On Saturday, 7 September the BBC are laying on a feast of viewing entertainment to celebrate Radio 2 in the Park in Preston. Radio 2's coverage of Day 1 commences at 12.55pm with a weekend of live music from Sting, Sugababes, Snow Patrol, Kim Wilde, Craig David, Pixie Lott, Shaznay Lewis and Travis, coming to you from Moor Park in Preston, introduced by your favourite BBC Radio 2 presenters.
Meanwhile on BBC 2, much of the evening has a Sting flavour too.
At 22.15, coverage of the Preston show begins with a 1 hr 15min highlights programme. This is followed at 11.30pm with Sting & The Police at the BBC, a collection of performances from the BBC’s archives celebrates the solo star and the band that brought him to the world's attention in the first place, including the very best of both careers with hits like Roxanne, Fragile, Message in a Bottle, Brand New Day and Every Breath You Take.
At 1am there is a repeat showing of Sting's Reel Stories with Sting joining Dermot O’Leary for an in-depth interview about his remarkable life and career, from his first TV appearance in 1978 to his reunion tour with the Police in 2007. Prompted by this abundance of archive footage, Sting shares his memories and stories with Dermot and reminisces about his musical journey that now spans five decades.
Rounding the evening off at 1.45am is a screening of The Old Grey Whistle Test special, The Police in the East, the documentary-style film of The Police's tour of Japan, Hong Kong, India, Egypt and Greece in 1980. The late Anne Nightingale accompanies the band and interviews its members during the tour.