±«Óãtv

• Tickets on sale from 9am on Thursday 23 September
• Tickets available from bbc.co.uk/radio2 costing £25 each
• Sir Elton John, Robert Plant and Neil Diamond all confirmed to perform on 28, 29 and 30 October
• Shows will be broadcast on ±«Óãtv Radio 2 and on ±«Óãtv Two with additional exclusive content
• New Radio 2 broadcasts announced with Simon Mayo and Bob Harris

Following the announcement of the stellar line up for this year's ±«Óãtv Radio 2 Electric Proms, the ±«Óãtv today announces details on how tickets can be purchased and further details of how the unique performances can be enjoyed across the ±«Óãtv networks.

Sir Elton John will team up with his mentor Leon Russell and their young fans Plan B and Rumer to celebrate Sir Elton and Leon's classic songs and launch the R2 Electric Proms on Thursday 28 October. This intimate concert from London's Roundhouse will be broadcast live on Radio 2 and will form the centre piece of A Night With Sir Elton John on ±«Óãtv Two on Saturday 30 October, together with a new documentary about Elton's life and musical journey.

Sir Elton said: "I'm delighted to be kicking off this year's Radio 2 Electric Proms, particularly as I'll be joined on stage by Leon who is one of my musical heroes. The performance will feature some very special guests and memorable moments."

Robert Plant will take to the stage with the Band of Joy and the London Oriana Choir on Friday 29 October at the Roundhouse. The performance will be broadcast live on Radio 2 at 8pm and then shown as a part of A Night With Robert Plant, a special night dedicated to showcasing Robert's continuing musical legacy on ±«Óãtv Two on Saturday 6 November. In addition to the concert, a new and exclusive documentary about Plant's life and musical history featuring a rare interview with Robert will also be broadcast on ±«Óãtv Two, making the night an appointment to view for any music fan.

Closing the 2010 R2 Electric Proms will be Neil Diamond who will be performing live tracks, for the first time, from his forthcoming album which features some of the greatest songs of the rock era, and favourites from his own classic back catalogue of music in the intimate surroundings of the Roundhouse on Saturday 30 October. The show will be broadcast live on Radio 2 at 8pm and on ±«Óãtv Two on Saturday 13 November as part of A Night With Neil Diamond, a night dedicated to highlighting Diamond's music heritage and influences. A new, exclusive documentary will also be broadcast on ±«Óãtv Two which will showcase Diamond's prolific and rich music career and feature an interview with the man himself.

Neil Diamond said: "I'm trying to make it special. I want to do some songs from my new album, as I've never done those particular songs in public before... Of course I'll throw in a bunch of favourites and hope those can be brought off well and generally just try to have a good time and I hope the audience enjoy the show."

Tickets for the R2 Electric Proms, dedicated to creating new moments in music, will go on sale at 9am on Thursday 23 September and will only be available via costing £25 each. Those wishing for more information on the R2 Electric Proms can sign up to the Radio 2 newsletter on the website.

In addition to the live concerts being broadcast on Radio 2, Simon Mayo will be presenting an extended Radio 2 drivetime show live from the Roundhouse which will preview that night's event on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 October from 5.05pm until 8pm. On Saturday 30 October from 6pm until 8pm, Simon will host a special edition of his show which will preview the final night of the event.

Simon comments: "Three great Electric Proms, three Drivetime shows from the Roundhouse that will touch the hem of greatness."

Bringing the festival to a close in style, Bob Harris at Radio 2's Electric Proms will be broadcast live from the Roundhouse from 10pm until midnight on Saturday 30 October and will reflect on the best of the three nights of extraordinary live music with interviews and festival highlights.

Bob comments: "The power trio of Sir Elton John, Robert Plant and Neil Diamond is a dream line-up for any festival, so for them to be playing the Radio 2 Electric Proms 2010 is a joy for us all. I'm looking forward to finding out the behind the scenes stories of the event."

