Annie Macmanus & Huw Stephens announced as Mercury Prize Hosts

29 August 2024 - Press release

Broadcaster, author and podcaster Annie Macmanus and 6 Music presenter Huw Stephens were today announced as hosts of the 'Mercury Prize 2024: Album of the Year' TV programme. The programme will be filmed at Abbey Road Studios and broadcast live on BBC Four from 8pm - 9.15pm on Thursday 5th September.

This year's Awards Show will see artists come together to watch each other's recent recorded performances from across the BBC and celebrate each other's work, before the overall winner is announced.  

6 Music will also be broadcasting 'Mercury Prize 2024 Live' from 7pm to 11pm. The programme will be presented by Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant, with Matt Everitt interviewing the artists behind each of the 12 Albums of The Year. The show will include the announcement of the overall winner of the 2024 Mercury Prize, which will then be played out in full on air. 

Also available on BBC Sounds from Monday 2nd September is a Mercury Prize 2024 collection, which will feature Matt Everitt's Pocket Guides (3 x 60 mins) to all twelve albums, along with two playlists – one celebrating this year's Albums of The Year and another celebrating previous Mercury Prize winners. The collection will feature archive interviews, deep cuts and more. 

The 2024 Mercury Prize 12 'Albums of the Year' are: 

Barry Can't Swim 'When Will We Land?'

BERWYN 'Who Am I'

Beth Gibbons 'Lives Outgrown'

Cat Burns 'early twenties'

Charli xcx 'BRAT'

CMAT 'Crazymad, for Me'

Corinne Bailey Rae 'Black Rainbows'

corto.alto 'Bad with Names'

English Teacher 'This Could Be Texas'

Ghetts 'On Purpose, With Purpose'

Nia Archives 'Silence Is Loud'

The Last Dinner Party 'Prelude to Ecstasy'

The Mercury Prize recognises and celebrates the 'Albums of the Year', establishing a reputation for highlighting the work of both exciting emerging talent and more established bands and artists. The 12 'Albums of the Year' are chosen by an independent judging panel and recognise artistic achievement across a range of genres. Albums by British and Irish artists with a UK release date between 15 July 2023 and 12 July 2024 are eligible for the 2024 Prize. 

The 2024 Mercury Prize judges are: Danielle Perry – Broadcaster & Writer; Jamie Cullum - Musician & Radio 2 Broadcaster; Jamz Supernova – 6 Music Broadcaster & DJ; Jeff Smith - Head of Music, Radio 2 & 6 Music; Lea Stonhill – Music Programming Consultant;  Mistajam – Songwriter, DJ & Broadcaster; Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, Mojo; Sian Eleri – Radio 1 Broadcaster & DJ; Will Hodgkinson - Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times; Sophie Williams – Music Writer & Broadcaster. The Chair of the judging team is Jeff Smith.  The judging team will be meeting on 5 September to decide on the overall winning album.

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting UK recorded music, renowned British premium audio brand, Bowers & Wilkins, continues as long-term official audio partner of the Mercury Prize. At the forefront of music creation for over 40 years, it is uniquely placed to help the Mercury Prize celebrate the album format and the creative achievements of the 12 artists.