ITV confirmed today that the doc10 studios at MediaCityUK in Salford will be the venue for The ITV Leaders’ Debate, which will be broadcast live on ITV at 8pm on Thursday May 18th. 

Moderated by ITV News anchor Julie Etchingham, the primetime broadcast will offer viewers the opportunity to see leaders engaging directly in debate on significant election questions, put to them by members of the audience.   

Invited are the leaders of the seven parties that were represented in the 2015 ITV Leaders’ Debate – the Conservatives, Labour, SNP, Liberal Democrats, UKIP, Plaid Cymru and the Greens. 

The invitation remains open to all seven party leaders until the debate goes on air. The stage will have the right number of podiums for leaders who attend on the night. 

In line with previous ITV debates, leaders will be able to make short opening statements at the beginning of the programme and closing statements at the conclusion of the debate. 

During the live debate, leaders will address questions posed by the studio audience. 

The format will allow each leader to give an uninterrupted answer to each question, before the debate is opened to moderated discussion between the leaders. 

The debate will address substantial election questions with enough time allocated for a proper free flowing debate between the leaders. 

ITV has asked the audience for their questions, as well as ITV viewers, who have been asked to submit questions via election@itv.com. 

An experienced editorial panel is selecting the questions which go through to the debate on the night. The questions will not be seen by the leaders in advance. 

There will be one break for leaders during the live broadcast, and ITV will go to a commercial break to facilitate this. 

Notes to Editors 

ITV has broadcast major Leaders’ Debate programmes during the past two General Elections, making broadcasting history in 2010 with the first TV debate, and airing the only seven party Leaders’ Debate in 2015. Both debates were respectively the highest rating current affairs programmes in the years they were broadcast. The 2015 ITV Leaders’ Debate attracted a peak audience of 7.4 million (a 33% share of viewing), and averaged 7 million viewers (a 31% share of viewing) across the programme. 

The largest academic study on the 2015 debates* found that they had reached sections of the population least likely to be touched by the rest of the campaign - including younger and first time voters. 

* The 2015 Televised Election Debates: Democracy on Demand?, by Stephen Coleman, Jay G. Blumler, Giles Moss and Matt Homer of the University of Leeds, with a guest chapter about social media by Dr Nick Anstead of LSE.    

Press contact: jenny.cummins@itv.com