BBC confirms Neil Young set at Glastonbury 2025 will air after all
When the official coverage plans were first announced, headliner Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts were notably missing.
With Glastonbury 2025 currently ongoing, festival-goers have already been treated to all manner of memorable sets – with plenty more to follow over the rest of the weekend.
Of course, millions of music fans who weren't able to secure tickets will be watching all the action from the comfort of their own home this year, with the BBC offering exclusive coverage of the event on TV and radio.
Fans had initially been left a little confused when they realised that headliner Neil Young was absent from the BBC's coverage schedule published on Tuesday, with the BBC telling RadioTimes.com that its "schedules and plans continue to be finalised, right up to and during the festival".
Later, BBC Breakfast's entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson then suggested that Young's set will not air.
In a piece airing on Wednesday 25th June, he said: "I asked Emily Eavis, 'What was going on?', and she says she does not believe that Neil Young’s set will be broadcast by the BBC.
"There’s been all kinds of backstage wrangling and negotiations, but as things currently stand, Neil Young’s headline set on Saturday night will not be broadcast by the BBC."
But luckily for fans, there has been a last minute U-turn and Young's set will air after all. Read on for everything you need to know.
Will Neil Young's Glastonbury set be on TV?
Yes, the BBC has now confirmed that Neil Young's headline set will be broadcast live on BBC Two and Radio 2 and on the iPlayer’s Pyramid Stage stream from 10pm.
A statement issued by a BBC spokesperson read: "We are delighted to confirm that Neil Young’s headline set from Glastonbury on Saturday will be broadcast live to audiences across the UK on the BBC.”
Earlier, the broadcaster had announced that the set would not be broadcast live "at the artist's request".
A statement at that time readL "On Saturday on BBC iPlayer, our Glastonbury Channel and five streams for the main stages will bring a range of live performances to audiences.
"At the artist’s request, we won’t be live streaming Neil Young’s set. Our plans, including those for our TV highlights shows and on-demand coverage, continue to be finalised right up to and during the festival."
Charli XCX's set, which is set to take place at the same time on the Other Stage, will also be broadcast on BBC One from 10:30pm.
Why was Neil Young missing from the BBC's Glastonbury coverage?
There was initially no official confirmation as to why Neil Young is missing from the BBC's previously announced Glastonbury coverage.
Young’s absence from the BBC line-up came after the Cinnamon Girl performer confused fans last year by claiming he had dropped out of Glastonbury – only to change his mind less than a week later.
In a message posted to Neil Young Archives, the musician directly blamed the festival’s collaboration with the BBC as part of the band’s decision.
"It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being," he wrote at the time.
"Thanks for coming to see us the last time! We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be."
However, just three days later, Young would say he made the statement due to "an error in the information received" and the Chrome Hearts would perform after all.
The band will be hitting the Pyramid Stage from 10pm, following Raye and mysterious band "Patchwork".
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
