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Tonightly with Tom Ballard was an Australian comedy entertainment show presented by comedian Tom Ballard and regular contributors Bridie Connell, Greg Larsen, Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama. It aired on ABC Comedy from 4 December 2017 until 7 September 2018. The show was described as an "irreverent, fast-paced" look at the day in news and culture, with Ballard calling it "undergraduate filth". Tonightly with Tom Ballard was filmed a few hours before broadcast from the studios of the ABC's Ultimo headquarters.

Reception

An early review of Tonightly with Tom Ballard was positive, saying "the writing is top notch, the performances strong and getting stronger, and the filmed inserts are beautifully realised."

The show was criticised after a skit called Kevin Bailey, the candidate for the Australian Conservatives in the 2018 Batman by-election, a "cunt", with the leader of the party, Cory Bernardi, and the Education Minister, Simon Birmingham calling for someone to lose their job over it, and the Minister for Communications, Mitch Fifield asking for an investigation and an apology to Mr Bailey. The ABC later personally apologised to Mr Bailey, but defended the decision to air the segment, while expressions of support for the show were made by Joe Hildebrand, Wil Anderson and Annabel Crabb.

In August 2018, the show received criticism for a musical segment which highlighted perceived contradictions between Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Christian faith and his actions as a politician. The ABC rejected the suggestion that the segment "attack" Morrison's religion or religious beliefs, stating that "ost viewers would understand the skit to be a satirical way of examining the relationship between such beliefs and government policies on asylum seekers".

'Sex Pest', a song from the series performed by Bridie Connell and Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd, won the 2018 ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release. Tonightly Albumly, a collection of original songs from the series' run, was released on all digital services via ABC Music.

Discontinued

In mid-August 2018 it was announced that Tonightly with Tom Ballard would be dropped from the ABC line up and would air for the last time on 7 September 2018.

Episodes

This is a list of episodes for Tonightly with Tom Ballard which aired on ABC Comedy from 4 December 2017, to 7 September 2018.

Discography

Albums

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.

References

1. Knox, David (27 October 2017). "Tonightly with Tom Ballard leads ABC2 rebrand to ABC Comedy". TV Tonight.
2. Donoughue, Paul (31 October 2017). "The world is a scary place, and Tom Ballard is here to help". ABC News.
3. Mathieson, Craig (5 December 2017). "Nothing is off limits for Tom Ballard's new ABC show Tonightly". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
4. Street, Andrew (7 December 2017). "Tonightly review – Tom Ballard's new show shows promise, with one glaring problem". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
5. "Cory Bernardi demands someone 'lose their job' after ABC comedy sketch". SBS News. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
6. Styles, Aja (20 March 2018). "Communications Minister takes aim at Tonightly with Tom Ballard skit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
7. Carmody, Broede (22 March 2018). "ABC executive apologises to Kevin Bailey over Tonightly skit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
8. Hildebrand, Joe (23 March 2018). "What part of 'free speech' don't people understand?". news.com.au. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
9. Meade, Amanda (23 March 2018). "Wil Anderson on Tonightly: 'People more offended by C at end of AB than about C-bomb sketch'". the Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
10. "Scott Morrison at centre of ABC row over religion". news.com.au. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
11. ^ Lattouf, Antoinette (30 August 2018). "Not Funny: ABC Cops Criticism Over PM Christian Comedy Skit". Ten Daily. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
12. "ARIA Award Winners 2018". ariaawards.com.au. ARIA. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
13. "ABC won't be renewing the Tonightly with Tom Ballard program". ABC News. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
14. Byrne, Declan (12 June 2019). "Refugees making music in Australia". triple j. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
15. "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 17 April 2022.

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
• 2010s Australian comedy television series
• 2017 Australian television series debuts
• 2018 Australian television series endings
• Australian English-language television shows