The BBC has announced that it will be an official broadcast partner of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
As a result it will be commissioning a raft of new content across arts, education and factual to celebrate the city.
“Bradford is home to vibrant, authentic story-telling and proud multi-cultural communities,” said Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.
“We’ll be drawing on this rich history to bring people together through the joy and celebration of the arts, poetry, film, comedy and much, much more. It’s a huge honour to be a part of a legacy that will no doubt attract thousands of tourists and millions of pounds of investment to this outstanding city.”
On television, there will be 2 Yorkshire classics… The Read – Wuthering Heights from BBC Arts will look at the Emily Bronte love story of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw set in the West Yorkshire Moors. This will be read by Bradford-born Vinette Robinson and directed by Rachel Lambert.
Robert Louis Stephenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde will be filmed in Bradford. It will be directed by Yorkshire-born Keiran Stringfellow.
Dance Passion Bradford on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer will feature dancers, choreographers and troupes, both professional and enthusiast, using pavements and landmarks as their stages to perform exciting work and showcase Bradford and surrounding areas. This follows the successes of Dance Passion Liverpool and the forthcoming Dance Passion Swansea.
Bradford will also have a special Countryfile to explore the cultural history and influence the city has had on its surrounding countryside.
Finally there will be a Bradford-based Bargain Hunt on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Audio highlights include Front Row – on BBC Radio 4, Nick Ahad is to present a BBC Radio 4 Front Row Bradford Special in January 2025 to kick off the New Year looking ahead to the city of culture and speaking to the artists taking part.
BBC Contains Strong Language (CSL) – the UK’s biggest poetry and performance festival for new writing will also come to the city.
Finally Born in Bradford is a long running annual Radio 4 series following the team behind one of the world’s most important longitudinal studies. They track thousands of babies born in the city and analyse a range of data collected from them and their families. Now those babies are teenagers and the BBC team of Winifred Robinson and Sue Mitchell have been with the young people as they enter this new phase of life.
Children’s and Education will provide every mainstream secondary school in the Bradford District with the Bitesize Careers Tour. This is organised and delivered by BBC Education, the careers tour is a chance to inspire the young people of Bradford on their futures. The events will be hosted by a range of BBC talent including Jasmine Takhar from BBC Asian Network and Fee Mak from BBC Radio 1Xtra.
BBC Teach is filming for one of its Live Lessons in Bradford in 2025. Live Lessons bring subjects to life for primary schools and feature some of the BBC’s biggest brands and presenters. Teachers can check the BBC Teach website for the latest schedule during the autumn term.
My Life on CBBC on BBC iPlayer will have 2 documentaries focusing on children from Bradford. My Life: The Fastest Boy in the World [WT] follows Alfie, a ten-year-old who says his ADHD and autism help him focus when it comes to his passion of motorbike racing as he sets to break a new land speed world record. My Life: Neza Bazi [WT] features Bradford-based 11-year-old Jaleel and 15-year-old Subhaan, part of a new generation of British horse riders taking up NezaBazi, a highly competitive sport which involves galloping at full speed using a long spear to strike wooden pegs in the ground.
In addition the BBC Young Reporter Festival will be back next year, from Bradford.
“2025 promises to be an extraordinary year for Bradford. The BBC is the best place to capture all the excitement, ambition and energy that UK City of Culture will bring to the region,” said Katrina Bunker, BBC Head of Yorkshire.
“We’ll have coverage of the build-up and all the big moments across our online services, radio and TV. It’s going to be a very exciting year.”
In comedy, the BBC New Comedy Awards’ Grand Final in 2025 will be hosted in Bradford, where six finalists will compete to be crowned BBC New Comedian 2025 and take home the prize of a scripted commission, £1,000 cash, plus a chance to perform live on Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day 2026.
BBC Comedy Grants, now in their second year, are small grants given to 10 groups, organisations or charities from across the UK who are working on inclusion and development projects for those passionate about working in comedy. This year 2 grants have been ring-fenced for Bradford-based projects; the first is a Bradford comedy group, The South Asian Comedy Collective, which hosts a comedy new material night for members of the local community. The second is Theatre in the Mill, a Bradford-based arts organisation committed to developing, supporting and presenting socially responsible art and performance.
“The UK City of Culture puts all eyes on this incredible region, and with the BBC’s support we are showing off what a fantastic place it is. Iconic programmes like Countryfile will profile the rurality of the district and the in-depth education programme with Bitesize invests in our young people,” added Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
“But this is just a taste of what’s to come and is a mark of the network’s commitment to Bradford, showcasing its people and the district to the UK and the world.”
Last but not least BBC Radio Leeds is at the centre of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture 2025 celebrations with special programmes and events throughout the year.
