BBC New Year's Eve specials

For 1999–2000, the BBC broadcast 2000 Today, a telecast covering global New Year's Eve festivities marking the arrival of the year 2000. The telecast was produced as part of a global consortium led by the BBC and WGBH,[1] and was designated as one of five projects undertaken by the broadcaster to mark the arrival of the 21st century.[2] The special would feature coverage of the opening of the Millennium Dome,[2] and London's New Year's fireworks show on the South Bank.[3][4]

Alongside the television broadcast, BBC Radio 1 aired One World, an international electronic music event featuring DJ sets by Carl Cox (who would open the event from Australia during a special Radio 1 Breakfast, and then be the final performer in Honolulu, Hawaii), Dance Anthems host Dave Pearce (who would host a show from Glasgow for the countdown to midnight in the UK), Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, and Fatboy Slim among others. Emma B and Scott Mills hosted the main block of the event, Millennium Dance Party, which ran through the evening of 31 December to the following morning.[5][6]

The programme initially covered the New Year's Eve fireworks in London in 2004. In 2005, the format changed to include commentary from celebrity guests. The format changed further in 2006, to include live performances from music artists and the programme was extended to air for between 60 and 90 minutes. This format remained until 2009.

From 2009 until 2013, the programme returned to its original format of one presenter interviewing the general public on the streets of London, leading into the New Year Fireworks.

Beginning in 2013, BBC One began to air concert specials from Central Hall Westminster on New Year's Eve; the specials are divided into two parts, with a segment featuring live coverage of midnight celebrations from London (billed in programme guides as New Year's Eve Fireworks) airing in between. The first special, Gary Barlow's Big Ben Bash, was headlined by Gary Barlow.[7]

During the 2014 event, drones were used to film the firework display. For the 2016 and 2017 events, the firework display was also streamed in 360-degree video.[8]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the London fireworks were held as a broadcast-only event for 2021 and 2022. For 2020, BBC One's New Year's Eve programming was promoted under the blanket title The Big New Year's In. It included a titular special hosted by Paddy McGuinness and Maya Jama live from Dock10 studios in Salford, Greater Manchester, a New Year's Eve edition of The Graham Norton Show, the concert special Alicia Keys Rocks New Year's Eve (which was filmed in Los Angeles), and the live fireworks presentation from London.[9][10][11][12][13]

The previous concert format returned for 2022, with BBC One airing The Big New Years & Years Party. At this point the special began to be filmed at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.[14][15] London's New Year's Eve fireworks were once again conducted as a "live broadcast spectacular"[16] for BBC One (similar to the previous year, which included an appearance by Giles Terera, and a performance by the West End Musical Choir at Shakespeare's Globe), with the city having cancelled a planned in-person celebration at Trafalgar Square due to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant concerns.[17][18]