What time is the Trump vs Biden debate tonight and can I watch it in the UK?

President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden are set to meet on the debate stage for the first time on Tuesday night as the United States gears up for its upcoming November 3 election.

The event in Cleveland will give millions of those readying to cast their ballot a first opportunity to compare the candidates’ policies and personalities as they appear side by side on national television for 90 minutes.

The debate will also offer a massive platform for Mr Trump and Mr Biden to outline their starkly different visions for a country facing multiple crises, including racial justice protests and a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans and cost millions of jobs.

Mr Biden will step on to the Cleveland stage holding leads in the polls – significant in the national surveys, closer in the battleground states – but facing questions about his turn in the spotlight, particularly considering Mr Trump’s withering attacks on him.

And Mr Trump, with only weeks left to change the course of the race, will have arguably his best chance to try to reframe the campaign as a choice election and not a referendum over his handling of a virus that has killed more people in America than any other nation.

So, for those wanting to follow proceedings from the UK, here's what you need to know:

The debate will take place at 9PM ET on Tuesday, which is 2am on Wednesday in the UK.

It is the first of three presidential debates, with the second and third set to be held on October 15 and October 22 respectively.

A sole vice-presidential debate is set to take place on October 7 and will see incumbent Vice President Mike Pence and Mr Biden's running mate Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, face off.

Those wanting to follow Tuesday's debate from the UK can tune in to CNN, BBC News and Sky News, all of which will both be showing the main event and feature analysis.

Alternatively, viewers can follow the action via US satellite network C-Span’s YouTube live stream, found here.

The event will also be aired on Amazon Fire, Android, Roku, and Apple TV services.

Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace will moderate the debate, as chosen by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, and will guide the candidates through six topics. They are:

There will be 15 minutes of discussion on each topic, which are subject to change.

But amid intense political polarisation, comparatively few undecided voters remain, raising questions as to how, or if, the debate might shape a race that has been defined by its bitterness and, at least so far, its stability.