Hamish Macdonald returns to Channel 10 as The Sunday Project host

After quitting Q+A following 18 months with the ABC, Hamish Macdonald is officially set to return to Channel 10. Here’s the latest.

Hamish Macdonald is officially returning to Channel 10’s The Project after the shock announcement he was leaving the ABC.

The in-demand TV journalist was previously a permanent host on The Sunday Project alongside Lisa Wilkinson prior to taking a job with the public broadcaster in late 2019, where he hosted its popular discussions program, Q+A, throughout 2020.

He is returning to the helm of the Sunday program, as well as hosting on Friday nights.

“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,” Macdonald said in a statement released by Ten.

“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.”

Macdonald’s abrupt departure from the ABC after only 18 months into the job was announced by the broadcaster on Monday.

Hamish Macdonald replaced founding Q+A host Tony Jones in late 2019, before announcing he was leaving ABC earlier this week and will be returning to Channel 10. Picture: ABC-TV

Channel 10’s head of popular factual Sarah Thornton said Macdonald was considered “part of the family” at The Project, with the network thrilled to welcome him back.

“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,” Thornton said.

“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.”

It comes after a report in The Australian today that Network 10 made it a “special project” to poach Macdonald back from the ABC.

news.com.au contacted the ABC who declined to comment.

Hamish Macdonald is returning to host The Sunday Project. Picture: Channel 10

In a January interview with Stellar magazine, Macdonald – who took over from veteran Q+A host Tony Jones – said he was having a tough time with backlash during his stint on the program, adding he’d copped a record amount of abuse which saw him delete social media.

“If you’re someone who sits in the middle of those exchanges in your day job, you end up copping it from every direction. I’ve never had more abuse for the interviews I’ve conducted than I had last year,” he said.

“And the abuse has come from left-wing people who don’t like you asking difficult questions of Dan Andrews, and it’s come from people on the right who don’t like you asking difficult questions of the federal government. I’ve definitely learnt you can’t please everyone.”