The Boat Race 2024 - How to watch on TV and livestream with start times and course explained

Between five and 10 million people are expected to watch The Boat Race on television this weekend as Oxford University hope to come back from a Cambridge University clean sweep in 2023.

The prestigious varsity event brings 250,000 spectators to the banks of the Thames in London with many more sitting down in front of the BBC's coverage.

NationalWorld has all you need to know to follow The Boat Race including timings, TV programming and the Championship Course.

What time is The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge?

The Boat Race between Oxford University and Cambridge University takes place on Saturday, March 30 in London. The races will happen in the afternoon following a coin toss in Putney.

The 78th Women's Boat Race begins at 2.46pm and the 169th Men's Boat Race begins at 3.46pm.

The Women's Boat Race coin toss will take place at 12.40pm and the Men's Boat Race coin toss will take place at 1.15pm on the Putney Embankment.

There will also be two reserve races that take place on the course between the Women's Race and the Men's Race. The Women's reserves race is known as Osiris v Blondie and takes place at 3.01pm with the Men's Isis v Goldie Boat Race following at 3.16pm.

How to watch The Boat Race on TV and live stream

The Boat Race will be broadcast on TV and on live stream by the BBC. Coverage starts at 2pm and runs until 4.30pm.

The event can be watched live on BBC One and live streamed on BBC iPlayer. The coverage will then be able to view on demand on the iPlayer.

Clare Balding will be hosting the programme, which will provide build-up before the event, the racing action and the medal ceremony - although crews have been warned against throwing coxes into the Thames' this year due to pollution.

The Boat Race course explained

The Boat Race course is known as the 'Championship Course'. It is 4 miles, 374 yards or 6.8 kilometres in distance and passes some of the Tideway's most iconic monuments between Putney and Mortlake.

The race starts just in front of Putney Bridge and next to Bishops Park. The crews then move past Fulham FC stadium, Craven Cottage, towards Hammersmith and the Harrods Depository. Hammersmith Bridge is just before the halfway point and Oxford and Cambridge then pass Furnivall Gardens and Chiswick Eyot.

The race moves around the bend and heads under Barnes Bridge towards a dramatic finish at Mortlake, just in front of Chiswick Bridge.