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20
May
Vernon Kay to replace Scott Mills at Harrogate’s Ibiza Symphonica
Vernon Kay has been revealed as Scott Mills’ replacement at a Harrogate concert after he was axed from the line-up last month.
The BBC sacked the now ex-BBC Radio 2 and Radio 1 host in March after it learned Mills was questioned by the Metropolitan Police in 2018 over allegations of serious sexual offences, which were reported have occurred between 1997 and 2000.
The investigation was closed due to insufficient evidence, but it later emerged that the alleged victim was under 16.
In light of the revelations, 53-year-old Mills, who was set to perform at Ibiza Symphonica at The Great Yorkshire Showground on August 15, was removed from the line-up.
The event issued a statement at the time, which said it felt the move was the “most appropriate way to focus on the spirit of Ibiza Symphonica”.
Vernon Kay, another BBC Radio 2 host, will take to the stage instead.
Ibiza Symphonica today (May 20) revealed Kay will be performing at the event as part of his BBC Radio 2 Dance Sounds of the 90s live tour.
Kay, 52, said:
I’m absolutely delighted to be bringing BBC Radio 2’s Dance Sounds of the 90s Live Tour to Harrogate this summer.
The 90s gave us some of the greatest dance records ever made and there’s nothing better than getting out in front of a big crowd to celebrate them properly.
It’s going to be such a brilliant night, and I can’t wait to be part of it.
The event will be held in the main ring at the Great Yorkshire Showground.
Freddy White, founder of Sound & White and lead promoter of Ibiza Symphonica, said Kay’s addition to the line-up is a “huge moment for us and a fantastic boost for the event”.
He added:
It’s fantastic to be bringing the energy and recognition of a BBC Radio 2 brand into the Symphonic Ibiza arena. Vernon’s Dance Sounds of the 90s has such a strong identity and following, and it feels like a brilliant fit for what we are building at the show ring.
Audiences are now getting Vernon Kay’s full live tour set as part of the evening before the main Symphonic Ibiza show begins, so it really does add another layer and make this an even bigger night out.
The Symphonic Ibiza Orchestra, Heather Small, Rebecca Ferguson and Alison Limerick are all still part of the event’s line-up.
It is the first major outdoor concert at the showground since Sir Elton John performed in 2012 and will see Ibiza dance anthems reworked by the 40-piece orchestra.
Profits from events at the showground go to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the farming charity that organises the annual Great Yorkshire Show.
A portion of ticket sales from Ibiza Symphonica will be donated to two local charities: the David Brown Foundation, a Harrogate and Yorkshire-based youth and education charity, and Harrogate Theatre Trust, which supports the continued delivery of arts and creative activity within the town.
Tickets, which are on sale now, are limited to a capacity of 8,000. The event will run from 5.30pm until 10.30pm.
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