The veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby is to present his 10th general election on 8 June, three years after the BBC announced that news presenter Huw Edwards would take over.
The 2015 general election was meant to be the last led by Dimbleby, who presented his first election results programme in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher became prime minister. A BBC statement at the time said: “After 2015, Edwards will take over as the lead presenter of the BBC’s general election coverage.”
But Dimbleby, 78, is understood to have told BBC management that while he was ready to stand down in 2020, he would still like to work through the night when Britain goes to the polls in the election called by Theresa May on Tuesday.
The news comes as a blow to Edwards, the presenter of BBC News at Ten. Long known to have wanted the job of anchoring the BBC’s live election coverage, he will instead take over from Dimbleby at 7am on 9 June, continuing through the day.
Two years ago, amid expectations of a close election result, the role was considered to be key. This year, polls expect a clear lead for the Conservatives, possibly leaving Edwards with less of a story the next day.
BBC insiders admitted to feeling some surprise at the news, given that Dimbleby’s stint as lead presenter of the EU referendum last June was considered by some not to be his finest hour.
However, none were prepared to criticise it openly. When asked, Edwards said: “I am delighted to be hosting our results coverage once again and to be combining this with all my work on the Ten and the News Channel. It’s a big workload, but it’s a privilege to be working with the BBC News team at such an exciting time.”
