Krishnan Guru-Murthy has said hosting a “serious” election night show with Channel 4 is a “big ambition” that he did not think he would ever get to do. The news anchor, 54, is set to lead the election special for the channel alongside former BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis as the results come in after the polls close at 10pm on Thursday. Throughout the night, the duo will be joined by The Rest is Politics podcast hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, as well as some familiar faces from the reality TV show Gogglebox.
Speaking about anchoring the election coverage, Guru-Murthy told the PA news agency: “It is the big ambition I had, actually, which I didn’t think I would ever get to do...
“If anybody ever asked me ‘what’s the thing you’d still really like to do?’, for the last 20 years I would have said election night in the (David) Dimbleby role. “Obviously that was never going to happen to me because I left the BBC 25 years ago and Channel 4’s election nights have always been very different, and we’re sort of alternative and have involved comedy, we’re a totally different take. “This is the first time Channel 4 have decided that our job as an alternative public service broadcaster is to provide an alternative but serious, analytical news programme on election night.
“So, it’s the first time that we’ve really taken on the BBC and ITV on their terms as well. So, this feels like a big first and something I never really thought I’d.