The seven-way leaders debate is “good news for viewers” because it will provide the public with a “wide range of views”, according to News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, who will moderate the debate for ITV on 2 April.
“It’s undoubtedly more complex [than the original proposal], purely because you’re dealing with more people,” Etchingham told the Radio Times. “But the upside is that you allow a greater range of voices. You have to find a way of overcoming the complexities, and finding the benefits, and getting those voices heard. If I have to be quite sharp in making sure that people stick to their timings, then I will be.”
“Given we have a new political landscape emerging, it’ll be fascinating to see how they all interact.”
Etchingham said her experience presenting coverage of large events such as the royal wedding and the diamond jubilee had taught her that preparation was key for high-profile occasions.
She has been given time off News at Ten to prepare for the debate and the election. She said ITV had rehearsed the debates with stand-ins for the leaders.
The seven-way debate is the only one in which David Cameron and Ed Miliband will share a stage after the conservative party refused broadcaster proposals for at least three debates to include both main party leaders.
Broadcasters confirmed on Saturday the new debate structure, which will start with Miliband and Cameron interviewed separately by Jeremy Paxman on Sky and Channel 4 this Thursday, followed by the seven-way debate a week later.
There will also be a debate featuring the five opposition parties outside of the coalition and a Question Time-style show presented by David Dimbleby in which Miliband, Cameron and Nick Clegg will answer questions from a studio audience.
Ethchingham also told the Radio Times she believes the BBC’s children’s current affairs show Newsround, where she got her break in the mid-90s, was “an incredibly important programme for the BBC to make”.
