BBC showcases Bradford to nearly 23 million individuals by means of fascinating tradition yr programming with extra to come back

From a gritty drama to feel-good documentaries, Bradford has taken centre stage for its yr of tradition, reaching 35% of the UK inhabitants on BBC TV and iPlayer between October 2024 and August 2025.

Bradford’s wealthy heritage, vibrant communities and excellent countryside have captured the creativeness of BBC viewers throughout the UK from South East England to North West Scotland, as town marks its yr within the highlight because the 2025 UK City of Culture.

In Yorkshire and Lincolnshire alone, BBC content material has reached 2.3 million viewers – 4 in 10 individuals – with 40% of the regional inhabitants participating with Bradford-themed programming, in keeping with BARB ‘As-Viewed’ lifetime information.

On BBC Local providers audiences have been thrilled by BBC Radio Leeds and BBC Look North programming, which incorporates Bantam of the Opera which follows a bunch of Bradford metropolis soccer followers as they study to sing as a choir; New Voices winners fronting key tasks all year long; BBC Radio Drama Bilal and Ted’s Bradfordian Adventure; plus BBC Sounds collections Big Up Bradford and MaD Brad, which is a celebration of neighborhood tasks making a distinction in Bradford postcodes.

A complete of 11.4 million individuals have tuned into TV protection of Bantam of the Opera however many extra have listened on the Radio and watched protection on-line, with a digital viewers together with over 4.2 million digital engagements on BBC social channels.

The choir carried out on the pitch on the Valley Parade memorial match marking 40 years for the reason that stadium hearth by which 56 supporters misplaced their lives and for His Majesty The King at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in May 2025.

As an official broadcast companion for Bradford 2025, the BBC commissioned a variety of recent TV content material spanning arts, kids’s and schooling, sport, factual and music. TV highlights up to now embrace:

• Countryfile – An episode explored how the countryside round Bradford formed town and its inventive legacy. A narrative of grit and wool.
• Gardeners’ World – An episode featured a go to to Wibsey Community Garden in Bradford, showcasing the backyard as a hub for neighborhood gardening and highlighted the work of volunteers.
• Virdee – A six-part crime thriller tailored from AA Dhand’s gripping novels.
• Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey – An exhibition of portraits created as part of the TV collection hosted by comic Bill Bailey opened to the general public in Bradford at Loading Bay – a former warehouse which has been transformed right into a pop-up venue for Bradford’s UK City of Culture yr. Overall footfall on Day one was 357 individuals within the exhibition. People have been visiting domestically, and from as far afield as Kent, Coventry and Glasgow. The general quantity of people that visited from 13 March to six April was 11,004.

• Bradford’s Big Bash – This movie produced by award-winning native manufacturing firm Candour Films went behind the scenes of RISE the spectacular opening occasion heralding Bradford’s stint as this yr’s UK City of Culture. Created by award-winning theatre director Kirsty Housley in collaboration with Steven Frayne, the world-renowned Bradford-born magician previously generally known as Dynamo.
• FA Cup Draw – The BBC hosted the FA Cup first spherical attract Bradford. The metropolis was chosen for its historic hyperlinks with the FA Cup in October 2024.
• Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire – This documentary mixed extraordinary entry to the individuals who survived, members of the family of the bereaved and emergency service first responders.
• Songs of Praise – A particular episode was filmed at Bradford Cathedral. Hosted by Aled Jones, it explored how religion and the humanities are intertwined in Bradford’s cultural id.
• Eid Prayers – The BBC coated Eid al-Fitr prayers dwell from Bradford. Hosted by Jason Mohammad, the service, a British TV first, was broadcast from Bradford Central Mosque on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, marking this particular second within the Islamic calendar on the finish of the month of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr means ‘festival of breaking the fast’.
• Live broadcasts – Across the yr flagship BBC One community reveals The One Show, Morning Live and BBC Breakfast have been within the metropolis for occasions equivalent to Yorkshire Day, the opening occasion RISE and the Bradford Progress – bringing Bradford’s buzz usually to dwelling rooms throughout the nation.

Meanwhile, 4.65 million on-line accounts have accessed Bradford content material through iPlayer, Sounds, and BBC News Online.

On BBC Sounds, Bradford-related content material has reached 370,000 accounts, with well-liked reveals together with Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 Show, The Kitchen Cabinet, Sunday Worship and Asian Network’s Not Even Water podcast.

Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, says: “I’m extremely proud of how many people we have reached with the stories of Bradford so far this year, and the great news is we are not finished yet. It’s a huge honour to be part of a legacy that we know will attract many more millions to this fantastic city.”

Katrina Bunker, BBC Head of Yorkshire, says: “This year is bringing so many opportunities to celebrate Bradford and the richness of its stories. It’s wonderful to see the area and its people getting the representation they deserve across our platforms and products – and to know that lots of people are enjoying watching, reading and listening!”

Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director for Bradford 2025, says: “It’s been unbelievable to see Bradford individuals and tales reaching audiences throughout the nation by means of our unbelievable partnership with the BBC, who’ve been with us on this journey since our metropolis and district have been awarded the designation in May 2022.

“On BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, watching live and listening back, our famous names such as Black Dyke Band, Brontës, Delius and Hockney have been celebrated, alongside local talent and community voices. With so much more to come, we’re delighted in the part that the BBC have played in showcasing our city and district’s wonderful heritage, landscape and culture.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, says: “These are terrific numbers. I’m delighted that folks from throughout the nation have been in a position to expertise what Bradford district has to supply by means of this nice partnership with the BBC.

“The BBC as our broadcast partner has really helped to bring a bit of Bradford to millions of people. We knew when we submitted our bid this would be a great opportunity for the whole district to show how much we have to offer, being UK City of Culture has certainly delivered that. The level of interest and participation from residents, visitors and tourists has been fantastic. It really is our time.”

Still to come back…

With 4 months nonetheless to go, the BBC guarantees much more Bradford brilliance – from native legends to rising stars, and all the pieces in between.

The world-famous BBC Proms involves Bradford for the primary time with Grammy Award-winning African music star Angélique Kidjo acting at St George’s Hall in Bradford on 7 September, which shall be broadcast dwell on BBC Radio 3.

Antiques Roadshow, presenter Fiona Bruce and a group of consultants visited Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Lister Park to worth a wide range of antiques, household heirlooms and classic finds and the episode airs on 7 September on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

BBC’s Contains Strong Language, the UK’s greatest poetry and efficiency pageant for brand new writing, involves Bradford for the primary time from Thursday 18 to Sunday twenty first September as a part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Four days of performances, readings and actions will happen throughout town. A raft of Radio 4 programmes, together with Front Row, Start the Week and Loose Ends, shall be broadcast dwell or recorded through the four-day pageant.

CBeebies is bringing their annual Christmas Panto to Bradford, with a brand new musical model of Cinderella being recorded on the well-known Alhambra Theatre this autumn. Cast embrace Rhys Stephenson, Evie Pickerill and Justin Fletcher. The CBeebies panto is the centrepiece of the CBeebies Christmas schedule and shall be additionally obtainable to observe on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

BBC New Comedy Awards 2025 are Britain’s greatest comedy expertise search, with a median of 1,500 entries per yr. The awards are a pipeline to discovering new various comedy voices from all corners of the UK. The Grand Final in 2025 is being hosted in Bradford and 6 finalists will compete to be topped BBC New Comedian 2025 and take dwelling the prize of a scripted fee, £1,000 money, plus an opportunity to carry out dwell on Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day 2026. The Grand Final will air on BBC One in October.

NS

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