More Proms on TV this summer than originally planned. Or is it the same? Or is it less?
News today that the BBC will be broadcasting 27 Proms programmes this summer, three more than was originally advertised in the April 2026 launch. Good news? Arguably.
First, the programmes scheduled for broadcast for this year’s Proms.
| Prom | Performers/Presenters | Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|
| First Night | Dalia Stasevska conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Chorus Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann | Friday 17th July, 7pm |
| Beethoven Fifth (Archive) | Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann | Sunday 19th July, 7pm |
| Prog Rock at the Proms | Robert Ames conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra, with music by ELP, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, Renaissance and others Stuart Maconie | Friday 24th July, 7pm |
| John Wilson at the Proms | John Wilson conducts the Sinfonia of London Katie Derham | Sunday 26th July, 7pm |
| Elgar at the Proms (includes archive) | Mark Wigglesworth conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Petroc Trelawny | Friday 31st July, 7pm |
| Bolero at the Proms | David Afkham conducts the Spanish National Orchestra Nick Mohammed | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Great Violinists at the Proms (includes archive) | Sibelius Violin Concerto with Sueye Park (violin), John Storgårds conducts the BBC Philharmonic Katie Derham | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Also sprach Zarathustra | John Storgårds conducts the BBC Philharmonic Katie Derham | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Space Soundtracks at the Proms (includes archive) | Nick Mohammed | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| NYO at the Proms | Thomas Adès conducts the National Youth Orchestra Petroc Trelawny | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Beethoven 7 at the Proms | Gustavo Dudamel conducts the LA Philharmonic Georgia Mann | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Paul Simon’s Graceland at the Proms | Peter Edwards conducts Nu Civilisation Orchestra, with Ladysmith Black Mambazo Clive Myrie | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Best of the Proms (W/T) | Katie Derham | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Miles Davis at the Proms | Miho Hazama conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra Clive Myrie | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Marvin Gaye: A Tribute at the Proms | Edwin Outwater conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra Andi Oliver | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Mozart at the Proms | Tomo Keller conducts Academy of St Martin in the Fields, with Felix Klieser Georgia Mann | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| The Met Orchestra Plays Strauss | Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts The Met Orchestra Petroc Trelawny | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Bond at the Proms | Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra Nick Mohammed | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Modern Classics at the Proms | Tom Service | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Best of the Proms (W/T) | Marin Alsop | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Disney at the Proms | Sarah Hicks conducts the BBC Philharmonic Nick Mohammed | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| American Classics at the Proms | Marin Alsop conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra Katie Derham | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Martha Argerich at the Proms | Lahav Shani conducts the Munich Philharmonic Petroc Trelawny | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Horrible Science – The Big Bang Proms Experiment | Karen Ní Bhroin conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| New World Symphony at the Proms | Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello), Jess Gillam (saxophone), Ben Goldscheider (horn), Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra Georgia Mann | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
| Last Night of the Proms Part I & Finale | BBC Singers, Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra Katie Derham and Nick Mohammed | Live broadcast, Saturday 12th September |
| Unmissable Moments 2026 | Katie Derham, Nick Mohammed, Clive Myrie, Petroc Trelawny | TV broadcast time to be confirmed |
The BBC’s April launch release promised 24 Proms on TV this summer. Its 15 July TV-specific release lists 27. Private Eye, in between, reported the figure had been ‘quietly’ cut to 19 — four programmes lost to budget reductions under the new director-general, a fifth to a scheduling dispute with the Berlin Philharmonic. Curiously, neither Berlin Philharmonic concert was listed in the brochure at the April launch as a recording for broadcast.
Its growth of some kind, some of which could be said to come at a cheaper price than normal. Of the 27 titles, four are flagged “archive” or “includes archive”, and three more are billed as “Best of” or “Unmissable Moments” compilations — repackaged, not newly filmed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: it’s a low-cost way to keep archive performances in front of viewers who’d otherwise never see them. But it does mean the 24-to-27 story isn’t quite as straightforward as it might at first seem. The pearl clutchers may well be up in arms. Expect some correspondence to pop up in the national press soon.
This piece was published on receipt of the BBC’s press release. In response to a query, the BBC clarified that the increase was from 24 TV broadcasts to 27.
