Exemplary wraparound coverage on TV, radio and online captured the exhilarating thrill of the music without the knee-deep mud slides
All the sights, sounds and glory of the Glastonbury festival, once again exclusively delivered by the BBC as the “ultimate armchair experience”? The chance to see the oldest-ever main Pyramid stage solo headliner (Paul McCartney, 80), and the youngest-ever one (Billie Eilish, 20) without having to brave the rumoured soggy weather in a rain poncho? Where do I sign?
This is broadcasting history in the making: the first Glastonbury since 2019, when it was halted by the pandemic, missing its 50th anniversary in 2020. With hundreds of acts and an estimated 200,000 people on site at Worthy Farm, the BBC promised wraparound coverage: television, with new access to ultra-high definition and documentaries such as Francis Whately’s sociohistorical odyssey 50 Years & Counting; BBC Sounds, including “all-day Glastonbury” via 6 Music’s From the Fields; plus live streams – and more – from iPlayer. All delivered by multitudinous presenters: Lauren Laverne (who, sadly, hashas to leave to leave after the death of her mother), Jo Whiley, Steve Lamacq, Jack Saunders, Clara Amfo, Remi Burgz and Jamz Supernova, to name but a few.
