Hannah Waddingham withdraws from BBC Prom in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA

Emmy and WhatsOnStage Award winner Hannah Waddingham will not present a special BBC Prom, she has revealed on social media.

Despite the news being announced last week, Waddingham updated social media users on X, more commonly known as Twitter, about her plans for tonight. Her withdrawal, she has said, is in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strike currently going on in the US.

The strike between performers, writers on one side and film producers on the other, boils down to contentious issues over outdated residual payment protocols, as well as the use of AI in generating content.

Titled “Fantasy, Myths and Legends”, the Prom includes scores from Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and World of Warcraft. Katie Derham and Ali Plumb will present the prom in Waddingham’s stead.

The BBC Concert Orchestra will be led by their new chief conductor, Anna-Maria Helsing, who will be joined by Mezzo Soprano Felicity Buckland and the Huddersfield Choral Society.

The Prom will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and made available on BBC Sounds for 30 days. It will also be filmed for TV, with an edited version airing on BBC Two on Saturday 2 September at 7.50pm.

Hey guys, I very sadly won’t be able to host tonight’s @bbcproms “Fantasy,Myths and Legends”. It will be an magical night,but due to my ongoing support for the @sagaftra strike I must respectfully step down. I look forward to being back at @RoyalAlbertHall PDQ! Xx H

— Hannah Waddingham.💣 (@hanwaddingham) August 28, 2023