The BBC’s boss is under front page pressure as the Glastonbury row rolls on – 1v1 Video Chat & LIve Streaming & Influencer Subscription

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you’ve seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

One-off amount

I already contribute

An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.

Investigates

Money Diaries

Daft.ie Property Magazine
Allianz Home Magazine
The 42 Sports Magazine
TG4 Entertainment Magazine
The Journal TV

Climate Crisis

Cost of Living
Road Safety

Newsletters

Temperature Check
Inside the Newsroom
The Journal Investigates

The Explainer

A deep dive into one big news story

Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture

have your say

Or create a free account to join the discussion

More Stories

Bob Vylan and Mo Chara of Kneecap performing at Glastonbury

The BBC’s boss is under front page pressure as the Glastonbury row rolls on

BBC director general Tim Davie visited the festival on Saturday afternoon and has come under scrutiny for how he reacted to being informed about Bob Vylan’s set.

12.54pm, 1 Jul 2025

Share options

THE BBC PLEDGED that its coverage of this year’s Glastonbury Festival would “bring the nation together” but instead, it ended with calls for the broadcaster’s director general to resign.

It’s been reported in the UK that BBC director general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury on Saturday when rap punk duo Bob Vylan led chants of “death to the IDF”.

Davie was on a visit to meet staff at the festival on Saturday afternoon and he has come under scrutiny for how he reacted to being informed about Bob Vylan’s set.

BBC director general Tim Davie pictured at a Culture, Media and Sport Committee in MarchAlamy Stock Photo

Alamy Stock Photo

What is the BBC’s involvement in Glastonbury?

The BBC is Glastonbury’s exclusive broadcast partner and airs covers of the festival across TV, radio and on the BBC iPlayer – the BBC’s version of the RTÉ Player.

And while the BBC doesn’t get to choose who plays at Glastonbury, it does get to choose who it airs live, be that on TV or live-streamed on the iPlayer.

Under mounting pressure, the BBC decided not to air Kneecap’s performance live on Saturday afternoon.

People attending this year’s Glastonbury FestivalAlamy Stock Photo

Alamy Stock Photo

A woman who live-streamed Kneecap’s Glastonbury has since accused the BBC of censorship, after over a million people tuned in to her TikTok Live from the festival.

In a statement prior to the festival, a BBC spokesperson said: “Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines.”

However, the BBC has now pledged to “look at” its editorial guidelines following a set which saw Bob Vylan lead chants of “death to the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces)”.

Prior to Glastonbury, all the furore in the British press surrounded Irish-language rap trio Kneecap.

British prime minister Keir Starmer had called for Glastonbury to drop Kneecap from the billing and for the BBC to not broadcast their performance.

Starmer said it was “not appropriate” for Kneecap to perform.

Kneecap play the West Holts stage on SaturdayAlamy Stock Photo

Alamy Stock Photo

Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh , whose stage name is Mo Chara, appeared in court last month charged with displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in Britain, during a gig in the O2 Forum, Kentish Town last November.

The BBC did not air Kneecap’s Glastonbury set live, though it did later upload a largely unedited version to the BBC iPlayer.

During Kneecap’s set, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, told Glastonbury they would “start a riot outside the courts” when Ó hAnnaidh next makes an appearance, before clarifying: “No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.”

Bob Vylan performed on Glastonbury’s West Holts Stage just before Kneecap, but their performance was live streamed on the BBC iPlayer.

Yesterday, Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both performances after reviewing video footage and audio recordings.

Speaking to The Journal today from Japan, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the police investigation into Kneecap is a “matter for the police in Britain to do what it feels has to do, and I’m not going to interfere in that”.

And while he didn’t see the Kneecap set, Martin said he did see some of Bob Vylan’s performance online.

“I thought there are issues there,” said Martin. “That can have knock-on consequences.

“It’s a matter for the police now but generally speaking, bands will perform and normally we just let it go.”

The BBC has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream with on-screen warnings about “very strong and discriminatory language”, leading to the UK’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom to say it was “very concerned” by the decision.

The BBC said it “respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence”.

Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts StageAlamy Stock Photo

Alamy Stock Photo

The broadcaster added that Bob Vylan “expressed antisemitic sentiments” which were “utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves”.

The BBC added in its statement that a “judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines”.

