21st Century Folk feature returns to BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is putting the spotlight on Folk Music once again with a week of programming with five folk artists writing five songs.

As the RNLI marks its 200th anniversary in 2024, this year’s theme is about people whose lives are intertwined with the sea.

Each of the listeners have been paired with five folk singer-songwriters who will write original songs based on their lives and tales of the water.

Mark Radcliffe says: “I’m so proud to be part of the return of the award-winning 21st Century Folk and genuinely so proud of Radio 2 for putting so much behind the project. It is a wholly noble endeavour.

“It adheres to the age old tradition of telling the stories of peoples’ lives in folk song whilst simultaneously highlighting experiences that chime with many of us. In addition it showcases the work of some of our finest contemporary folk artists and gives them the lifeblood of mainstream exposure.

“I couldn’t be prouder, and especially in the year RNLI celebrates its 200th anniversary. As I said, it is a wholly noble endeavour.”

Helen Thomas says: “Radio 2’s commitment to specialist music is unsurpassed on UK radio and, following last year’s award-winning 21st Century Folk, I’m proud that it is returning later this month. Once again, we’ll be putting beautifully crafted British story-telling through the prism of folk music at the heart of our daytime output and on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer with five new songs about five extraordinary people from across the UK.”

21st Century Folk in 2023 put the focus on five people who live and work in the North East of England and won Gold for Best Music Special at the ARIAs, Silver for Best Music Special and Bronze for Best Original Music at the 2023 New York Festivals Radio Awards, and won ‘Audio Production of the Year’ at the Prolific North Champions Awards.

The contributors and singer-songwriters will also be interviewed on The Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2 across the week (from Monday 29th July – Friday 2nd August, 12-2pm) where each song will be played on air. Friday’s edition of the show will be an outside broadcast from the Sidmouth Folk Festival, where Seth Lakeman and Fisherman’s Friends will perform their song live.

Radio 2’s Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe will also feature the songs and interviews with the artists (Wednesday 31st July, 9-10pm), and the following week it will feature music from some of the artists who performed live at Sidmouth Folk Festival (Wednesday 7th August, 9-10pm).