±«Óãtv

• Proms on ±«Óãtv One, Two, Three, Four and ±«Óãtv HD
• Proms every Saturday night on ±«Óãtv Two
• Proms on Thursday and Friday nights on ±«Óãtv Four

This summer on ±«Óãtv Two Katie Derham is at the heart of a new approach to the year's Proms on ±«Óãtv Television.

And for the first time, viewers will be able to enjoy the ±«Óãtv Proms across all the ±«Óãtv's TV networks, as ±«Óãtv Three and ±«Óãtv HD join ±«Óãtv One, ±«Óãtv Two and ±«Óãtv Four – working together with ±«Óãtv Radio 3   to bring audiences an exceptional summer of classical music on television and radio.

Katie, who trained in classical music, joined Radio 3 in January to focus on music presentation, and will be fronting other classical events across the ±«Óãtv throughout the summer.

In this year's Proms, ±«Óãtv Two, ±«Óãtv Four, ±«Óãtv HD and Radio 3 viewers and listeners will be able to enjoy themed weeks of concerts. As part of the televised broadcasts these themes will be explored by the ±«Óãtv's presenters and members of the orchestras, and will also feature in Radio 3's coverage.

The ±«Óãtv Two Proms will be led by Katie who will meet artists, conductors and musicians in specially made films to talk about the music and how it is created.

The season opens in spectacular style on ±«Óãtv Two with Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand. Other Proms include a celebration of Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday; the World Orchestra for Peace conducted by Valery Gergiev; the Berlin Philharmonic with Sir Simon Rattle; and the return of John Wilson and his Orchestra performing the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Concerts will be shown both on ±«Óãtv Two and ±«Óãtv HD every Saturday night.

Katie says: "I'm thrilled to be joining the ±«Óãtv Proms team at the start of such a fantastic season. It's going to be tremendous fun bringing viewers in depth coverage from the concerts and digging deeper into the history of some of the wonderful music."

An outstanding roster of broadcasters led by Charles Hazlewood, Suzy Klein, Petroc Trelawny and Sara Mohr Pietsch present Proms On Four. Joining them will be soloists, conductors and experts discussing the performances and making the musician's perspective the focus of ±«Óãtv Four's coverage.

±«Óãtv Four's cameras will also be in rehearsals and backstage at the Royal Albert Hall with members of the ±«Óãtv's performing groups, discovering what it’s like to be a member of a high-profile orchestra.

Stephen Fry ushers in the opening weekend of the season on ±«Óãtv Four, introducing a complete performance of Wagner's opera, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg , starring Bryn Terfel. The following concerts, every Thursday and Friday, are themed, with a spotlight on the Beethoven Piano Concertos and insights from soloist Paul Lewis; Shostakovich Symphonies guided by conductors Thierry Fischer, Mark Elder and Edward Gardner; and several other composers influenced by and working in the cultural and political shadow of Russia.

This year ±«Óãtv Four will have its very own Last Night Of The Proms with Paul Daniel recreating the Last Night programme from 1910; also the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 as realised by John Eliot Gardiner; and there's a chance to chill out with a Late Night Prom from Jamie Cullum.

In addition to Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4, ±«Óãtv Four will broadcast a special pre-recorded programme featuring a performance of Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto with Daniel Barenboim as soloist.

±«Óãtv Three joins the Proms for the first time to host the return of the spectacular Doctor Who Prom featuring new Doctor, Matt Smith.

For the climax of the 2010 season, the first part of Last Night Of The Proms is live on ±«Óãtv Two and the second part is live on ±«Óãtv One and ±«Óãtv HD. As well as seeing the action in the Royal Albert Hall viewers will be able to enjoy the Proms in the Park locations around the country via the red button.

Digital viewers will also be able to use the red button to enjoy an enhanced viewing experience of selected Proms. The Maestro Cam returns to offer a "conductor's eye" view and the new Players' Commentary service allows viewers to hear musicians offering expert analysis as the performance takes place.

Jan Younghusband, Commissioning Editor, Music & Events, says: "±«Óãtv Proms audiences are dedicated music fans and we want to bring them closer to the musicians and the music. Through a slightly different approach this year, we are very pleased to be working with Radio 3 to tell compelling musical stories over each week of our coverage."

Peter Maniura, Head of Classical Music Television, says: "Across all of the ±«Óãtv's television channels ±«Óãtv Proms 2010 offers an unparalleled array of the world's greatest artists and orchestras and an extraordinary range of great music."

DP