A long-running Sydney breakfast radio feud has been exposed.
Martin Partridge and Sharon Benfield – hosts of Morning Run with Marto and Shazza (on 6am-9am Monday to Friday) – have been a ratings smash since 2019 with their famously tense and passive-aggressive working relationship.
But – as Partridge revealed in an exclusive interview with Everyday News – it’s all a sham.
“Mate, the truth is Shazza and I are great mates! We have barbies at each other’s places, spend Christmas and birthdays together, and our families adore each other. We’re both godparents to each other’s children.”
The feud started in 2020, when an on-air conversation about the best code of footy between rugby league and Australian rules turned surprisingly heated.
“I’m a Canberra boy and am a loyal Raiders fan and rugby league man, while Shazza’s grandad used to play that other sport for Collingwood, so she naturally became a Pies fan,” said Partridge. “I felt pretty bad after that argument and made sure to apologise in the first ad break, but Shazza got over it quickly. She’s good like that.”
“After the show, we were called into the boss’ office,” said Benfield. “I thought we were going to get yelled at, but turns out our ratings soared and the clip of the argument was doing big numbers, so he wanted us to keep arguing in the show.”
“At first I wasn’t interested, I don’t wanna fight with my best mate, but the boss said it was the only way to boost our ratings,” said Partridge. “It was a bit tricky at first, but we had a big night on the drink after one show and decided to have some fun with it, make up fake fights and take the piss.”
“My favourite segment was Who Cracks First?” said Benfield. “The point of the game was to hurl insults at each other until one of us cracked it and stormed out as dramatically as possible. It was an unfair fight because I always insulted Marto’s beloved Canberra and he’d lose it. Of course putting a bit more mayo on it for the the cameras.”
“After every show, we’d debrief with a few drinks, laugh about the silly stuff we said, and plan how we were going to be ‘mean’ to each other on the next show. It became a game for us,” said Partridge. “And the promos were hillarious, making us look like sworn enemies who couldn’t stand to be in the same room.”
But what’s brought on this confession?
With Partridge moving back to Canberra to work at 1053 2CA, he decided it was time to clear the air.
“While I’m looking forward to the more easy-going environment of ‘classic hits’ radio, telling Shazza I was leaving was gut-wrenching. We both had a sook that night and consoled ourselves with a few drinks.”
“It’s sad, but Marto’s been telling me for ages how much he hates Sydney. He’s says it’s too busy and too noisy. He was missing the simple life back in Canberra, so I can’t blame him for going. But I’ll miss him.”
While Benfield was given the option of continuing Morning Run with a new co-host, she declined, instead moving to a producer role at the same station.
“Gotta be honest, I’m looking forward to learning how to be a producer. And having a bit of a sleep in,” said Benfield. “Morning Run was fun, but I can’t be a presenter forever. It’s exhausting.”
The good news is Partridge and Benfield are not only keeping into touch via email and Zoom, but are planning to write a book together about their years on Morning Run.
“Shazza’s still working there, so it’s not going to be the ‘air your dirty laundry’ tell-all some people would expect,” said Partridge. “But it’ll be a celebration of our time there and of our friendship in general.”
