Andrew Neil will co-host the BBC's US election night coverage in what will be his final assignment for the corporation before he leaves to launch a rival 24-hour news channel, GB News. The 71-year-old broadcaster will front BBC US Election 2020 alongside Katty Kay, airing on BBC One, BBC News Channel, BBC World News and BBC iPlayer from 11.30pm on Tuesday, November 3.
Kay will broadcast from Washington, while Neil will provide interviews and analysis from London. Neil is set to lead GB News, a new channel aiming to reach viewers who feel 'under-served and unheard' by the media. The channel, which has secured broadcasting licences from Ofcom, plans to launch early next year and will create at least 120 positions, including more than 100 journalists across the UK.
Neil said of the election: 'This has been a presidential campaign like no other in the long history of America's democracy. In many ways, it's turned into a referendum on Donald Trump.' The BBC's coverage will also feature Jon Sopel and Clive Myrie with the Trump and Biden campaigns, Emily Maitlis and Nick Bryant reporting from battleground states, and Maitlis presenting Newsnight from Washington for the week.
On November 4, Laura Trevelyan, Matthew Amroliwala and Reeta Chakrabarti will take over from 9am until 1pm on BBC One, with no BBC Breakfast that morning. Coverage will continue on the BBC News Channel, BBC World News and BBC iPlayer. BBC head of newsgathering Jonathan Munro said: 'Our goal is to make sure that we provide our audiences with the complete picture over the next three weeks.'