The broadcaster said that its team were dealing with a “live situation” but that “with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance”.

It also decided to make the performance unavailable on demand, where programmes can be watched after the live broadcast has ended.

However, Bob Vylan’s performance remained available on demand for around five hours.

‘Tim Davie must fall on his sword’

The front page of this morning’s Daily Express claimed that Davie “has to act now or resign”.

Frontpage of today’s Daily Express

The Times meanwhile had a front page story criticising Davie for not pulling the livestream following Bob Vylan’s “death to the IDF” chant.

The Daily Telegraph also devoted its front page to condemnation of Davie.

Frontpage of today’s Daily Telegraph

A BBC spokesperson said Davie was informed of the incident after the performance and “at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage”.

A source told The Daily Telegraph that Davie was “made aware of what was going on, shortly after it aired” and that he “made sure to intervene and said that the performance should not be available on-demand”.

However, it remained on-demand on the BBC iPlayer for around five hours afterwards.

A BBC insider told The Daily Telegraph however that “it isn’t as straightforward as hitting a button” and making the livestream disappear.

And while the most senior person in charge of the Bob Vylan live stream would have had the power to cut away from the performance, an insider remarked that the chant “happened in a flash and then was gone”.

The insider added that cutting the live feed would have meant viewers would not see any of the later acts on the West Holts stage.

Elsewhere, Telegraph columnist Jake Wallis Simons today penned an article in which he said “Davie must surely fall on his sword now”.

He accused Davie of “lying low in the hope that the storm will pass” and that “his fingerprints are all over it”.

‘Take responsibility and resign’

Sharren Haskel is an Israeli politician who currently serves as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Haskel said: “If there’s no one that will take responsibility, if no one will be fired over such an outrageous thing, then I think that Tim Davie should take responsibility because there has to be accountability for that.”

Haskel also claimed that there should be an investigation into the BBC’s coverage of the Middle East.

File image of Sharren HaskelAlamy Stock Photo

Alamy Stock Photo

“It was fully biased,” Haskel told The Daily Telegraph.

“Many mistakes were made, not just in the coverage since 7 October, but their coverage in the Middle East in general and also about how they address anti-Semitism in the UK.”

Elsewhere, the UK’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said that the “BBC’s belated and mishandled response brings confidence in our national broadcaster’s ability to treat anti-Semitism seriously to a new low”.

This is a time of national shame. The airing of vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury and the BBC’s belated and mishandled response, brings confidence in our national broadcaster’s ability to treat antisemitism seriously to a new low.

It should trouble all decent people that now, one…— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) June 30, 2025

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone…

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.

Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Support The Journal

Diarmuid Pepper

Send Tip or Correction

Embed this post

To embed this post, copy the code below on your site

Email “The BBC’s boss is under front page pressure as the Glastonbury row rolls on”.

Recipient’s Email

Feedback on “The BBC’s boss is under front page pressure as the Glastonbury row rolls on”.

Your Feedback

Your Email (optional)

Report a Comment

Please select the reason for reporting this comment.

Please give full details of the problem with the comment…

News in 60 seconds

Court of Appeal
Conor McGregor withdraws bid to bring new evidence at last minute as civil appeal gets underway

courtmacsherry
Naval Service detains suspected drug traffickers after ‘€30m cocaine’ sea chase off west Cork

Niall O’Connor

Taoiseach and senior government figures held ‘sobering’ Budget meeting over the weekend

Christina Finn

reports from Tokyo

10 mins ago

Glounthaune
Tragic accident suspected in deaths of man and woman in their 80s in Cork

12 mins ago

Woman arrested in Sarah Montgomery murder investigation released unconditionally

20 mins ago

heathen chemistry
Today is gonna be the Dalyer: Bohemians FC and Oasis team up for new charity-supporting jersey

a tsar is born
Eamon Ryan lands new role as the EU’s housing tsar

Woman who live-streamed Kneecap at Glastonbury to millions says fans ‘had a right to see it’

extreme heat
‘I couldn’t step outside’: Irish tourists swelter as ‘heat dome’ blankets southern Europe

Garda impersonated colleague online to encourage men to come to her home and rape her

Court of Appeal
Conor McGregor withdraws bid to bring new evidence at last minute as civil appeal gets underway