Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

Is Jools Holland's New Year's Eve Hootenanny live?

We have been repeatedly told that this Christmas and New Year, celebrations would be very different.

But what isn't different is that Jools Holland is back to save us all with his annual  New Year  Hootenany - with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, of course.

The biggest change is that the musicians are socially distanced, and there's no audience, but if you're just in it for the music then there's still a stellar line-up.

Jools will be joined by Celeste, Tom Jones, Michael Kiwanuka, Róisín Murphy, Rag’n’Bone Man, Ruby Turner and Rick Wakeman.

There will also be archive clips of Hootenanny performances from the likes of Jamiroquai, Rudimental and Ella Eyre, Madness and ABC.

The two-hour show kicks off at 11.15pm on BBC2 tonight (December 31) and will feature the big New Year's Eve countdown.

But have you ever wondered how the  musician  gets the likes of Stormzy, Rick Astley and Stereophonics all in the same room on one of the biggest nights of the year?

Jools with Stormzy last year (BBC/Michael Leckie)

It turns out that the  BBC2  show which counts us into the brand New Year is not actually live at all and was filmed earlier this month.

The annual show is timed to line up with the real-time countdown to the New Year which this year will see Alicia Keys in a very special performance of her greatest hits on location in Los Angeles.

However the cat was let out in 2008, when the BBC mistimed the broadcast and for a while after the clock stuck 12, presenters and guests were still referring to it as New Years Eve.

But with us all staying home this year, there will be no fear of missing out!

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.