Early specials The earliest recorded commemorations of the New Year by the original
British Broadcasting Company began in 1923–24, and often featured performances by
dance bands; a special was broadcast from the
Savoy Hotel in London, featuring performances by the
Savoy Orpheans and
Savoy Havana Bands, and a religious talk by
Archibald Fleming. The BBC also began its practice of broadcasting the chimes of
Big Ben.
2BD in Scotland opted out to broadcast its own programming. The following year's broadcast also included a speech by the BBC's first director of education
J. C. Stobart, and a broadcast from
Royal Albert Hall after midnight until closedown. The 1925–26 broadcast featured the chimes of
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, and music by
Jack Hylton's band from Royal Albert Hall. It also marked the formal dissolution of the British Broadcasting Company and its transition to the public-service
British Broadcasting Corporation. In 1952, the BBC broadcast a special presented by
Richard Dimbleby from St Thomas's Hospital, with appearances by
Donald Peers and
Janet Brown. and the special featured guest appearances by a visibly drunk
John Grieve and a stricken
Chic Murray. A BBC Scotland-produced New Year's special would briefly return for 1998–99, with its current
Hogmanay Live format being retooled for national broadcast as
New Year Live. The special was co-presented from
Edinburgh by
Carol Smillie of
Changing Rooms and comedian
Fred MacAulay, and featured a performance by
Duran Duran. The broadcast was largely panned by critics, who commented upon MacAulay and Smillie's hosting (including MacAulay making several off-colour jokes about Smillie's
Rear of the Year award), its performances and comedy sketches, and considering the special to have been a diluted,
anglicised take on Hogmanay.
2000: 2000 Today For 1999–2000, the BBC broadcast
2000 Today, a telecast covering global New Year's Eve festivities marking the arrival of the year 2000. The telecast was produced as part of a global consortium led by the BBC and
WGBH, and was designated as one of five projects undertaken by the broadcaster to mark the arrival of the 21st century. The special would feature coverage of the opening of the
Millennium Dome, The special was slated to feature guest appearances by
Kofi Annan,
Stephen Hawking,
Barry Humphries (as
Dame Edna, covering the
Times Square ball drop in New York City),
Kiri Te Kanawa,
Sophia Loren,
Nelson Mandela,
Cliff Richard, and
Tina Turner among others, as well as the special
National Lottery "Big Draw 2000" drawings. Alongside the television broadcast,
BBC Radio 1 aired
One World, an international
electronic music event featuring DJ sets by
Carl Cox (who would open the event from Australia during a special
Radio 1 Breakfast, and then be the final performer in
Honolulu,
Hawaii),
Dance Anthems host
Dave Pearce (who would perform from Glasgow for the countdown to midnight in the UK),
Pete Tong,
Paul Oakenfold, and
Fatboy Slim among others.
Emma B and
Scott Mills hosted the main programme of the event,
Millennium Dance Party, which ran through the evening of 31 December to the following morning.
BBC Two provided a retrospective-themed "Nineties Night". and a networked broadcast of BBC Scotland's
Hogmanay Live for 2003.
2004–2013: New Year Live For 2004, London revived
its New Year's Eve fireworks as an annual event. BBC One returned to a live London-based special for 2004, known as
New Year Live, to cover its revived fireworks event. The programme initially covered the New Year's Eve fireworks in London in 2004. In 2005, the format changed to include commentary from celebrity guests. The format changed further in 2006, to include live performances from music artists and the programme was extended to air for between 60 and 90 minutes. This format remained until 2009. From 2009 until 2013, the programme returned to its original format of one presenter interviewing the general public on the streets of London, leading into the New Year Fireworks.
2014–present: Concert specials and ''New Year's Eve Fireworks'' Beginning in 2013, BBC One began to air concert specials from
Central Hall, Westminster on New Year's Eve; the specials are divided into two parts, with a segment featuring live coverage of midnight celebrations from London (billed in programme guides as ''New Year's Eve Fireworks
) airing in between. The first special, Gary Barlow's Big Ben Bash'', was headlined by
Gary Barlow. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the London fireworks were held as a broadcast-only event for 2021 and 2022. For 2020–21, BBC One's New Year's Eve programming was promoted under the blanket title ''The Big New Year's In.
It included a titular special hosted by Paddy McGuinness and Maya Jama live from Dock10 studios in Salford, a special episode of The Graham Norton Show'', an
Alicia Keys concert special from Los Angeles, and a live, broadcast-only fireworks presentation from London with no public viewings. The previous concert format returned for 2021–22, with
Olly Alexander hosting
The Big New Years & Years Party; at this point the special began to be filmed at
Riverside Studios in
Hammersmith. London's New Year's Eve fireworks were once again conducted as a "live broadcast spectacular" with no public viewings (which included an appearance by
Giles Terera, and a performance by the West End Musical Choir at
Shakespeare's Globe); the city cancelled a planned in-person celebration at
Trafalgar Square due to
Omicron variant concerns. Singer-songwriter and
Eurovision Song Contest 2022 runner-up
Sam Ryder hosted the 2022–23 special, ''Sam Ryder's All Star New Year's Eve''. the 2024–25 special was hosted by
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, while
Ronan Keating hosted the 2025–26 special. == Ratings ==