Q&A was hard labour for McBeal fan Eamon

THE trial and tribulations of the country were never a match for the loves and life of Ally McBeal, according to Labour leader Eamon Gilmore.

Mr Gilmore has revealed he could never watch the current affairs show Questions & Answers on a Monday night, preferring instead to unwind to the antics of Ally McBeal.

The curtain was drawn on Questions & Answers last June after a 23-year run in which the show, hosted by John Bowman, expanded the nature of political debate and famously changed the course of the 1990 presidential race.