General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (2024)

General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (1)General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (2)ITV/Reuters

Two more UK-wide televised general election debates take place this week as campaigning continues ahead of polling day.

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will appear on Sky on Wednesday evening in a leaders' special event, before ITV hosts a multi-party debate on Thursday.

The BBC has two more live debates - one on Thursday, 20 June and the other on Wednesday, 26 June.

The general election takes place on 4 July.

General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (3)General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (4)

How to watch the election debates

General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (5)General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (6)

A series of televised political discussions using different formats will continue in the run-up to the election.

The line-ups are as follows:

  • Leaders' Special Event (Sky): Wednesday, 12 June, Grimsby - Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will be asked to "pitch" to voters in an in-depth interview before answering questions from a studio audience drawn from the local area and nationally, in an event to be broadcast from 19:00-22:00
  • Multi-party debate (ITV): Thursday, 13 June - Julie Etchingham will moderate a debate between Penny Mordaunt for the Conservatives, Labour's Angela Rayner, Daisy Cooper for the Liberal Democrats, Stephen Flynn for SNP, Nigel Farage for Reform UK, Carla Denyer for Green Party and Rhun ap Iorwerth for Plaid Cymru, from 20:30-22:00
  • Question Time Leaders' Special (BBC): Thursday, 20 June, York - Fiona Bruce will present the show involving leaders of the four biggest political parties in Great Britain, broadcast from 20:00-22:00
  • Head-to-head debate (BBC): Wednesday, 26 June, Nottingham - Mishal Husain will host the event involving Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. This is set to be the last leaders' TV debate of the election campaign and will be broadcast from 21:00-22:00

The BBC programmes will be broadcast on BBC One, local radio across the country and will be available on BBC iPlayer.

They will also be available on the BBC News Channel in the UK and overseas.

And they will also be shown on the BBC News website as part of coverage in our live page, alongside analysis from BBC political correspondents and reaction.

The Sky debate will be broadcast on Sky News, and the ITV debate will be broadcast on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.

Additional dedicated debates are taking place for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Still to come are:

  • Wales: Bethan Rhys Roberts will host the Wales Leaders’ Debate live from Central Square, BBC Wales’ broadcast hub in Cardiff, on Friday, 21 June, at 19:00
  • Northern Ireland: Tara Mills will moderate the Northern Ireland Leaders’ Debate on BBC One Northern Ireland on Thursday, 27 June

Party leaders also facing BBC interviews

As well as the debates, the BBC has also invited the leaders of the seven biggest political parties to be interviewed by broadcaster Nick Robinson.

So far, six interviews have been confirmed:

  • Rishi Sunak, Conservative Party on Monday, 10 June at 20:00
  • Nigel Farage, Reform UK on Tuesday, 11 June at 22:40
  • John Swinney, SNP, on Wednesday, 12 June at 19:00 (BBC One and BBC One Scotland)
  • Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru, on Wednesday, 12 June at 19:00 (BBC One Wales)
  • Adrian Ramsay, Green Party, on Tuesday, 18 June at 22:40
  • Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrats, on Friday, 28 June at 20:30

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also been invited but no date has been confirmed by the BBC yet.

The interviews will be BBC Panorama specials and air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

How to follow the general election on BBC News

BBC News has a wide range of content planned to guide you through the campaign, right up to election night on 4 July.

Whether you are in the UK or overseas, its comprehensive coverage will be available across every platform.

Online

Follow all the election developments on the BBC News website and app.

Daily live pages will bring you the latest from the campaign trail and you can follow General election 2024 for simple explainers and in-depth analysis from BBC News political correspondents and experts.

There will also be full live coverage of all of the BBC TV debates.

International users can access all BBC News election content on BBC.com

On election night, follow the full results as they come in.

And BBC News cameras and reporters across the country will feed live pages and video streams, so you will not miss a thing.

General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (7)General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (8)

Sign up for our Election Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments in the general-election campaign. It’ll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Television and streaming

Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie will host BBC News' election night coverage, along with BBC political editor Chris Mason and other experts.

The programme will be on BBC One in England, BBC Two in Wales and Northern Ireland, and the BBC News channel for audiences in Scotland and overseas.

Dedicated election results programmes on BBC One in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be presented by Martin Geissler, Mark Carruthers, and Nick Servini respectively, with Anne McAlpine hosting a Gaelic-language election round-up on BBC Alba.

You can also keep up to date with the campaign through the BBC News channel’s daily coverage and the Election 2024 livestream on BBC iPlayer.

General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (9)General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (10)

Radio

The BBC News flagship Newscast programme has been rebranded as Electioncast for the duration of the campaign.

Adam Fleming and the BBC News political team will provide a daily update on all things election.

On election night, they will also invite listeners to join their audience watch-along.

BBC Radio 4’s election-night coverage will be hosted by Rachel Burden and Nick Robinson.

For analysis, they will be joined by BBC News chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman.

Global audiences can follow events, with a mix of dedicated UK-election coverage and international news, through the BBC World Service.

General election 2024

General election 2024: How to watch this week's TV debates (2024)

FAQs

How to watch the Itv debate? ›

How to watch the ITV General Election debate. The ITV General Election debate will take place on Thursday, June 13 on ITV1 and on its streaming service ITVX. The debate will kick off at 8.30pm and will last until 10.10pm, followed by a longer addition of ITV News.

What time is the Sky Leadership Debate? ›

The Conservative Party leader and the Labour Party leader first went head-to-head in a debate broadcast by ITV on 4 June. They will then be questioned on Sky News on 12 June live at 7pm, in front of an audience in the key seat of Grimsby.

What time is Sunak v. Starmer? ›

Sunak and Starmer head to head - June 26, 9pm on the BBC

It will kick off at 9pm and run until 10pm.

How do you stream ITV free? ›

You can watch live TV on our website, the ITVX app and some connected TVs. The channels you can stream are ITV1, ITV2, ITVBe, ITV3 and ITV4, as well as curated channels showing a selection of ITV's best content.

How can I see ITV? ›

Watch ITV Network Online | Hulu (Free Trial) Hulu free trial available for new and eligible returning Hulu subscribers only. Cancel anytime.

Is Sky News free? ›

Sky News is free-to-air on the Astra 28.2°E satellites carrying Sky. It is also available on Freeview and analogue and digital cable.

Where can I watch Sky News? ›

By signing up for Peaco*ck, you will have access to Sky News as well as other movies and TV shows. Select a plan to get started or to upgrade your existing account. You can also visit peaco*cktv.com/account to change your existing plan at any time.

What time is Sky News breakfast? ›

Sky News Breakfast show: All you need to know about new look and earlier start time. The programme will be live from 6am-10am on weekdays, covering news from around the world and Westminster as well as featuring the morning's biggest interviews.

How long is Rishi Sunak Prime Minister? ›

Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2022. The first British Asian prime minister, he previously held two cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022.

Who is the political commentator on ITV? ›

Robert Peston – ITV News' Political Editor since January 2016, replacing Tom Bradby; formerly BBC News' Business and Economics Editor.

Who is the head of data in ITV? ›

Approaching Data as a Product with Sanjeevan Bala, ITV's Group Chief Data and AI Officer. Sanjeevan Bala is the Group Chief Data and AI Officer at ITV, a vertically integrated producer, broadcaster, and streamer based in London.

Where can I watch ITV series? ›

ITVX - The Streaming Home For All Of ITV And So Much More!

How do I watch ITV News? ›

ITV News on ITVX is available to watch on browser, most connected TV platforms and the ITVX iOS and Android apps.

What is debate TV? ›

A debate show is a television show genre based around a debate. Usually it is hosted by a moderator.

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