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  1. Politics
15 April 2010

Top 10 political TV debate moments

Ahead of tonight's clash, we take you through the greatest debate moments of the TV era.

By New Statesman

Messrs Brown, Cameron and Clegg would do well to learn the lessons of past heroes and victims of this unpredictable medium. Check out our list of the famous TV debates and their protagonists, featuring fireworks between Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s dodgy dossier on the wife of his opponent Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

1. Gerald Ford vs. Jimmy Carter | October 1976

2. Jimmy Carter vs. Ronald Reagan | October 1980

3. Jean-Marie Le Pen on L’heure de vérité | February 1984

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4. Dan Quayle vs. Lloyd Bentsen | October 1988

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5. Malcolm Bruce pushes Gordon Brown | April 1997

6. Nicolas Sarkozy vs. Ségolène Royal | May 2007

7. Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden | October 2008

8. John McCain vs. Barack Obama | October 2008

9. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vs. Mir-Hossein Mousavi | June 2009

10. Nick Griffin on Question Time | October 2009