Everyone knows – even the people that are heading down to the farm – that the best way to watch Glastonbury is from your very own living room. No muddy wellies, no stinky bogs, no traipsing between stages to catch 10 minutes of the end of The Streets before legging it all the way back for the start of Coldplay. Why fork out £355 for the privilege of not showering for a week and developing the worst blisters of your entire life?
No, having a view of every stage, almost around the clock, with a fridge and a flushable bog and – most importantly – a comfy bed within reach is certainly the better option.
As it does every year, the BBC has promised more coverage of Glastonbury than ever before. There are two live iPlayer channels to cover (most of) the stages this year, alongside nightly broadcasts from Thursday through to the early hours of Monday. The “classic Glastonbury” channel is already up and running on iPlayer, too, livestreaming performances of yesteryear on a constant loop.
But if you’re really keen, you don’t need to wait until the gates open on Wednesday for the party to start. BBC Two has lined up a host of pre-game documentaries in the lead up to the festival, celebrating Glastonburys of old and looking back at the career of this year’s Sunday afternoon legend Shania Twain.
Whether you’re hosting your own mini-festival at home or simply looking for something to watch that isn’t the Euros, you don’t have to miss a minute of Glastonbury. Here’s how to enjoy the best of the 2024 festival at home:
Saturday 22 June
Reel Stories: Shania Twain
9.20pm, BBC Two
What makes Shania Twain worthy of this year’s Sunday afternoon Pyramid Stage legend’s slot? Her famous leopard catsuit in the 1998 “That Don’t Impress Me Much” music video is more than enough reason if you ask me. Here, she sits down with Dermot O’Leary to look back at her illustrious decades-long career and honour her status as the original pop-country crossover superstar.
Monday 24 June
Dua Lipa: My Glastonbury
10.10pm, BBC Two
Before she performed a “terrible slot” in 2016, then wowed the John Peel Stage (now Woodsies) a year later, Dua Lipa started her Glastonbury journey on her own sofa. In this half-hour interview with Friday night’s headliner, she remembers Jay-Z’s controversial set in 2008 and attending her first Glastonbury in 2014, when Dolly Parton took to the Pyramid Stage.
Tuesday 25 June
Coldplay: Our Glastonbury
10pm, BBC Two
The first band to headline the Pyramid Stage (for better or worse), Chris Martin and co have plenty of Glastonbury history to rake over in their personal retrospective of the festival. Alongside archival interviews with the band, they’ll also share their own highlights from over the years, from Pulp’s 1995 set when they were mere punters to Stormzy’s, well, storming 2019 headline show.
Wednesday 26 June
Little Simz: My Glastonbury
10pm, BBC Two
Since Sunday night’s headliner SZA has never performed at the festival before, the BBC has turned instead to British rapper Little Simz (who will play the Pyramid before Coldplay) to share her memories of Glastonbury. Her favourite performances from over the years include Burna Boy and Kendrick Lamar, who graced Glastonbury in 2022, and Damon Albarn’s band The Good, The Bad & The Queen in 2019.
Thursday 27 June
Glastonbury 2024 Live
10pm, BBC Two
Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne are the shiny happy people welcoming us to the unofficial first night of Glastonbury 2024. Presenting from their usual home overlooking the Park Stage and iconic ribbon tower, the pair will take a closer look at what’s to come over the weekend as well as hosting some exclusive performances.
Friday 28 June
The Glastonbury Channels Live
From 6pm, BBC iPlayer
This curated livestream of the festival tries to pack in as much Glastonbury as humanly possible – and this year there are two streams to choose from. If you’re not a fan of whoever is making a racket on the first channel, then swap over to the new Glastonbury Channel II to see if there’s something a bit more your speed. Or, if there’s a specific act you can’t miss, then tune into one of the specific stage channels – Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Woodsies and The Park all have their own dedicated live feed.
Glastonbury Live
7.30pm, BBC Two
Jack Saunders and Jo Whiley are on Friday’s early shift bringing us all the highlights from the first day of the festival. Expect to see Olivia Dean bringing her brand of neo soul to the Pyramid Stage, girl band Sugababes drawing in a nostalgic crowd to West Holts, and Aussie electro pop duo Confidence Man dance their heart out on the Other Stage.
