text: The TV channel E4 will shut down for 12 hours on the day of the general election to encourage more youngsters to vote. Cult US sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother will be taken off air for 12 hours – with viewers tuning in on 7 May shown instead an advert telling people to go to the polls. The specially-produced advert will be played, featuring 'Darren' – the man fictionally in charge of keeping E4 on air, sitting in the channel's control room. Scroll down for video . A specially-produced advert will be played on E4 on May 7 featuring 'Darren' – the man fictionally in charge of keeping the programme on air . The radical move could have a significant impact on the election with the advert set to be seen by millions of potential voters. E4 is the most popular channel for younger viewers, reaching 8.7 million 16-34 year olds every month – ahead of BBC2 and Channel 5. Its regular schedule will be suspended from 7am, when polls open, to 7pm, three hours before polling closes, when the channel will return to normal with Hollyoaks. Dan Brooke, Channel 4's chief marketing officer said: 'Less than half of under-25s voted at the last election so we've engaged the most powerful weapon that we have at our disposal to try and boost that number - switching off their favourite TV channel for the day.' E4's sister station Channel 4 will also run a special advertising campaign encouraging youngsters to vote. Voters aged between 18-24 and 25-34 are by far the least likely to take part in elections, prompting fears that politicians have given up trying to appeal to their concerns . The adverts will ask viewers: 'How many times have you missed life-changing events because you wanted to watch your favourite show? 'May 7 is election day and Darren is going to turn E4 off so you might as well go and vote. You won't forget will you Darren?' But viewers will only be able to take advantage of the TV switch-off if they have already registered to vote – with the deadline having already passed. Meanwhile, Channel 4 will present an 'alternative' to the election night coverage on the BBC and ITV, with a programme co-anchored by Jeremy Paxman and comedian David Mitchell. Paxman, who left BBC Two's Newsnight last June, said: 'Elections matter. But that doesn't mean the coverage has to be dull. I hope there'll be room for both insight and laughter.' The election-day shut down on E4 will see programmes including 'How I Met Your Mother' (pictured) taken off air for 12 hours . Fans of the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory will also be hit by the E4 decision to switch off its coverage between 7am and 7pm . Mitchell added: 'Our aim is to keep people watching much later than they intended and we will be judged by the dip in the nation's productivity on Friday 8 May.' The show will also include special election-themed episodes of Gogglebox and The Last Leg. The BBC's coverage of the election will be anchored by David Dimbleby, while Tom Bradby presides over ITV's election show and Adam Boulton anchors Sky's coverage.
target: Cult US shows like The Big Bang Theory  will be axed for 12 hours on May 7 .
  Instead, E4 will show a special advert encouraging people to vote .
  The radical move could have a significant impact on the election .
  E4 is the most popular channel for 16-34 year olds, watched by 8.7 million .