I'm recording the programme while listening to tonight's prom.  When the programme opened with lots of talking heads and archive footage I began to wonder if the BBC was going to continue in the spirit of YMotY and abridge the Elgar.  It seems we were spared this but it's obviously at the expense of the 5tet - which played over 90 minutes at the concert I attended but, glancing at my TV, I've just seen them take the stage with a mere 30 minutes of tonight's broadcast left.  Last week I was rather baffled by the fact that the BBC left the cameras idle during the first half of Prom 2.  Now they have presented me with a new mystery: even if we accept the need to grant time for presenters mouthing off, how on earth can repeats of Dad's Army and HIGNFY justify the omission of 2/3rds of this gig (all of which is, I presume, in the can)?

The BBC2 concerts rarely have a second airing, John.

Sorry, Ruth.  I meant all of Prom 3 must be in the can.  I knew the Bax & Finzi wasn't filmed and, indeed, commented on the missed opportunity last week (I suspect the BBC archives are not groaning under the weight of live recordings of Intimations of Immortality).  My point about tonight's broadcast was that they gave us a mere 1/3rd of Prom 3 and followed it with two very dull comedy repeats.  I imagine there were copyright/royalty reasons for not showing the whole concert but it was still rather frustrating.

That might was soo magical. The Bax, Ive never heard it like that before. I thought, Oh, Paul Daniel, that would ruin the whole evening. Strange how situations change on the relevant occaision concerned!! I did say in  TOP, about having the likes of richard hickox or Sir Andrew Davies conducting. Then I thought, Sir Andrew, not know for his Bax or Finzi, but has he those composers in his rep?