Sky News to host Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn in live Q&A special

Faisal Islam and Jeremy Paxman will host a special live programme featuring Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn on 29 May at 8.30pm.

May v Corbyn Live: The Battle For Number 10 is a joint Sky News and Channel 4 programme
Image: May v Corbyn Live: The Battle For Number 10 is a joint Sky News and Channel 4 programme
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Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn will face questions from a live studio audience for the first time in the election campaign on Sky News on Monday 29 May.

The Conservative leader and the Labour leader will be interviewed during the joint Sky News and Channel 4 programme May v Corbyn Live: The Battle For Number 10 - starting at 8.30pm.

The 90-minute show, to be broadcast from Sky's west London studios, will open with one of the leaders facing an audience Q&A hosted by Sky News Political Editor Faisal Islam. They will then be interviewed by former BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman.

The second half of the programme will follow the same format with the other party leader.

The programme will be four days before the BBC broadcasts Mrs May and Mr Corbyn facing audience questions in Question Time specials presented by David Dimbleby on 2 June.

Sky News has also announced that on election night Adam Boulton and Sophy Ridge will co-host Vote 2017 from 9pm - with Boulton at the election hub at Sky's studios in Osterley crunching the latest results and Ridge on Abingdon Green in Westminster.

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Jeremy Corbyn has claimed his party is 'under attack' for standing up to corporate interests
Image: Jason Farrell and Tamara Cohen are following Labour's campaign

Kay Burley will be with Theresa May in her Maidenhead constituency, Colin Brazier will be in north London following Jeremy Corbyn, Anna Botting in the Lake District with Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron, Niall Paterson in Glasgow with the SNP, Gillian Joseph with UKIP, and Paul Kelso with the Green Party in Brighton.

Professor Michael Thrasher, Sky News' election expert, will be analysing all the results as they come in. Dermot Murnaghan will present Sky's coverage the following day as the story continues to develop from Westminster.

The broadcasters' exit poll, carried out by Ipsos MORI and GfK for Sky News, the BBC and ITV News, will offer the first snapshot of the results at 10pm before the results come in throughout the evening and into the following day.

Using the Sky News team and contributors across the UK, Sky News will be live from an unprecedented 300 constituencies, allowing the channel to be live in more party target seats than ever before.

John Ryley, Head of Sky News, said: "Sky News will offer their customers the most comprehensive coverage out there both during the rest of the campaign to the drama of election night.

"Whatever the results, Sky News promises to bring you the latest news first with immediate analysis from Sky News experts and guests with accuracy, flair and a healthy dose of fun."

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Theresa May addresses supporters in front of the Conservative party's campaign bus
Image: Beth Rigby and Robert Nisbet are with the Conservatives' campaign

The election campaign coverage will continue to see the Sky News political team on the road with the party leaders. Beth Rigby and Robert Nisbet are with the Conservatives, while Jason Farrell and Tamara Cohen are following the Labour Party.

Darren McCaffrey and Siobhan Robbins are with the Liberal Democrats, Tom Rayner is following the UKIP campaign, and James Matthews and Ian Woods are with the Scottish National Party.

Sky News' regional correspondents - David Blevins in Northern Ireland, Gerard Tubb in northeast England, Becky Johnson in the Midlands, Rebecca Williams in the West Country, Tom Parmenter in the West Midlands and Nick Martin in the North West - are all reporting on what happens when the campaign buses leave London.

Political editor Faisal Islam is based in Westminster giving regular analysis on what the latest political developments mean for the individual parties and the political landscape in the UK.

Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig will round up the day's political news for the special nightly 9pm programme The Campaign With Sophy Ridge.

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Sky's #LewisLorry is meeting voters from across the UK during the campaign
Image: Sky's #LewisLorry is meeting voters from across the UK during the campaign

Political Correspondent Lewis Goodall will be on the road with the #LewisLorry and visiting 30 key seats across the UK and talk to voters on the ground.

Sky News will also broadcast four short films in the week ahead of the election which will combine to make a special one-hour programme presented by Sky News specialists.

Paul Kelso will look at the crisis in the NHS, Adam Parsons will look at the world of work, Lisa Holland will focus on social mobility, and Sam Kiley will examine Britain's place in the world.

As well as TV, Sky News for mobile will offer a wide range of tools to dig deep into the election results. Users will be able to check results in real time and find out the state of each party's wins and losses.

A live blog will run from 8pm right through election night, giving viewers snap results and analysis from Sky News teams from across the country. Notifications will bring all the key results to apps as they happen.

During the campaign, the Sky News website is offering leader profiles, analysis from Professor Thrasher, Sky Views, opinion pieces from the editorial team and interactive articles - all in addition to the latest news from the campaign.

Sky News will also be creating more content specifically for social media than ever before - directly engaging with audiences across social media platforms.

This includes a daily Vote 2017 Facebook Live every day at 1pm until 8 June. The series is hosted by Sky News political experts from different locations across the UK, and tackles major election issues.

It is a way for audiences to directly engage with the Sky News team and ask the questions on their minds ahead of the General Election. All 300 live declarations will also feature across social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

The Sky News social media team will also be capturing the night in virtual reality for the Sky VR app and will be promoting the 360-degree experience across all social platforms.

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Election results coverage gets fully under way from 10pm on 8 June
Image: Election results coverage gets fully under way from 10pm on 8 June

There will be coverage on social platforms over election night and all results will be tweeted from @SkyElections. There will also be a rolling Snapchat edition of Sky News from 10pm.

Sky News Radio bulletins for commercial radio will have up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the election campaign. Throughout election night, bulletins will be broadcast live from Westminster and break the exit poll results at 10pm to the sound of Big Ben's chimes.

Sky News will also devote Monday 22 May to focus on engaging with the issues that matter most to young people.

The day will be a chance to hear from those who are not particularly engaged in politics, and those who are voting for the first time.

Sky News has invited a group of young people to be guest editors for the day and help set the editorial agenda with the matters they care about.

As part of the day, a group of 18 to 25-year-olds will edit a special edition of Sky News on Snapchat, contribute to the All Out Politics programme and evening show The Campaign With Sophy Ridge, and contribute to Sky News' social media platforms including Facebook.