Radio 2 presents a celebration of the work of British songwriters, with artists of today performing classic British songs.

In the 1950s the US seemed to have it all its own way with its domination of the evolving popular music scene. Then the 1960s and The Beatles came.

The Great American Songbook is forever being celebrated but now we can present a celebration of the work of British songwriters. Radio 2's Great British Songbook will be aired regularly on air and online and build into a catalogue of Great British popular songs. 

You will hear artists, such as Will Young and Razorlight, performing classic British song "standards" as written by the greatest British songwriters like Lennon & McCartney, Jagger & Richards, Ray Davies, Pete Townshend, The Gibb Brothers, Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

There will also be opportunities for you to participate and feedback on your discovery of songs and how they are written.

In December 2008 Chris Evans premiered Great British Songbook performances from Adele, Duffy, The Feeling, Keane and James Morrison, among others, as well as some special Christmas Songbook tracks. You can watch videos of these artists talking about the song they chose here on the Radio 2 website.

You'll be able to watch and hear more performances and interviews here in the coming months.