“Well, you didn’t think we were gonna let you down, did you?”
So said Jarvis Cocker as he addressed the enormous crowd at Glastonbury‘s Park stage in 2011; thousands and thousands of people stood in front of him to see perhaps the worst-kept secret in the festival’s history, and one of its greatest live music experiences.
The speculation that the then newly reformed Pulpwould play the surprise set that day – after Radioheadthe previous day, no less – had grown so intense that latecomers reportedly had to be turned away, such was demand.
Beyonce, Coldplayand U2 headlined that year, but like many squashed in the Park Stage audience, squelching in the mud, it was the magic of singing along to Do You Remember The First Time?, Something Changed, and Common People I remember above everything.
Over the years, artists including The Killers, The Libertines, Lady Gaga, Foals and Franz Ferdinand have also popped up “unannounced” at Glastonbury. Last year, an act supposedly called The Churnups, conspicuous by their late-evening Pyramid Stage slot despite being an unknown entity, turned out to be The Foo Fighters.
The festival is famous for its secret sets, surprise guests and big names appearing in unexpected places, so while Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA headline this year, it is the TBA slots that may well provide some of the most memorable moments.
Image: Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on stage at Glastonbury in 2023. Pic: Anna Barclay
One person in the know is the founder of @secretglasto, a Twitter account which launched 10 years ago and now has almost 80,000 followers and a small team of six keeping the updates going. They have no official ties to the festival, but over the years have cultivated their sources – from people working on stages to sometimes even acts themselves – so they are “90% confident” about whatever they hint at.
“There’s also people that have been good at [revealing] what acts are playing before the line-up comes out,” says the Secret Glasto founder (we’ll call them SG). “So you can take their word a lot more seriously because they have some way of knowing what’s going on – even if you don’t know the specifics as to how they get that information, you can see the track record.”
When it comes to favourite secret sets, SG names Drenge and Wolf Alice, but says it’s “hard to look past The Killers”, who turned up in 2017 – 10 years after headlining for the first time, and two years before returning to headline again.
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THE MAIN SECRET SET TIMES AND STAGES
Firmly Rooted – Friday, 1am
Scissors – Friday, 10.30pm and 1.30am
BBC Introducing – Saturday, 4.30pm
Woodsies – Saturday, 6pm
Levels – Saturday, midnight
Scissors – Saturday, 12.45am and 2am
BBC Introducing – Sunday, 8.30pm
Scissors – Sunday, 1am
“The Killers in a tent, that’s something you feel it would only ever happen at Glastonbury. Compared to most of our secret set rumours we heard that one very late and personally I was very nervous by it, but also we had no other names in the frame. The relief when Frank Carter mentioned it was The Killers after him was palpable!
“So many people I have met since that show have been really thankful because they wouldn’t have gone [without the Secret Glasto tip] because a lot of them actually liked acts playing elsewhere at the time… why would you go to a secret set you don’t know if you’ve got eight out of 10 options elsewhere? The Killers to everyone was a 10 out of 10 option.”
With the potential for people to miss other brilliant acts based on the hints of their anonymous account, SG says they do feel a sense of responsibility, especially as the number of followers has grown.
“Quite a lot of the time for these secret sets, to get a good spot you’re [at the stage] for an entire set before. And you’re missing other things that you would love to see. So it is a big responsibility to make sure that we’re right about our info. There have been some secrets we just haven’t tweeted because we didn’t know who it was.”
Image: Liam Gallagher is currently performing his Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary shows – but he could take a break for Glastonbury? Pic: Dan Reid/Shutterstock
Image: Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno on stage headlining Glastonbury in 2014. Pic: James Mccauley/Shutterstock
For many Glastonbury-goers, the account has become a go-to place for reliable hints about the unnanounced acts set to play. There are a few TBA slots on the line-up this year – the biggest of which is set for the Woodsies Stage at 6pm on Saturday.
