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The Best Episodes of BBC Proms Season 80

Every episode of BBC Proms Season 80 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of BBC Proms Season 80!

The World's Greatest Classical Music Festival. The BBC Proms is a classical music festival held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and in recent years has explored an innovative series of

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 1 - First Night of the Proms 2026
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    #1 - First Night of the Proms 2026

    S80:E1

    Piano superstar Yunchan Lim joins Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra for Ravel’s bluesy Concerto in G major. We also hear music by Copland, Gershwin and Finzi, alongside a world premiere from French-British composer Josephine Stephenson

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 2 - Beethoven's Fifth at the Proms
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    #2 - Beethoven's Fifth at the Proms

    S80:E2

    A specially curated night of musical gems, from the Royal Albert Hall. Alongside Beethoven's famous symphony are Mussorgsky's A Night on a Bare Mountain and Strauss' Don Juan. Presented by Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann and featuring performances by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop and Elim Chan.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 3 - Prog Rock at the Proms
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    #3 - Prog Rock at the Proms

    S80:E3

    Dazzling new classical arrangements of ELP, Genesis, Mike Oldfield, Yes and more, with performances from Guy Garvey, Gruff Rhys and Jane Weaver. Performing alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames, more is more in this ultimate rock-classical crossover. Expect synthesisers and tubular bells in a specially curated evening presented by Stuart Maconie.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 4 - John Wilson at the Proms
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    #4 - John Wilson at the Proms

    S80:E4

    John Wilson and his Sinfonia of London return to the Proms for the first of two concerts, performing Respighi’s trilogy of Rome-inspired tone-poems alongside the Walton’s rhapsodic Cello Concerto. Norwegian cellist Jonathan Aasgaard makes his Proms debut

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 5 - Elgar at the Proms
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    #5 - Elgar at the Proms

    S80:E5

    A night celebrating the treasured British composer with two of his most majestic works. Ryan Wigglesworth conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra who take to the stage for the sweeping First Symphony. Plus a delve into the archives to look back to Sheku Kanneh-Mason's Cello Concerto performance, standing the test of time for its brilliance. Petroc Trelawny presents from the Royal Albert Hall.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 6 - Bolero at the Proms
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    #6 - Bolero at the Proms

    S80:E6

    The Spanish National Orchestra makes its Proms debut with a set of heat-soaked musical postcards that includes Ravel’s hypnotic Boléro and Rodrigo’s much-loved Concierto de Aranjuez with guitar phenomenon Rafael Aguirre as soloist

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 7 - Great Violinists at the Proms
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    #7 - Great Violinists at the Proms

    S80:E7

    Rising star Sueye Park dazzles with her Proms debut, playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto. / / Joined by John Storgards and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, a wildly virtuosic exploration of the Nordic landscape clearly demonstrates how Park won the prestigious 13th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition last year. / / The programme continues with two celebrated violinists from Proms past: Liya Petrova playing the much-loved Lark Ascending and Nicola Benedetti performing the playful, lyrical second movement of Wynton Marsalis's Fiddle Dance Suite. / / Katie Derham presents a look at some of the great performances on the violin that have graced the Royal Albert Hall stage.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 8 - Also Sprach Zarathustra at the Proms
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Also Sprach Zarathustra at the Proms

    S80:E8

    This specially curated programme looks to the skies with Strauss's filmic masterpiece, teamed with Judith Weir's Moon and Star and Ravel's Alborada del gracioso.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 9 - Space Soundtracks at the Proms
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    #9 - Space Soundtracks at the Proms

    S80:E9

    Featuring a stellar line-up including Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra from Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey - performed at this year's Proms; Gustav Holst's The Planets; John Williams's scores for Star Wars and E.T.; Hans Zimmer's Interstellar and Max Richter's On the Nature of Daylight, which plays over the opening montage of Denis Villeneuve's 2016 sci-fi classic, Arrival.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 10 - NYO at the Proms
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    #10 - NYO at the Proms

