Last Night of the Proms 2026 - Sheridan Smith, Beverley Knight and Ward Thomas join the BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and the BBC Singers in a tribute to Dolly Parton

The 2026 BBC Proms concludes in celebratory style at the Royal Albert Hall with a Last Night of the Proms programme that includes To Dolly, With Love, arranged by Fiona Brice, in tribute to the late Queen of Country, Dolly Parton.

An all-star cast performs a medley of her beloved hits, with Sheridan Smithperforming 9 to 5, Beverley Knight singing I Will Always Love You, and country-pop duo Ward Thomas performing Jolene.

Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and the BBC Singers for classical music’s biggest party. They are joined by world-renowned pianist Yuja Wang, who gives the first performance at the Proms of Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Piano Concerto. Acclaimed Scottish tenor Nicky Spence performs excerpts from Dvořák’s Rusalka and Loesser’s Guys and Dolls, as well as the traditional festivities.

The programme also includes the world premieres of two BBC commissions: Iris of Life by Academy Award-winning British composer Anne Dudley, and Dithyramb by Canadian composer and conductor Samy Moussa.

Katie Derham and Nick Mohammed will present the Last Night of the Proms on BBC Television and BBC iPlayer, with Tina Daheley reporting on all the backstage excitement. The live broadcast will be presented in two parts, with Part 1 on BBC Two and iPlayer from 7.10pm, followed by the Finale on BBC One and iPlayer from 9pm. 

The concert will be broadcast live on Radio 3 and BBC Sounds from 7.10pm, presented by Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann.

By the time the BBC Proms 2026 season concludes, it will have spanned eight weeks and featured 86 concerts, with 27 Proms programmes broadcast on television. Around 300,000 people will have attended the 86 Proms this year, with 72 at the Royal Albert Hall and 14 at venues across the UK. 

The season has delivered a record-breaking digital reach on BBC Sounds and iPlayer to date. Interim figures show that the Proms has been accessed by 1.7 million accounts, up 32% year on year. This has generated 6.8 million plays and 3.4 million listening and viewing hours of Proms content between 13 April and 6 September 2026. Radio 3 weekly listens on BBC Sounds were up 10% year on year for the week commencing 17 August 2026, which featured Proms from The Met Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Sam Jackson, Controller, Radio 3 and BBC Proms, says: “This year’s Last Night of the Proms promises to be a joyous celebration, bringing together world-class performers, much-loved repertoire and memorable musical moments. Across eight weeks, audiences have embraced the Proms in record numbers on our broadcast platforms, while around 300,000 people have joined us at the Royal Albert Hall and at venues across the UK. We very much look forward to the centenary of the BBC Proms next year but for now, we can't wait to celebrate the end of the 2026 season in style!”

Suzy Klein, Head of Arts and Classical Music TV, says: “The BBC Proms has once again connected audiences across the UK and beyond through an extraordinary summer of live music. We’re incredibly proud of the range and quality of concerts across BBC television and BBC iPlayer, and the Last Night will provide the perfect finale to an unforgettable season. And while the season may be drawing to a close, audiences will be able to enjoy the Proms on BBC iPlayer for a whole year afterwards.”

Last Night of the Proms Programme

Bernstein Candide: Overture 

Foulds Keltic Suite, ii. ‘Lament’ 

Dvořák Rusalka: Act I – ‘Vidino divná, přesladká’with Nicky Spence, BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Singers  

Smetana Ma Vlast - Vltava  

Samy Moussa Dithyramb (BBC commission: world premiere) with BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Singers

Barber Piano Concerto with Yuja Wang 

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To Dolly, With Love, arr. Fiona Brice 9 to 5, I Will Always Love You and Jolene with Sheridan Smith, Beverley Knight and Ward Thomas 

Holst The Planets – Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity   

Tsfasman Suite for Piano and Orchestra (Jazz Suite) with Yuja Wang   

Various, arr. Stuart Calvert Scotch Snap with Nicky Spence 

Anne Dudley Iris of Life (BBC commission: world premiere) with the BBC Singers  

Loesser. arr. Mark Cumberland Guys & Dolls – ‘Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat’ with Nicky Spence, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Singers 

Trad, arr. Henry Wood Fantasia on British Sea Songs 

Arne arr. Sargent Rule, Britannia! 

Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 

Parry, arr. Elgar Jerusalem 

arr. Britten The National Anthem  

Trad, arr. Paul Campbell Auld Lang Syne

Performers

Nicky Spence tenor   

Yuja Wang piano

Sheridan Smith vocals 

Beverley Knight vocals

Ward Thomas vocals 

BBC Singers  

BBC Symphony Chorus (chorusmaster: Neil Ferris)

BBC Symphony Orchestra 

Sakari Oramo conductor

The Last Night of the Proms takes place on Saturday 12 September live on BBC Radio 3 and Sounds, and Part 1 on BBC Two and iPlayer from 7.10pm, and the Finale on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm. 

Audiences can listen to the BBC Proms on BBC Sounds for 30 days after broadcast, and TV broadcasts are available on BBC iPlayer for up to one year.

FE

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