''Spotlight'' is the name given to a BBC Northern Ireland weekly current affairs programme. It debuted in 1973. The programme is aired on BBC1 Northern Ireland at 10:35pm (and sometimes early) on Tuesday evenings, with a repeat on BBC2. It is available to UK viewers outside of Northern Ireland on BBC iPlayer for a week after the programme. The format usually consists of a half-hour report presented on a rotating basis by a small number of presenters and reporters. At present, these are Brian Hollywood, Stephen Walker, Darragh MacIntyre and Bobby Friedman. Occasionally, the programme consists of a studio format with various reports and panel discussions. ''Spotlight'' is well known for its hard-hitting investigations and recently won a Royal Television Society award for Mandy McAuley's dog-fighting investigation. It has launched the careers of a number of high-profile broadcasters, including

Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English broadcaster, journalist, author, and television presenter. Born in Leeds, Paxman was educated at Malvern College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate new ...

and

Gavin Esler Gavin William James Esler (born 27 February 1953) is a Scottish journalist, television presenter and author. He was a main presenter on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, ''Newsnight'', from January 2003 until January 2014, and pr ...

''Spotlight at 40''

On 22 October 2013, ''Spotlight'' celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special show dubbed ''Spotlight at 40''. The show featured interviews with stars such as Gavin Esler, Patrick Kielty, Stephen Nolan and Jeremy Paxman and took a look back at the show's 40-year run including its most controversial shows.

External links

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''Spotlight at 40''''Spotlight on the Troubles: A Secret History''
* BBC Northern Ireland television shows Current affairs shows Television news program articles using incorrect naming style 1990s television series from Northern Ireland 2000s television series from Northern Ireland 2010s television series from Northern Ireland 2020s television series from Northern Ireland {{NorthernIreland-media-stub