The TV schedule looks a little different (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
The general election has led to major channels including BBC, Channel 4, and ITV shaking up their normal schedules.
The nation has been at the polling stations today (if you haven’t made it down yet, you have until 10pm), and as votes are counted, TV will largely be devoted to the results.
While the TV channels often follow a certain formula, especially during the daytime, they’ve naturally made way for programmes completely focused on the biggest news story to mark the huge occasion.
Let’s take a look at what is happening on TV over the next 24 hours…
BBC
On Friday, July 5, BBC will scrap their usual offerings, including the news show Breakfast, which runs from 6am and magazine programme Morning Live, that airs from 9:30-10:45am. The regulars are then normally followed by Scam Interceptors and Homes Under the Hammer, but both will also be pulled from the schedule.
Instead, viewers can tune into Election 2024: The Results, which will be presented by Sophie Raworth and Jon Kay.
Sophie and Jon will initially keep viewers informed (Picture: BBC)
At 9:25pm tonight, we’ll get our last chance to watch a non-political programme on BBC with Not Going Out, before election coverage commences thirty minutes later, led by Clive Myrie and Laura Kuenessberg. There will also be reporters based around the country including Fiona Bruce, Victoria Derbyshire, and Naga Munchetty.
The BBC’s coverage will continue until 1pm when the BBC News and the local news will be shown. Although, undoubtedly they’ll be largely focused on the election.
The specialised election programming will then continue to 4:30pm, when a Wimbledon highlights show will take over.
Clive and Laura will takeover in the morning (Picture: BBC)
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have been campaigning for weeks (Picture: Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images)
ITV
Over on ITV, the daytime favourites are also being replaced – Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning, and Loose Women control the channel from 6am to 1:30pm on an average day, but the circumstances have called for a change.
Good Morning Britain will still air but will feature Susanna Reid, who doesn’t usually present on Fridays and will finish at the later time of 9:25am compared to the usual 9am.
Ed Balls is busy (Picture: ITV)
Former Labour MP Ed Balls best make sure ITV’s coffee machine is in full working order, as he’ll be on the evening coverage tonight on Election 2024 Live: The Results, before his GMB shift.
Tom Bradby – who previously anchored election nights in 2015, 2017 and 2019 – will once again be leading ITV’s evening and early morning coverage. Former Conservative chancellor George Osborne and former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will also make up the team.
Following GMB, Julie Etchingham will take over and will be joined by a team of political correspondents, who will be live reporting on all the events in Westminster and Downing Street.
Michael Jermey, ITV’s Director of News and Current Affairs said: ‘It promises to be a dramatic day.’
Channel 4
Channel 4 are putting their own unique spin on coverage (Picture: Channel 4)
Over on Channel 4, they’ve gone down their own unique route with Britain Decides with The Rest is Politics and Gogglebox.
Podcast hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart will be joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Emily Maitlis from 9:45am tonight. They will be pulling an all-nighter and continuing with the coverage until 9am, with Cathy Newman presenting from the Conservative and Labour campaign headquarters.
Some of our favourite sofa critics from Gogglebox will be commenting on the results as they come in throughout the night and morning.
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