Paul Heaton and The Sugababes
7.30pm, BBC Four
When they first reunited for the Glastonbury crowds in 2022, the original Sugababes line-up – Keisha Buchanan, Siobhan Donaghy, and Mutya Buena – gathered a crowd so big it couldn’t fit in the Avalon tent (even though they clashed with superstar Billie Eilish on the Pyramid). No wonder they’ve been upgraded to the much bigger West Holts Stage this year. First though, The Housemartins and The Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton is on the Pyramid Stage for his first ever solo performance at Glastonbury.
Dexys and PJ Harvey
9pm, BBC Four
It’s been a decade since Dexys (FKA Dexys Midnight Runners) made their Glastonbury debut. Tonight, they’re on the Park Stage, where “Come on Eileen” will blow the roof off (or at it least it would if there was a roof). On the Pyramid Stage, festival favourite PJ Harvey performs her melancholic indie 2023 album I Inside the Old Year Dying, no doubt alongside hits like “Down by the Water” and “Angelene”.
Idles
10.15pm, BBC Four
If Dua Lipa feels a bit safe, then perhaps Bristol punk band Idles will inject some excitement into your veins. To describe their live shows as boisterous would be a gross understatement – but latest number one album Tangk was a considerably softer record, so expect more light and shade than we’re used to in their first Other Stage headline set.
Dua Lipa
10.30pm, BBC One
Radical Optimism, Dua Lipa’s latest album, didn’t quite have the cultural impact one might expect from supposedly one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Never mind, she’s got plenty of bangers under her belt to sustain an almost two-hour headline show on the first evening of Glastonbury 2024. Will we get a surprise appearance from Elton John for their duet of “Cold Heart”? Don’t bet on it – much more likely is a stint from Calvin Harris, who collaborated with the singer on smasher “One Kiss”.
Jungle
11.30pm, BBC Four
Jungle gave one of the best performances at this year’s Brit Awards (where they won Group of the Year), and I expect they’ll bring the same thumping grooves and smooth brass to their headline slot on the West Holts stage. Again, this is a band who have put the years into making their way to the top of the bill – they made their Glastonbury debut all the way back in 2014.
Glastonbury Live
12am, BBC Two
Still awake? Good – there’s two more days to go yet! Jack Saunders and Jo Whiley are back post-headliners to sift through all the Friday action as well as lifting the lid on what Glastonbury looks like after dark. They’re on until 2am, if you can hack it.
Saturday 29 June
Glastonbury Live
5pm, BBC Two
A full house in the BBC studio on Saturday afternoon, with Clara Amfo, Lauren Laverne, Jack Saunders and Jo Whiley all reporting live from the festival. It’s a long shift through til 9pm – there’ll be snippets from Michael Kiwanuka and Little Simz on the Pyramid Stage, and Camila Cabello and The Streets on the Other Stage.
Corinne Bailey Rae and The Last Dinner Party
7pm, BBC Four
If you haven’t heard much of Corinne Bailey Rae’s music since her 2006 hit “Put Your Records On” then you’ve been missing out. Tune into her West Holts slot to update your musical rolodex with her latest, surprisingly political album Black Rainbows. Then it’s over to the Other Stage, where the band of the moment The Last Dinner Party will prove why they’re worthy winners of this year’s BBC Sound of the Year award.
Keane and Nitin Sawhney
8pm, BBC Four
One of the best things about Glastonbury is discovering new artists you’ve never heard of before (even if you probably should have). One such artist for me is composer and multi-instrumentalist Nitin Sawhney, who takes to the West Holts stage on Saturday afternoon. But before that, Battle’s very own Keane will play the Pyramid Stage, celebrating 20 years of their hit album Hopes and Fears.
Orbital
9.15pm, BBC Four
Dance music has a long history at Glastonbury – an entire corner of the festival is dedicated to boogying after hours – so it’s no surprise that one of Saturday night’s acts are giants of the genre. Orbital are opening for headliner Peggy Gou over on the Park Stage, marking their sixth show at the festival since they first topped the bill on the Other Stage.
