BBC plan to axe patriotic anthems Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory

Former BBC chairman ridicules a ban on singing Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory over links to colonialism.

The Last Night of the Proms traditionally attracts thousands of Union Jack waving fans. Picture: AFP

The BBC has made a “ghastly mistake” in its handling of the Last Night of the Proms row, according to its former chairman Lord Grade of Yarmouth.

The Conservative peer condemned the decision that Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory would be performed without lyrics at the concert on September 12 after concerns were raised about links with colonialism.

He told Today on BBC Radio 4: “This is a ghastly mistake which shows how out of touch they are with their audience. I would defend the BBC’s right to make decisions free of political influence but it is clearly a mistake, it’s just idiotic.”

Boris Johnson gives his views on the BBC Proms row pic.twitter.com/lRzlVZ06Qf

— The Sun (@TheSun) August 25, 2020

I read in Sunday Times that BBC Proms are considering removing ‘Rule Britannia!’ from the last night’s repertoire! Do me a favour! Does woke culture have to dominate our lives. Tradition should be respected not always chided!

— David Buik (@truemagic68) August 23, 2020

Lord Grade, who was chairman from 2004 to 2006, having previously run BBC One and Channel 4, added that the corporation’s remit should be reviewed before its centenary in 2022. He said: “What we need to do is take a long hard look and come up with a definition and a role for the BBC that reflects the very different reality today.”

The BBC announced the decision on Monday after The Sunday Times reported on an internal debate about the songs. As the public row rumbled on for a fourth day, the executive producer of the BBC program Songs of Praise defended comparing the performance of Rule, Britannia! to neo-Nazis singing in praise of gas chambers.

Cat Lewis tweeted on Tuesday: “Do those Brits who believe it’s OK to sing an 18th-century song about never being enslaved, written when the UK was enslaving and killing millions of innocents, also believe it’s appropriate for neo-Nazis to shout, ‘We will never be forced into a gas chamber’.” She also described slavery as “Britain’s holocaust”.

Do those Brits who believe it’s ok to sing an 18th Century song about never being enslaved, written when the UK was enslaving and killing millions of innocents, also believe it’s appropriate for neo-Nazis to shout, “We will never be forced into a gas chamber.” #RuleBritannia

— Cat Lewis (@catrionalewis) August 25, 2020

Speaking to The Times yesterday Ms Lewis, who was born in India, said Britain could not be respected by Commonwealth partners unless it acknowledged the suffering caused by slavery. She said that she had felt moved to protest after a black employee told her how uncomfortable they felt about the song, which has the line “Britons never, never, never will be slaves”.

“If you’re descended from somebody who has been enslaved, how are you going to feel singing that lyric?” she said.

“What that means is the Proms will remain predominantly white [with an] older audience as opposed to [reflecting] the whole country. What we did with transatlantic slavery was one of the worst crimes in human history. The repercussions are still being felt.”

British PM Boris Johnson has condemned the Proms decision. Picture: Getty Images

Ms Lewis is chief executive of Nine Lives Media, a production company that has made Songs of Praise for the BBC since 2017.

“We want to do business in Africa and India and all these countries, and it’s a waste of time talking about the Commonwealth while having empire attitudes,” she said. Ms Lewis has spoken to the BBC since her comments were shared on social media but described herself as an “independent voice”.

The BBC said that it had no comment because she was not on its staff.

Yesterday Boris Johnson spoke to schoolchildren in Leicestershire and cited the debate around Rule, Britannia! as an example of how teachers were able to help pupils to understand.

“Is Harry Potter sexist? Answer ‘no’, by the way. Is it politically acceptable to sing Rule, Britannia!? Yes,” he said.

The BBC has said the songs will be sung in full next year and that playing orchestral versions was for artistic reasons. Due to Covid-19 the concert will be held in an empty Royal Albert Hall.

The Times