Proms leak: BBC plan concerts in empty Albert Hall

We hear that BBC contingency planning for saving the Proms is 2 weeks in an empty Royal Albert Hall and 2 weeks with a minimal audience, all televised.

It’s a last-gasp solution, and few believe it will work.

First, judging by Germany alone, it is unlikely that any places of entertainment will eb allowed to open before mid-September, earliest.

Second, last week’s empty-hall concerts in Germany were judged a failure: uninspiring to audiences, dispiriting for musicians.

Third, the BBC has no original plan for filtering its own musicians and camera crews into the hall and distancing them once inside. If one person catches Covid, the enterprise will blow up sky-high. It’s not worth the risk.

The Proms have given no indication when a final decision will be made, but the plans that have been leaked to Slipped Disc do not inspire confidence.