[madmusician]

The alternative schedules put Question Time at 11.10pm. Really don't get why they need an edition the day after the election - surely we're owed a break from all the debates. (Oddly a 45 minute edition schedules next Thursday at 7.30pm too ahead of a double bill of EastEnders at 8.15pm).

IIRC, the day after Election Day edition of Question Time was a new thing for the 2015 Election, and was billed as part of the Dimbleby-Edwards handover as Election Night anchor. Dimbleby was to do through the night until Breakfast started, and that would be his final Election Night, then Edwards was to do after Breakfast, through the Friday, and then be the main anchor for future elections.

So that it didn't look like too much of a 'demotion' for Dimbleby, they put in this new Question Time edition on the Friday night and spun it as being 'David will finish at Breakfast to prepare for the new primetime Question Time that reflects on the result'. It was quite a memorable edition, with Paddy Ashdown eating a marzipan hat, after he had questioned the exit poll and vowed to 'eat his hat' if the Lib Dem result was as bad as predicted!

Of course, the smoothness of that Dimbleby/Edwards handover did not go at all as planned, as they got Dimbleby back in for the 2016 Referendum programme, and then for the 2017 GE, with the argument that the 2017 GE was the 'third part of a trilogy' of result nights.

I have to say that I think it is a crying shame that Huw Edwards only ended up with one Election night as anchor, and I think there is a huge amount of sadness over his situation, but I don't want to risk the wrath of the mods by saying any more here!

...and I know that this post is not very on-topic for the Euro 2024 thread - apologies!