CHANNEL-HOPPING
HOW are you spending election night? On the edge of your sofa, tipple of choice at the ready, a cushion on hand to hide behind as the exit poll is released? Us, too. Here’s your guide to the main TV channels’ live election coverage.
BBC
Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie will co-host the Beeb’s coverage on BBC News, BBC One (for viewers in England) and BBC Two (for Wales and Northern Ireland). Political editor Chris Mason and Reeta Chakrabarti will join them in the studio.
Jeremy Vine, with the Swingometer, will report from Cardiff, with Kirsty Wark in Glasgow and Andrea Catherwood in Belfast. Naga Munchetty, Victoria Derbyshire, Fiona Bruce,
Nick Watt and Alex Forsyth will report from key seats. Prof John Curtice will provide analysis. Tomorrow morning, Sophie Raworth and Jon Kay will be joined by deputy political editor Vicki Young.
ITV
Tom Bradby will anchor ITV’s coverage. He will be joined by former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, ex-Tory Chancellor George Osborne, and former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls.
Political editor Robert Peston, Anushka Asthana and Paul Brand will offer insight, joined by Prof Jane Green and Prof Colin Rallings. At 6am tomorrow, GMB host Susanna Reid will join Ed Balls for a special edition. Pundits include the Mirror’s Kevin Maguire, Gordon Brown, and former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. After GMB, Julie Etchingham will take over the coverage as results still roll in.
FOURMIDABLE Cathy, Krishnan, Emily, Alastair and Rory will all host the election on C4
Channel 4
Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Emily Maitlis will co-host C4’s coverage, joined by The Rest is Politics podcasters Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. Some Gogglebox stars will also appear.
Cathy Newman will broadcast from inside the Labour and the Tory HQs, while C4 News political editor Gary Gibbon will give analysis.
C4 lost Clare Balding to the BBC’s Wimbledon covera ge. Louisa Compton, head of news and current affairs at C4, joked: “Even superwoman Clare Balding can’t be in two places at once...”
Sky News
Host Kay Burley, covering her 12th General Election, will be joined by political editor Beth Rigby. Expect graphics galore as Sky pulls out all the stops in its “360-degree immersive studio”.
Joining them will be Sky’s Sir Trevor Phillips and Ed Conway for analysis and predictions using 3D graphics. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will join the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson.
Prof Michael Thrasher will head Sky’s team of election experts as he has for the past 35 years.
Sophy Ridge, Sam Coates and Adam Boulton will host from 7am tomorrow at Westminster.