The BBC has taken a striking turn, pulling the plug on live broadcasts of ‘high risk’ performances after a political firestorm erupted over controversial sets at the Glastonbury Festival.
At a Glance
- The BBC has announced it will no longer live broadcast “high risk” musical performances after a controversy at the Glastonbury Festival.
- The decision was prompted by the live broadcast of anti-Israel comments and chants from the bands Bob Vylan and Kneecap.
- BBC Director-General Tim Davie issued a public apology, particularly to the Jewish community, for the “offensive and deplorable behavior.”
- The bands had been flagged internally as “high risk,” but the BBC’s process failed to prevent the live broadcast of their sets.
BBC Halts Live Broadcasts of “High Risk” Acts
The BBC has announced a major change to its broadcasting policy, stating it will no longer air “high risk” musical performances live. The decision, which will see such sets pre-recorded to allow for editing and censorship, is a direct response to the firestorm of criticism the network received for its live coverage of the recent Glastonbury Festival.
The controversy was sparked by the broadcast of politically charged, anti-Israel sets from the punk duo Bob Vylan and the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap.
The Glastonbury Firestorm
During their performance on Saturday, June 28, 2025, Kneecap led the crowd in a chant of “Get the f—ing Israelis out of Glastonbury.” The incident, which was broadcast live by the BBC, drew immediate and widespread condemnation. The set by Bob Vylan also included comments critical of Israel.
The local Avon and Somerset Police are now reviewing footage of both performances to determine if any criminal offenses, such as incitement to hatred, were committed.
A “Deplorable” Failure and a Public Apology
The BBC’s Director-General, Tim Davie, has issued a full and heartfelt apology for the broadcast. “I deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behavior appeared on the BBC and want to say sorry—to our audience and to all of you, but in particular to Jewish colleagues and the Jewish community,” Davie said in a statement reported by The National.
In a stunning admission, the BBC acknowledged that “it was ‘clear that errors were made'” in the lead-up to the broadcast. According to Sky News, both bands had been flagged internally as “high risk” for potentially controversial content, but the decision was still made to air their performances live without a delay mechanism.
The UK’s Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, has requested a full report from the BBC on how the failure occurred. The new policy of pre-recording high-risk acts is intended to prevent a similar incident from ever happening again.