Jeff Smith, Head of Music, Radio 2 and 6 Music, said: "We're delighted to be bringing Radio 2 listeners and ±«Óãtv Two viewers the R2 Electric Proms performances. Elton John, Robert Plant and Neil Diamond are sure to deliver 'the gig of their lives', and we're proud to be able to extend the programming to include the additional shows with Simon Mayo and Bob Harris so even more people can access the event."

Now one of the UK's most eagerly anticipated live music events, the festival was created five years ago by the ±«Óãtv to create new moments in music by inviting legendary artists to present one-off collaborations and performances. 2010 is the first year that Radio 2 has produced the festival in its entirety, which runs from Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 October 2010.

The ±«Óãtv brings the best live music across TV, radio and online to audiences all year round, from major festival coverage at events like Glastonbury, T in the Park and Radio 1's Big Weekend to strands including Later…with Jools Holland, which has just returned for a new series on ±«Óãtv Two, and The Culture Show. Special live music moments throughout 2010 have included The Mercury Music Prize on ±«Óãtv Two and 6 Music, and this year's successful Proms season, which included Radio 2's jazz programme presenter Jamie Cullum making his memorable Proms debut.

Audiences are guaranteed to see and hear something truly memorable at the R2 Electric Proms whether at the venue, watching on ±«Óãtv Two on subsequent Saturdays, listening to Radio 2, tuning in online and interacting with red button technology or on mobile.

Notes to Editors

• Last year over 2,560,000 people watched the Electric Proms on Red Button and there were over 236,260 visitors to the Electric Proms website in the event week
• For more information on the Radio 2 Electric Proms, go to
• For more information on the Sir Elton John performance, go to
• For more information on the Robert Plant performance, go to
• For more information on the Neil Diamond performance, go to

Ticketing:

• Only 2 tickets per household
• Tickets will have the name and address of the buyer on their tickets
• All tickets will be collected from Roundhouse Box Office on the day of the performance – collections from 12noon each day
• People collecting their tickets will need to bring 1 form of photo ID and the card they used to buy the tickets
• Tickets will then be exchanged for a wristband which will be put on by the box office staff – people collecting tickets are not allowed to take the wristband away with them – it must be fitted before they leave the building
• When collecting their tickets, the person must have their guest with them so that they are wristbanded at the same time

R2 Electric Proms on the ±«Óãtv

The festival can be viewed and watched via a number of different platforms on the ±«Óãtv:

Radio

There will be live and recorded broadcasts from all areas of the festival on ±«Óãtv Radio 2 each night of the event at 8pm.

Singing This Song For You: The Leon Russell Story on Radio 2 will be broadcast on Wednesday 29 September at 10pm, produced by Wise Buddah.

Simon Mayo at R2's Electric Proms: Simon Mayo will broadcast live from the Roundhouse on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 October from 5.05pm until 8pm, then on Saturday 30 October from 6pm until 8pm.

Bob Harris at Radio 2's Electric Proms will broadcast live from the Roundhouse from 10pm until midnight on Saturday 30 October

TV

R2 Electric Proms: Sir Elton John will be broadcast on ±«Óãtv Two on Saturday 30 October. A Night With Sir Elton John is a documentary featuring an exclusive interview with Sir Elton highlighting his musical history, career highlights and influences which will also be broadcast on Saturday 30 October on ±«Óãtv Two.

R2 Electric Proms: Robert Plant will be broadcast on Radio 2 at 8pm and then shown as a part of A Night With Robert Plant, a special night dedicated to showcasing Robert's continuing musical legacy on ±«Óãtv Two on Saturday 6 November including a documentary looking at his musical legacy.

R2 Electric Proms: Neil Diamond will be broadcast on ±«Óãtv Two on Saturday 13 November as part of A Night With Neil Diamond, a night dedicated to highlighting Diamond's music heritage including a new, exclusive documentary which will showcase Diamond's prolific music career.

Red button and online will provide exclusive clips and behind the scenes footage from Saturday October 30.

Full listings information will be available via the Radio 2 website.

SH