✎ Election schedule 

31 May 2017 tbs.pm/12457

Where can you find the best coverage of the UK General Election 2017? Gary Rodger, author of the fascinating Swing: A brief history of British General Election Night broadcasting gives you a run down…

8 June 2017


The BBC’s main national programme, Election 2017, begins at 9.55pm on BBC-1 (England), the BBC News Channel and BBC World News. David Dimbleby hosts alongside Mishal Husain, Jeremy Vine, Emily Maitlis, political editor Laura Kuenssberg, media editor Amol Rajan and Professor John Curtice. Correspondents including Andrew Marr, Nick Robinson, Kirsty Wark and Sophie Raworth are at the key counts.


On BBC-1 Scotland and UK-wide on BBC Parliament, Glenn Campbell, Jackie Bird, Brian Taylor, David Henderson and Fiona Stalker present Scotland’s results from 9.55pm.


Mark Carruthers, Tara Mills and political editor Mark Devenport chair BBC-1 Northern Ireland’s coverage at 9.55pm, with reporters at every count centre across the province.


In Wales, Election 2017 airs from 9.55pm on BBC-1, host Bethan Rhys Roberts joined by Nick Servini, Felicity Evans and Arwyn Jones.


From 10pm, Welsh-language coverage airs on S4C in Etholiad 2017; presenter Dewi Llwyd joined by Catrin Haf Jones and Welsh affairs editor Vaughan Roderick.


Viewers in Wales and Northern Ireland can watch network coverage with David Dimbleby on BBC-2 from 11.15pm; in Scotland, from 12.05am.


Tom Bradby chairs Election 2017 on ITV and UTV at 9.55pm, with political editor Robert Peston, Professors Jane Green & Colin Rallings and Nina Hossain in the Opinion Room.


Viewers in Scotland will receive STV’s own Election 2017 programme hosted by Bernard Ponsonby, Halla Mohieddeen and Rona Dougall.


Sky News coverage begins at 9pm; Vote 2017, presented by Adam Boulton and Sophy Ridge, features live pictures from 300 constituencies plus analysis from Professor Michael Thrasher.


Also at 9pm, Channel 4‘s Alternative Election Night returns with Jeremy Paxman, David Mitchell and Richard Osman; the programme includes special editions of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Gogglebox. Cathy Newman and Gary Gibbon lead the Channel 4 News team.


Radio 4‘s Election 2017, hosted by Carolyn Quinn and James Naughtie, airs at 10pm whilst Radio 5 Live‘s Election Results Live, with Stephen Nolan in Salford and Emma Barnett in London, begins at 9.55pm.


On LBC, Iain Dale and Shelagh Fogarty chair coverage from 10pm. Elsewhere, Messrs Parry and Graham host The Two Mikes Election Special – simulcast on talkSPORT and talkRADIO – from 1am.


Bill Whiteford and Gillian Marles chair BBC Radio Scotland’s General Election 2017 from 10pm, with Gaelic-language coverage – presented by Donald Morrison and Seumas Macdonald – on Radio nan Gàidheal.


On Radio Ulster, William Crawley and Karen Patterson present Election Special from 10pm until the final Northern Ireland result comes in.


BBC Radio Wales (9.55pm) and Radio Cymru (10pm) will carry audio from BBC-1 Wales and S4C respectively.


9 June 2017


At 7am, Huw Edwards takes the chair in the BBC Election Centre with Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn joining the team. Coverage continues on BBC-1 throughout the morning; BBC-2 covers the afternoon’s events from 1pm until 4.30pm.


BBC-1 Scotland and Wales‘ own coverage continues until 9am and 10am respectively.


Good Morning Britain airs on ITV, STV & UTV from 6am until 9.25am, Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan joined by political editor Ranvir Singh.


ITV News’ coverage, presented by Julie Etchingham, resumes at 9.25am, concluding at 2pm.


An STV News Special airs at 1pm, whilst viewers in Northern Ireland will receive an hour-long UTV Election Special at 2pm and 5pm.


Dermot Murnaghan presents Friday’s coverage on Sky News.


Radio 5 Live‘s election programming continues throughout the day; at 5am, Nicky Campbell and Rachel Burden host 5 Live Breakfast before Your Call at 9am. Adrian Chiles and Tony Livesey present 5 Live Daily from 10am; Emma Barnett and Sarah Brett chair Afternoon Edition at 1pm before Anna Foster’s Drive at 4pm. Peter Allen rounds up the day’s events at 6pm.


LBC‘s coverage continues with Nick Ferrari from 5am. Paul Ross starts the day on talkRADIO at 6am; on talkSPORT, The Two Mikes return at 10am.


BBC Parliament will broadcast the previous night’s programmes from BBC Wales and Northern Ireland at 1pm and 9.05pm respectively.


Finally, David Dimbleby presents a live edition of Question Time on BBC-1 at 8.30pm, before Have I Got Election News For You at 9.30pm.

Gary Rodger’s Swing: A brief history of British General Election Night broadcasting is available for Kindle and Kindle apps (on iPhone, iPad etc) from Amazon for £2.99. Swing tells the story of British general election night coverage on radio and television since 1922. Packed with details of technological innovations, amusing incidents and historical context, the book contains information on every broadcast from the BBC, ITN and Sky News with a cast of beloved broadcasters and academics including Richard Dimbleby, Sir Robin Day, Sir David Butler, Robert McKenzie, Sir Alastair Burnet, Peter Snow, Jeremy Paxman and David Dimbleby.

Intended not only for enthusiasts but also those with a passing interest in politics and/or broadcasting, the fast-paced narrative covers the origin of the swingometer, the battleground, the exit polls and much more. Swing is the ideal companion for the election campaign ahead of 2017’s most electrifying night of broadcasting.

NOW UPDATED FOR 2017!

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2 responses to this article

Michael Simons 6 June 2017 at 9:44 am

I must report that Estuary tv the local tv channel in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire is to broadcast its own live local general election results programme overnight on Freeview channel 7 and Virgin channel 159 from 2230 on June 8 until 0800 on June 9 .Online the programme will also be on Estuarys website as well.

Gary Rodger 7 June 2017 at 11:38 am

Cheers Michael, I’ll try and give it a look on the night.

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