A brass concert and portraits exhibition with comedian Bill Bailey

BBC Arts’ Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey and a BBC Radio 2 Loves Brass concert are just some of the latest creative and cultural highlights to come from the BBC to mark Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

With the eagerly anticipated year of UK City of Culture now in fully swing, the new BBC content celebrates the vibrant culture, rich heritage, and dynamic creativity of Bradford.

The paintings and sculpture from the new series of Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey will be exhibited at the opening of the Loading Bay arts venue in Bradford from Thursday 13 March.

In April, BBC Radio 2 presents Radio 2 Loves Brass, a concert at St. George’s Hall in Bradford on Friday 11 April as part of Bradford 2025’s The Big Brass Blowout weekend. Listeners will be taken on a musical journey from Bond themes to Bhangra beats in the company of the mighty Black Dyke Band, chart-topping pop legend Marti Pellow, star soprano Carly Paoli, Punjabi Roots Academy and Bradford Cathedral Choir. The concert is the centrepiece of a season of programmes celebrating all things brass music, with more details announced tomorrow (Tuesday 18 February).

CBeebies Bedtime Stories will be bringing their family event to Bradford on the 15 and 16 April 2025. It will be hosted in The Beacon, Bradford 2025’s touring venue, at Wibsey Park by George Webster and Evie Pickerill. This is just one of a host of CBBC events to come from the city this year.

BBC Music Introducing is holding four showcase gigs at ‘The Underground’ throughout the year. On 28 February the line-ups are being curated locally by the BBC Introducing in Leeds & Sheffield team, with input from Asian Network and 1Xtra. Antiques Roadshow will be filming at Lister Park and Cartwright Hall this summer.

The BBC is committed to supporting Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture throughout the year and further announcements about new programming, events and coverage of the celebrations will follow.

Katrina Bunker, senior head of content pProduction for Yorkshire, says: “I am immensely proud of the collaborative efforts that have brought these projects to fruition and look forward to sharing the joy, inspiration, and cultural richness they will bring. Let’s come together to celebrate Bradford’s journey and make 2025 a year to remember for generations to come.

“It’s great to see Bradford’s character and the great people who make it shining on the local and national stage.”

Shanaz Gulzar, creative director of Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture, says: “We’re delighted by the support that BBC have given, showcasing our city and district to the UK and rest of the world. Bringing such a stalwart as the Antiques Roadshow to Bradford means that audiences that have yet to visit will see the grandeur of Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Radio 2’s listeners will connect with Bradford’s history of music in a new way with the station being a key part of The Big Brass Blowout, and young people who are right at the heart of our city of culture will see themselves reflected on screen in collaboration with CBBC.

“There’s so much more for audiences across the nation to engage with across the BBC, and we’re excited to work with the BBC to tell Bradford’s story.”

The BBC was announced as an official broadcast partner in June last year which means there will be unforgettable coverage across BBC local and national TV, BBC iPlayer, Radio, BBC Sounds and Online bringing audiences together to celebrate Bradford.

It has already commissioned a raft of new content across arts, education, factual, sport and Local for the city’s momentous year.