BBC unveils US election programming

The BBC has unveiled a range of special news programmes in the lead-up to the US Presidential Election on 5 November. 

A special Panorama episode called Trump: A Second Chance? (w/t) will follow Donald Trump’s campaign over the past 18 months, with exclusive access to his supporters.  

Produced by October Films, it will air on BBC1 on 29 October, amd will also cover Trump’s indictment on fraud charges in April last year and the two assassination attempts.  

A Question Time special episode will be hosted by Fiona Bruce from the battleground state of Pennsylvania, the first broadcast of the programme from the US since 2008. Bruce will host a panel of politicians and experts and invite members of the audience to quiz the panel on the topics that matter to them.  

The special will air on BBC1 at 9pm on 10 October and on the World Service at 10pm. It will also be available in the US and worldwide via the BBC News Channel and YouTube, with timings yet to be confirmed. 

Victoria Derbyshire will interview some of the biggest names in US politics in live Newsnight programmes from Washington DC. 

Clive Myrie will also be based in the US in the last couple of weeks of October to tell the key stories of the election for BBC News at Six and Ten. He will be joined in the US by BBC Verify’s Ros Atkins and Merlyn Thomas to fact-check campaigning claims and stories, following the recent launch of BBC Verify US. 

The BBC News channel’s chief presenters will also be stationed in Washington DC, with Sumi Somaskanda and Caitríona Perry to lead the coverage alongside US special correspondent Katty Kay, North America editor Sarah Smith and North America correspondents Gary O’Donoghue, Anthony Zurcher, Nada Tawfik, Emma Vardy, John Sudworth and Ione Wells. 

Somaskanda, Perry and Kay will front a weekly series called Path to the Presidency on the BBC News channel, featuring expert interviews and conversations with sources. The series will also be available as audio via The Global Story podcast. 

Somaskanda and Perry will also lead a series of special segments on the channel, called Voter Voices, speaking directly to voters across the seven swing states. They will host the conversations alongside BBC journalists Helena Humphrey and Carl Nasman.  

On election night itself, the BBC News Channel and BBC1 will cover developments throughout the night through to breakfast time. More details will be revealed soon. 

Chief executive of BBC News and Current Affairs Deborah Turness said: “The BBC’s trusted journalism rises above America’s polarised politics to deliver facts, not opinion.  

“Our teams in the US will be at the heart of the campaign trail action, following every step of the contest along with journalists in London and across the globe.  

“We’ll be reporting on the ground in key swing states to find out what really matters to US voters, and ultimately who will win the most powerful job in the world – a position that affects us all.”