Who is commentating Royal Ascot on ITV1, ITV HD and ITVX today?

Match date: 16 June 2026

Royal Ascot gets underway on ITV1, ITV HD and ITVX today, with Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani fronting the free-to-air coverage from around 1:30pm, as ITV Racing once again brings the meeting live to viewers in the UK.[2][4]

The opening day is one of the highlights of the British Flat racing season, and ITV’s broadcast will cover the key races, betting insight, interviews and the famous Royal Procession. The day’s televised card includes the Queen Anne Stakes at 2:30pm, the Coventry Stakes at 3:05pm, the King Charles III Stakes at 3:40pm and the St James’s Palace Stakes at 4:20pm.[1][2]

Richard Hoiles and Mark Johnson are listed as the main commentators for the programme. Hoiles has become one of the best-known voices in British racing through years of work across major meetings, while Johnson is also a long-established racing commentator whose voice will be familiar to regular followers of the sport. Their presence gives ITV a strong racecalling team for a card built around Group races and high-profile handicaps.[1][6]

The pundit line-up is equally strong, with Jason Weaver and Adele Mulrennan providing analysis. Weaver is a former top-level jockey who moved into broadcasting after a successful riding career, while Mulrennan is a respected rider and analyst whose racecourse experience adds a contemporary perspective to ITV’s coverage.[1]

Reporting duties are spread across a wide team, including Matt Chapman, Oli Bell, Rishi Persad, Luke Harvey, Brian Gleeson, Mark Heyes and Charlotte Hawkins. That broad roster reflects the scale of Royal Ascot, where the broadcaster combines paddock insight, interviews and atmosphere coverage with live race action.[1][2]

Ed Chamberlin is one of ITV Racing’s most recognisable anchors, having become the main studio presenter after a long career in sports broadcasting. Francesca Cumani, who also has a strong background in racing presentation, has established herself as a regular and authoritative voice on ITV’s racing coverage. Together they provide the structure for one of the broadcaster’s biggest annual sporting events.[6]

Royal Ascot remains one of the few major British sporting occasions available free-to-air in the UK, and ITV’s continued involvement means audiences can watch the meeting without subscription. For viewers in Britain, the key channel options are ITV1, ITV HD and ITVX, while the event is also shown internationally through other broadcasters such as NBC in the United States.[1][5]

Today’s coverage is part of a five-day festival running from 16 to 20 June, with Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire staging one of the most prestigious meetings in world racing.[5]

For more background on the meeting, see Royal Ascot.

Article generated: 16 June 2026, 13:01 GMT