Paul McCartney receives first Mercury Prize nomination at age 84
Sir Paul McCartney has been nominated for the Mercury Prize for the first time at age 84, marking a historic moment for the award.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The shortlist for this year's Mercury Music Prize has been announced, with Sir Paul McCartney receiving his first nomination at the age of 84. The former Beatle is recognised for his retrospective album 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane', a nostalgic look at his childhood in Liverpool.
McCartney is among a diverse field of nominees. Olivia Dean, who has already won Album of the Year at the Brits and the MOBO Awards for her album 'The Art of Loving', is considered the frontrunner. Other nominees include Raye, Florence and the Machine, dance artist Nia Archives, and two former winners: South London rapper Dave and the rock band Suede. First-time nominees include former Little Mix star Jade and the mysterious Irish songwriter Dove Ellis, who has never spoken in public.
Notable omissions from the shortlist include Lily Allen's acclaimed divorce album 'West End Girl' and Harry Styles' blockbuster 'Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally'. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Newcastle in October. Last year's prize went to Newcastle musician Sam Fender.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| Dave and Suede are former Mercury Prize winners and nominees. | ||
| Notable omissions from the shortlist include Lily Allen and Harry Styles. | ||
| Olivia Dean is the frontrunner to win the Mercury Prize. | ||
| Paul McCartney received his first Mercury Prize nomination at age 84. | ||
| Nine of this year's Mercury Prize nominees have been nominated before, including former winners Dave and Suede. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel led with football news (a German coach leading a Saudi club and Eddie Howe leaving Newcastle) before covering the Mercury Prize. The Mercury Prize segment was presented as a secondary item, with a focus on the historic nature of McCartney's nomination at age 84. The tone was factual and straightforward, using the same correspondent as the other BBC channel.
- “Sir Paul McCartney has been nominated for the first time for his retrospective album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane.”
- “Olivia Dean has already won Album of the Year at the Brits and the MOBO Awards for the sumptuous pop soul of The Art of Loving.”
This channel led with a story about an iceberg sinking near Ilulissat, Greenland, before turning to the Mercury Prize. The coverage of the prize was similar in content to the other BBC channel, but with a slightly different ordering of details. The segment emphasised the trophy and the fact that two nominees (Dave and Suede) are former winners, including a quote from Suede about their career change. The tone was neutral and informative.
- “Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney and Raye are among those shortlisted for the award, which recognises the best British or Irish album of the last 12 months.”
- “Paul McCartney, who gets his first nomination at the age of 84 for The Boys of Dungeon Lane.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.