Coldplay
10pm, BBC One and BBC Two
So big they’re being broadcast across both BBC One and Two, Coldplay – AKA the festival’s “house band” – will break a record when they take to the Pyramid Stage: the most times any act has headlined Glastonbury. Fighting allegations of being boring, Chris Martin will have to pull some surprises out of the bag to really make their performance memorable – which means topping their 2016 duet of “My Way” with Glastonbury’s creator Michael Eavis.
Jessie Ware
10.15pm, BBC Four
Jessie Ware turns the (hopefully not too muddy) West Holts field into a disco dance floor for her first Glastonbury headline show. Her 2023 album That! Feels Good! is a hedonistic, soulful celebration of embracing everything life throws at you – a perfect record to groove the night away for anyone avoiding Coldplay.
Disclosure
11.45pm, BBC Four
Brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence, known collectively as DJ duo Disclosure, are closing the Other Stage, ushering in the exuberance that is Saturday night at Glastonbury Festival. If their two previous appearances are any indication of what’s to come, it’s going to be a ravey one.
Glastonbury Live
12am, BBC Two
Got so stuck watching one of the livestreams that you missed a band you promised yourself you wouldn’t miss? Not to worry, as Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne have a two-hour highlights package, which will allow you to see the best of the festival without having to endure the half-hour trek between stages (say a prayer for those of us on the ground, who will probably be on our 14th pair of socks by this time).
Sunday 30 June
Shania Twain
6.15pm, BBC One
It’s hard to believe that Shania Twain – whose first single, “What Made You Say That”, was released back in 1993 – has never graced Glastonbury with her presence until now. She steps into the shoes of last year’s legend slot holder Yusuf/Cat Stevens for the famous Sunday afternoon slot, sure to be one of the festival highlights. Keep an eye out for the traditional security guard flashmob – this year to “That Don’t Impress Me Much”.
Seasick Steve and Paloma Faith
7pm, BBC Four
Almost as great as his music is Seasick Steve’s story – a musician since the Summer of Love days of Sixties San Francisco and once friends with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, the blues singer didn’t break through to the mainstream until 2007 following an appearance on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny. His set precedes Paloma Faith’s Pyramid performance. All together now: “Her name was New Yooooork….”
Glastonbury Live
7.30pm, BBC Two
Lauren Laverne, Jack Saunders, Clara Amfo and Jo Whiley usher in the final evening of Glastonbury 2024 with the usual mix of interviews and performances, both in the studio and across the stages. On the bill are Nigerian singer Burna Boy, chameleonic pop star and Prince protégé Janelle Monáe, and Canadian pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne.
Steel Pulse and Brittany Howard
8.30pm, BBC Four
Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard brings her two solo records – and her incredible pipes – to the West Holts Stage on Sunday evening. But not before Birmingham’s premier reggae band Steel Pulse, led by the legendary David Hinds, get the crowd dancing.
The National
9.45pm, BBC Four
Possibly the worst clash of the weekend is The National’s Other Stage headline slot being scheduled at the same time as SZA’s Pyramid Stage performance (trust me, they’ve got more in common than you’d think). The Ohio band are quintessential Glastonbury, with their pensive singalong guitar anthems – but surprisingly this is only their third appearance after playing the John Peel Stage in 2008 and the Pyramid almost 10 years later in 2017.
SZA
10pm, BBC One
American R&B singer SZA might seem somewhat of a leftfield choice to close the Pyramid Stage but – having seen her on tour last summer – I have no doubt she’s going to earn herself a new legion of fans. Expect a big production and maybe a few special guests – mates and collaborators include Doja Cat and Rihanna (though I know that’s just wishful thinking).
Glastonbury Live
11.45pm, BBC Two
That’s it – the end of Glastonbury 2024. Highlights from headliners around the festival include James Blake on the Woodsies Stage, superstar DJ Nia Archives on West Holts, and rapper Ghetts opening for London Grammar over on the Park Stage. If the weekend of TV has made you jealous of the partygoers, now is your time to revel in the best part of watching from your own sofa… you don’t have to go and pack up a smelly tent.
