RadioandMusic
| 22 Dec 2024
BBC Music announces plans for Glastonbury 2015

MUMBAI: The world-famous Glastonbury Festival is one of the biggest events in the global music calendar, and with a combined audience of 37 million people enjoying the coverage across television, radio, Red Button and online in 2014, the best place to catch the action again this year will be on the BBC.

Presented for the first time under the BBC Music umbrella, audiences will be able to navigate right to the heart of the music and moments as they happen over three days, from the big headline acts on the main stages, through to new and emerging talent.

Bob Shennan, controller of BBC Radio 2, 6 Music, Asian Network and director of BBC Music says, "Glastonbury is one of the cultural highlights of the year and I'm thrilled that BBC Music is able to present extensive coverage of one of the world's most iconic music festivals to millions of BBC viewers. Whether it's tuning in live on television, seeing exclusive backstage moments on your mobile phone, or reliving highlights on Red Button or iPlayer, only the BBC are able to offer the full Glastonbury experience."

Brought live from Worthy Farm in Somerset by some of the BBC's most well-known faces, the line-up includes Clara Amfo, Gemma Cairney, Chris Evans, Greg James, Alex Jones, Steve Lamacq, Lauren Laverne, Alice Levine, Annie Mac, Cerys Matthews, Dermot O'Leary, Mark Radcliffe, Charlie Sloth, Huw Stephens, DJ Target, Jo Whiley, and Yasser. They will be on hand to deliver the BBC's unparalleled coverage across TV, radio and digital platforms, starting on Friday 26 June and continuing right through until after the final headliners finish on the Sunday evening. This year's programme highlights across the weekend will include performances by the Pyramid Stage headliners Foo Fighters, Kanye West and The Who.

The BBC will be broadcasting 30 hours of coverage across all TV channels, kicking off on BBC One on the Friday with The One Show's Chris Evans and Alex Jones presenting their usual show live from Glastonbury at 7-7.30pm. BBC Two, traditionally the home of the big headline acts, will be fronted by Lauren Laverne, Jo Whiley and Mark Radcliffe, while Greg James will be providing a younger perspective to the BBC Three audience. For a trip down memory lane, BBC Four will be taking a look at years gone by with performance highlights from everyone's favourite Glastonbury acts.

Adding to the TV output, this year on Red Button, viewers with Freeview HD, Freesat, YouView, Virgin Media and Sky devices will have access to three BBC Red Button streams. And, in addition to those streams, after 9pm each day, viewers with access to BBC Red Button+ can catch the action live from six stages.

More action from the event will be transmitted on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, and BBC Asian Network, with Chris Evans starting proceedings when he broadcasts his Radio 2 Breakfast Show live from the Worthy Farm site on the Friday morning from 7am.

BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra's coverage will be fronted by Alice Levine, Annie Mac, DJ Target, Huw Stephens, and new Live Lounge presenter Clara Amfo, who took over Radio 1's mid-morning slot this week. In addition to coverage of the performances throughout the weekend, there will be an extended Essential Mix live from the mesmerising Shangri-La area in the early hours of Saturday morning from 1am to 4am on Radio 1. Plus, Kanye West's Saturday night headlining set will be broadcast live on a simulcast across both Radio 1 and 1Xtra, presented by 1Xtra's Charlie Sloth.

Making up the BBC Radio 2 line-up are Jo Whiley and Dermot O'Leary, providing live moments from the best of the festival with two special afternoon shows on the Saturday and Sunday, while over on BBC 6 Music Cerys Matthews, Stuart Maconie, Steve Lamacq and Lauren Laverne will bring an array of the alternative side of Glastonbury from various stages over the three days. Plus BBC Asian Network's Yasser will be live from the BBC Introducing stage presenting coverage of some of the latest acts to come through.

Continuing to build on the BBC's digital offering at Glastonbury, for the first time, all online streaming will be in stunning HD, providing the highest-quality pictures from the Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Park, John Peel and BBC Introducing stages. On-demand services will allow viewers to relive over 100 performances on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Glastonbury website, including exclusive backstage sessions in the BBC Music Teepee, as well as a chance to catch a first glimpse of the hottest new talent on the BBC Introducing Stage.

Last week, the first part of Glastonbury coverage got underway with the new BBC Music at Glastonbury webcam, where visitors to the BBC Glastonbury website can watch the festival blossom and flourish, and share their favourite moments with ultra-HD pictures of the fields surrounding Worthy Farm. The webcam will capture the site taking shape from now until festival goers arrive and throughout the weekend.

In addition, the BBC's social networking sites are ready to guide audiences to all the best music moments at this year's event, with the latest Glastonbury updates and news of what is available to watch and when on the BBC.