Later ... With Jools Holland

’You never knew what you were going to be confronted with when you went on Later…’ Nick Cave

‘Later… is a voyage of discovery for us as well as the viewers’ Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl and Alicia Keys loved it, Björk treasured it, Ed Sheeran’s life was changed by it, Kano felt at home while Nick Cave was horrified but inspired, and they all kept coming back.

This first-hand account of the BBC’s Later… with Jools Holland takes you behind the scenes of one of the world’s great musical meeting places. Legends including Sir Paul McCartney, Mary J. Blige and David Bowie found a regular welcome, alongside the next generation of superstars including Adele, Ed Sheeran and Amy Winehouse. Part of what has made the show so special is the format – all those bands, singers, stars and newbies brought together to listen as well as to perform in Jools’ circle of dreams. But there’s always been plenty of mayhem alongside the magic of convening a room full of musicians hosted by one of their own.

Written by the show’s co-creator and 26-year showrunner, music journalist Mark Cooper, this is the story of how Later… grew into a musical and TV institution. It was Mark who had to explain to Jay-Z why he couldn’t just do his numbers and split, who told Seasick Steve why he had to play ‘Dog House Boogie’ on the Hootenanny and persuaded Johnny Cash that he simply had to come in, even when The Man in Black wasn’t feeling well.

From Stormzy to Björk, from Smokey Robinson to Norah Jones, from Britpop to trip hop, here is the word on how Later… began, evolved and has endured, accompanied by exclusive interviews with some of the show’s regular stars as well as the unique pictorial record of Andre Csillag who photographed the show for over 20 years. A must-read for music fans everywhere, Later… with Jools Hollandpulls back the curtain on classic performances to reveal that the show is just as magical, if even more chaotic, than you imagined.

Reviews

‘Excellent’ Jools Holland

About the author

Mark Cooper is the co-creator and founding producer of Later… with Jools Holland and the Annual Hootenanny, booking and shaping both for 26 years without missing a single recording. He also led the BBC’s TV coverage of Glastonbury from a muddy 1997 until a locked down 2020 and executive produced over 250 BBC music documentaries including the Britannia and America strands, the year-by-year Top of the Pops histories and Reginald D. Hunter’s Songs of the South.

Mark began writing about music when he reviewed The Sex Pistols’ last ever show at San Francisco’s Winterland in January 1978. His first book, Liverpool Explodes! was published in 1982 and was one of Jarvis Cocker’s Ten Best Music Books in the Guardian.