Proms’ Rule Britannia! silenced for regions
BBC under fire as live feed from climax to Last Night of the Proms turned off at Scottish and Welsh events
THE BBC’S Last Night of the Proms is meant to be the moment that Britons unite in a moment of patriotic singing of standards such as Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory.
The corporation organises live “Proms in the Park” open air concerts in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland every year to coincide with the Last Night’s broadcasts from the Royal Albert Hall in London. However the broadcaster has been caught up in a political row after it prevented fans at the live concerts in Scotland and Wales from singing along to the songs with audience members at the hall in London.
On Saturday night all four concerts featured a live feed of the BBC Concert Orchestra playing Sir Henry Wood’s sea shanties from his Fantasia on British Sea Songs live from the Royal Albert Hall. Thousands of people at the concerts in Northern Ireland and Hyde Park, London then joined in with the choirs and audience in the Albert Hall to sing Rule, Britannia!, Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem.
But the audience at the concerts in Glasgow and Swansea were denied this opportunity because the live feed from the Albert Hall was not played to them. The only clue for the millions watching the concert on BBC One came when Katie Derham, the presenter, said on air “it is time to say goodbye to the Proms in the Park events in Glasgow and Swansea, they are leaving us now”.
Tory MPS were appalled. Alister Jack, who represents Dumfries and Galloway, said he would be writing to Lord Hall, the BBC’S director general, to complain and suggested the BBC was afraid of “offending the SNP government”. He said: “These are British patriotic songs and anthems. It seems very short-sighted not to allow an audience in Scotland to sing these British songs not least when a comfortable majority voted to remain in the UK at the 2014 referendum.” Sir Bill Cash said the Proms founder Sir Henry Wood would be “turning in his grave”. He said: “Rule, Britannia! is about Scotland and Wales as well. Every word of it is dedicated to Britain and to the United Kingdom.” Nigel Evans, a Welshborn Tory MP, added: “Rule Britannia!, Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory are as much as about Last Night of the Proms as Father Christmas at Christmas. Songs that lead to people waving the Union Jack are not a sign of treason.”
A BBC spokesman said: “Viewers or listeners on BBC One and Radio 3 get the full Royal Albert Hall concert whether they’re in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Those concerts are a mix of live performances and televised Last Night moments across the evening – this year all audiences linked up for Henry Wood’s Sea Songs.
“The concerts have always been a mix of their own bespoke programming of live performance and moments where the concerts link up to the hall, the specific moment for all the nations coming together at once has varied every year since its inception.”
SIR – Many EU flags were on display at the Last Night of the Proms concert on Saturday, notably among the “elite” seats and boxes in the Royal Albert Hall. EU flags had been handed out en masse by a pro-eu group at the door.
By contrast, the Proms in the Park was a sea of red, white and blue Union flags waved by crowds of “ordinary” people. The Union flags had clearly been brought by the individuals. The two images neatly sum up Brexit. Gilbert Dunlop
Great Offley, Hertfordshire
SIR – How incongruous to see some at the Last Night enthusiastically singing Rule, Britannia while brandishing the flag of the EU, which is intent on subjugating us so that we rule nothing. John Cuthbert
Sevenoaks, Kent
SIR – Last year my wife and I had season tickets for the Proms. Waving national flags at the Last Night concert had previously been simply an excuse for high spirits. Last year, however, the EU flags handed out free beforehand politicised the audience for the first time. The flag-waving suddenly became divisive.
This year the Remain campaign used the same rearguard tactics. We did not attend the concert but the television coverage showed that the wonderful unifying spirit of the Proms festival has been sadly demeaned. Christopher Pratt
Dorking, Surrey
SIR – The BBC’S Last Night at the Proms these days has to take us round the UK for folk songs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – but nothing from Hyde Park. Are there no English folk songs? Robert Loades
Fakenham, Norfolk