The bookies’ favourities include Liam Gallagher, fresh from his Definitely Maybe anniversary tour dates; Kasabian, who would mark 10 years since they headlined in 2014; and Pulp, as Cocker will already be on site to perform in the small Stonebridge Bar with Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor on the Friday. Other names bandied about include Harry Styles, Green Day, Charli XCX and, um, Taylor Swift, who’s set to perform her Eras tour shows in Dublin on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, so seems pretty unlikely.
SG is not revealing anything yet, but says Pulp, Kings Of Leon, Kasabian and Charli XCX are among the main acts rumoured.
Image: Could Harry Styles pop up this year? Pic: PA
As well as the Woodsies TBA, SG also says there will be some other “big surprises around the site doing some very small slots”.
However, they won’t mention where. “I don’t even want to mention the stages because I know how skittish some of those areas can be. I know in 2022, there was going to be a stage headliner from one of the recent years playing a very small slot that got canned quite last minute. So yeah, quite hesitant to to reveal more than that, but we have heard of some very interesting things.”
After 10 years of revealing Glastonbury’s secrets, what has SG learned about why the surprise acts have become such a special part of the festival?
“I think it’s just the fact all these acts have decided the money [doesn’t matter], and their egos don’t need placating,” says SG. “You’ve got some acts who would just be like, if we’re not a headliner, no matter what the money is, we would not play a certain slot.”
Glastonbury’s secret acts are there purely to put on something fun for the fans, SG continues. “It creates such a different atmosphere. A lot of the secret sets are bands that feel like Glastonbury helped their careers in some way, and it’s their way of sort of giving back.
“Unlike other British festivals, I think Glastonbury cultivates more of a ‘we go every year, regardless’ mentality. So these acts can feel like the people that supported them at, say, a previous slot that went really well for them will still be there, or at least a sizeable number of them will still be there, to enjoy the secret set they do down the line.”
MasterChef presenter John Torode will no longer work on the show after an allegation he used an “extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, the BBC has said.
His co-host Gregg Wallace was also sacked last week after claims of inappropriate behaviour.
On Monday, Torode said an allegation he used racist language was upheld in a report into the behaviour of Wallace. The report found more than half of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated.
Torode, 59, insisted he had “absolutely no recollection” of the alleged incident involving him and he “did not believe that it happened,” adding “racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.
Image: John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA
In a statement on Tuesday, a BBCspokesperson said the allegation “involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace”.
The claim was “investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm Lewis Silkin”, they added.
“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said.
“We will not tolerate racist language of any kind… we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken.
“John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”
Australian-born Torode started presenting MasterChef alongside Wallace, 60, in 2005.
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1:11
Why Gregg Wallace says he ‘will not go quietly’
A statement from Banijay UK said it “takes this matter incredibly seriously” and Lewis Silkin “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018”.
“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint,” the TV production company added.
“Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”
Earlier, as the BBC released its annual report, its director-general Tim Davie addressed MasterChef’s future, saying it can survive as it is “much bigger than individuals”.
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3:30
BBC annual report findings
Speaking to BBC News after Torode was sacked, Mr Davie said a decision is yet to be taken over whether an unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired.
“It’s a difficult one because… those amateur chefs gave a lot to take part – it means a lot, it can be an enormous break if you come through the show,” he added.
“I want to just reflect on that with the team and make a decision, and we’ll communicate that in due course.”
Mr Davie refused to say what the “seriously racist term” Torode was alleged to have used but said: “I certainly think we’ve drawn a line in the sand.”
In 2022, Torode was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to food and charity.
The head of the BBC says MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals” – but the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.
Director-general Tim Davie said he “absolutely” thinks the popular cooking contest has a future, with the production’s current deal with the corporation set to run out in 2028, and praised it as “a great programme that’s loved by audiences”.
Speaking as the BBC unveiled its annual report, and following a series of recent controversies, Mr Davie said the corporation’s leadership team will not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values”, and confirmed “senior individuals and people involved in these cases are being held to account”.
