Inside the GB News studios ahead of channel’s launch

GB News presenters have been pictured in the studio ahead of the new channel launching this weekend.

The channel, chaired by veteran political interviewer Andrew Neil, launches on June 13 with a special programme at 8pm titled Welcome To GB News.

GB News has signed up a roster of high-profile talent, including ex-BBC presenter Simon McCoy, former executive editor for the Sun Dan Wootton, and ex-Sky broadcaster Colin Brazier.

Other names to feature on air include former Sky Sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher, Darren McCaffrey and Rosie Wright, who will host morning show The Great British Breakfast, while also working on other programmes.

It will be available to watch in HD on Sky channel 515 and Virgin Media’s channel 626, as well as also showing on Freeview and YouView channel 236, Freesat channel 216 and online.

The news channel, launched as a rival to the news and current affairs offerings on the likes of BBC and Sky, has also signed up businesswoman and former Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry.

Broadcaster and author Neil Oliver, known for programmes including Coast and A History Of Ancient Britain, will host Neil Oliver Live, while Andrew Doyle will host Free Speech Nation.

Former ITV presenter Alastair Stewart will anchor Alastair Stewart And Friends, featuring conversation and analysis of current affairs.

Brazier and social commentator Mercy Muroki will host a joint show, as will former Labour MP Gloria De Piero and economist Liam Halligan.

GB News has also recruited a team of regional reporters to help serve its mission of involving “non-metropolitan voices in the national conversation”.

Director of news and programmes John McAndrew said: “It’s a huge task to launch even one new programme, never mind a whole channel to run 18 hours a day.

“The team has been working flat out and of course there’s a sense of nervous excitement, but mostly excitement. We can’t wait to get started now.”

Following his departure from Good Morning Britain, reports have suggested Piers Morgan could be another addition to the GB News line-up.

Neil told the Evening Standard it would “be nice to have him”, adding: “But he’s got his own idea of what he is worth and we have a slightly different idea of what he’s worth.

“He is in a lucky situation because ITV are continuing to pay him a tonne of money so he doesn’t have to do anything in the short run.

“I don’t think he’s going to go anywhere else in the UK. If he has a huge American offer that’s a different matter.

“No-one in the UK can compete with that, but if he’s going to do more UK news TV I hope it will be with us.”

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, Neil praised the launch line-up of presenters as representative of “modern Britain”.

He said: “On Sunday night we hope to launch GB News, a new channel. It is quite fraught, as you can imagine, trying to do this in the middle of a pandemic, but we are getting there.

“We are using lots of the latest new technology, which will be great, but, as you know, new technology doesn’t always work first time round and all the journalists and technicians have got to get used to it. So it is a challenge, but I launched Sky News way back in 1989 so we are used to it.

“The one thing that has been great is the line-up of presenters. They are Britain, they are modern Britain.”

The GB News studios are located in Paddington, west London.