Kruger and Nat Barr first choices for Channel 7's Adele interview

Matt Doran was reportedly Channel Seven's fifth choice for the network's exclusive interview with Adele in London, with the Weekend Sunrise host making headlines worldwide after admitting to the singer he hadn't even listened to her new album before the interview.

According to The Daily Telegraph, it was believed the singer "stormed out" of the interview, however, Matt insists this wasn't the case.

"What do you think of my album?" Adele is said to have asked him, to which he replied: "I haven’t listened to it."

The exclusive chat is rumoured to have cost Seven $1 million in a deal with Sony, which also included broadcast rights to Adele's One Night Only concert and her sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. The record label is now also reportedly blocking the network from airing any footage from the 30-minute interview.

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Now, Daily Mail is reporting high-ranking sources from Seven are 'fuming' over the whole debacle, especially given the fact several insiders have claimed he was the network's fifth choice for the interview.

Sonia Kruger was reportedly the first choice for the job, however, due to her Big Brother VIP hosting schedule, as well as Covid concerns, the mum-of-one passed on the opportunity.

Michael Usher was then considered, but scheduling conflicts also stopped him from taking the gig.

Sunrise's Nat Barr and 'free agent' Mel Doyle were also considered before Matt was given the job.

"There were concerns about Matt from the beginning...that he didn't have the experience to handle something of this scale," a Seven insider told the publication.

"There were also a few of us who thought Matt was chosen purely as a tactic to create some chemistry with Adele...which obviously backfired."

Seven was forced to scrap the interview as Sony refused to hand over the footage.

Matt admitted to The Australian he'd missed the email with the link to the album in it, calling it an unfortunate mistake, not arrogance, that meant he didn't listen to Adele's new album.

He said he'd been sent a copy of the album but "somehow missed" it while flying to London. He described it as "the most important email I have ever missed", adding he was "mortified and unequivocally apologetic".

"When I sat down to interview Adele, I was totally unaware that I’d been emailed a preview of her unreleased album," he told the publication.

He also disputed claims he was "formally" suspended by Seven over the incident despite being off air for one weekend.

Music industry veteran David Champion also told the Daily Mail the fact Matt didn't check his email is "unprofessional" and that listening to the album is the "most basic" requirement of a music interview.

He added, however, that Sony also needed to take some blame for not checking in with Matt on the morning of the interview to see what he thought of the album.

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