Democratic debate: when is it, where can I watch it and who will be in it?

Tonight's debate will kick off the 2016 Democrat campaign season; here's all you need to know

Three of the Democrat candidates in the 2016 race (Getty)

As the Presidential race in the U.S. gets into full swing, the Democratic party are out to find Obama's replacement, who they hope will enter the White House when his second term comes to an endnext year. The first televised debate is tonight.

What time does it start?

The debate is scheduled to begin at 01:30 in the morning UK time, which is 20:30 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, where the debate will be taking place. Nobody seems particularly sure when the debate will be ending, but TV networks are estimating the action will be over by 04:00 (23:00 Eastern Time).

Who is taking part in the debate?

There'll only be five candidates lined up on the podiums tonight, a far cry from the ten taking part in the Republican debates.

Hilary Clinton will be taking to centre stage, as the front runner in the race to get the Democratic nomination, she'll take up the coveted middle podium. She's not entering the debates without experience, having had a shot at the deabtes in 2008, before Obama beat her to the White House.

Bernie Sanders is also attracting a lot of attention, with his supporters hoping the most left-wing of all the candidates will be able to emulate the success of the UK's Corbyn campaign. At 74, he's the oldest of the line up, and people will be watching to see if he can hold his ground, and answer questions convincingly on issues beyond the issue of inequality, which has seen him growing in popularity week on week. Interestingly, Sanders is running as an independent rather than as a Democrat.

Martin O'Malley was the Governor of Maryland until January 2015, and now hopes to make a move to the White House. He's stalled in single digits when it comes to polling, so tonight he'll be hoping to push himself onto the Democratic membership's radar.

Lincoln Chafee, Governor of Rhode Island, and only joined the Democrats in 2013. The son of a Republican politician, he left the party in 2007, and went on to serve as an independent Senator until joining the Democratic Party. He's polling around 1% at the moment.

Jim Webb is a former Virginia Senator, holding office from 2007 to 2013, is also contesting the Democratic nomination.

Nobody is really sure whether Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, will be showing up or not. It's expected the 72-year-old will decide whether to throw his hat into the ring by the end of this week.

How do I watch?

CNN will be showing the debate, on TV and online. You'll be able to stream the debate live on their website.

If this wasn't reason enough to stay up all night, Donald Trump has decided that the whole event needs his input, and has promised to live tweet the debate blow by blow.