Can You Really Turn BBC News Into a Rave Anthem? How Ros Atkins Became Glastonbury's Most Unexpected DJ Sensation

Image by Anthony DELACROIX. Glastonbury.

Fresh from last night's return to Glastonbury 2025, Ros Atkins delivered another memorable performance at the Rave Machine takeover at Stonebridge. The BBC presenter and Crissy Criss debuted their brand new track "The Festival Is Here" featuring samples of Emily Eavis and BBC Radio 1 listeners, with Greg James joining them on stage for the debut. But how did a serious journalist become Glastonbury's most unexpected DJ sensation in the first place?

The answer begins with a WhatsApp group that sounds like the setup to the world's most unlikely joke: a BBC News presenter, the composer of the most recognizable television theme in Britain, and a drum and bass heavyweight planning the most audacious remix in broadcasting history.

As BBC's analysis editor Ros Atkins closed his 90-minute drum and bass set at Glastonbury's Stonebridge Bar on Saturday afternoon in 2024, the familiar BBC News theme began to pulse through the speakers – but transformed into a high-octane drum and bass anthem by former BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Crissy Criss. The crowd erupted. Social media exploded. Millions watched the viral clips asking: how on earth did this happen?

The Hidden Past Revealed

The story begins in the 1990s when teenage Ros Atkins, growing up in Stithians, Cornwall, was going to raves and listening to hardcore and drum and bass, inspired by legends like LTJ Bukem, Ray Keith, DJ Storm, Dillinja, DJ Hype and Kenny Ken. After studying history at Cambridge and joining the BBC in 2001 as a news producer, his DJing past remained buried for over two decades – until January 2022 changed everything.

During an interview with The Guardian, Atkins revealed his secret life as a drum and bass DJ who'd run club nights and played everywhere from Brixton to South Africa. Back in 2022, the BBC journalist, known for his viral news explainer videos on social media, shared that he was a drum & bass DJ in his 20s. The response was immediate: BBC Radio 6 Music invited him to do a mix, legendary DJ Ray Keith offered mentoring sessions, and Soho's The Social venue reached out for bookings.

When his Glastonbury 2024 slot was confirmed, someone suggested on social media that he remix the BBC News theme. Atkins told BBC 6 Music: "I messaged him a couple of days later, and I said 'you can say no to this of course but would you be open to us looking at a remix of your theme' and he just said straight away 'yeah, that's great.'"

There was just one problem. "But then of course, both of us realised neither of us had any experience of making drum 'n' bass tunes," Atkins admitted. That's when he contacted Crissy Criss. "So before I knew it, I was on a WhatsApp group with me, David Lowe, the composer of the BBC News theme, and Chrissy Chris, drum and bass heavyweight, and the three of us started plotting out what we could do."

Glastonbury Glory and Viral Fame

The high-octane remix by former BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Crissy Criss was played during Atkins's Saturday afternoon set at the Stonebridge Bar, where he played alongside MC Inja. The lineup at Stonebridge that weekend was stellar: Atkins was joined by Rudimental, Jamz Supernova, Bradley Zero B2B Batu, Daphni, Erol Alkan B2B DJ Paulette, MJ Cole, Yung Singh B2B Moktar, Idris Elba and more.

The moment the BBC News theme remix dropped as his closing track, the crowd went wild and social media exploded. BBC Somerset captured it perfectly: "A dream come true" BBC News presenter @BBCRosAtkins just unleashed 1.5 hours of drum'n'bass on #Glastonbury Festival... and this is how he finished it - with a fresh remix of the @BBCNews theme. The video clips racked up millions of views across platforms.

The response was phenomenal. Music fans and news junkies alike were captivated by the sheer audacity and brilliance. This wasn't just novelty – the BBC News theme, originally composed by David Lowe in the late 1990s, had been genuinely transformed into quality drum and bass that respected both the original composition and the genre's culture.

Last Night at Worthy Farm

Last night, Atkins returned to Glastonbury 2025 with his "Rave Machine" takeover at the Stonebridge Bar, joined by an impressive lineup including Danny Howard from Radio 1, Charlie Tee from 1xtra, DJ Rap and Crissy Criss. The highlight was the debut of their new collaboration "The Festival Is Here" – a nostalgic blend of classic '90s jungle and hardcore that samples Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis talking about the joy of opening the festival gates, plus voice notes from BBC Radio 1 listeners sharing their own Glastonbury memories.

"I was so taken with the Thursday at last year's Glastonbury that when I was booked to DJ on Thursday this year, I set about making a track about the Thursday feeling on the festival site," Atkins had explained. The moment became special when Greg James joined Crissy Criss on stage to introduce the track – creating exactly the kind of euphoric moment that made Atkins fall in love with raves in the first place.

Atkins' successful return to Glastonbury 2025 is part of an incredible festival lineup. The 1975 headline Friday's Pyramid Stage, Olivia Rodrigo closes Sunday, Neil Young returns for his second headline slot, and Rod Stewart takes the legendary Sunday teatime spot. Charli XCX headlines Saturday's Other Stage fresh from her "brat" album success, while The Prodigy close the festival in their first appearance since Keith Flint's passing in 2019.

The duality of Atkins' life makes his story compelling. By day, he's the BBC's analysis editor explaining complex political developments to millions of viewers. By weekend, he's dropping beats for thousands dancing in muddy fields. "I fell in love with raves because of the euphoria and energy of those moments when the music and crowd come together. We're hoping to create some of that!"

What Atkins achieved goes beyond a successful DJ set. He created a cultural moment that perfectly captures the British spirit – taking ourselves seriously while never losing sight of joy. The BBC News theme remix was a statement that creativity emerges from the most unexpected places, proving that sometimes the most unlikely collaborations produce the most magical results.

From teenage raver in Cornwall to BBC newsroom to Glastonbury stages – it's a journey reminding us that passions never truly leave us, they wait for the right moment to return. Sometimes that moment comes with a WhatsApp notification and the chance to make broadcasting history.