LONDON’S New Year fireworks will be replaced by a live TV show featuring the highlights of the year, probably including Captain Tom Moore’s fundraising walk and the Black Lives Matter protests, it was revealed.
BBC One is to replace coverage of the annual midnight fireworks display on the Thames with a “unique broadcast moment” recalling some of the most uplifting or defining events of 2020 as the nation responded to the pandemic.
These could include the weekly clapping for NHS staff and other key workers. It is thought the programme could feature fireworks but there will be no public display on the Victoria Embankment, which traditionally attracts ticket-only crowds of 100,000. There will be a “message of hope” for the New Year.
Mayor Sadiq Khan decided earlier this year not to hold a public display for covid safety reasons, and the capital’s Tier 3 restrictions mean that pubs and restaurants cannot open as normal to revellers.
The Tube will not run through the night as normal either, and people are being urged not to gather in central London to prevent the virus spreading.
Mr Khan, who will not appear in the show, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has meant we are not able to put on our world-famous public event on the banks of the Thames this year, but it’s important we reflect on and pay tribute to the defining moments of the year and look to 2021 with hope, and that’s why we are replacing it with a unique broadcast on BBC One.
“We know that New Year’s Eve is traditionally an opportunity to show off our great city to the rest of the world, which we will still be doing this year in a show you’ll only be able to watch from home, on the BBC. It will be a celebration of hope, but also provide a moment of reflection on the challenges of this year and the way Londoners pulled together. “