In response, Wallace said he was “deeply sorry” and never set out to “harm or humiliate”.
A few hours later, MasterChef presenter John Torode said an allegation he used “racial language” was upheld in the report as part of a review.
Torode has said he has “no recollection of the incident” and “did not believe that it happened”.
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Image: John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2019. Pic: Casey Gutteridge/Shutterstock
Mr Davie said the BBC’s leadership team would not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values,” while BBC chair Samir Shah acknowledged there were still pockets within the corporation where “powerful individuals” can still “make life for their colleagues unbearable”.
They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months following an independent review into workplace culture.
Wallace, who was sacked from MasterChef last week, is not included in that count as he was not directly contracted by the corporation, but was employed by independent production company Banijay.
Image: John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA
The BBC has yet to decide if the unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired or not.
‘We will make mistakes’
News of the findings in the Gregg Wallace report came on the same day it was revealed the BBC was deemed to have breached its editorial guidelines over a Gaza documentary that was narrated by the child of a Hamas official.
Media watchdog Ofcom subsequently launched its own investigation into Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, which was removed from BBC iPlayer in February.
While the 2024-25 annual report showed a small rise in trust overall for the corporation, Mr Davie said it had been a year which saw the reputation of the BBC damaged by “serious failings” in the making of the documentary.
He said it was important that the BBC “took full responsibility for those failings and apologised for them” and called the documentary “the most challenging editorial issue” he has dealt with.
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2:35
BBC under fire over Wallace and Gaza
Mr Davie said the BBC was “taking action to ensure proper accountability and we’re taking immediate steps to stop a failing like this being repeated”.
Despite a series of controversies in recent months – including livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury, when the band led chants of “death to the IDF” – Mr Davie insisted he can “lead” the BBC in the right direction.
When asked if he would resign, he replied: “I simply think I’m in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way.
“We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I’ve been very clear, and I think we have been decisive.”
Image: BBC director-general Tim Davie. Pic: PA
After what he called a “tough period,” he said the job of director-general was not one to take on “if you want a quiet life or a stress-free existence”.
Mr Shah backed Mr Davie, saying he had shown “very strong leadership throughout all this period and he has my full support”.
The report showed that Mr Davie, who has been in the role since 2020, has had a 3.8% pay rise, with his salary going up from £527,000 last year to £547,000.
BBC’s top-earning stars revealed
The BBC annual report also revealed its on-screen top earners, which saw former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker top the chart for the eighth year running.
The former Match Of The Day presenter, who left the BBC in May, earned £1.35m in 2024/25, according to the corporation’s annual report.
Last year’s BBC annual review was overshadowed by controversy over flagship show Strictly Come Dancing, while the year before saw disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards named the corporation’s highest-paid news anchor, despite having been suspended for nine months.
Gary Lineker has topped the list of the BBC’s highest-earning stars for the eighth year running.
The former Match Of The Day presenter, who left the BBC in May, earned £1.35m in 2024/25, according to the corporation’s annual report.
Presenter Zoe Ball was the second-highest paid, earning £517,000 for her work on the Radio 2 breakfast show, which she left in December last year.
Her replacement as breakfast show host Scott Mills was just outside the top 10 as the eleventh highest earner – with a salary of between £355,000 and £359,000.
Ball has since returned to a new Saturday afternoon show on Radio 2, which she began hosting in May.
Lineker’s former Match Of The Day colleague Alan Shearer was the third-highest earner, with a salary of between £440,000 and £444,999.
Exact salaries for Lineker and Ball are listed in the BBC’s annual report, but the pay of the rest of the on-air talent is listed in bands.
BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James was fourth on the list, while presenters Fiona Bruce and Nick Robinson were the joint fifth-highest earners.
The list does not include people who are paid through independent production companies or the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Studios.
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2:35
BBC under fire over Wallace and Gaza
Speaking after the publication of the report, BBC director-general Tim Davie said MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals”.
But he stressed that the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.
They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months, following an independent review into workplace culture.