Twitter abuse 'a key factor' in Hamish Macdonald's decision to quit Q&A - as Stan Grant and Virginia Trioli are tipped as possible replacements

Twitter trolls were allegedly 'a factor' in Hamish Macdonald's departure from the ABC, according to a new report.

The 40-year-old journalist quit the ABC on Monday, less than 18 months after replacing Tony Jones as host of Q&A.

And 'scrutiny and abuse' on Twitter were 'a key factor in Macdonald’s decision to quit', the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday.

Abused: Hamish Macdonald's departure from the ABC allegedly came about due to the 'scrutiny and abuse' he faced on Twitter while host of Q&A, according to a new report

The newspaper also speculated on possible replacements for the outgoing host.

Stan Grant, Virginia Trioli, Fran Kelly and David Speers are all rumoured to be in line to fill Macdonald's shoes - should Q&A even continue to air.  

David Knox, the editor of TV Tonight, told Daily Mail Australia earlier this week he believes Q&A may soon face the chop.

In the hot seat? The Sydney Morning Herald also speculated on possible replacements for the outgoing host. Pictured: Virginia Trioli in 2019

Contenders: Stan Grant , Virginia Trioli, Fran Kelly and David Speers are all rumoured to be in line to fill Macdonald's shoes

Knox said that owing to the talk program's flagging ratings, 'the big question now is whether Q&A will be renewed for 2022 at all'. 

He also predicted who may take over as host in the meantime. 

'I'd tip ABC having rotating presenters with the likes of David Speers, Stan Grant, Virginia Trioli and others just to see the year out,' Knox said. 

Long shot: Knox said that owing to the talk program's flagging ratings, 'the big question now is whether Q+A will be renewed for 2022 at all'. Pictured: potential host Fran Kelly

Knox also acknowledged that Macdonald faced an 'uphill battle' from the beginning of his tenure as Q&A host.   

'This year's ratings for Q&A have struggled since it moved to a Thursday night timeslot,' he said.  

'Personally I thought he was a good choice to freshen up the show given the ABC is in a constant chase to lower the average age of its audience. 

'If we look to last year, when he also hosted, the numbers were quite good. But that too is impacted by early interest around the pandemic, so there are always various factors at play. 

'Abandoning its Monday night timeslot meant Macdonald had an uphill battle no matter how good he was.'

Fans: Not all social media users rejoiced Macdonald's fall, as evidenced here

Concerns: 'Abandoning its Monday night timeslot meant Macdonald had an uphill battle no matter how good he was,' Knox told Daily Mail Australia on Monday 

On Monday, Macdonald quit the ABC less than 18 months after taking over as Q&A host - and almost a month since he last fronted the show with flagging ratings.

The 40-year-old broadcaster represented generational change when he replaced baby boomer Tony Jones, who had hosted the current affairs panel program since its debut in 2008.

Macdonald took over hosting duties in February 2020, just before the onset of the pandemic but Covid social distancing rules meant the show for much of last year lacked a studio audience.  

Out:  It comes after news that Macdonald has quit the ABC less than 18 months after taking over as Q&A host - and almost a month since he last fronted the show with flagging ratings

Ratings fell in 2021 as the program was shifted from Monday nights to 9.35pm on Thursdays, with viewer numbers in April dropping to just 224,000, less than half the 600,000 level of 2012. 

The ABC announced his departure on Monday with a statement praising his 'outstanding 18 months with the national broadcaster'. 

With Sydney in lockdown since June 26, Melbourne-based ABC journalists David Speers and Virginia Trioli have filled in as Q&A presenters so the program could have a small studio audience.

Before the lockdown, Stan Grant was occasionally hosting the show in NSW.

Macdonald, who hasn't hosted Q&A since June 24, said he was 'enormously grateful for the opportunity I've been given'.

 Slump: Ratings fell in 2021 as the program was shifted from Monday nights to 9.35pm on Thursdays, with viewer numbers in April dropping to just 224,000, less than half the 600,000 level of 2012

'I'm really excited to be moving on to a new opportunity, and working more with the ABC in the future,' he said.

Veteran TV producer Robert McKnight said viewers didn't like the revamped Q&A hosted by Macdonald.

'The writing was on the wall from the very beginning. Viewers didn't connect with the new format or host and numbers started falling,' he said on TV Blackbox.

Just before he started hosting Q&A, Macdonald was an occasional presenter on Ten's The Sunday Project, but he has continued filling in for Fran Kelly on the ABC's Radio  National Breakfast program and fronting occasional stories for 7.30.

Most Q&A episodes have been filmed at the ABC's Ultimo studios in Sydney, inviting criticism that it is too focused on inner-city viewers with cosmopolitan, left-wing views, reflected in the audience routinely jeering conservative panelists.

Grateful: Macdonald, who hasn't hosted Q&A since June 24, said he was 'enormously grateful for the opportunity I've been given'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison refused to appear on Q&A ahead of the May 2019 election and he hasn't made a single appearance during Macdonald's time hosting the show.

Former Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull however has made several appearances, with his moderate views favouring more ambitious action on climate change more in keeping with the Q&A audience sentiment.

Australia's international border closure in March 2020 meant Q&A was also unable to have big name international celebrity guests to liven up the show, often dominated by politicians reciting boring talking points. 

Macdonald, who was born and raised at Jindabyne in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains, took a different approach to hosting Q&A, sitting on the left of the screen instead of in the middle of the panel as Jones did.

Unlike his predecessor 26 years his senior, he allowed guests to ask questions of each other and refrained from using the phrase 'I'll take that as a comment' for audience members delivering long speeches. 

Duties: Macdonald (pictured with his boyfriend Jacob Fitzroy) took over hosting duties in February 2020, just before the onset of the pandemic but Covid social distancing rules meant the show for much of last year lacked a studio audience

Jones finished hosting Q&A in 2019 after his wife Sarah Ferguson was named as the ABC's next Beijing correspondent, a role that had to be reneged after Communist China harassed foreign journalists. 

Like Jones, Macdonald has also worked as a foreign correspondent.   

The ABC media release noted the timeslot change had been a challenge.

'Macdonald had steered Q&A through challenging times during the initial coronavirus lockdown as well as guiding the program through the first timeslot change in its 13-year history to 8.30pm Thursdays,' it said.

The ABC's news director Gaven Morris hinted Macdonald would be offered future freelance roles with the national broadcaster.  

'Hamish has long been a part of the ABC family and we look forward to continuing that relationship when opportunities arise,' he said.

Moving on: The ABC's news director Gaven Morris hinted Macdonald would be offered future freelance roles with the national broadcaster