BBC Radio 2 pop-up station to celebrate Abbey Road’s 50th anniversary

Gary Barlow and Dave Grohl are among the stars who will front programmes on a special pop-up DAB radio station celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album.

The four-day pop-up on BBC Radio 2, entitled Radio 2 Beatles, will also feature shows hosted by John Bishop, Martin Freeman, Guy Garvey, Giles Martin, Cerys Matthews, Paul Merton and others, along with Radio 2 presenters including Zoe Ball, Sara Cox and Jo Whiley.

The station will be broadcast from September 26 to 29 from London’s Abbey Road Studios.

All the live shows will come direct from Abbey Road, with some also simulcast on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, and broadcast alongside pre-recorded specials and classic Beatles content from the BBC archive.

The Beatles will be honoured as a group, as individual artists, and as songwriters.

Radio 2 Beatles will be launched by Ken Bruce, whose show will feature a special Beatles themed Tracks Of My Years and PopMaster quiz.

Later that day, Whiley will present her evening show from Abbey Road with live performances and special guests.

Other programme highlights include We Write The Songs, where Barlow interviews Sir Paul McCartney, and My Beatles, where Grohl, Jack Savoretti and Tom Odell talk about the influence the Fab Four’s music had on them.

The station has also commissioned a special chart from the Official Charts Company- The Beatles Downloaded: Official UK Top 60 will be revealed across the Saturday and Sunday afternoons with Janice Long and Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James counting down the most downloaded and streamed Beatles songs in the UK.

Barlow said: “It was an absolute honour that Paul McCartney, one of my true heroes and a legendary songwriting genius, agreed to talk in depth about his work for my Radio 2 series We Write The Songs.

“This particular episode really is a masterclass from the master!

“I am thrilled to launch my first series on the network as part of Radio 2 Beatles, which sounds like it is going to be four days of unmissable radio.”

Lewis Carnie, head of Radio 2, said: “The Beatles are woven into the fabric of UK culture.

“They inspired and continue to inspire artists of all generations and created some of the world’s most loved music.

“As their seminal album Abbey Road is 50 years old, I am delighted that Radio 2 is celebrating the Fab Four with a four day pop up DAB radio station.”