With most of the British press set against him, Thursday's TV appearance - which covered everything from immigration to economic policy -- was a rare opportunity for Miliband to talk to voters directly.  He duly used the opportunity to reject persistent criticism from some of his own lawmakers and the country's mostly right-wing press that his image as "a geek" made him an electoral liability, saying he didn't care what people said about him.  "The thing is they see you as a North London geek," Jeremy Paxman, a famously robust interviewer, told Miliband.  "Who cares? Who does?" came the reply. "You know, I don't care what the newspapers write about me."  Miliband, 45, said he had been underestimated before.  "People have thrown a lot at me over four and a half years, but I'm a pretty resilient guy and I've been underestimated at every turn. People said I wouldn't become leader and I did. People said four years ago he can't become prime minister; I think I can."  Read MoreThese charts will tell all you need to know about the UK election  Stuart Thomson, a public affairs consultant at Bircham Dyson Bell, said both men had got through the encounter without making a serious mistake, but that Cameron, the incumbent, had more to lose than Miliband, the challenger.  "There's no doubt that Miliband exceeded expectations but Cameron held his own," Thomson told Reuters. "The debate has really started the firing gun on the election and all sides know they are in a real battle."  Follow us on Twitter: @CNBCWorld
Prime Minister David Cameron won the first TV encounter of a close national election in Britain, an opinion poll showed.