UK General Election

Though how many of those students will be able to do it again this year (not that many of them will still be students)? And of those who can do it, how many remember what to do? They had more time to send them to Sky for training last time round.

I'd imagine so, hope not too many are booked out for that week already

I have to say, I'm pleased about this. As I recall, I felt Dimbleby wasn't quite up to it during the wee small hours of the Brexit coverage last year. Huw was great during the 2014 Scottish referendum network coverage, which I found myself watching quite a bit of despite BBC Scotland providing a separate results show for us up here on BBC One.

I'm pretty sure they were rented.

Presumably any broadcasters who often use students in May (when elections are typically held in the UK) will have more issues in June this year, as don't many universities schedule finals or end-of-year exams then?

I know a few people who've done it recently, and as well as students, sometimes it's uni tutors, postgrads (so should be around in June?) and just other former freelancers who they've used for it before. A few quid but getting to be part of an election night seems to make it easy enough to find people. So it'll possibly be more of a rush to book them, but if it's just for phoning a specific number with the results, not too much of a problem. Obviously that's to say nothing for Sky's video commitments.

Mps have now voted, the election will go ahead.

I can only speak for the Uni I work at, where exams are in May, resits are in July.



YTV even brought Christa Ackroyd out of her TV "retirement" for the last one.

ITV have said that they're going to go ahead with their usual leaders debate programme, so I guess we'll have an empty chair for May.

http://www.itv.com/news/granada/2017-04-19/itv-to-host-leaders-debate-despite-pms-reluctance/

Of course she said there would be no election, so there is no guarantee that she won't change her mind about appearing in a debate too.

Unlikely that they'll be an empty chair even if she chooses not to attend.

Especially as they usually have to stand up.

I'd imagine that empty chairing (or podiuming for want of a better word) Theresa May would be a pretty courageous move. Given how far ahead she is in the polls, would any broadcaster want to risk it?

I do wish they would do it though.