BBC U-turn: Rule, Britannia! will be sung at Last Night of the Proms

The broadcaster has announced that a 'select group of BBC Singers' will sing the words to both Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory

The BBC’s new director-general on Wednesday reversed the ban on the singing of Rule, Britannia! at The Last Night of the Proms ,and even encouraged the nation to sing along.

On just his second day in post, Tim Davie ordered the U-turn amid criticism of the corporation over claims that the lyrics to Rule Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory had been ditched over their associations with slavery and British colonialism.

In a statement, the BBC said the initial decision not to sing the patriotic anthems had been taken because of  coronavirus restrictions but that after “looking hard at what else might be possible we have a solution”.

In place of a full choir, the BBC had now decided to put in place a “select group of singers” who will sing the pieces inside the Royal Albert Hall with “audiences free to sing along at home”.

The broadcaster will provide subtitles for viewers so they can join in and is also planning to light up the Royal Albert Hall in red, white and blue in a further outward demonstration of its patriotic intent.

Some of the lyrics deemed controversial in the songs include the Rule, Britannia! line: "Britons never, never, never shall be slaves”.

SOURCE