Hannah Waddingham “Respectfully Steps Down” From Hosting BBC’s “Fantasy, Myths and Legends” Proms In Support Of The Ongoing SAG-AFTRA Strike

By Alex Vena
Published Aug. 28, 2023, 4:05 p.m. ET

Where to Stream:

Ted Lasso

Powered by Reelgood

More On:

Hannah Waddingham

Hannah Waddingham announced that she will no longer be hosting BBC’s “Fantasy, Myths and Legends” Proms in light of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

In correlation with the magical theme, tonight’s concert, which is part of an annual classical music festival held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, is set to feature music from Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and more.

The Ted Lasso star had previously told BBC that she was “thrilled to be back at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall after hosting the 2023 Olivier Awards [t]here earlier in the year.”

“Having performed at the Proms before, and having played Septa Unella in Game of Thrones I cannot wait to present a programme of some of the most-loved music from the fantasy genre,” she continued. “It’s going to be magical!”

However, this morning she took to X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), she shared that she “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,” she wrote. “I look forward to being back at @RoyalAlbertHall PDQ (pretty damn quick)! Xx H.”

Waddingham’s fans shared their support of her decision in the comments, saying “nothing but love and respect for you, Hannah” and “they’ll be down one legend, but I applaud your decision.”

The event, which began at 7 p.m. GMT (1 p.m. ET) will be broadcasted on BBC Two on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:50 p.m. GMT, in an edited version entitled “Fantasy Film Music at the Proms,” per BBC.

Waddingham spoke to the power of music when she co-hosted this year’s Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine, which she told Glamour UK had to be “the most historical one to be a part of.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are, who you love, what you wear, what colour you are, nothing, who fills your bed, nothing, from day one, but it feels like Eurovision encourages love across the board,” she said. “And I think that it gives everyone that in spades.”

Find more information on the BBC Proms schedule here.