BBC Radio 2 Virtual Folk Festival
8pm-10pm Saturday 01 August 2020

"Mark Radcliffe invites music lovers to join him under an imaginary big top and enjoy two hours of exclusive live performances from Yusuf Cat Stevens, Suzanne Vega, Kate Rusby, Fisherman’s Friends, Fara and more. Folk festivals have effectively disappeared this summer. To celebrate the much-missed experience, Mark will present a line-up of legends, folk stars, and talented newcomers.

"On what would have been the weekend of the 2020 Cambridge Folk Festival, Sidmouth Folk Festival and others, listeners can gather around Radio 2 to share Saturday night festival vibes and enjoy brand new performances recorded in artists' homes, plus stunning live highlights from Radio 2's archive.

"Yusuf Cat Stevens will headline the show with specially-recorded live versions of his beloved songs, including some from his multi-platinum selling, era-defining record Tea For The Tillerman. This September, Yusuf will release 'Tea For The Tillerman: Reimagined', which marks the album's 50th anniversary by recasting the songs for a new age.

"Yusuf was scheduled to headline the 2020 Cambridge Folk Festival before Covid-19 forced its cancellation. In 2015 he won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and his classic song ‘Wild World’ was revealed to be Radio 2’s most-played folk track of all time. In this special show, Yusuf takes time to speak to Mark from his home in Dubai.

"Suzanne Vega also performs favourite tracks, new and old, from her base in New York. Kate Rusby performs music from her forthcoming covers album, Hand Me Down, which includes her popular version of The Bangles’ Manic Monday. Fisherman’s Friends, from Cornwall, are re-united post-lockdown, and Fara, the superb musicians from Orkney, collaborate remotely to join the festival line-up."