The BBC is going country crazy this year as Rob Brydon embarks on an epic road trip

BBC News

15-03-2025

The BBC is shining a light on country music this year across radio, TV and digital with a feast of programmes and specials.
Highlights for 2025 include BBC Two series Rob Brydon's Honky Tonk Road Trip (W/T) (3 x 60m), which will see Rob journey around America's southern states to discover country music's origins and what led to its recent global explosion and Rebel Country (1 x 120m) – which explores a new breed of country stars who rewriting the rules and challenging the culture of the genre.
Rob Brydon says: 'I've always loved country music but never really delved too deeply into it. The current resurgence means it's the perfect time to head over to Nashville and find out more. I can't wait to immerse myself in this fascinating world of music.'
This weekend, country music lovers will enjoy a rich range of radio coverage as Radio 2, the UK's most listened to radio station with 13.6m weekly listeners (Q4 2024, RAJAR) presents its Radio 2 Loves Country season.
Once again, Radio 2 will be at Europe's biggest country music festival, C2C – Country to Country, in London, Belfast and Glasgow this weekend (Friday 14th - Sunday 16th March). As the official broadcast partner of C2C since 2013, highlights will be aired across three days, led by Radio 2's Country Show presenter, Bob Harris. As well as presenting acts on stage at The O2 in London, Bob will be fronting shows live on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds during the weekend on Saturday (3-6pm) and Sunday (8-10pm) and he'll be joined by musicians for live sessions and highlights from the main stage from some of the world's most popular country stars and the cream of emerging talent from Nashville and Europe. Four-time Grammy®-nominated artist, Mickey Guyton, will share hosting duties with Bob on stage and on air. Bob will preview the festival on his Country Show on Radio 2 on Thursday 13th March (9-10pm) and review the weekend on Thursday 20th March.
Bob says: 'I have been proud to host the Country to Country Festival in London since its inception in 2013 and it has been a joy to watch it grow to become one of the most important events in the global Country music calendar. Radio 2 has been with the Festival from the very first day, helping Country music to become Britain's fastest growing music genre.'
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, says: 'Radio 2's commitment to specialist music is unrivalled in UK radio and we're proud that our Country Show, hosted by Bob Harris, is the nation's most listened to Country music programme. We're excited to be broadcasting from all three locations for C2C in 2025, as part of our mission to introduce our listeners to the best of both new and established Country artists from across the UK.'
This Friday (14th March), The Scott Mills Breakfast Show (6.30-9.30am) will broadcast live from BBC Broadcasting House in Belfast; Vernon Kay's show (9.30am – noon) features Tracks of My Years with Lainey Wilson from Monday-Friday this week; and Jeremy Vine (12-2pm) will be broadcasting live from Glasgow on Friday too. Scott will also be at C2C at Belfast's SSE Arena on Friday night, co-hosting the event with BBC Radio Ulster's Country Show presenter, John Kerr.
There will be live performances at Radio 2 Showcases at King Tut's in Glasgow on Saturday 15th March hosted by Edith Bowman - and available the following week on BBC Sounds – featuring artists Chanel Yates, Harper O'Neill and Kassi Ashton. The Radio 2 showcase at The Limelight, Belfast, on Saturday 15th March, is hosted by BBC Radio Ulster's Country Show presenter John Kerr with performances from former The X Factor contestant Janet Devlin, Jeff Cohen, Abbie Mac and Kieran O'Connell. In addition, BBC Scotland and BBC Northern Ireland will be producing packages for Bob Harris' shows on the Saturday and Sunday diving into big Country music stories from Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Scott says: 'I can't wait to take my Radio 2 Breakfast Show to Belfast for this year's festival, it's going to be so much fun. It'll be my first time taking the show on the road and we'll have big Country guests and live music, as well as reflecting the incredible C2C line-up and Northern Irish Country music scene.'
Edith says: 'I'm incredibly excited to be covering C2C in Glasgow for Radio 2 again this year. It's such a great way to celebrate Scotland's history with Country music while listening to fantastic live music. Also the audience are such a fun, enthusiastic crowd of all ages and I can't wait to get amongst them to share the very best of Country with the listeners!'
More Radio 2 Loves Country programming is already available on BBC Sounds: Best of C2C 2024 presented by BBC Wales' Country show presenter, Bronwen Lewis, takes a look back at C2C 2024, with music and chat from Alana Springsteen, the Brothers Osborne, Brad Paisley, Kane Brown, Carly Pearce and more; C2C Greatest Hits presented by superstar Darius Rucker, looks back at the last decade of the festival, with music and chat from Lady A, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde and others; Gethin's Guide to Country sees Gethin Jones present a perfect introduction to the world of country music; and C2C Acoustic Sessions 2025 hosted by Bob Harris, introduces exclusive acoustic music from C2C 2025 stars including Tyler Hubbard, Chayce Beckham, Nate Smith, and Lainey Wilson. All BBC Audio productions.
