''Speers Tonight'' is an Australian television program on

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

. The program sees host

David Speers David Gordon Speers (born 9 September 1974 in Inverell, Australia) is an Australian journalist and host of '' Insiders'' on ABC TV. Previously he was political editor at Sky News Australia, as well as host of ''PM Agenda'', '' The Last Word' ...

interview a prominent guest, followed by a discussion of political issues from the week with journalists Paul Kelly and

Peter Hartcher Peter Hartcher is an Australian journalist and the Political and International Editor of the ''Sydney Morning Herald''. He is also a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based foreign policy think tank. Career In 1981, while a stude ...

. The weekly program replaced similar format '' The Nation with David Speers'' on Thursday nights and was one of two programs hosted by Speers, the other being the four-times weekly ''

PM Agenda ''Agenda'' is the name given to a series of Australian television news and commentary programs, broadcast on Sky News Australia throughout the week. The ''Agenda'' series of bulletins serve as the channel's flagship program. The series focuses ...

''. The program debuted on 28 January 2016 with

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parlia ...

as the inaugural guest. Episode 42 of the first season is the highest rated regular episode of ''Speers Tonight'', when it was watched by 49,000 viewers, making it the third most viewed Sky News program and sixth most watched program on the

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

platform for that day. A special post- American election episode was watched by 89,000 viewers, ranked as the sixth most watched program on both Sky News and Foxtel for that day.

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2017)

Notes

* Episode 16 was hosted by

Peter van Onselen Peter van Onselen is an Australian political academic, author, political journalist and commentator. He is a contributing editor at ''The Australian'' newspaper. Between 2010 and 2017, he hosted several programs at Sky News Australia. Since Dec ...

while Speers was on parental leave. * Episode 25 was hosted by

Kristina Keneally Kristina Marie Kerscher Keneally (born 19 December 1968) is an American-born Australian politician who was a Labor Senator for New South Wales from February 2018 until April 2022, when she resigned to unsuccessfully contest the House of Represe ...

while Speers was on holidays. Additionally, neither Hartcher or Kelly appeared. * Episode 36 was hosted by

Kieran Gilbert Kieran Gilbert is an Australian journalist currently serving as chief political reporter for Sky News Australia. Career Gilbert holds a Master of International Studies from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) f ...

while Speers was on holidays. Additionally, neither Hartcher or Kelly appeared. * Episode 41 aired on a Wednesday as a special episode following coverage of the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...

. * Episode 19 was hosted by Kieran Gilbert while Speers was on assignment, filming segments for the following episode of ''Speers Tonight''. Additionally, neither Hartcher or Kelly appeared. * Episode 25 was hosted by Peter van Onselen while Speers was on leave. * Episode 27 was hosted by

Samantha Maiden Samantha Louise Maiden is an Australian political journalist. She is currently political editor for news.com.au, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia. Early life and education Maiden was born in Adelaide. As a student at Adelaide Universit ...

while Speers was on leave. * Episode 28 was hosted by Kieran Gilbert while Speers was on leave.

References

External links

Sky News Official site
{{News & Current Affairs in Australia, state=collapsed Australian non-fiction television series English-language television shows Sky News Australia 2016 Australian television series debuts 2017 Australian television series endings