The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in Cambridge will be heard only on the
BBC this
Christmas EveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our
Coronavirus coverageFor many of us, it is the moment when Christmas really starts: the soaring voice of a boy soloist at King’s College, Cambridge opening its iconic Christmas Eve service with Once in Royal David’s City.
As usual, this year – remarkably, given the pandemic – the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 4. But there will be a major difference: instead of hundreds of people packed into the medieval chapel, its pews will be empty.