'When a bus like Prime Time comes along, you have to get on it': Longford's Fran McNulty looks forward to Prime Time role

RTE has announced its new Prime Time presenting team, which includes Longford’s Fran McNulty alongside Miriam O’Callaghan and Sarah McInerney.

Mr McNulty will join Miriam O’Callaghan every Thursday evening on RTE One, while Sarah McInerney will appear on Tuesday nights.

“It’s so humbling to be asked to present RTÉ Prime Time, the country’s flagship current affairs programme, to be part of the new presenter line-up as the programme is reimagined, with a new editor backed up by a tremendous team is an incredible honour,” said Mr McNulty.

“Now more than ever people need trusted journalism, we need people to ask the important questions and get underneath the many issues facing Ireland at present.

“On Prime Time we will continue to work hard to dispel fiction from fact. I can’t wait to get started and work alongside Miriam and Sarah, both of whom I’ve had the great pleasure of knowing for many years and have worked alongside in the past.”

As the new presenting team takes to screens beginning the week of April 6, there will also be a refresh of RTÉ Prime Time with the unveiling of a brand-new look for the programme and studio, which will enhance Prime Time’s storytelling capabilities as it reports on Ireland and the wider world.

“The programme is going in a new direction now. There’s a new set and there’s a new team,” Mr McNulty told the Longford Leader.

“There’ll be a fresh feel to it now. The new set will be unveiled in a couple of weeks and it’s completely different. It’s bright. It’s got new movement.

“It’ll be the same programme that examines the important issues. But it looks different. There’s even going to be new music. It’s the same tune but it’s been given a bit of attention.”

As Ireland's most watched current affairs programme, RTÉ Prime Time has seen audiences increase in 2021 with an average of 341,000 watching each Tuesday and Thursday nights on RTÉ One.

Fran McNulty is an award winning journalist who joined RTÉ in 2005. He most recently served as Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Correspondent.

His appointment as a presenter sees him return to Prime Time where he worked as a reporter for five years. During his time with the programme he uncovered abuses in the fishing industry, exposed significant issues in the agricultural and food production sectors and explored a range of issues within the insurance industry, including fraud.

“The Agricultural job is brilliant and I wanted to do it for a long time - I enjoyed doing it. I will miss it,” he explained.

“I loved the opportunity and I loved to get out and about. Now I’ll be in the studio but I’ll be out and about too. So we’ll still be covering all the important issues but we’ll be out and about talking to people too.

“I’ll miss the Agricultural job because I’ve built up relationships and you get to know people. But when a bus like Prime Time comes along, you have to get on it and I’m really looking forward to it.”