This summer, BBC iPlayer will be the home of Country Music Summer Festival (1 x 90m), bringing viewers the biggest moments from Country Music's Ultimate Fan Experience – the annual CMA (Country Music Association) Fest, which takes place in Nashville, Tennessee in June.
In September on BBC Two, we journey Stateside for Rob Brydon's Honky Tonk Road Trip (W/T), produced by Salamanda Media.
Country music is exploding in popularity in Britain and music fan Rob Brydon, who once topped the charts with his own take on a country classic (Barry) Islands in the Stream, with Gavin and Stacey co-star Ruth Jones, is hitting the road on a round trip of America's southern states in search of the people, places and culture where country music roots run deep. He'll be meeting the stars, hanging out with locals and immersing himself in the way of life.
It's an entertaining, fascinating and laughter filled exploration of country music, past and present, during which Rob discovers its origins, the secrets to its longevity and what led to its recent global explosion all set against the epic backdrop of the American south.
Rob's road trip begins in Nashville, Tennessee, which is celebrating 100 years of The Grand Ole Opry - the city's music show that's synonymous with country and from there he'll be climbing in his truck and heading to Kentucky, the home of bluegrass, which has produced many legendary country artists, then into the Appalachian Mountains, where he'll learn how British settlers brought their traditional ballads and instruments that influenced the country music sound. In Bristol, Tennessee, he'll meet Carlene Carter, granddaughter of Carter Family founding member and country music pioneer 'Mother' Maybelle Carter, before heading to meet Dolly Parton's niece Heidi in Dollywood.
Other stops include: Alabama, where Rob plays homage to Hank Williams, whose honky tonk style made him the biggest country star of the 1940s; Mississippi, where he'll visit Tupelo where Elvis grew up listening to country and blues and Memphis, including Sun Studios where Elvis jammed with Johnny Cash and pioneered the rockabilly sound. The adventure concludes back in Nashville, at the Grand Ole Opry, with exploration of the current sound emerging from the iconic city.
Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Popular Music TV says: 'We've seen an explosion of interest in country in the past few years, so it's a great moment to explore the history, evolution and rising significance of this genre. We'll be bringing audiences extended coverage of the biggest moments in the country music calendar and we're delighted that Rob Brydon will be sharing his love of the music and putting his own unique spin on a tour around the US southern states.'
Also in September on BBC Two is Rebel Country, directed by Francis Whately and produced by Janet Lee for whynow Studios and BMG.
The feature-length documentary explores a new breed of authentic stars who are rewriting the rules and challenging the culture of country music. Rebel Country explores the current tensions of race, class, poverty, gender, sexuality and creativity versus commerce and geography that are still prevalent in the United States today, while acknowledging their connection to Nashville's rebellious roots. Artists paving the way include Jelly Roll, Blanco Brown, Breland, Lindsay Ell, Brooke Eden and Lainey Wilson. The success of rapper Lil Nas X and his 18-million-selling, country-inspired hit Old Town Road is emblematic of a seismic shift that is happening in US country music now, as is Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album, which won Best Country Album at this year's Grammy Awards.
This film is an exploration of how art and music reflect the times we live in. It features archive footage from original rebels like Johnny Cash, contributions from some of country's leading musicians and historians, and live performances, including Jelly Roll's gig in a prison where he used to be incarcerated.
In November, the prestigious Country Music Association Awards will once again be streamed live on BBC iPlayer, allowing viewers to discover this year's winners and watch the performances from the biggest names in country as they happen. This year will be the 59th edition of the awards, which take place each year at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena in Tennessee. BBC Four will broadcast a highlights programme (1 x 90m) in the days that follow the live stream. On Radio 2, there will be a CMA Awards special edition of The Country Show with Bob Harris (Thursdays 9-10pm).
In December, Country Music Christmas (1 x 40m) on BBC Four sees country music's shiniest stars get together for a night full of festive classics, celebrating the joy of Christmas in true Nashville style.
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