Later... with Jools Holland

Later... With Jools Holland launched in October 1992 and is now one of the longest-running music series in British TV history, with more than 1,000 artists performing in the studio.

The show - which has had more than 30 series - has a familiar pattern. A number of larger live acts (normally four, sometimes more) are grouped around the studio, and play a couple of numbers in turn to an audience. These performances are interspersed with smaller (often acoustic) acts, normally playing one number each. Pianist Jools Holland occasionally sits in with one or more of the acts, adding keyboards. There's normally an interview or two, where Jools chats to the show's biggest act, and guests in the audience.

The programme is recorded live at BBC's TV Centre, and then edited down for transmission a few days later. Occasionally (especially during the Hootenanny New Year Show) extra performances may be dropped in on film. The show has continually provided a forum for cutting-edge artists, such as Battles, Dizzee Rascal and At The Drive-In; world-music artists including Buena Vista Social Club, Ali Farka Toure and Salif Keita; R&B stars like Mary J Blige, Jill Scott and D'Angelo; legends such as The Who and Johnny Cash; and has regularly featured British bands including Portishead, Pulp, Oasis, Blur and Coldplay.

Early in 2008, a new, slimmed-down version of the show was launched. Entitled Later Live... with Jools Holland, it's broadcast live from the BBC TV Centre on the Tuesday evening, followed a few days later by the regular recorded show. To create this new version, the regular show begins recording earlier on the Tuesday evening, with a live "trail" at around 8.30pm. The acts are then recorded as mentioned above. At around 9.50pm, the recording stops and the live transmission begins, finishing at 10.30pm. After 10.30pm, recording for the regular show resumes, giving time for re-takes in case of mistakes or technical problems.