'Millions love the traditional Last Night Of The Proms'

KATIE DERHAM DEFENDS CULTURE

- David Stephenson

BBC MUSIC presenter Katie Derham has strongly defended Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory being included in the Last Night Of The Proms repertoire, declaring that “millions enjoy them”. 

She said: “An awful lot of people get an awful lot of joy out of the traditional elements of The Last Night.” 

In previous years, there have been calls to drop the songs because they celebrate Britain’s colonial past.

But talking about next Saturday’s finale at the Royal Albert Hall, the Radio 3 presenter said she did not think the tide had turned against traditional pieces.

“Evidently not,” she said. “Do things come and go? Yes. Do I envisage that the traditional songs of the Last Night are going to change any time soon?

“No, because I think millions of people really like them.