May vs Corbyn live Q&A attracts combined audience of 3.3m viewers across Channel 4 and Sky News

Sky News and Channel 4’s live Q&A with Prime Minister Theresa May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn last night brought in a combined audience of 3.3m viewers across the two channels.

May vs Corbyn Live: The Battle for Number 10 was aired simultaneously on Sky News and Channel 4, repeating the format for the 2015 general election featuring David Cameron and Ed Miliband.

Sky’s broadcast attracted 415,000 viewers, while 2.9m tuned into Channel 4 on average (matching its figures for the 2015 broadcast which aired in a slightly later 9pm slot).

The 90-minute show featured a studio audience Q&A hosted by Sky political editor Faisal Islam before Jeremy Paxman interviewed each leader, who never appeared on stage at the same time.

The show took a combined audience share of 14.4 per cent, beating BBC One’s Panorama special on the Manchester bombing, BBC Two’s Springwatch and Channel 5 shows about the Kennedys.

Channel 4 viewers peaked at 3.3m an hour into the programme at 9.30pm.

Sky’s Facebook feed of the Q&A session has been watched 366,000 times and the live stream was viewed 47,778 times on YouTube.

ITV’s Leaders Debate, which aired earlier this month but without May or Corbyn, attracted poor viewing figures despite its prime-time slot, only reaching 1.7m and an 8.8 per cent audience share.

On Wednesday, the BBC will broadcast its Election Debate Live from 7.30pm, moderated by Mishal Husain. Labour has yet to put forward a candidate for the seven-way debate, which will include:

• Conservative Home Secretary, Amber Rudd
• Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron
• UKIP leader, Paul Nuttall
• SNP deputy leader, Angus Robertson
• Green Party co-leader, Caroline Lucas
• Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood

The next Q&A with the May and Corbyn will take place on 2 June on BBC One with the live Question Time Leader Special.

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