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"They're not exactly dancing around and doing a chicken impression, but that is pretty much the gist of it", reports the BBC's Chris Mason
The Labour, Lib Dem and UKIP leaders will ask broadcasters to press ahead with general election TV debates even if David Cameron refuses to take part.
Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage have written to Mr Cameron saying it would be "unacceptable" for the prime minister to refuse to appear.
Mr Cameron has said he will take part only if the Green Party is included.
His opponents said an empty podium should be provided should Mr Cameron have a "last-minute change of heart".
Downing Street said its position had not changed, insisting any multi-party format must include the Green Party.
In response, the BBC, Sky News, ITV and Channel 4 said they "remain committed" to staging debates before the poll on 7 May.
'Self-interest'In identical letters to Mr Cameron, the three leaders call for a repeat of the 2010 debates - the first ever leaders' TV debates in a British election - and insist they "not the property of the politicians".
They say: "I believe it would be a major setback to our democratic processes if these debates were not repeated in 2015 because of one politician's unwillingness to participate."
They add: "It would be unacceptable if the political self-interest of one party leader were to deny the public the opportunity to see their leaders debate in public.
"Therefore, if you are unwilling to reconsider, the three party leaders who have committed to participate will ask the broadcasters to press ahead with the debates and provide an empty podium should you have a last-minute change of heart."
Under plans put forward by the BBC, Sky News, ITV and Channel 4 in October, the pre-election live TV debates would include the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and UKIP.
Three debatesMr Cameron would take on Labour leader Mr Miliband head-to-head in one debate, another would feature Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband and Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg, and a third would also include UKIP's Mr Farage.
The suggested schedule is for debates on 2 April, 16 April and 30 April, ahead of the general election on 7 May.
Mr Cameron has said he would like the debates to take place, but insists that "you can't have some minor parties in and not other parties in".
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said it would be a huge step for the broadcasters to effectively "call Mr Cameron's bluff" and proceed without him.
AnalysisBy Chris Mason, BBC Political Correspondent
It's not often you get these three gentlemen all signing the very same letter.
In effect, it says 'Look, if David Cameron doesn't want to turn up that's fine, just leave a podium there in case he changes his mind at the last minute. But otherwise just press ahead.'
The question is will the broadcasters have the nerve to actually do that? And would it be deemed to be within the election rules?
Downing Street's argument has always been, at least for the last week or so publicly, that unless the Green Party is included, David Cameron is none too keen.
He says it wouldn't be fair to push ahead with these debates without the Green Party. There are plenty within the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats rather glad the Greens aren't there, because they might just nick their votes.
Mr Farage said the BBC would be "within its rights", under the terms of its editorial guidelines, to stage a debate without Mr Cameron and providing an empty podium would be "entirely appropriate".
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UKIP leader Nigel Farage: "In 2010 David Cameron did very badly in these debates"
"If David Cameron chooses not to turn up that is his hard luck," he told the BBC News Channel. "My guess is that if the broadcasters hold firm, Mr Cameron will buckle and say yes."
Mr Miliband has said the debates should go ahead "with or without" Mr Cameron, whom he claimed was "running scared".
Douglas Alexander, Labour's general election co-ordinator, said no politician should "dictate" who took part in the debates and accused Mr Cameron of trying to "bully" the broadcasters.
Lord Ashdown, who is leading the Lib Dems' general election campaign, urged broadcasters to "stick to their guns" or else he feared the impetus for the debates would "ebb away".
He told Sky News: "You just can't let the prime minister or anybody else basically hold the country and our democracy to ransom by saying no... Mrs Thatcher had a word for this. He (David Cameron) is frit."
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Labour election strategist Douglas Alexander: "There's a very important principle at stake'
Last week, the Green Party of England and Wales said they were "deeply disappointed" with a consultation by the regulator Ofcom that suggested the party did not have "major status".
Its leader Natalie Bennett says the party should be present in one of the debates as it is represented in the House of Commons and won more votes than the Liberal Democrats in May's European elections.
"David Cameron is making a stance for his own political reasons but the reason he's able to do so is because there's an extremely strong argument the broadcasters have got it wrong," she told BBC Radio 5Live.
'Outsider status'The SNP and Plaid Cymru, which have more seats in Parliament than either UKIP or the Green Party, also say they should be represented in any series of debates.
Conservative peer Lord Finkelstein said Mr Cameron was right not to take part in the debates without the Greens, saying such a format would favour UKIP leader Nigel Farage because of his "outsider status".
"Nigel Farage would be able to do what Nick Clegg did in 2010, attacking the insiders on behalf of the viewers without being held to account," he wrote in the Times.
"Why on earth would Mr Cameron want to agree to allow that to happen?"
In a statement, the four broadcasters said: "The debates played an important role in informing millions of our viewers in 2010 and we will continue to work with all the parties to ensure that they happen again in 2015"
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