Catch The Glastonbury Experience new and live

With hundreds of live acts appearing on 30-plus stages, thousands of tents, gallons of scrumpy, a sea of flags and fancy dress and, in some years, a LOT of mud, Glastonbury is a bone fide British institution.

The event began in 1970 when, the day after the death of Jimi Hendrix, Michael Eavis opened Worthy Farm in Somerset for the first time.

Eavis charged £1 for a ticket to the Pilton Pop, Folk & Blues Festival, headlined by The Kinks, and even served up free milk from his own dairy.

From those humble beginnings, Glastonbury has gone on to become the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world – these days the site is over a mile and a half in diameter.

Each year, it hosts hundreds of thousands of festival-goers, who flock to see performances from the most famous names in music and immerse themselves in the vast range of performances.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the festival, with Taylor Swift, Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar scheduled to appear, alongside Diana Ross, Dua Lipa, Noel Gallagher, Lana Del Rey, Herbie Hancock, AJ Tracey and Haim.

However, the difficult decision was taken in March to cancel the 2020 event due to coronavirus concerns.

Although Worthy Farm won’t be full of thousands of music lovers for its special birthday, the BBC are celebrating this weekend with four days of memories and archive footage across TV, iPlayer, radio and BBC Sounds, as they aim to give the audience a taste of ‘Glasthomebury’.

Co-organiser Emily Eavis says: “Personally, I’m looking forward to a weekend of reflecting on the history of our festival and going back to some classic performances from David Bowie, Adele, REM, Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Billie Eilish and lots more. Me and my dad will definitely be watching!”

Tonight, Jo Whiley and Mark Radcliffe bring viewers more previously unseen or rarely shown moments, including highlights from The Rolling Stones’ headline set in 2013, and PJ Harvey’s rocking 2004 performance shortly after the release of her sixth solo album, Uh Huh Her.

The irrepressible Lizzo gives an early acoustic performance in the BBC garden area, and we are reminded of Florence & The Machine’s debut on one of the main stages in 2010, and Stormzy’s headline set last year.

After that, there’s a chance to see Beyoncé At Glastonbury 2011 (10pm), with Queen Bey’s stunning set marking the first time that a woman of colour headlined the Pyramid Stage as a solo artist.

Finally, the night on BBC Two is rounded off with Best of Glastonbury 2019 (11pm), featuring Stormzy, Kylie Minogue, The Cure, The Killers, Dave and Miley Cyrus.

Also tonight, over on BBC Four, there is Elbow at Glastonbury 2011 (9pm), Arthur Lee’s Love with Forever Changes at Glastonbury 2003 (10pm), a Glastonbury Backstage Acoustics compilation (11pm), and finally, Jay-Z at Glastonbury 2008 (11.30pm).

Tickets for Glastonbury seem to be more and more difficult to get hold off each year, and many of us have long resigned ourselves to watching the festival at home.

However, even the the most ardent and loyal Glasto fans will be stuck in front of the TV rather than basking in the fields of Worthy Farm.

Like a lot of things, you can be sure that Glasto will be back, as good, if not better than ever next year.

In the meantime, sit back in the warmth and comfort of your living room – or tent in your back garden, if you’re that way inclined – and relive some of the festival’s legendary moments.

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