Tonight with Vincent Browne

Tonight with Vincent Browne
Genre News and current affairs programme
Created by TV3
Presented by Vincent Browne
Country of origin Ireland
Production
Location(s) Ballymount, Dublin 12
Running time 45 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel TV3
Picture format 720x576
Original run 14 January 2007 [1][2] – present
External links
Website

Tonight with Vincent Browne, formerly Nightly News with Vincent Browne, is an Irish news analysis, current affairs and politics programme. It is broadcast on TV3 on Monday to Thursday nights 23:05 to 23:55. It is presented by the journalist Vincent Browne, noted for his rather acerbic style of presenting with The Guardian describing him as "Ireland's Jeremy Paxman".[3]

Each year he gives out political awards at Christmas.[4]

Contents

Notable interviews

Tonight with Vincent Browne is noted for having coerced various experienced politicians, including Joan Burton and Conor Lenihan, into embarrassing meltdowns live on air. Burton asked Browne if he was “asking me a question or just trying to harangue me?” and then set about repeatedly interrupting Joe Higgins leading Browne to interject: “Joan, you get hyper-irritated when anyone harangues you so please don't harangue Joe”, but to no avail as Burton continued to interrupt. When Conor Lenihan refused to resign over the Brian Cowen leadership vote, Lenihan stood up angrily, glared, pointed his finger at Browne and sneered, “It's easy for you to be cynical about people who go into public life and I really do resent the sneering insinuation that you're trying to put to me”, with Browne responding, “Conor, you're not going to shout me down and you can take me full-on on this if you like” which is exactly what happened. Lenihan lost his seat dramatically in the general election the following February.[5]

After airing an interview with Fianna Fáil politicians Charlie O'Connor and Darragh O'Brien, recorded outside Leinster House following the vote of confidence in then Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Browne popped up onscreen back in the studio and remarked: “God, it would do your head in, wouldn't it?”.[5]

Ratings

Despite airing on what is usually considered a graveyard slot, the show has been highly successful with on average 166,000 viewers.[6] However, when TV3 temporarily replaced Tonight with Vincent Browne with UK celebrity torture show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in November 2011, its RTÉ rival The Frontline gained nearly 70,000 viewers.[7]

Controversy

During a November 2011 debate on the programme, tweets critical of Irish Travellers linked to the RTÉ presenter Peter Collins surfaced online.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ "You cannot be serious". Irish Independent. 31 August 2007. http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/news-gossip/you-cannot-be-serious-1068747.html. Retrieved 12 June 2009. 
  2. ^ "Vincent Browne is to anchor TV3’s new late-night television news and current affairs show". Irish Examiner. 31 August 2007. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2007/08/31/story41342.asp. Retrieved 12 June 2009. 
  3. ^ White, Michael. "An Irish election in a time of staggering debt and quiet rage". The Guardian. 14 February 2011. "And what of Enda Kenny, the man set to inherit this mess? He ducked last week's leaders debate on TV, ostensibly because its acerbic host, Vincent Browne, Ireland's Jeremy Paxman, had suggested he shoot himself, but actually because he's hopeless on TV."
  4. ^ "Vincent Browne hands out the gongs". Evening Herald (Independent News & Media). 20 December 2011. http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/vincent-browne-hands-out-the-gongs-2968082.html. Retrieved 20 December 2011. 
  5. ^ a b Heaney, Mick (31 March 2011). "A new heavyweight in light entertainment". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/0331/1224293430591.html. Retrieved 31 March 2011. 
  6. ^ "Nielsen figures confirm TV3 is the only terrestrial channel to grow share". TV3. 2 March 2010. http://www.tv3.ie/pr_sub.php?type=2&view_pr=118. Retrieved 2 March 2010. 
  7. ^ Campos, Adelina (24 November 2011). "Ratings boost for Frontline ...while Browne's off the air". Evening Herald (Independent News & Media). http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/ratings-boost-for-frontline-while-brownes-off-the-air-2945241.html. Retrieved 24 November 2011. 
  8. ^ "Peter Collins accounts cause Twitter storm… but they’re all fake". The Journal. 9 November 2011. http://www.thejournal.ie/peter-collins-accounts-cause-twitter-storm-but-theyre-all-fake-275199-Nov2011/. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
  9. ^ "Possibly fake Twitter account gets RTE's Peter Collins in hot water". JOE. 9 November 2011. http://www.joe.ie/news-politics/current-affairs/possibly-fake-twitter-account-gets-rtes-peter-collins-in-hot-water-0017544-1. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 

External links