BBC will no longer broadcast "high risk" performances following Glastonbury fallout

The BBC will no longer broadcast "high risk" performances amid fallout from its coverage of Bob Vylan's set at Glastonbury 2025.

The broadcaster has been at the centre of a political row over its decision not to cut its livestream from the West Holts on Saturday (June 28), as the punk duo led a chant of "death to the IDF".

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has since called for accountability from BBC director-general Tim Davie, telling the House of Commons: “When you have one editorial failure, it's something that must be gripped. When you have several, it becomes a problem of leadership.”

Read this next: Criminal investigations underway into Bob Vylan and Kneecap's Glastonbury sets

In a statement issued yesterday (July 3), the broadcaster said that seven performers had been flagged as "high risk" ahead of this year's festival, however staff had taken the decision to deem them "suitable for livestreaming with appropriate mitigations".

“Prior to Glastonbury, a decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the livestream – through the use of language or content warnings – without the need for a delay," it continues. "This was clearly not the case".

“During the performance, the livestream was monitored in line with the agreed compliance protocols and a number of issues were escalated. Warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed. This was an error.”

Read this next: BBC says it "will not ban" Kneecap from Glastonbury 2025 broadcast

Yesterday (July 3), it was announced that the BBC's Head of Music Lorna Clarke has stepped down from her role temporarily as the broadcaster "investigates its failure" in not cutting the stream.

Avon and Somerset Police has launched a criminal investigation after viewing footage of both Bob Vylan and Kneecap's sets at West Holts on Saturday, and while the BBC didn't broadcast Kneecap's set live, it's now available to watch via BBC iPlayer.

In response to the fallout, Bob Vylan said in a statement that they are “not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine.”

“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last,” they continue. “If you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up, too.”

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter.