London Ushers in 2022 with Innovative Broadcast Performance

London welcomed the new year with a dynamic broadcast show that took place across the city, celebrating its diverse cultural heritage and spreading a message of hope and positivity for 2022. The display included extensive lights and fireworks as well as for the first time, live performances. Jack Morton, the global brand experience agency, created and produced the live show with the Mayor of London and collaborated with a talented team of creative and technical specialists to bring the show to millions of homes, via a live broadcast on the BBC.

At the sound of Big Ben’s chimes, the thirteen-minute show began with a moving, spoken-word piece written for the occasion by poet Tomfoolery and performed by Londoner, actor and Hamilton star, Giles Terera. Viewers were then treated to a playful and inspiring show, set to an upbeat soundtrack of iconic music tracks, taking a celebratory look ahead to some of the key events that we hope and anticipate will bring us back together again in 2022, from the UEFA Women’s Euros in London to live entertainment across the UK.

For the first time, the London Borough of Greenwich played host to the main spectacle, with fireworks, lighting and 500 drones, synchronised by GPS, lighting up the skies above the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. London’s theatrical heart, Shakespeare’s Globe, was also a key location, with a chorus of 72 members from the West End Musical Choir singing a medley from the musical Mamma Mia, as a tribute to the performing arts scene across London.

The grand finale of the broadcast featured a breath-taking firework display before a stirring rendition of Auld Lang Syne ended the show back at the Globe.

It was necessary for the fine details of the event to be kept under wraps until midnight, to ensure large crowds did not gather, as the broadcast moment was not fully visible from the ground or locations in the capital and Londoners were invited to view it on BBC One and iPlayer at home.

Kara Porter, creative director, Jack Morton said: “We couldn’t be happier to have delivered this year’s incredible show, hand in hand with our outstanding partners, for the 18th consecutive year. This year the team has worked tirelessly to deliver this show, to tell London’s story and deliver a message of hope and unity.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan declared: “There is no doubt that 2021 has been a tough year for us all, but there has also been so much to be proud of. I am delighted that we’ve put on a unique display showcasing the very best of London to the rest of the world – from paying tribute to our heroic NHS staff for their efforts in the vaccine rollout to the inspiring work of our sporting stars on and off the field.

“For the first time ever, we also included live performances to celebrate London’s world-class creative sector which has been hit hard by the pandemic. Our unique cultural offer is one of the reasons we are the greatest city in the world, and I’m delighted that tonight we have sent a message to the world that we are strong, we are resilient, and we can look forward to 2022 in London with excitement.”

Jack Morton worked in conjunction with multiple organisations across the capital to deliver the experience, on behalf of the Greater London Authority. These included: The BBC, The Shard, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tate Modern, City of London Corporation, The Port of London Authority, The Royal Borough of Greenwich, Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, Transport for London, Civil Aviation Authority, and many more from the wider city operations.  Jack Morton’s creative show team worked in collaboration with On the Sly Audio Production and West End Musical Choir for the music production, Titanium Fireworks for the pyrotechnics design, Durham Marenghi for the lighting design and SKYMAGIC for the swarm drone sequences.