Viewers slam 'unwatchable' Virgin Media Leaders' Debate

Viewers were unimpressed  with Virgin Media's General Election Leaders' Debate on Thursday evening, with hosts Ivan Yates and Matt Cooper receiving plenty of criticism.

Plenty of people felt the hosts' aggressive line of questioning ruined the debate.

It's a shame as it was the last time all seven party leaders will be together before the general election on Saturday, February 8.

There was no clear winner this time, however, viewers were full of praise for Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald once again after she earned praise for her performance in the RTÉ Leaders' Debate.

The tone was set right from the beginning as Yates described the seven party leaders as a “bunch of charlatans and chancers”, describing their spending plans as "dishonest".

Fíanna Fáil leader Micheál Martin even complained about being interrupted by the hosts at one point.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar clashed with Martin over housing while McDonald and the leaders of the smaller parties all had a go at criticising the Government.

Varadkar and Martin both rule out a coalition with Sinn Féin once again while Cooper joked about this with McDonald, something which didn't receive a popular reaction among viewers.

He said: “Neither of these lads want you, are you going to continue making eyes at them?”

The reaction to the debate has been a very negative one, with plenty of people comparing Yates and Cooper to Claire Byrne.