Royal Ascot on ITV1: Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani lead the coverage with Richard Hoiles on commentary

Match date: 17 June 2026

Royal Ascot returns to ITV1 on Wednesday 17 June 2026, with free-to-air coverage also available on ITV HD, ITVX, STV in Scotland and STV Player. The broadcast team is fronted by Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani, with Richard Hoiles and Mark Johnson providing commentary, so viewers can expect the familiar ITV Racing mix of big-race analysis and live trackside atmosphere.[2][4]

Coverage for Royal Ascot is one of the major appointments in the British sporting calendar, and ITV has again been given the free-to-air television role for the meeting. According to published schedules, Wednesday’s live programme begins around 1:30pm and features the key races from the opening day, including the Queen Mary Stakes, Queen’s Vase, Duke of Cambridge Stakes, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Royal Hunt Cup and Kensington Palace Stakes, before the card concludes later with the Windsor Castle Stakes on ITV4.[2][4][8]

Ed Chamberlin has been the main presenter of ITV Racing since 2017, after building a strong reputation in television sport, including his long association with Sky Sports News and football coverage.[1] Francesca Cumani, also part of the ITV Racing line-up since 2017, is one of the most recognisable flat-racing presenters in Britain and has become central to the channel’s major flat-season broadcasting.[1][2] Their pairing is particularly well suited to Royal Ascot, where presentation needs to combine fashion, form and top-level racing storytelling.

The commentary team is equally established. Richard Hoiles has been ITV Racing’s main commentator since 2017, and is widely regarded as one of the leading voices in British racing television.[1][2] Mark Johnson serves as the secondary commentator, adding depth across the programme and ensuring coverage can move smoothly between races and features.[1] That matters at Royal Ascot, where the action is fast-paced and the production has to cover not only the racing but also the Royal Procession and the wider event spectacle.

The analysis panel includes former jockey and racing expert Jason Weaver and former rider Adele Mulrennan, both of whom are part of ITV Racing’s current on-air team.[1][2] Their role is to give viewers form insight, pace analysis and tactical context, which is especially valuable on a day featuring both championship-level and handicap races. ITV’s Royal Ascot coverage is also known for its reporting depth, and on Wednesday the team includes Matt Chapman, Oli Bell, Rishi Persad, Luke Harvey, Brian Gleeson, Mark Heyes and Charlotte Hawkins.[1][2]

Oli Bell is also a familiar face from The Opening Show, which forms part of ITV’s racing output and gives the channel a fuller magazine-style build-up to the meeting.[1][2] Matt Chapman remains one of racing television’s most recognisable field reporters, while Rishi Persad and Luke Harvey bring long-standing experience of live event broadcasting and paddock-side reporting.[1][2] Brian Gleeson is listed as a betting reporter, giving viewers an additional layer of wagering insight.[1]

Royal Ascot also has a major international footprint. Reporting on the wider broadcast plans shows the meeting being carried in more than 180 territories through a large global network of broadcasters, underlining its status as one of horse racing’s most watched events worldwide.[5] For British viewers, however, the key point is simple: ITV1 remains the main free-to-air home for the headline races, with ITVX and regional simulcasts offering additional ways to follow the action live.[2][4]

Beyond the racing, Royal Ascot’s appeal rests on its blend of top-class sport, pageantry and personality, and ITV’s presenting team is designed to reflect that mix. Chamberlin and Cumani provide the anchor, Hoiles and Johnson deliver the race calls, and the reporters and pundits fill in the detail that helps casual viewers and racing fans alike understand what is happening on track. For viewers seeking the full day’s atmosphere, the ITV coverage remains the most accessible and broadly pitched way to follow Royal Ascot in the UK and Ireland.[2][4]

More about the meeting is available on the official Ascot Royal Ascot page.

Article generated: 17 June 2026, 13:01 GMT