Monday, 30 June 2025

Deadline: BBC Says It “Regrets” Not Pulling Bob Vylan Glastonbury Set After Controversial Chants (Story exited)

Story from Deadline:

The BBC has said it “regrets” not cutting its live stream of Bob Vylan‘s controversial performance at Glastonbury.

The BBC initially said it would not be making the set available on-demand but has now gone further, expressing regret at a failure to pull the live stream halfway through.

The corporation noted that it will now “look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air.” This came after a spokeswoman for Ofcom said the media regulator has been speaking to the BBC all weekend to “obtain further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.”

A statement said: “The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.'

The BBC went on to say that “the team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance,” adding: “We regret this did not happen.”

The BBC was commenting after it drew the ire of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, media regulator Ofcom and ex-BBC TV chief Danny Cohen.

Starmer had called on the BBC to “explain how these scenes came to be broadcast,” while Nandy said she had urgently spoken with BBC Director General Tim Davie about the matter.

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