Your Sunday nights are set to look a little different — and yet strangely familiar —as Hamish Macdonald joins The Sunday Project crew once more.
Macdonald will rejoin Lisa Wilkinson as co-host of the news style show and will also develop new ideas and programs, unearthing extraordinary stories and discovering remarkable people to bring exclusive content to 10 and its streaming platforms.
In a statement, Macdonald expressed his excitement at heading back to the show saying, “I am over the moon to be returning to 10 and thrilled about the opportunity to make great local and international content with this dynamic group of producers and presenters.
“It is also a total joy to be heading back to the desk with Lisa, Tommy and the people I love so much. Finding innovative ways to tell stories from Australia and around the world is what I love doing and I can’t wait to get stuck into it.”
The broadcasters surprise exit from the ABC, where he has been employed for the last 18 months, was announced on Monday, July 19. Macdonald had been hosting the channel’s popular Q&A program but decided to step down with social media abuse being reported as one of the deciding factors.
The host, who deleted his public Twitter and Instagram accounts in 2020, said in January 2021 that he’d “never had more abuse” from both sides of the political spectrum as he had while working for the ABC.
“I am enormously grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to host Q+A and to work alongside wonderful, talented and passionate people,” Macdonald said at the time of his departure.
“I am really proud of what we’ve achieved together during these extraordinary times.
“I’d also like to thank the incredible Q+A audience for all they contribute to this program each week. It is, after all, their show. Their questions and stories from all corners of Australia are inspiring, revealing and clever — and it has been a privilege to receive and read them.
“I’m really excited to be moving on to a new opportunity, and working more with the ABC in the future.”
Macdonald has been in broadcast journalism for close to 20 years and has reported from the front line of international conflicts, covered breaking international news stories and presidential elections, led in-depth story investigations, conducted hard-hitting interviews and hosted prime-time news programs.
Sarah Thornton, Head of Popular Factual, Network 10, said: “We have always considered Hamish part of our family here at The Project, and we are thrilled to welcome him home.
“Hamish is an outstanding journalist and his skill and passion as a broadcaster make him a valued addition to our hosting line-up on The Project.
“Hamish will also be back on the road, where he is peerless, telling extraordinary stories and connecting with people in Australia and around the globe. As the world and the media landscape change, and as storytelling comes to the fore, never have Hamish’s talents been more important. I’m excited for what the future holds with Hamish back at 10.”
Macdonald will begin appearing on The Project on Friday and The Sunday Project in early September 2021.
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