The Creative Director of BBC News, Chris Cook, who directs the broadcaster’s live election night coverage, came into the University recently to speak to students and staff from across LSFMD.

He talked them through everything that happened in the studio, and the gallery where he was in charge of the transmission, at the start of the results programme in the last election in 2019, playing them the live talkback – his instructions to the presenters in the studio and the technical staff working on the transmission.

Chris said that despite all the preparation that goes into the night’s coverage, the first half hour of an election night programme is “terrifying,” as the exit poll – made up of answers people give outside polling stations on how they’ve just voted – is released. However, it’s essential for the director in charge to set the tone for the many hours of broadcasting as the results come in throughout the night and the next day.

Sarah Lewthwaite, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications, who has worked on BBC coverage of five General Elections and organised the event, said:

Chris gave our students a great behind the scenes view in the run up to the General Election. An election night is a huge event for broadcasters, and as the main studio director, he is absolutely the calm at the centre of the storm.”

Chris – who leads the team of studio directors in charge of live transmissions of the BBC’s flagship Six and Ten O’clock news programmes – has invited a group of students into the BBC later in the year, to see a programme go out live on air.

Second year Media and Communications student Orzullah Karzai said:

It was fascinating to hear what goes on in a live programme like this – and I’m excited by the invitation to go into the BBC studios to see it all for ourselves.”

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