    S80:E10

    More than 150 of the country's best young musicians embark on a musical journey to the underworld and back, under the watchful eye of conductor and composer, Thomas Adès. Always a highlight of any BBC Proms season, the National Youth Orchestra is at the Royal Albert Hall with a programme that opens with Liszt's intoxicating Mephisto Waltz No. 1, a whirlwind score based on Nikolaus Lenau’s epic poem Faust. Next is a rare treat of a new piece, conducted by the composer himself: Purgatorio–Dante ballet Part II is Thomas Adès’s contemplation of purgatory, the central act of his Grammy Award-winning ballet. To round off the concert, the orchestra delivers the dazzling Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz. A vast young orchestra drenches the Royal Albert Hall in this mesmerising symphony. Presented by Petroc Trelawny.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 11 - Beethoven’s Seventh at the Proms
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Beethoven’s Seventh at the Proms

    S80:E11

    Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in its first Proms appearance for more than two decades, pairing Beethoven with Gabriela Ortiz's urgent Revolución diamantina. Fresh from his surprise appearance during the FIFA World Cup Final half-time show, Dudamel conducts Beethoven's electrifying Seventh Symphony, hailed by Wagner as ‘the apotheosis of the dance’. The Symphony is paired with Gabriela Ortiz's powerful Revolución diamantina, a gripping score inspired by Mexico's 2019 Glitter Revolution, and pulsing with hypnotic rhythms and defiant energy. Presented by Georgia Mann.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 12 - Celebrating Graceland at the Proms
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    #12 - Celebrating Graceland at the Proms

    S80:E12

    An emotional night at the Royal Albert Hall celebrating Paul Simon's era-defining album on its 40th anniversary. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who featured prominently on the album, are joined by James Bay, Laura Mvula and others on the Royal Albert Hall stage to perform hits like You Can Call Me Al, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes and The Boy in the Bubble. Clive Myrie presents.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 13 - Debuts at the Proms
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    #13 - Debuts at the Proms

    S80:E13

    A celebration of unforgettable musical firsts from The Royal Albert Hall, presented by Katie Derham. The programme includes the UK premiere of Betsy Jolas’ evocative Tales of a Summer Sea, inspired by Shakespeare's Tempest, and music from the Spanish National Orchestra - both pieces recorded this season. Plus Soprano Angel Blue's triumphant proms debut, and the first accordion soloist to grace the Last Night of the Proms stage - Ksenija Sidorova - who transports us to the streets of Buenos Aires with her rendition of Piazzolla's Libertango.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 14 - Miles Davis: A Celebration at the Proms
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    #14 - Miles Davis: A Celebration at the Proms

    S80:E14

    A glorious tribute to the legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, marking what would have been his centenary year. Presented by Clive Myrie in front of a packed audience at the Royal Albert Hall and featuring classic hits from Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain and Miles Ahead, alongside works by composers who influenced him, Joaquín Rodrigo and George Gershwin. Acclaimed American jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire joins the BBC Concert Orchestra and Miho Hazama to celebrate the jazz legend.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 15 - Marvin Gaye: A Tribute at the Proms
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    #15 - Marvin Gaye: A Tribute at the Proms

    S80:E15

    With velvety vocals packing an emotional punch and songs straddling soul, Motown, gospel, R&B and funk, Marvin Gaye embraced a unique range spanning intimacy and protest, the physical and the spiritual. A pioneer of soul- baring songwriting, he has influenced countless artists, from Stevie Wonder and Prince to hip hop and rap artists. The BBC Concert Orchestra and Edwin Outwater pay tribute to a musical icon, joined by guest singers for new orchestral arrangements of hits Gaye recorded with close collaborator Tammi Terrell (such as 'Aint No Mountain High Enough'), as well as favourites including 'I Heard it Through the Grapevine', 'What's Going On' and 'Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing'.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. BBC Proms Season 80 Episode 16 - Mozart at the Proms
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    #16 - Mozart at the Proms

    S80:E16

    Two concertos under the spotlight. Star soloist Fleix Kleiser makes a dazzling return to the Proms stage playing Mozart's endearing Third Horn Concerto. Making her Proms solo debut, Amy Harman brings the world premiere of Thea Musgrave's 'Out of the Darkness' Concerto for Bassoon. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields also brings three heavyweights of the classical repertoire – Elgar, Britten and additional Mozart. Britten's playful Simple Symphony sits alongside Elgar's lesser-known Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra, and Mozart's infamous 'Haffner' symphony. Dancing rhythms ricochet throughout the programme with a light-footed spring between these five pieces. Presented by Georgia Mann from the Royal Albert Hall.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 80 Ratings Summary

"First Night of the Proms 2026" is the best rated episode of "BBC Proms" season 80. It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 7/17/2026. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Beethoven's Fifth at the Proms".