The BBC's annual New Year's Eve concert this year hands the microphone to 1980s pop royalty, with Rick Astley set to sing in 2024, along with a number of special guests.
Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve sees the singer bash out his big hits while closing out the year in style at London's iconic Roundhouse theatre — but you can watch the show online from anywhere in the world with a VPN.
► U.K. time and date: Sunday, December 31, 11:25 p.m. GMT
• U.K. channel: BBC1
That means we can expect Rick to belt out bonafide pop bangers like 'Never Gonna Give You Up' and 'Together Forever' along with select covers and tracks from his latest hit album 'Are We There Yet', which was released earlier this year. We might even hear some of his Smiths covers from Glastonbury.
As is tradition, Astley's set will bookend fireworks from central London, with the BBC set to break away from the Roundhouse for live coverage of the display and Big Ben's first bong of 2024 just ahead of 12 midnight, before the channel returns for more pop classics from Rick.
The BBC are keeping tight-lipped about which special guest stars are set to join Rick for his gig at this point, but with Sam Ryder's show last year featuring The Darkness and Spice Girl Melanie C, we're expecting some big names.
So get your drinks and dancing shoes ready - here's everything you need to watch Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve online.
Watch Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve free online
Watch Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve online FREE in the U.K.
You can watch this NYE music special in the UK on BBC iPlayer. It's totally FREE to view, provided you have a TV license of course.
If you're traveling away from the U.K. and trying to tune in from abroad, like you would at home, then a VPN will help you get around any geo-restrictions. Full information below.
Watch Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve from anywhere
How to watch Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve from anywhere in the world
If you're fortunate enough to live in the U.K., you can watch Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve for FREE on BBC iPlayer.
But what if you're usually based in the U.K. but are visiting the U.S. right now? Perhaps, you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on a paid streaming service in a foreign country when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home.
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below. Our favorite VPN service right now is ExpressVPN, but you'll find others in our best VPN services list.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.S. and want to view BBC iPlayer, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to BBC iPlayer and watch Rick Astley Rocks New Year’s Eve live streams.
Who is Rick Astley?
Lancashire-born singer Rick Astley came to prominence with his debut single 'Never Gonna Give You Up', which hit No.1 in 25 countries. including the U.K. and U.S. back in 1987.
Collaborating with producers Stock Aitken Waterman, Astley went on to have string of hits around the world throughout the reminder of the 80s, including 'Together Forever' and 'Whenever You Need Somebody' and would go on to rack up sales of 40 million records worldwide.
The 90s saw Astley step away from the spotlight, but he made an unlikely return to popular culture when 'Never Gonna Give You Up' became integral to the Rickrolling meme in the noughties.
Astley has since gone on to make a successful comeback, appearing on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, and making prominent guest appearances onstage with the likes of the Foo Fighters and Kylie Minogue.
