Sir John Drummond, former Controller of the BBC Proms, died on Wednesday

[pianolist]

It was just announced on the late night news on the BBC, that Sir John Drummond, formerly Controller of the Proms, died yesterday. He was 71, which is not that old these days. He had also been Director of the Edinburgh Festival, and BBC Controller of Music and Radio 3.

He will no doubt be written up in obituaries in most of the British newspapers, but I wanted to mention him on this forum as well. He had a tremendous influence on classical music in Britain, and no doubt helped to shape the careers of countless musicians.

It struck me that one or two people might have memories of him, or more general thoughts about the way the Proms have developed over the years. I was at the Prom on Tuesday, up in the gallery, with a capacity audience in the Royal Albert Hall, and I am told that the attendances have been very healthy indeed this year. It's a good legacy for him to have left.