The leaders of Britain's seven main political parties will do battle in a high-stakes TV showdown tonight, marking the only time David Cameron and Ed Miliband will debate each other in the General Election campaign.
The two-hour event sees the Prime Minister, the Labour leader and Nick Clegg joined by the leaders of UKIP, the Greens, the SNP and Plaid Cymru for a live debate before a 200-strong studio audience in Salford.
The event is the first and only debate featuring all the leaders to be held before voters go to the polls on 7 May and has the potential to shape the course of the remaining five weeks of campaigning.
:: For full coverage of the General Election 2015 click here
During the debate - which is hosted by ITV - the leaders will give an uninterrupted one-minute answer to each question posed by the audience.
There will then be up to 18 minutes of debate for each question. ITV said "four substantial election questions" will be addressed in all.
Leaders will not be given advance notice of the questions, which have been selected by an "experienced editorial panel".
Sky News will broadcast the debate live from 8pm until 10pm, with coverage also available online and via Sky News apps.
Greens leader Natalie Bennett will make the first opening statement, while Mr Cameron is scheduled to speak last.
Campaigning is expected to be largely placed on hold today as the party leaders make their final preparations for the event.
Key issues in the first three days of the campaign have included the battle between the Conservatives and Labour over economic policies and support for business.
Labour has been campaigning heavily on the use of zero-hours contracts, saying it will outlaw "exploitative" contracts if it wins power.
The Liberal Democrats have sought to highlight mental illness as a major issue.
Speaking at Bishopbriggs in East Dunbartonshire on Wednesday, Mr Clegg insisted he would not be losing any sleep ahead of tonight's event.
"I have been in politics long enough now to know that you shouldn't over-think these things or over-rehearse them," he said.
"I will try and answer the questions as best as I can and make sure that the Liberal Democrat voice is heard loud and clear in the cacophony of other political voices that will be represented on that stage."
The three-way debates in 2010 saw a boost in the polls for Mr Clegg, although this year's debate is more likely to present an opportunity for one of the smaller party leaders such as Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP or Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood.
While campaigning at a factory in Huddersfield on Wednesday, Mr Miliband said the debate was a good opportunity to speak directly to Britons.
"The way I'm going to prepare for this debate is by coming to talk to good people here and keep campaigning," he said.
"The thing I value about the debate is the chance to talk directly to the British people, as I am doing today, about the things that matter to me and how I want to change the country," he added.
UKIP's campaign chief Patrick O'Flynn said Nigel Farage is preparing "rigorously" for the event.
"Obviously this will be the only chance he gets to be on the same stage as David Cameron and that's David Cameron's doing, not Nigel Farage's, so that again means that there will be key arguments to put there," Mr O'Flynn said.
:: Watch the seven-way leaders' debate live and in full from 8pm on Sky News, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132, Freesat channel 202, and on the Sky News website.
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