Home / Arts and Entertainment / Sporting Stories Transformed into Folk Songs
Sporting Stories Transformed into Folk Songs
19 Jun
Summary
- Radio 2's award-winning 21st Century Folk returns for its fourth year.
- Five renowned folk acts write songs about listeners whose lives were changed by sport.
- The series is inspired by classic BBC Radio Ballads from the late 1950s.
BBC Radio 2 is bringing folk music to the forefront this summer with the return of its award-winning 21st Century Folk program. For its fourth series, five distinguished folk artists are creating original songs. These musical pieces will be inspired by the stories of five Radio 2 listeners whose lives have been profoundly impacted or transformed through their involvement with sports.
The new series coincides with a vibrant summer of international sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon. 21st Century Folk draws inspiration from the classic BBC Radio Ballads, landmark programs from the late 1950s that used listeners' own words and original songs to depict the lives of working people. This format was previously revived by Radio 2 in the 2000s.
Listeners can experience the songs and the stories behind them exclusively on BBC Sounds starting June 29, 2026. A full week of folk music programming will follow on Radio 2 until July 5, 2026. The featured songs and listener stories will be shared daily on the Jeremy Vine Show, with special broadcasts on The Mark Radcliffe Show and a dedicated 21st Century Folk program.
