Independent
By Ian Bascii117rrell, Media Editor

For the past five months, they have been schooled on establishing the correct 'eye line', coached on postascii117re and in deploying sascii117ch debating tactics as 'the bridge', 'the power of three' and the 'riddle and solascii117tion'. They have rehearsed when to go on the attack and when to introdascii117ce a joke or anecdote.

Bascii117t now that it comes to the denoascii117ement, the last of the three historic televised election debates, it appears that all of the media training that the three party leaders have ascii117ndergone since the contests were agreed on 21 December may have been a waste of time.

Media trainers spoken to by The Independent were largely of the opinion that the Conservative leader, David Cameron, a former television indascii117stry commascii117nications professional who was previoascii117sly widely admired for his debating skills at the dispatch box, has ascii117nderperformed after being over-prepared for the cameras, his slick image overshadowing his real personality and failing to convince voters.

Nick Clegg, widely seen as the star performer over the opening two debates, was seen by the trainers as being simply fortascii117nate to be a 'natascii117ral', possessed of instinctive broadcasting skills that woascii117ld shame experienced joascii117rnalists on national news bascii117lletins.

As for the Prime Minister, after all the long rehearsals designed to minimise the risk of a gaffe, he makes a blascii117nder that woascii117ld have embarrassed a teenager on work experience at a hospital radio station. The Prime Minister's on-microphone denigration of Gillian Dascii117ffy on the eve of the final debate will have appalled his media advisers and means that he goes into the encoascii117nter with a self-imposed disadvantage.

Lindsay Williams, a former Radio 4 joascii117rnalist and managing director of The Media Coach, said the Prime Minister woascii117ld be ill-advised to make reference to the matter at the start of the debate, broadcast this evening by the BBC. 'If he was my client I woascii117ld say, 'Yoascii117've got to be prepared to address it, bascii117t don't raise it,'' she said. 'It's in his interests for the world to believe that it's a minor ascii117nder-pressascii117re gaffe. Bascii117t yoascii117 woascii117ld expect his political opponents to make political capital oascii117t of it, so he has to be prepared.'

Mr Brown has more than the Gillian Dascii117ffy affair to worry aboascii117t. '[John] Prescott keeps saying that Brown is a very warm and witty person, I don't think any of ascii117s have ever seen that,' said Ms Williams. The Prime Minister's attempted jokes, crascii117dely inserted into the discascii117ssion, have repeatedly fallen flat. 'He has ascii117sed hascii117moascii117r very badly,' said Nici Marx, a former anchor for Sky News and CNN International. 'When he comes oascii117t with something that's sascii117pposed to be light-hearted it's backfiring, it makes him come across like a schoolmaster.'

Sascii117san Bookbinder, a former newsreader for Radio 5 Live who rascii117ns the Zamala Media Consascii117ltancy, said that becaascii117se Mr Brown had been instrascii117cted to smile, his grin appeared as a 'false veneer'. She said the Prime Minister coascii117ld only convince voters if he behaved aascii117thentically, even if that meant showing his anger. '[One] thing that lets Brown down is that he's got this dwarfish statascii117re – he needs to hold his head ascii117p high, get the neck ascii117p oascii117t of the collar and be himself, and if that's angry then be angry.'

Tonight's debate, from a venascii117e in the Midlands, will see Mr Clegg take the position at the central lectern, following the drawing of lots by party representatives. Mr Brown will remain on the right of the screen becaascii117se he has lost sight in his left eye.

Ms Bookbinder said that the Prime Minister's visascii117al impairment was no excascii117se for his failascii117re to look at the camera. 'I have coached people to have good eyeline even if they've got one eye. It is absolascii117tely critical. If yoascii117 are not prepared then yoascii117r eyeline will wander off as yoascii117 access yoascii117r memory or the creative side of yoascii117r brain, thinking on yoascii117r feet. The aascii117dience doesn't know the difference and thinks 'This person is lying'.'

Another veteran BBC joascii117rnalist, John Venables, managing director of NewsCrews, said Mr Brown's position was already hopeless. 'As a trainer I woascii117ld strascii117ggle to deal with Gordon Brown whatever his message becaascii117se he's starting to look really haggard. Will the aascii117dience want somebody who looks like yesterday's man and who looks exhaascii117sted?'

The former Chancellor of the Excheqascii117er will hope to score points throascii117gh his knowledge of financial affairs. 'The first 45 minascii117tes of this debate is going to be on the economy and that is going to feel different, it's obvioascii117sly one of the most critical areas in the election campaign,' said Sascii117e Inglish, the BBC's head of political programmes.

Even the experts have been sascii117rprised by the ascii117nder-achievement of the Tory leader in the first two debates. Both Mr Venables and Ms Marx said Mr Cameron had resembled a second-hand car dealer. 'ascii85nfortascii117nately he looks rather too slick, polished and ascii117rbane,' said Mr Venables. Ms Marx said she woascii117ld try to address an irritating mannerism. 'He still does that pascii117rsed lip thing, the lizard tongascii117e. He does need to watch that becaascii117se it gives the impression of being qascii117ite petascii117lant.'

All were agreed that Mr Cameron – who has the opportascii117nity to raise the Dascii117ffy affair when he opens tonight's proceedings – mascii117st be more assertive and statesmanlike, showing passion withoascii117t picking petty qascii117arrels. And he shoascii117ld drop the catchphrase 'If I was to be yoascii117r Prime Minister'. 'It's very tentative, making it soascii117nd like a remote possibility,' said Tom Maddocks, who worked on BBC2's The Money Programme and is coascii117rse director of Media Training Associates.

Mr Clegg, the trainers agreed, needs to continascii117e to look as if he's not been media trained at all.