The BBC are making Festival Square their home at this year’s Manchester International Festival (MIF) with an exciting programme of events and shows across TV, radio and online.
BBC shows will broadcast live for the first week of the festival from a purpose-built studio in the heart of the city, with Radio 4’s Front Row, Phil Williams on Radio 5 Live, Radio 6 Music’s Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie as well as Radio Manchester’s Becky Want and Sam Walker all bringing the festival to life for audiences across the UK.
Radio 3 will be broadcasting from the Pavilion Theatre in front of a live studio audience with shows including Ian McMillan’s ‘cabaret of the word’, The Verb, The Early Music Show and Radio 3’s flagship drive time programme, In Tune with Suzy Klein.
6 Music’s Mark Radcliffe and Newsnight’s Kirsty Wark will also front a live special, showcasing a selection of the best music and performance from this year’s festival. The one-off programme will be recorded for a BBC Four special broadcast on Sunday 12 July.
Radcliffe says the BBC show, dedicated to MIF, is going to be a fantastic addition:
“Here in Manchester we are inordinately proud of MIF. To have a world-class festival, drawing internationally celebrated artists, creating unique works that are world premieres is a towering achievement for the city.”
He continues: “Having said that, the proud Northerner in me considers this to be nothing more than we deserve. I look forward to boasting about how great we are to the viewing and listening public.”
Alongside the hub of Festival Square, MIF have invited the BBC Philharmonic to perform the world premiere of young Liverpool composer Mark Simpson’s brand new work, The Immortal. The musical piece explores themes of love, death and the afterlife and will be performed at The Bridgewater Hall on Saturday 4 July.
Pat Connor, Head of Development and Events, BBC England says: “This brilliant bundle of collaborations and broadcast specials between the BBC and MIF really cements our ongoing commitment to the arts and in particular this wonderful festival. We will be giving audiences across the UK a front row seat to one of the most exciting cultural events of the year.
“I’m proud that every time MIF comes around, we raise the bar with what we do together, and in its 10th year I think it is testament to that fantastic partnership that we have such a lovely line up of treats for all audiences.”
Alex Poots, CEO and Artistic Director of MIF says: “We are very pleased to be working across the BBC to take these shows, made here in Manchester, out to the wider world – and to welcome the BBC onto our Festival Square to present a range of their best programmes.”
Free tickets for BBC shows and performances will be issued through a ballot which opens from midday today. Tickets are available for shows listed below.
Friday 3 July BBC Radio 3’s The Verb 11.00 – 12.00
Saturday 4 July CBeebies Swashbuckling Adventure 12.00 – 13.00
Monday 6 July BBC Presents: One Night in Manchester (WT)18.30-19.30
Tuesday 7 July BBC Radio 3’s The Early Music Show 18.30 – 19.30
Wednesday 8 July BBC Radio 3’s In Tune 16.30 – 18.30
Saturday 11 July CBeebies’ Swashbuckling Adventure 12.00 – 13.00
Saturday 18 July CBeebies’ Swashbuckling Adventure 12.00 – 13.00
To apply for BBC audience tickets visit: bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/manchester_int_fest_jul15
Ticket Ballot closes Friday 26 June 2015.
