Main content

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra's Privacy Notice

Your trust is very important to us. This means the BBC is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. It is important that you read this notice so that you are aware of how and why we are using such personal data. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal data about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with data protection law.


About the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
One of the most celebrated broadcast ensembles in the world, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s distinctive energy, lightning speed, and iconic musical character has moved and inspired audiences for over 100 years. Founded in 1922 as the 2ZY Orchestra, the Philharmonic has played an essential part in shaping the Greater Manchester region into an unmissable cultural destination and a hub for world-class talent in orchestral music.

Outside of the Philharmonic Studio, their broadcast home at MediaCityUK, the orchestra presents a flagship series at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall as well as live concerts recorded in venues across the country, at the BBC Proms, and on tour. Whether encountered in the concert hall, heard on the air, seen on television, or streamed on BBC Sounds and iPlayer, the work of the orchestra is enjoyed by millions of listeners every year.

The BBC will process the personal data about you to help us do our job and allow you to benefit from our services, such as to provide you with the best experiences and most relevant information.
What personal data will the BBC collect?
You must be 16 or over to sign up to receive the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s newsletter.
We will be collecting the following personal data about you:

  • name
  • email address
  • postcode
  • region
  • age range

Our concerts in the BBC Philharmonic Studio are ticketed by our ticketing partner, Quay Tickets. If you buy a ticket through Quay Tickets and sign up to our newsletter from their ticketing platform, the following personal data will be collected and processed by the BBC.

  • your name and title
  • your postal and email addresses
  • contact preferences
  • ticket purchases

If you sign up for Quay Ticket’s newsletter on their website, please refer to Quay Tickets' privacy policy for further details on how they process your personal data.

Who is the Data Controller?
The BBC is the “Data Controller” of your personal data. This means that the BBC decides what your personal data is used for, and the ways in which it is processed. For the avoidance of doubt, your personal data will be collected and processed solely for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. As the Data Controller, the BBC has the responsibility to comply, and to demonstrate compliance with, data protection law.

Lawful basis for processing your personal data
The lawful basis on which the BBC processes your personal data for the BBC Philharmonic Newsletter is consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing from the Newsletter via email.

Sharing your personal data
The BBC works with our approved third-party providers who help us to provide some of our services. These partners only use your personal data on behalf of the BBC and not independently of the BBC.
We may share personal data with a third party where required or permitted by law.

Retaining your personal data
If you choose to sign up to the BBC Philharmonic newsletter your personal data will be kept for the purposes of providing the Newsletter.

You can unsubscribe from emails at any time by using the link at the foot of our emails and opt out of our promotional and marketing communications at any point or simply by contacting philharmonic@bbc.co.uk.


If you choose to opt out/unsubscribe at any time, your details will be added to a suppression list and then deleted after ninety (90) days.

Your personal data will be stored in the UK and the EEA. If your data is processed outside the UK and the EEA, the BBC will ensure that it is protected to the same standards as if it were being processed within the UK and EEA.

Your rights and more information
You have rights under data protection law:

  • You can request a copy of the personal data BBC stores about you.
  • You have the right to request that we rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.
  • You have the right to ask for the personal data we collect about you to be deleted, however there are limitations and exceptions to this right which may entitle the BBC to refuse your request.
  • In certain circumstances, you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data or to object to the processing of your personal data.
  • You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data to you or to another organisation, in certain circumstances.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer if you have questions or you wish to find out more details about your rights, please visit the BBC’s Privacy and Cookies Policy at http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy.

If you have a concern about the way the BBC has handled your personal data, you can raise your concern with the supervisory authority in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/.

Updating this privacy notice
We will revise the privacy notice if there are significant changes to how we use your personal data.

This privacy notice was last updated in November 2025.