BBC Music announces coverage plans for the 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize Album Of The Year

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


NEWS PROVIDED BY
BBC Music

BBC Music, the official broadcast partner of the 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize, today announces its TV, radio and online plans to cover and celebrate this year’s shortlisted and winning albums.

BBC television coverage begins on Wednesday 23 September as BBC Four broadcasts a special programme, Hyundai Mercury Prize 2020: Album of the Year. The programme, voiced by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne, will feature new and archive performances from all twelve of the 2020 Mercury Prize shortlisted artists, including specially filmed and socially distanced coverage of performances, shot in independent venues in Brighton, Gateshead and London.

On Thursday 24 September, the winner of the prize will be revealed live on The One Show on BBC One (7pm-7.30pm). The programme will also feature the first interview with the winning artist.

The following evening, Friday 25 September, BBC Two will broadcast a special episode of Later… with Jools Holland. Later... with Jools Holland: Mercury Prize 2020 launches the seven-part autumn series of Later…with Jools Holland and will feature the winner of the 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize in conversation with Jools, discussing the honour of taking home the iconic prize, the creative process behind their winning album and the musical influences that shaped it.

On BBC Radio 6 Music, Tom Ravenscroft sits in for Marc Riley from Monday 21 to Thursday 24 September, 7pm-9pm. Tom’s show on Monday 21 September will feature a BBC Prom, performed by Laura Marling and 12 Ensemble and recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 6 September. The performance will feature songs from her shortlisted album Song For Our Daughter, as well as selected songs from her previous albums in brand-new string arrangements by American multi-instrumentalist arranger and producer Rob Moose. Laura will be accompanied by the pioneering string group 12 Ensemble, who have collaborated with artists from The National to Max Richter.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Tom will continue the celebrations, playing out previously recorded live performances from a selection of this year’s shortlisted artists.

On Thursday, following the announcement earlier in the evening of the winning album on The One Show, Tom will present a special show on 6 Music in celebration of the winning album, which will also include an interview with the artist who created it.

All week from the 21st - 24 September, BBC Radio 6 Music will dedicate its Album of the Day to previous shortlisted artists of this prestigious prize. Albums featuring throughout the week will include Dead (Young Fathers), New Forms (Roni Size / Reprazent) and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (PJ Harvey).

The Hyundai Mercury Prize 2020: Album of the Year programme and Later… with Jools Holland: Mercury Prize 2020 will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer, along with some of the tracks performed by this year’s shortlisted artists. Download the BBC Sounds app to catch all the 6 Music coverage live and on demand.

Lorna Clarke, Controller, BBC Pop says: “The 2020 Mercury Prize is a great moment for us to give a platform to twelve of the most exciting acts in British music. As the annual awards show is unable to take place this year, the BBC will be celebrating these incredible acts across the week on TV, radio and online, including an exclusive announcement of the winner on The One Show on BBC One and a Later with Jools Holland special on BBC Two.”

The 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize Albums of the Year celebrate and promote the best of British music, recognising artistic achievement across a range of contemporary music genres. The shortlist was chosen by an independent judging panel, chaired by Jeff Smith, Head of Music, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music and featuring BBC presenters Annie Mac, Gemma Cairney and Jamie Cullum. The shortlist was revealed on Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC Radio 6 Music from 10.30am to 11.30am on Thursday 23rd July. The twelve shortlisted artists for the 2020 Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’ are: FIBS (Anna Meredith), how i’m feeling now (Charli XCX), Future Nostalgia (Dua Lipa), Seeking Thrills (Georgia), Hoodies All Summer (Kano), Spook the Herd (Lanterns on the Lake), Song for Our Daughter (Laura Marling), KIWANUKA (Michael Kiwanuka), Dark Matter (Moses Boyd), Every Bad (Porridge Radio), Deep Down Happy (Sports Team) and Heavy is the Head (Stormzy).

The BBC’s coverage of the 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize follows the success of The Glastonbury Experience in which BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer showcased archive Glastonbury performances in full from some of the biggest artists in the history of the festival, including Adele (2016), Beyoncé (2011), David Bowie (2000), Coldplay (2016) and Jay-Z (2008). The Glastonbury Experience across BBC TV channels reached over 15 million people.

Other recent programming has included Gospel According to Mica [Paris], Everything: The Real Thing Story, When Bob Marley Came to Britain, Soul America (three part series), One World: Together At Home. Coming up this autumn there’s Jazz 625: The British Jazz Explosion, Ronnie’s: Ronnie Scott & His World Famous Jazz Club, BBC Arena: Fela Kuti - Father of Afrobeat, Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes, and Top Of The Pops: The Story Of 1990.

The last series (Series 55) of Later…with Jools Holland was broadcast in May and June 2020 on BBC Two and saw live, socially distanced coverage of performances from Laura Marling, Berwyn, Jacob Collier, Biig Piig, Fontaines D.C. and more. Guests included Christine and the Queens, Dizzee Rascal, Hugh Laurie, Ellie Goulding, Gregory Porter and Guy Garvey.

Hyundai Mercury Prize 2020: Album of the Year on BBC Four and Later…with Jools Holland: Mercury Prize 2020 are produced by Caroline Cullen for BBC Studios. The Executive Producer is Alison Howe. They are commissioned by Rachel Davies, Commissioning Executive, BBC Music and Jan Younghusband, Head of Music Commissioning, BBC Television.

Source BBC Music

September 7, 2020 4:00am ET by BBC Music  

, , ,

  Shortlink to this content: https://bit.ly/335biK4

SHARE THIS

Latest Press Releases