Tory leadership hopefuls appeared on Channel 4 in a live TV debate about, for the most part, Brexit.
Sajid Javid joined Tory peers, including Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, and Rory Stewart to talk about whether a new deal could be negotiated with the EU, as well as the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
Host Krishnan Guru-Murthy and members of the studio audience asked questions on a whole host of topics in the 90-minute broadcast on Sunday evening.
Boris Johnson, the leadership forerunner, was notably missing from the debate - and viewers noticed.
During the debate, Hunt asked: “Where is Boris? If his team won’t allow him out with five fairly friendly colleagues, how is he going to deal with 27 European countries?”
In fact, viewers had a lot to say about it.
1. People at home found the debate entertaining.
“What is your biggest weakness? “ “A chronic lack of self-awareness”. One day someone will say it. #c4Debate— Jane Garvey (@Jane Garvey) 1560711160
2. Others noticed the diversity...
The obviously pre-written content. Four white guys, one brown guy and no women. This is isn’t a leadership debate,… https://t.co/3TYPUGdwbs— Nish Kumar (@Nish Kumar) 1560711369
3. The politicians talked about the NHS.
To summarise, they *all* want to invest more in the NHS, education, social care, early years support & mental healt… https://t.co/PacHOPu47g— Rachel Clarke (@Rachel Clarke) 1560711549
4. And viewers wondered: Where was Boris Johnson?
People are criticising @BorisJohnson for not turning up to this Channel 4 debate but, in fairness, it is Father’s D… https://t.co/mvmEVRQtVG— Tom Peck (@Tom Peck) 1560706682
5. And joked about Father's Day.
You can’t blame Boris Johnson for missing the Channel 4 debate tonight. It’s father’s day, so he’s got a LOT of houses to visit.— Ed Morrish (@Ed Morrish) 1560695256
6. There was even an empty podium for good ol' Boris.
Wow. Channel 4 have actually got an empty podium for where Boris Johnson would have been standing if he had chosen… https://t.co/AlrlcFvxQA— Shehab Khan (@Shehab Khan) 1560706283
7. But it didn't stop people from criticising the forerunner.
I’m so sorry I implied Boris Johnson was a racist, a misogynist and a homophobe. I missed off ‘coward’. #channel4debate— Chris Addison💙 (@Chris Addison💙) 1560706982
8. Viewers ended up being commentators.
9. And utilised the best internet memes to make jokes.
Jeremy Hunt: I joined the conservative party when I was 19. My dream was to buy a house..." Narrator: Years later,… https://t.co/fklvGYkF4H— Sir Andy Murray (@Sir Andy Murray) 1560711192
10 . Gove was '"horribly forced."
Gove horribly over-rehearsed. The looks down the camera creepy and forced. #channel4debate https://t.co/hhnGamyCZw— Mark Gatiss 💙 (@Mark Gatiss 💙) 1560709491
11. Hunt looked "bewildered."
Hunt, as ever, looking bewildered, nervous and astonished to have even woken up this morning. #channel4debate https://t.co/g1QRpYQUG5— Mark Gatiss 💙 (@Mark Gatiss 💙) 1560709283
12. Rory Stewart was the "winner" by some standards.
So this is not scientific at all. But in a couple of hours there have been more than 2000 replies and overwhelmingl… https://t.co/tbox9s2Wrl— Robert Peston (@Robert Peston) 1560720896
Rory Stewart is aceing this so far. #channel4debate— Kevin Schofield (@Kevin Schofield) 1560709835
13. Others were just not on it.
This is like waking up tied up in a basement and hearing a group of incompetent out of their depth kidnappers argui… https://t.co/i04H9EBcem— James Felton (@James Felton) 1560709920
14. Viewers made suggestions about what Theresa May had been doing during the debate...
Hope that Theresa May is watching this with a takeaway Nandos and three bottles of Blossom Hill and shouting "fake… https://t.co/EHaj2v5pKk— Sathnam Sanghera (@Sathnam Sanghera) 1560707180