Everything you need to know about the 2017 General Election night coverage

What are the key times on Election Night?

Where can I watch the Election?

What election TV shows are on Friday?

What time are the key election moments on TV?

Outside of the exit poll, nobody can be too sure of the exact timings on election night, but here’s a general guide of the moments to watch out for…

10pm: Polls close and the result of the BBC/ITV/Sky exit poll is revealed.

How does the General Election Exit Poll work?

10.45pm: Usually the time we’ll hear the first seat to declare, which will probably be Houghton and Sunderland South. In 2015 it was declared at 10.48pm.

11pm: Expect results from Sunderland’s two other constituencies, Washington and Sunderland West and Sunderland Central.

From 12am: Results from the North East, including Durham and Newcastle. These were mostly Labour seats in the 2015 general election.

From 1am: The marginal seats start coming in. Nuneaton in Warwickshire is one to look out for: it's a current Tory constituency that tends to flip flop between Labour and the Conservatives. The result there could give a good indication of the way events will unfold…

1.30am: Result for Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency.

Also look out for the declaration of Vale of Clwyd (North Wales), a key marginal seat: in 2015 the Conservatives won by only 237 votes. That makes the constituency a key Labour target.

2am: It’s here when the results will start to fly in, particularly from Scotland.

2.30am: Results for City of Chester, a key marginal seat. In 2015, Labour won with a majority of only 93.

3am: By now results will be coming in at five per minute with several vital seats up for grabs:

• Glasgow South – SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's constituency. Although the first Scottish Minister isn’t running to be an MP, it’s still a seat of symbolic importance.
• Gower (Wales) – A Conservative-held seat with the smallest current majority – only 27 votes.
• Darlington ­ – A key target for the Tories, the result of this Labour-held seat will be a key signal for how Jeremy Corbyn’s night is going.
• Cheltenham and Bath ­– both key targets for the Lib Dems.
• Derby North – Another Conservative-held seat with a tiny majority of only 41 in 2015.

4am: The overall result will be pretty clear by now. Look out for the count from Orkney and Shetland, a Lib Dem seat and SNP target. Also expect the result from the SNP's most marginal seat Roxburgh and Selkirk (current majority: a tiny 328)

5am: A key time for the Green Party. First we’ll find out if co-leader Caroline Lucas will return as an MP for Brighton Pavilion, and whether the party will also take key target Bristol West where Molly Scott Cato is their candidate. (Green co-leader Jonathan Bartley isn’t standing in this election).

5.30am: Count for Boston and Skegness, where Ukip leader Paul Nuttall is standing in the pro-Brexit area against remainer Conservative Matt Warman.

6am: Result for Maidenhead, Theresa May’s constituency. Don’t expect a close result – it’s always been a Tory seat – but May’s speech won’t be one to miss.

Also look out for the count at Westmorland and Lonsdale, where Lib Dem leader Tim Farron will be hoping to keep his seat.

7am: There could still be another 100 results to go, but the outcome should be determined by this point.

12pm: The last results come in. This includes St Ives, which needs to count votes flown in from Scilly.

Where can I watch the election?

BBC

Election 2017 (with David Dimbleby) 9.55pm-7am, BBC1

Election 2017 (with Huw Edwards) 7am-10am, BBC1

Election 2017 (with Huw Edwards and Andrew Neil) 10am-1pm, BBC1

Election 2017 (with Andrew Neil), 1pm-4.30pm, BBC2

All coverage will also be aired on BBC News and BBC Parliament.

Who’s hosting?

David Dimbleby will be fronting the BBC’s Election night coverage for the 10^th time. He will be joined by Mishal Husain, Emily Maitlis and green screen specialist Jeremy Vine.

Jeremy Vine reveals the election night green screen secrets

Huw Edwards will take over from Dimbleby for the morning shift (7am). And Andrew Neil will take over from Edwards as lead anchor from 1pm.

What’s the vibe?

The BBC are gearing themselves for the “most reliable breaking news, impartial analysis,” says James Harding, Director of News.

As for their graphics, the Beeb are using the same polygon design used in the referendum election and last month’s local elections. Expect primary colours, flying triangles and plenty of each.

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ITV

ITV News Election Night: The Results, 9.55pm-6am

Good Morning Britain, 6am-9.25am

ITV News Special, 9.25am-2pm

Who’s hosting?

Tom Bradby will take the chair leading ITV’s election night coverage. He will be joined in the studio by Political Editor Robert Peston, plus election experts Professor Jane Green and Professor Colin Rallings, ITV’s election analyst for nearly 30 years.

And yes, that is Strictly Come Dancing's Ed Balls in that pic: the former Labour MP will be joined by his in-parliament rival, former chancellor and now Evening Standard editor George Osborne.

From 6am Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan will be presenting an extended edition of Good Morning Britain, with reports of the general election from political editor Ranvir Singh.

Then at 9.25am, we’ll return to the ITV studios where Julie Etchingham will be hosting more election coverage.

What’s the vibe?

Similar to the BBC, it looks like their studio will be filled with plenty of flying polygons. However, expect fewer colours and more of ITV’s tried-and-tested blue and grey scheme. However, what they lack in colour will certainly be made up for with an abundance of Ed Balls.

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Sky News

Vote 2017 from 9pm

Who’s hosting?

Adam Boulton and Sophy Ridge will co-host, with Boulton in the studio and Ridge on Abingdon Green in Westminster. Professor of politics Michael Thrasher will be the channel’s designated analyst as the results come in.

We’ll also see glimpses of other Sky presenters: Kay Burley will be following Theresa May at her Maidenhead constituency and Colin Brazier will be in North London for Jeremy Corbyn’s result.

Dermot Murnaghan will take over from Boulton the next morning.

Channel 4

Alternative Election featuring Gogglebox, 9.45pm-11pm

Paxman, Mitchell and Osman: More Alternative Election, 11pm-12am

Alternative Election: The Results, 12am-6am

Who’s hosting?

Jeremy Paxman and C4 news presenters Cathy Newman and Gary Gibbon will be there to offer some serious analysis. David Mitchell, Richard Osman and the cast of Gogglebox won’t be: you can expect their own less-stern analysis throughout the night.

What’s their vibe?

Alternative, duh. Instead of just solely political analysis, C4 are offering an “all-night feast of comedy” – that means although Paxo will be interviewing key political figures throughout the evening, some of the meatier analysis for die-hard politicos will be swapped with gags from the Gogglebox couch.

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What Election TV shows are on Friday?

Apart from your usual news bulletins, there’s also an extra set of post-election shows on Friday June 9th that will dissect the results even further...

The Last Leg Elegtion Special, 9pm on C4

That’s right, Elegtion. This extended edition of the comedy current affairs show sees regular hosts Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe delve into the thrills and spills of Thursday’s result. Special guests include Steve Coogan, Jamie Oliver, Brendan Cox and “a host of politicians”.

Question Time, 8.30pm on BBC1

The exact details of the special show haven't yet been released and we don’t know who the panellists will be. However, we can say (a probably very tired) David Dimbleby will be chairing a debate from London as guests from the worlds of politics take questions from the public.

A history of David Dimbleby's election nights on the BBC

Have I Got Election News for You, 9.30pm on BBC1

It’s your usual helping of satire from Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, with the pair turning their eyes to the election. Jo Brand will host and former Labour MP Alan Johnson and comedian Ross Noble will star.