Later... with Jools Holland Catch up, Jools’ 30th Birthday Bash on BBC 2

Later... with Jools Holland

Jools’ 30th Birthday Bash

In the BBC’s centenary year, Later… with Jools Holland also celebrates a big birthday marking 30 years of the show, with the first ever episode\nbeing broadcast on 8 October 1992.\n\nTo mark this special occasion, the show moves in front of over 3,000 people at west London’s Eventim Apollo for an evening of live\nmusic with a star-studded cast staged in the usual ‘in the round’ spirit, and the audience completing the circle. Jools invites a stellar line-up of guests to join him and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, plus a selection of artists, many of whom have all previously appeared on the show and return to join the celebrations.\n\nJoining Jools and his orchestra is rock 'n' roll legend Robert Plant, who makes his eighth appearance, having first performed on the show in 1993. Tonight, Robert takes on a couple of his favourite tunes: a Chuck Willis track made famous by Elvis Presley and a song originally recorded by Ray Charles, along with a Led Zeppelin classic where he is joined by Irish vocal powerhouse and friend of the show Imelda May, who made her debut back in 2008.\n\nFresh from her TV debut on the show, rising star Poppy Ajudha takes on a Marvin Gaye number, and Sheffield rock 'n' roll crooner Richard Hawley performs his tribute to Fats Domino.\n\nCompleting the guests with Jools, the inimitable songstress Celeste lends her hauntingly beautiful vocals to a classic Broadway tune.\n\nStaged alongside Jools and his band on the Hammersmith stage are artists who made their debuts on the show. The first, who debuted in 2014, are Swedish sisters First Aid Kit, who perform a couple of songs from their recently released fifth album Palomino. Opposite them, having made his debut on the Hootenanny back in 2006, is Seasick Steve, who reprises the number he played that night as well as a new tune from his recent Only on Vinyl album.\n\nThe line-up also includes a handful of artists who make special appearances on this anniversary bash. Acclaimed, award-winning singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka first performed on the show in 2011, and tonight he plays two songs, including one from his most recent 2021 Mercury Prize-winning album Kiwanuka. Gogol Bordello first appeared on the show in 2006 and make a return visit led by their Ukrainian-born frontman Eugene Hütz, roaming the venue and enlisting the audience with their trademark Eastern European Gypsy swing with a furious punk passion.\n\nIn a different musical direction, legends of the British folk scene Martin and Eliza Carthy, who have appeared on the show over the\nyears, perform a Molly Drake song together. Finally, another Mercury Prize winner, the captivating Benjamin Clementine, returns to the piano to reprise the song he performed on his debut in 2013.\n\nCompleting the line-up and in true Later… style introducing brand new artists, The Joy, a brand new a cappella group from Durban, South Africa, make their debut on the show.\n\nJools also takes the opportunity to head down the time tunnel and unearth some treats from the Later… archives looking back at clips of some of the big stars whose first TV performances were on Later… They include the likes of Amy Winehouse, Ed Sheeran and Alicia Keys, as well as some of the legends in popular music such as David Bowie, Grace Jones and Al Green. They have all joined Jools at the piano for entertaining chats and musical moments over the last 30 years.\n

Source: BBC 2

Most recent episodes of Later... with Jools Holland

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 68: Episode 6

Jools welcomes, for the first time on the show, the international legend and five-time Grammy-winning Shania Twain. The queen of country pop chats to Jools at the piano about he ...

21-06-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 68: Episode 5

Jools welcomes the return of pop powerhouse Lola Young to perform her single From Down Here, produced by James Blake, who appeared on episode two of this series. Lola also perfo ...

14-06-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 68: Episode 4

Jools welcomes the return of pop superstar Ellie Goulding, who made her TV debut on the show in 2009. She performs a couple of songs from her forthcoming album and chats to Jool ...

07-06-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 68: Episode 3

Jools welcomes back to the show vocal powerhouse Jessie Ware, who performs a couple of songs, including the title track from her sixth album Superbloom, described as a 'glitteri ...

31-05-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 68: Episode 2

Jools welcomes Grammy- and Mercury Prize-winning British musician and producer James Blake, who returns to the show with his seventh studio and top three album Trying Times.\n\n ...

24-05-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 68: Episode 1

Jools welcomes pop sensation Niall Horan from County Westmeath, Ireland, who makes his debut on the show and performs a couple of songs, including the title track from his fourt ...

19-05-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Amy Winehouse

Jools takes a look back at one of the world’s most iconic artists of the 21st century, celebrating her short yet remarkable career. Having first made her debut on the show ...

04-01-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Collaborations

Jools looks back at some of the unique collaborations that have appeared on the show, from the epic combination of Johnny and June Carter Cash, Pops Staples and Carleen Anderson ...

03-01-2026

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 67: Episode 6

Jools welcomes Northern Irish group The Divine Comedy, who return with their first new music in five years and perform a couple of songs from their top five album Rainy Sunday A ...

09-11-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Later... With Jools Holland

Series 67: Episode 5

Jools welcomes Florence + The Machine, who performs a couple of songs, including the title track, of her sixth studio album, Everybody Scream, which 'treads through womanhood, p ...

02-11-2025

BBC 2

All episodes