CBC-TV's This Hour has 22 Minutes is ready for its election closeup

The CBC'sThis Hour has 22 Minutesis treading into new waters with its election coverageMonday night. For the first time in 23 seasons, the political satire program will record a live show on the same night as a federal election.

Normally the half-hour comedy pre-tapesTuesday's program on Monday night in frontof a live audience in Halifax at 7 p.m. local time. This Monday the show will pre-tape at 10 p.m. while the election results are rolling in, for a broadcast the following night.

In addition, Mark Critchwill be reporting from the headquarters of NDP LeaderTomMulcairandLiberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

Critch will dolive hits withPeter Mansbridgeas part of CBCTelevision's election coverage. He has also been contributing regular satirical columns tothe Politics page on CBCNews.ca.

The executive producer of This Hour has 22 Minutes, Peter McBain, knows a thing or two about election campaigns.

Four years ago, during the last campaign, he led a team producing a nightly election show on CBC News Network.

Real news vs. satirical news

McBain says there's a big difference planning election coverage for 22 Minutes, observing that "acomedy show is a lot freer to point out the obvious, ridiculous and downright hypocritical things that happen during a campaign."

The23rdseason of22 Minutesdebuted on Oct.7,with less than two weeksleft in the federalcampaign, and the showcame out of the gate with satirical guns blazing.

Mark Critch, dressed as Mulcair, interviewing the realMulcair with hilarious results, followed by a visit with Trudeau on his Liberal campaign bus.

There was also a satirical take on the leaders' debate, during which principal cast memberSusan KentplayedTrudeau.

She spoke about how she prepared:"Trudeau was a vid from a couple years ago when he referred to himself in the third person up on the Hill with a scrum of reporters around. He was very animated and offended at the suggestion that he didn't love Canada. I watched that video a good 10 times."

McBain has a dream outcome for the election."I think a Bloc Qubcois majority would be hilarious. Whatever the outcome is, the dream come true for us is having so many Canadians engaged by the election. I'm hoping politics continues to interest people in the coming months that's a political satire producer's dream come true."

Whatever the outcome of the election, expect politicians of all stripestoshow up on This Hour has 22 Minutes in the weeks and months to come.